Active Lifestyles

Well Community writer reviews 3 trendy fitness toys

It’s easy to get comfortable in your exercise routine, especially if it works pretty well. My routine: Swim, bike, lift, stretch. Repeat.

I bike raced for five years after college, then after moving on to graduate school and a new job, gave my knees a break and added swimming. And that’s what I’ve done for two decades: six days a week of cycling or swimming plus weights, with the occasional attempt at running.

While it’s been fun, the body needs to be challenged with new things or it adapts and doesn’t grow stronger. That hasn’t been my problem so much as overuse injuries, which happen when you do the same movements over and over.

That’s why I jumped at the chance to spend time in the Athletic Group Training class to try Gliders, Kettlebells and TRX — three of the trendiest strength-training tools in the gym.

The result: I gave my body an overall challenge and incredible core workout it hadn’t been getting. And because these “toys” test balance and coordination more than typical weight machines, I had to concentrate, giving my brain a workout too.

Led by Maki Uechi-Brooker, a personal trainer at Galter LifeCenter, I learned proper technique and some great moves that I’ll be adding to my workout routine.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s available:

Gliders: Tiny, simple — why didn’t I think of these? Two circular disks go under your feet or hands allowing you to slide along the floor. Maki had us lie in a plank position, face inches from the ground, with a glider under each foot. I slid one leg out directly to the side and back, then repeated with other leg, for 45 seconds, for a great core workout.

You can also stand on gliders and slide forward-back and side-to-side for a similar challenge. They’re portable and can be used on carpet or wood floor, making them ideal for travel or home.

Kettlebells: These weights originate from Russia and look like cannonballs with handles. Used instead of dumbbells, they’re swung through the legs and used in a number of weightlifting motions, and are great at building strength, endurance and upping your heart rate.

They’re just a bit unstable and the handle is thick, which gives your gripping hand a workout and makes them challenging to lift. I used 8 and 10 pound kettlebells to start, though they go much higher in weight. Kettlebell routines can get pretty complex, so an instructor can be extremely helpful when learning to use these.

TRX Suspension Training: Probably the hottest thing in fitness at the moment, this is a long strap with two handles and two loops that can be attached to almost anything. (It was developed by Navy Seals who wanted access to fitness equipment wherever they were stationed.)

Maki hung TRX straps from a railing, where we used strength, coordination and balance to do rows, curtsies, squats and other moves. It was a great way to make exercises that I’d been doing for years more complex and fun. A pushup becomes an adventure when you loop your feet through the two handles and keep your hands on the floor. For an extra-hard challenge, keep your feet on the ground and put your hands in the loops.

Other strength equipment that’s been around a while but is worth checking out includes:

• Body Bar — This is a long, straight, weighted bar covered in foam rubber for gripping. We added this to a simple, one-legged dip, which challenged the body’s balance and strength.
• Stability ball (or Swiss ball) — We used this as a partial back bench, forcing the core to stabilize the body while performing dumbbell exercises. You can also do pushups on the Swiss ball. 
• Sandbags — Sandbags are unstable and take the place of dumbbells and barbells. Try a squat while hugging a sandbag to your chest and belly. Don’t tip forward! 
• Tires — Small tires can be dragged or thrown, while truck tires can be pushed end-over-end from a squat position for strength training.
• BOSU — These blue half balls with the flat bottom (BOSU stands for Both Sides Up) inject instability into your workout, making exercises like push-ups (with hands on the rounded blue side for more instability, and on the flat side for less) great for your core because they engage more muscles.
 

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