Do you want a Slimmer, Trimmer, Summer?

Word is defintely spreading about the Shadowboxer VRT and the thing is this is not just with combat enthusiasts, people are starting to realise that exercises that fighters use are good for everyone to tone up and get fit. For a start punching exercises are a simple great way of exercising your entire body, of course if you got to do it right (see our DVD with a professional boxer showing you correct technique). But people are also realising that the Shadow Boxer VRT is not just for punching. It's great for abdominal exercises. So here's one that will not only improve your posture but also make you look a lot slimmer as it targets the lower abs, an often neglected part of the body. Targeting this area has a significant slimming effect as it tends to pull the hip to a neutral rotation position, just this has the effect of making you look as though you've lost pounds. It also happens to be good for you as it encourages better core stability and spinal alignment, which basically means you get less back pain from imapct caused from bad posture whilst walking, running etc. So here's the exercise...

Reverse Crunch



Place the Shadow Boxer VRT belt over your shins as shown in the image. Grasp the handles however it feels comfortable and place you hands on the floor. You can start with the feet on the floor if you prefer.

1. Then raise your feet to 90 degrees as shown in the first picture in the sequence. Please make sure you back is firmly pressed into the floor and not arching.
2. Keeping that hand grips pushed into the floor raise your hips off the floor whilst holding the hip to knee to feet position firm. In other words you are only rasing the hips off the ground a few inches in a controlled manner (not throwing the hips off the ground and usng momentum). ote it is the hip that raises off the ground and the feet follow almost incidentally...NOT the other way around. Breath out as you raise your hip.
3. Slowly lower to the starting position breathing in whilst you do.
4. Repeat 3 sets of 10. This sounds easy but as you will soon discover this may be too much so even if you can only manage a few that's fine to begin with. Vary few people exercise the lower ab muscles and so many won't be used to it and will find it hard to begin with.

The great benefit of this is that you get double whammy due to the fact that you are puching your hands to the ground whilst doing the exercise so you get a tricep workout as a 'Brucie' bonus. No more Bingo Wings.

Advanced Tip

Move your arms out to 45 degrees to your body and that takes the exercise to the next stage...still too easy...refer to out previous post of straight legged reverse crunches (do not try this is you are a beginner)

Is the Shadowboxer VRT too expensive?

To all those that think the Shadowboxer VRT is too expensive...We just noticed this review of the training DVD that comes FREE with your purchase. The boxing capital gang reviewed the DVD. Now I must admit we didn't know they did this but it makes for interesting reading. Click here to read the full review. Now remember the guys at Boxing Capital are either ex-boxers or still keep their hand in so they are talking from experience. They know about punching, overall cardio fitness and competitive fighting. So it's an informed opinion. They also provide in my opinion the most thorough reviews we have had and we are planning to use this expert feedback for future product development, which we could tell you about but then we have to kill you ; )

Anyway, they think it's worth £15+ when compared to all the celeb fitness DVD's out there, so bearing in mind the VRT is selling for £64.99 Free P&P we believe as a total package it represents fair value when you compare it to what's currently on the market. Consider this:

• One months gym membership would cost about the same
• Multi-gyms would cost substantially more and you can't really take them with you. They would be a rather large suspicious bulge in your bag and you might need a forklift to help!
  
• NO product currently offers you dynamic & mobile resistance to your punching and fitness exercises quite like the VRT

(ok ok I'll get off my soap box...and step away from the keyboard).

You gotta be in it to win it!

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!

Media Appearance #2

The Shadowboxer VRT has recently featured in Ultra Fit Magazine in the 'Hot Products' section. Ultra Fit is a magazine for people serious about fitness. and we are proud that they have chosen to feature us in the Hot Products section.

Milling for basic fitness

The Exercise

Some of you may be familiar with a milling drill for basic fitness. These drills are not just used by fighters but for people that want to get fit in boxercise classes and the like. Your training partner holds some focus pads (keep them reasonably tight together not wide apart) and you stand in a neutral stance, feet should width apart, knees slightly bent and proceed to turn and hit each pad continuously for 1 minute sets. The punches are more thrusting, turning punches instead of jabs.

