Some health gear is price your cash; others are gimmicks that ought to keep on the shelf. It’s not at all times simple to know which is which. For instance, at first look, the Sanddune Energy Stepper is a squishy platform that, for $280 a pop, leaves you questioning why you may’t simply run and soar on flat floor.
After all, you may, however as Muscle & Health’ Zack Zeigler and Frank Sepe just lately discovered whereas touring The Energy Membership (positioned in New York, NY), the Sanddune is a power coach-approved device for decreasing joint affect and bolstering stability. And that, of us, is why M&F’s Health club Excursions sequence exists—to find out about new coaching instruments that we (and also you) would miss out on in any other case. Preserve studying for extra concerning the Sanddune.
What’s it?
The Sanddune Energy Stepper is a foam field that mimics the texture of shifting on sand. It options two particular person platforms, so your toes and palms work independently of each other. Each platforms are additionally barely angled to put your palms or toes on a decline or incline.
You possibly can run, soar, and push off of the Sanddune, which gives extra cushion in your joints whereas additionally difficult your stability. It’s sometimes used as a warm-up and conditioning device. Frequent actions on the Sanddune embody excessive knees, strolling in place, vertical jumps, and push-ups.
What We Like
- The Sanddune is joint-friendly. It mimics a sandy floor, coaching on which has been proven to scale back muscle soreness and stress. A research printed within the Journal of Human Kinetics in contrast the outcomes of seashore handball gamers, half underwent regular preseason coaching; the opposite half added plyometrics carried out on the sand to their protocol. Within the textual content, the researchers write, “A sand floor is related to a better diploma of shock absorption and decrease stress to delicate tissue and bones on the decrease limbs throughout plyometric train.” (1)
- It’s a great warm-up and conditioning device. The Sanddune’s inherent instability gives advantages to your conditioning and warm-ups which are onerous to duplicate on secure floor. For one, the stabilizing muscular tissues surrounding your ankles, knees, wrists, and shoulders will fireplace persistently whereas utilizing the Sanddune. Consequently, your muscular tissues ought to grow to be extra secure over time. You’ll additionally enhance your potential to stability and produce extra power.
- It has a small footprint. The Sanddune is 26” large, 22” lengthy, and weighs 12.5 kilos, so it doesn’t take up a lot house in your gymnasium. Whereas it received’t match comfortably in your bag, you may simply toss the Sanddune in your automotive and haul it into your native gymnasium.
What to Take into account
- It prices $280. That’s a fairly steep worth to pay for a bit of kit that we’d hardly name important. Take into account the Sanddune a nice-to-have, assuming you already personal free weights, a rack, and a weight bench.
Its purposes are comparatively restricted. You’ll get probably the most mileage out of the Sanddune leaping, squatting, and operating on high of it. That’s about it, which is ok in case you routinely carry out plyometric exercises. There are a couple of different makes use of for the Sanddune, however they aren’t widespread information. For instance, you should utilize it as a knee pad for Nordic curls or lay on it for dumbbell pullovers. By itself, the Sanddune is an adjunct, so take into consideration the way you practice and the way usually you’ll use it earlier than clicking “purchase now.”
