Why EVERYONE should be using the RIP Trainer.

I don't know about you but I have cursed Mother Nature more than I care to admit these last few weeks. It seems like every time I go out to walk my dog I'm slipping on ice or stepping over mounds of snow that my lovely neighbors have left in the middle of the sidewalk. One day last week, Friday to be exact, I was out walking Pepper (my dog) after a rare attendance at Geoff's 9am Fusion. We had spent the hour bouncing back and forth between the RIP Trainer and Suspension Trainers working, well...everything. My core, glutes, and hamstrings were fired up and ready for the day. As Pepper and I were neared the end of our walk I slipped in a hidden patch of ice. My left leg slid forward, my right hand (leash hand) whipped back, my poor dog snapped to attention, but instinctively my body fought the urge to yard sale on the sidewalk and righted itself. Crisis averted. Why you may ask? The answer should be obvious, the RIP Trainer! 

If you are unfamiliar with the RIP Trainer it is a rather simple looking piece of equipment. Created by Peter Holman, former member of the US Taekwondo team as well as a Physical Therapist, he sought a way to train his clients and teammates to create and control rotational forces. The ingenuity of the product is recognized as soon as you place your hands on it. Core muscles are forced to engage to either allow for rotation or to prevent it. Just think "All Core. All The Time."  The RIP allows for 3 dimensional exercises to be completed in all the frontal, sagittal, and transverse planes, while providing an asymmetrical load. If that wasn't enough, balance and stability are challenged as you increase the difficulty of each exercise. With 85% of the body’s core musculature running on a bias, rotational movement is one of the best way to train and the RIP makes it happen.

To put a real life spin on this just think of what your body has to do when you….slip on a patch of ice, step out of the car, shovel, start a snow blower, throw a bag of salt over your shoulder, pick up uneven bags of groceries, or even your kids. You twist. You bend. You even prevent each of these from happening as well. Everyday life requires you to create and control rotational forces! The RIP Trainer prepares you for whatever lies outside the walls of CPC.

Don’t be fooled and think the RIP Trainer is just for athletes. It is a training tool for everyone, and with snow predicted for the end of the week and spring nowhere in sight it’s time you start thinking about training with it too. You’ll be glad you did.

SK