Common mistakes

• Incorrect body position and people tend to bend over slightly as the hit the pad, try and stand fairly upright i.e. keep your bum in and contract the abs.
  
• The turning comes from the hips and legs primarily but people often use only upper body.
• The hip and shoulder move together as one accelerating the punch forward
  

The Drill

So the icing on the cake is to do this with the Shadowboxer VRT. You need to do this without gloves or some light gloves (such as slim MMA gloves)

Beginners
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3 x 1 minute sets should suffice, if this is too much do less time and/or use lower resistance cables.

Advanced
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If this is too easy for you. wear the VRT back to front and upside down i.e. with the velcro strap facing front and the SB logo upside down facing backwards, this has the effect of shortening the cords, giving you more resistance. My training partner is a professional fitness instructor and martial arts teacher and he even struggled with this.

The Benefits

If you're doing this correctly you will feel it in your legs, buttocks and abs as well as upper body. Torquing the body with each punch (actively using the legs and abs to generate power) is great for an all round body work out.
Try a turning punch after without the Shadowboxer it will feel like you could punch a hole in a wall! It develops great punching power and core punching fitness.

Note:
As most combat officiados will know...THIS IS NOT A FIGHTING DRILL. ITS FOR BASIC FITNESS. The paras do this with live opponents, but this may not be everyones cup of tea.

So how do you use yours? A 20 minute workout

Welcome to Shadow Boxer UK. We would like to invite anyone that uses the Versatile Resistance Trainer (VRT) to share with other users tips on how you use yours.

So as a starter for 10. If I'm in a rush and only have 20 minutes for a quick workout in the morning here's what I do.

Warm up and stretch - 3minutes

Basically loosen off triceps, rotate hips, shoulders and neck, a few back stretches, which normally consists of "salute to the sun" (borrowed from yoga) and a lower back stretch.

Punching Sets with VRT - 12 minutes

Repeated turning punches from side to side -- 2 x 3 minutes

• Borrowed from Wing Chun these are chest level thrust punches that lend themselves well to the use of the VRT.
• Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and imagine you are trying to squeeze the ground in between your legs (without moving your feet together), otherwise known as adducting your stance, this alone will exercise your legs. If you feel tight contracted muscles along the inside of the thighs and calf's you're doing it right.
  
• Now as you throw a left mid level punch driving the left hip forward, pull the right heel sharply in, so that both of your toes should now be pointing in the same direction and your punch is forward at 45 degrees. As a check your left shoulder hip and heel should roughly be along the same vertical line and your weight slightly towards the back leg.
  
• Next you are going to throw the right, so still adducting your stance pivot to the right, driving the right hip forward and pivoting on the heels (yes, the heels, not the toes)
  
• Now rapidly repeat pivoting from side to side for 3 minutes (with some cool music in the background e.g. I predict a riot, The Kaiser Chiefs). By rapidly pivoting from side to side you should feel this in your legs and abs as well as of course the arms.
• Pace yourself if your new 3 minutes is a long time!
• Advanced tip - change the rhythm of your turning. I usually use three paces slow turn 2 turns/punches every second, medium about 4 every second, fast as many as you can manage -- the fast changes really works the abs
  

Three 3 minute rounds using combination of jab, cross and elbow (boxer would use a hook)

• With a left leg forward (see Paul Briggs stance and instruction on the DVD) throw a jab followed by a straight cross. I do various combination of jab, cross, elbow. See the DVD for a demo.
• As you cross twist your hips, contracting your abs to drive the cross forward so again your not just getting a upper body workout.
  
• Take a 30 second break in between sets
• Note: we know the VRT doesn't give resistance to a hook or elbow but you can't have everything -- we're working on that one...
  

Warm down by shaking off the shoulders and bending the knees as you throw the arms - 30 seconds

Sounds easy doesn't it. Well just try it and let me know how you get on!

Good luck and happy training