PARALLEL BARS

The parallel bars are one of the devices that are part of the artistic gymnastics circuit in male competitions of this sport, although they are also widely used in the "Street Workout" and in the "Calisthenics", which are training methods specific to the street.

(Images extracted from https://pan.uol.com.br/2011/atletas-brasileiros/diego-hypolito/album/?abrefoto=3  and https://www.calistenia.net/conoce-las-principales-variaciones-de-los-fondos/).

This device consists of two bars, which in the Olympic version, have dimensions of 350 cm in length and 200 cm in height, normally separated from each other by an approximate distance that varies between 42 and 52 cm away. The popular devices are usually smaller for comfort and designed to be used in smaller spaces.

(Image extracted from https://www.sportsystem.it/es/categoria-prodotto/gimnasia/gimnasia-artistica/barras-paralelas-y-asimetricas/ ).

In the field of fitness, the parallel bars will serve to perform exercises with one's own body weight, where we will test our strength and our stability or balance, especially the upper body. Although it may seem easy, it takes a lot of strength to perform the different exercises.

Here we leave you some videos with exercises to perform in the parallel bars:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7o9uSu9AVI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4BF4ncfVuY

We can find parallel bars in some parks of the city, however, we can buy them by buying them or making them ourselves:

Park

(Image extracted from http://entrenaporsantiago.blogspot.com.es/2014/06/parque-bustamante.html).

Buy

• https://www.decathlon.es/barras-paralelas-training-station-100-cross-training-doymos-id_8379822.html?LGWCODE=1260513;76445;4777&gclid=CjwKCAjw_tTXBRBsEiwArqXyMnhd2CaNrK4yJPmuaO3M004mxHTNjpvCuHXUcTfL5xYZZSXtJEjMzxoCyGgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

• https://www.amazon.es/barras-paralelas-Deportes-aire-libre/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A2454136031%2Ck%3Abarras%20paralelas

Parallel bars manufacturing

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY6ROt00Uhs

Finally, it must be said that although there are several types of parallel bars, we mainly highlight 2:

• High parallel bars

(Image extracted from https://www.ebay.es/itm/Barras-Paralelas-Caseras-Entrenamiento-Fitness-Crossfit-Dominadas-Calistenia-/201985644087).

•  Low parallel bars

 (Image extracted from https://www.amazon.es/Fitness-paralelas-gimnasia-calistenia-crossfit/dp/B00V8883DY).

Post done and edited by Álvaro

VERTIMAX ELASTICS

The VertiMax device is composed of a platform that has certain hooks strategically placed to vary the direction of travel. They are incorporated elastic bands whose resistance and location can be configured and can be attached to any part of the body of the athlete, thus causing a resistance to overcome (López, 2015).

 (Images extracted from https://tmr-world.com/tienda/vertimax-en/ and
https://g-se.com/evidencias-acerca-del-uso-de-la-vertimax-bp-357cfb26d39963).

The main function of Vertimax is to reproduce the sports movement (any movement can be made) in a resisted manner by means of the elastic resistance of the rubbers, thus improving the production of explosive force. Therefore, according to this function Vertimax has certain advantages that differentiate it from other training materials (Benítez, 2013):

ADVANTAGES

• Thanks to the waist and ankle anchors, VertiMax can load the leg in the support phase and the impulse phase at the same time for maximum linear and lateral speed gains.
• Explosive strength improvements in highly functional exercises.
• Possibility of performing multiplanar and sequential movements.
• We can work gestures and specific skills resisted or assisted even with elements and situations of the game (technical and physical gestures very diverse: accelerations, displacements, jumps, changes of direction, thrusts, tractions, races in different planes, exits, cuts, entries to the ring, blocks, rebounds, shots, etc.).
• It has the facility of having many exits so we can integrate several athletes applying actions at the same time.
• It can be a very interesting specific medium for the prevention of injuries, since we can work with specific movements in overload and in an eccentric manner, improving strength and quality of movement.
• Novel device that can be motivating for the athlete.

(Image extracted from https://tendenciasdelentrenamientopersonalizado.wordpress.com/2017/05/21/entrenamiento-con-bandas-elasticas/ ).

Despite a great variety of advantages, this material also has certain disadvantages (Benítez, 2013):

DISADVANTAGES

• There is a lack of research on the physiological and mechanical variables for its use, and it is difficult to program the appropriate load for each athlete.
• Many times because of the tension generated by the tires (increases as I move away from the center of the system) there is a loss of sports technique.
• The different units contained in the VertiMax wear out over time and lose performance.
• It must be placed in places where it can be properly adapted to the surface, because the grip system that is underneath is not applicable to any terrain (Lawn, Brick, Sand, etc).

Therefore, this material can be a good option for the development of explosive strength in specific sports skills and gestures, although more scientific information is still needed.

This material is exclusive to the VertiMax brand itself so we can obtain it through a shipment at http://www.vertimax.cl/  or at https://tmr-world.com/tienda/vertimax-en/  for € 3300.

