Some health tools is price your cash; others are gimmicks that ought to keep on the shelf. It’s not all the time straightforward 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 soar on flat floor.
In fact, you possibly can, however as Muscle & Health’ Zack Zeigler and Frank Sepe not too long ago discovered whereas touring The Power Membership (positioned in New York, NY), the Sanddune is a energy coach-approved device for decreasing joint impression 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. Maintain studying for extra in regards to 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 fingers work independently of each other. Each platforms are additionally barely angled to position your fingers or toes on a decline or incline.
You may run, soar, and push off of the Sanddune, which gives extra cushion in your joints whereas additionally difficult your steadiness. It’s sometimes used as a warm-up and conditioning device. Frequent actions on the Sanddune embrace 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 printed within the Journal of Human Kinetics in contrast the outcomes of seaside 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 arduous to copy on steady floor. For one, the stabilizing muscle groups surrounding your ankles, knees, wrists, and shoulders will hearth persistently whereas utilizing the Sanddune. In consequence, your muscle groups ought to change into extra steady over time. You’ll additionally enhance your capability to steadiness 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 area in your fitness center. Whereas it received’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 Contemplate
- It prices $280. That’s a fairly steep value to pay for a chunk of apparatus that we’d hardly name important. Contemplate 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 if you happen to routinely carry out plyometric exercises. There are a number of different makes use of for the Sanddune, however they aren’t frequent information. For instance, you need to use 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.”
