suspension training
SUSPEND DISBELIEF
Steve Harrison reports on the development of the suspension training market, and on future opportunities to extend the reach of this training modality
I
n a continuously and rapidly evolving industry, we see fitness products come and go: some are one-hit wonders, some never really
hit the big time at all, some intermittently cycle back around – and then there are the few that last the test of time. It says a lot about a piece of fi tness
training equipment when it has been used by generation after generation, even if the public was not fully aware of it. This is true of suspension training equipment. Dating back centuries, it was traditionally used for strength and conditioning exercises in the guise of rope and ring training. The rings remain an Olympic sport today; suspended movement training is an exercise form that is to be respected.
functional focus In recent years, we have seen a boom in the popularity and variety of suspension training modalities, ranging from strength and endurance bodyweight exercising to aerial support movements. The huge versatility of movement available from a suspended stance, and the myriad ways in which we can influence the forces being placed on the joints and muscles of the body, is incredible. There’s now a range of brands on the
market, including the TRX Suspension Trainer, The Human Trainer, FKPro, Rip:60, MiloKit, Jungle Gym and Wolverson’s Suspended Movement Trainer (designed in partnership with Premier Training). Although all with their own USPs, these are essentially similar in design and functional purpose: as a bodyweight support training device. Being able to move your own body weight in a variety of different movement patterns is invaluable, whether lifting the total sum of your body mass or doing partial weight- bearing movements. As the one tool that goes everywhere with you, your own body should be responsive to your needs.
evolution of suspension The recent wave of suspension training has been so big that there have also
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AntiGravity Yoga uses special silk hammocks that allow even beginners to perform advanced aerial yoga poses
been progressions in the types of suspension training equipment available. Some suspension trainers, such as aeroSling and War Machine, now have integrated pulley systems; this adds a further unpredictable element to the training and increases the user’s proprioceptive demands. Elmar Schumacher, creator of aeroSling,
injured his shoulder performing traditional weight-lifting exercises. He therefore developed his sling/pulley suspension trainer around the idea that users could undertake conditioning work without excessively overloading via external, non-body weight. Other developments have been seen
in relation to circus arts like trapeze. Reebok has its Jukari suspension training equipment, for example – a training programme, created in partnership with Cirque du Soleil, which teams up cardio-based moves and strengthening
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exercises. It’s great to be able to get people lifting their full body weight off the fl oor using their upper bodies, even if only for a second or two and with a little jump to help initial lift-off. Meanwhile Air Gyro Gym and
AntiGravity Yoga have designed silk hammocks which allow for aerial yoga poses and classes to be performed; by inverting the body and allowing for fully suspended movements, we can alleviate unnecessary stresses which often get placed on our joints and relieve tension in our body. Inverted movements made possible
by such suspension apparatus can allow the inter-vertebral discs in your spine to avoid the compressive forces that often accompany challenging exercise activities. Such movements can even allow the discs to rehydrate and expand in size, thus increasing the distance between each vertebrae and hopefully preventing
may 2012 © cybertrek 2012
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