Finally, so that you can better observe the operation of this material we leave you some videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSgSEU0Egc4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhlFn5b1KOY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn8fsmmkQBM

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Almada, R., Molina, J., Sánchez, P., y Lara, J. (2016). Comparación Entre los Efectos de un Programa de Entrenamiento de Fuerza Explosiva Mediante Bandas Elásticas y un Programa de Entrenamiento con Electro-Estimulación de Cuerpo Completo - G-SE. Retrieved from https://g-se.com/comparacion-entre-los-efectos-de-un-programa-de-entrenamiento-de-fuerza-explosiva-mediante-bandas-elasticas-y-un-programa-de-entrenamiento-con-electro-estimulacion-de-cuerpo-completo-2198-sa-s585d6eb700636

Benítez, S. (2013). Evidencias acerca del uso de la VertiMax - Stefano Benítez Capacitaciones. Retrieved from https://g-se.com/evidencias-acerca-del-uso-de-la-vertimax-bp-357cfb26d39963

López, J. (2015). Entrenamiento con VertiMax, ¿es eficaz?. Retrieved from https://sportadictos.com/2015/06/vertimax

Post done and edited by Álvaro

AIR DISC

Image extracted from the web: http://www.easy-training.es/detalle-producto/38/cojin-de-equilibrio

The Air Disc is an elastic material, which is very resistant, and represents for the body a certain instability. This produced instability is nice to train the balance, the propioception and the muscular force, between other aspects, which provides a correct corporal position to us.

The Air Disc are used so much by athletics (in sports as the football, basketball, etc.), since in the area of the fitness. Therefore, let's visit the gymnasium that we visit, it is very probable that we find one of these materials.

Image extracted from the web: https://www.google.es/search?biw=1366&bih=613&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=s5DwWp7EE4jTUbvzrbAO&q=Disco+inestable+futbol&oq=Disco+inestable+futbol&gs_l=img.3...6907.9137.0.9270.8.7.1.0.0.0.141.610.0j5.5.0....0...1c.1.64.img..2.0.0....0.2nUGM_N7pA4#imgrc=3xSi-jKHmULXKM

These platforms present two different surfaces which provide diverse sensory stimuli for the recipients of the foot. One of these parts is smooth, and other one of them is rugose. 

Image extracted from the web: https://articulo.mercadolibre.com.uy/MLU-448964954-disco-plataforma-mini-bosu-equilibrio-fitness-ejercicio-_JM

It is not a material that alone could be in use with the feet, if not that we have multitude of exercises to do with different parts of the body, since we will see later.

Image extracted from the web: https://www.amazon.es/equilibrio-entrenamiento-rehabilitaci%C3%B3n-ejercicios-Disponible/dp/B017WNII2E

In general all the Air Disc incorporate an inflator that allows to fit the pressure of the disc depending on the work that we want to do. In addition, we have multitude of diameters, for what we will be able to buy the most related to our activities to do. We can find this material since 10 €. We concretely have concentrated on one, extracted of the web easy-trainer.es on that your price is of 13 €. The Air Disc is the following one: 

Images extracted from the web: http://www.easy-training.es/detalle-producto/38/cojin-de-equilibrio

Later we have different exercises to do on an Air Disc are:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7oT0HmuMrA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgdN-pdkqvU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9xdT__hXsU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZc6DZxguL8

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Easy-training.es. (2018). Disco de inestabilidad. [online] Available at: http://www.easy-training.es/detalle-producto/38/cojin-de-equilibrio [Accessed 7 May 2018].

Post done and edited by Adrián

HEART RATE MONITOR

A heart rate monitor is a device that allows to measure the heart rate in real time. It usually consists of 3 elements: a strap that fits the chest and a connector that detects the heart rate and sends it to the watch, the third element. 

(Image extracted from http://www.wiggle.es/reloj-deportivo-polar-m400-con-pulsometro/ ).

In the last 40 years the pulsometers have evolved considerably, providing new functions: data management, online applications, mobile telephony, GPS, accelerometers, pedaling cadence, etc. (Sánchez, n.d.). However, we are going to focus on its main function, which is simply to measure the heart rate in real time.

 

And why do we want to know the heart rate?
The heart rate is an indicator of the intensity of the exercise, provided that it is continuous, since HR is not a good intensity meter for short or intermittent efforts due to instability and drift of the HR. Therefore, FC will serve as a variable to be programmed in resistance training.

It will also serve to check the adaptations of our body to training, that is, we will see if we need less pulsations to perform the same effort during exercise or at rest (baseline HR decreases).

Finally, it also allows us to estimate other parameters such as Vo2Max, Anaerobic Threshold and energy expenditure.

But if we go to the market, we will realize that there are an infinity of heart rate monitors and surely we will not know which is the most appropriate. Therefore, we leave you an infographic and a web article that will help you:

https://mundoentrenamiento.com/pulsometros-cual-me-conviene/

 

Prices vary widely, from € 20 to € 2000, although it is usual to invest around € 100 or € 250 for a medium-quality heart rate monitor and from € 300 for a high-quality heart rate monitor (Sánchez, n.d.). The main brands of heart rate monitors are Polar, Garmin and Suunto:

• https://www.polar.com/es
• https://www.garmin.com/es-ES/
• http://www.suunto.com/es-ES/

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Misa, J. Pulsómetros, ¿Banda o lector óptico? | Mundo Entrenamiento. Retrieved from https://mundoentrenamiento.com/pulsometros-banda-lector-optico/

Sánchez, P. Pulsómetros, ¿cuál me conviene? | Mundo Entrenamiento. Retrieved from https://mundoentrenamiento.com/pulsometros-cual-me-conviene/

Post done and edited by Álvaro