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Balls and bands were also chosen for their huge popularity among current gym members worldwide.
The purple VIVE™ ball weighs about 100 grams and is 23cm in diameter when inflated. It’s made of Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC), with a roughened texture for good grip.
The VIVE™ ball is used on and off throughout the class – sometimes for resistance and sometime for assistance – and for helping participants connect to the workout and raise their movement awareness.
The VIVE™ tubes are made from thermoplastic rubber and are 124cm in length (unstretched) with a sweat-resistant plastic handle at each end.
The VIVE™ tubes are available in two versions with different resistance values - a purple-coloured 12mm diameter version giving 2.10kg of resistance when stretched to 60cm and a black, 13.5mm version giving 4.10kg of resistance at full stretch.
LES MILLS™ technical advisers say VIVE™ balls and VIVE™ tubes allow more muscles to be targeted more effectively than can be achieved with anti-gravity options like handweights alone. This is especially true with the muscles in the upper back that are important for maintaining good posture and avoiding rounded shoulders.
Unlike weights, the VIVE™ tube also allows users to work the so-called transverse plane stabiliser muscles used in rotating the body at the hips, shoulders and trunk – extremely important in injury prevention, according to recent research.
Exercisers who might struggle to expand the VIVE™ tube to full stretch should use the lighter resistance version and need not expand it fully.
Exercising with the VIVE™ Ball
Modeled on the Mini ball or Pilates ball, VIVE™ balls are a fun and effective tool to integrate new exercises into your workout or modify more traditional ones.
Two of their major uses include:
1. Rehabilitation - the VIVE™Balls are used to assist and promote joint stabilization and strengthening.
2. Core activation - the VIVE™Balls are an ideal aid for core body work, a key feature of the Les Mills BODYVIVE™ workout. They are used to:
- Improve balance, strength and flexibility.
- Tone abdominals and inner thighs.
- Increase strength, flexibility and endurance.
- Improve hand/eye coordination.
- Accentuates great posture.
- Inject some fun into the workout.
Tips for using the VIVE™ Ball:
Always start with great posture:
- Feet under hips for optimal alignment.
- Knees soft to activate the quadriceps and help absorb load through the knees, hips and lower back.
- Navel drawn in and up to activate inner core muscles and support the spine.
- Shoulders back and down into a soft ‘V’ to create stability for the shoulders, head and neck.
- An open chest to promote length through the chest muscles and create optimal head, neck and spinal alignment.
- Chin drawn in to activate neck stabilizers and create optimal head and neck alignment.
- Crown lifted to bring length to the spine, activate neck stabilizers and create optimal head and neck alignment.
Use the VIVE™ Ball to help you to connect to your body’s core. By pressing your palms to create tension through the ball you will also engage the muscles of the torso and bring focus to your workout.
Optimize your VIVE™ Ball grip:
- Make sure the VIVE™ Ball has enough slack so that you can hold it in one hand.
- Hold the ball in the palms of your hand.
- Press through your palms to gently engage the muscles of the torso and core.
- Hold your shoulders back and down in a soft ‘V’.
- Draw your elbows in and back to reinforce great posture.
Exercising with the VIVE™ Tube
The VIVE™ Tube is a completely portable, easy-to-use elastic tube resistance training tool. Using it in conjunction with BODYVIVE™ routines make it an ideal way to reap the many benefits of resistance training which include:
- increased functional strength;
- heightened body awareness;
- better posture and balance;
- help in the prevention of diseases such as Osteoporosis.
It has been designed to allow everyone in the class to perform the same exercises which, with a few simple modifications, can be individualized to suit everyone from a person with a joint limitation to someone looking for the ultimate challenge.
Tips for using the VIVE™ Tube:
We use the VIVE™ Tubes as part of the functional strength block which targets the upper and the lower body. To make sure you get the most out of using them here are a few tips to get you started:
Choose the appropriate foot stance for your level:
- Beginner – place the middle of the tubing under the arch of your foot and stand in a narrow, staggered lunge stance.
- Intermediate – place the tubing evenly under both arches and stand in a narrow stance. Have your feet no more than hip-distance apart
- Advanced Intermediate – place the tubing evenly under both your arches and stand with feet slightly outside hip width.
Always work from a strong and stable base.
Keep your wrists strong in slight extension when working the upper body.
Maintain tension through a full range of motion. The tube should never be completely relaxed or loose. Vive La Resistance!
Control the resistance especially in the return phase of the move.
Choose the tubing resistance that best suits your strength level and goals. If you can’t complete an exercise sequence because of joint discomfort or pain, alter your foot position to reduce tube intensity and/or reduce range of motion.
Set the basis for great posture by:
- keeping your feet under your hips for optimal alignment;
- keeping your knees soft to activate the quadriceps and help absorb shock through the knees, hips and lower back;
- drawing your navel in and up to activate inner core muscles and support the spine;
- keeping your shoulders back and down into a soft ‘V’ to create stability for the shoulders, head and neck;
- opening your chest to promote length through the chest muscles and create optimal head, neck and spinal alignment;
- drawing your chin in to activate neck stabilizers and create optimal head and neck alignment.
- lifting your crown to bring length to the spine, activate neck stabilizers and create optimal head and neck alignment.
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