Gymstick

In this update I thought I'd talk about a new fandangled piece of gym gear called the 'Gymstick' from the ever innovative Finnish people. I first saw this in Australia about 6 months ago and thought wow how cool and then when I saw that it was being distributed in NZ, I thought great as its a good little bit of gym gear for those who want to workout but don't go to gym but want to start somewhere. I think its also great for other PTs who want to take their clients outdoors and want to take some equipment with them but don't want to lug around a big gym bag!

Lisa and a Gymstick

So what's a gymstick? no, its not just a dynaband on a stick!! that's what I thought but after working

out with it on my clients, it has alot more scope than a dynaband. The 2 bands are attached to the ends of a very strong fibreglass (or something with super dooper strength) and there are loops at the bottom for you to put your feet in. Depending on what exercise you're doing you can increase the resistance on the bands to make it harder by just rolling the bar around to increase the tension. And the beauty of the Gymstick is that you don't have to change or add equipment because you can just change the tension and move the stick around your body, so you're working much faster and less time wasting...which makes for a harder workout!

You can do all sorts of things with The Gymstick that you can do at gym. Ofcourse you're not going to get the same heavy weights but this stick isn't really catering to the seasoned gym bunny! You can get different band strength that gives you weight from the green band of 1-15kg to the super heavy Gold band that can give you weight equalling 35kg which is probably plenty for the home gym or beginner weight trainer.

To put the gymstick to the test, I roadtested it on a some of my 'very' willing clients Kevin, Janette and Dawn to see how they handled the weight. I used the silver and gold bands which is aimed at the stronger end of the weight spectrum and they passed with flying colours.

You can go from Squat to

Bentover row to lunge

without changing equipment

One of the things I like about the Gymstick is that it's really great for working on your core stability and balance. Because you've got the tension of bands on both sides, you really have to think about your stabilising muscles, especially when doing things like squats, lunges and side lunges you have to work twice as hard to maintain balance and control. The Gymstick's probably good for those in rehab as the stick would provide a more 'gentler' control of weight which is still challenging.

All in all I enjoyed using the gymstick, not sure if Kevin Janette and Dawne enjoyed the torture using it though! but the gymstick does provide variety to training and gives different stimulus to the muscles which is trained at different tension. I like the ease you can go from one exercise to the other without the hassel of changing gear. The Gymstick is convenient as you can just carry it around with you without taking too much equipment. So if you go for walk you can carry it to a park and do some training there.

Gymstick classes are huge in Europe, I've been told Richard Branson's Virgin gyms are doing gymstick classes on a grand scale so perhaps we'll see them here in near future. Apparently you can burn over 400 cals in one class!

Cable flyes

Body Extension for core

Tricep extension

If you're interested in finding more about Gymstick or would like to buy one, you can get one from us! And I'll design a Starter training programme for you for free. As I said Gymstick is really for those who want to start an exercise plan but don't want the big investment of a gym membership. The Gymstick would be a good starting point before you get the courage to going to the big gym.

Also ideal for PTs who want to take one piece of equipment with them if they want to take their clients outdoors for extra workout and change of scenery.


call Lisa on 021 318 660 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to purchase gymstick.