Some health tools is price your cash; others are gimmicks that should stay on the shelf. It’s not all the time 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 possibly can’t simply run and leap on flat floor.
After all, you possibly can, however as Muscle & Health’ Zack Zeigler and Frank Sepe just lately realized whereas touring The Power Membership (positioned in New York, NY), the Sanddune is a energy coach-approved device for lowering joint affect and bolstering stability. And that, of us, is why M&F’s Gymnasium Excursions collection exists—to find out about new coaching instruments that we (and also you) would miss out on in any other case. Hold 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 arms work independently of each other. Each platforms are additionally barely angled to position your arms or toes on a decline or incline.
You may run, leap, and push off of the Sanddune, which gives extra cushion in your joints whereas additionally difficult your stability. It’s usually used as a warm-up and conditioning device. Widespread 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 cut back muscle soreness and stress. A examine revealed 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 larger diploma of shock absorption and decrease stress to smooth 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 laborious to duplicate on steady floor. For one, the stabilizing muscular tissues surrounding your ankles, knees, wrists, and shoulders will fireplace constantly whereas utilizing the Sanddune. In consequence, your muscular tissues ought to change into extra steady over time. You’ll additionally enhance your capability to stability and produce extra power.
- It has a small footprint. The Sanddune is 26” vast, 22” lengthy, and weighs 12.5 kilos, so it doesn’t take up a lot house in your fitness center. Whereas it gained’t match comfortably in your bag, you possibly can simply toss the Sanddune in your automobile and haul it into your native fitness center.
What to Think about
- It prices $280. That’s a reasonably steep worth to pay for a chunk of kit that we’d hardly name important. Think about 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 working on prime of it. That’s about it, which is ok in the event you routinely carry out plyometric exercises. There are a couple of different makes use of for the Sanddune, however they aren’t frequent data. 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 prepare and the way usually you’ll use it earlier than clicking “buy now.”
