Feedback from a customer

Tonight I did 7 sets of 100 on the pads and put the heavyweight resistance cords on to take the sting out of my punches as my fiancee was holding the pads for me and she is only 7.5 stones. Lets just say it worked, she had no problem holding the pads for me and within 15 mins I was completely burnt out and had a better pump on my shoulders than any weights session that I could have done. I am truly impressed at how much effort the shadow boxer takes and think it is a definite fast track method to improving speed and strength.

P.S. I've been wearing it backwards so even with hands in guard position I am under tension which can only help to train those hands to stay up at all times in the future, also I can agree with you that it will help correct punching technique as concentration is required to throw a straight punch as the cord is pulling down on the fist at the full extension of my reach especially when tired at the end of a good sesh.

If someone is holding the pads for you when using shadowboxer then the pads should be positioned at the end of your reach so that you have to fully extend the arm to hit the pad this helps for a better workout and also helps if the person holding the pads for you is a lot smaller like my fiancee 7.5 stone vs me 13.2 stone just to make sure that there is less chance of jarring or damaging the shoulders of the pad partner.

Once again thanks for a great product and your interest in my feedback 10/10

Carl

[note: Just to put the feedback in context Carl used to train for 30+ hours a week in Thai Boxing]

Russian Twists -- Lose those 'love handles'!

The Shadowboxer VRT is not just for "super-charing your punches" as one customer put it. There are a variety of exercises that you can use it for. So here's an exercise for not only strengthening your core but it also tones up that common problem area...your obliques AKA 'love handles'. If you're interested in combat, strong punching power comes from a powerful hip rotation so having good abs and obliques is essential.

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent
2. Attach the Shadowboxer VRT just above the knees allowing for some space between the legs. Ensure the velcro is firmly in place you can test this by trying to pull your knees apart. The velcro shouldn't budge.
   
3. Place you hands at chest level so there is a right angle between your forearm and upper arm...this is your starting position
4. Now twist to the left and forcefully swing your arms in a circular motion, maintaining the distance between your chest and hands
5. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side
6. Repeat 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Points to watch

• Don't let the hip rotate forward. Try and maintain a neutral tilt in the hip or even slightly up turned if you can. The buttocks will be held firm if you do this correctly.
  
• Hold a firm stomach as this will engage the abdominal muscles. Tilting the hip as above will help with this also.
  

The beauty of this is no need for bulky multi-gym equipment or humongous crossover machines. You certainly can't take those outside with you to exercise in the little sun shine that we might get in good ole' blighty!

Stretching - Figure of '8' Shoulder Rotation

Now if you're anything like me when you get your Shadowboxer VRT you just want to get it on and start punching...BUT WAIT. As I'm sure most of you know but only a few of us do we should stretch before and after an exercise routine. The most commonly agreed upon way to prevent injuries is to stretch. For those of you that do stretch the question is 'do you stretch both major and minor muscles (the muscles that are responsible for keeping the joint aligned)? These minor muscles are often the cause of many injuries, just ask any physio. The best way to stretch them is to roll the joint in a circular motion. This loosens up the minor muscles.

So here's one stretch that is particularly good before using your Shadowboxer VRT.

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and 'soft' knees (slightly bent) and your arms by your side
• Starting with the left look down at your left hand and (slowly) swing the arm backwards in a large circular motion keeping your eyes on your hand as you go. Also try to go to full range.
• The arm should now swing forward diagonally across the front of your body continuing downwards toward the right hip.
• The arms now completes the second part of the figure of '8' movement circling upward to the right shoulder.
• Finally from the right shoulder the arm continues downwards to the left hip and the original starting position.
• Remembering to keep movements smooth and let the hand position move naturally, don't force anything, but do try and swing to full range.
• Repeat 15-20 times on each arm and also reverse directions of the swing.

Note: Following the swing with your eyes and going to full extension will give you a full stretch without putting too much strain on the neck vertebrae or stress on a part of the shoulder that might have a low grade rotator cuff injury.

This stretch comes courtesy of Bruce Miller 7th Dan Quan Li K'an. I attended one of his courses on Acupuncture and Stretching recently. Bruce is a Physician Assistant and Internal Medicine Practitioner also. However, there's no hocas pocas with Bruce as he surprisingly applies Pragmatic Scientific principles to what he teaches and his knowledge of anatomy is deep as it is wide. We hope to get contributions from Bruce in the Future. Click here for his web site.