general information
You should know that the weight of the bodybar cannot be changed (you can only choose another bodybar, lighter or heavier), so you need to correctly calculate the load level. For those who are just starting their training, there are equipment weighing from 1 to 3 kg. As a rule, for fitness classes in the gym there are always body bars for athletes of different levels: 1, 3, 5, 7 kg. For already trained or physically resilient girls, there are body bars weighing from 10 to 16 kg. In order not to get injured or harm your body, it is important to determine the desired degree of load and take into account your own strength. You must understand that if you are comfortable doing squats with a weight of 10-20 kg, then it will be impossible to perform training to work out, for example, small triceps or deltoids. Therefore, it is worth choosing a different bodybar - less weight, to work on the muscles of the arms and shoulder girdle.
What is a bodybar?
What is a bodybar? This is a gymnastic apparatus in the form of a weighted stick. The device is widely used during aerobics and fitness training. The bodybar is actually a metal tube. The outer covering can be made in the form of a rubberized or plastic shell. The ends contain weighting knobs.
The length of such shells ranges from 70 to 120 centimeters. According to the presented parameter, a gymnastic stick is selected based on the height and length of the user’s arms. Children are often offered models of the shortest length. Adults, as a rule, choose shells of maximum length.
What is the weight of the bodybar? Manufacturers of such sports equipment paint them in certain colors for classification purposes:
- yellow – up to 2 kg;
- red – 4 kg;
- blue – 5 kg;
- purple – 6 kg;
- orange – 7 kg;
- raspberry – 8 kg;
- gray – 10 kg or more.
TOP5 exercises with a bodybar
Squats
Squats tone the gluteal and quadriceps muscles. Engages the abdominal muscles.
1. Place the bodybar on your shoulders, just below your cervical spine.
2. Place your feet shoulder-width apart and tighten your abdominal muscles.
3. As you inhale, squat until parallel to the floor, do not lean your body onto your hips under the weight of the load, keep your gaze on the ceiling.
4. Exhale and straighten your torso.
Lunges
This exercise with a body bar can improve the shape of your buttocks.
1. Place the bodybar on your shoulders and place your feet together.
2. As you inhale, step one foot forward, transferring your body weight to your front supporting foot.
3. Do not lean forward too much or arch your lower back.
4. Exhale and bring your front leg back, pushing through your heel.
5. Lunge on the other leg in the same way, alternating movements for the same number of repetitions.
Standing bends
The exercise develops the thigh biceps, buttocks and lumbar extensors.
1. Place the bodybar on your shoulders, feet hip-width apart.
2. Tighten your abdominal muscles and, as you inhale, lower your torso forward, bending your knees slightly.
3. Do not lower your body too low, keep your gaze ahead.
4. Exhale and straighten your torso, feeling the tension in your lower back and buttocks.
Belt pull
The bodybar pull exercise is aimed at strengthening the back muscles.
1. Feet shoulder-width apart, take the bodybar in your hands with a medium grip (shoulder-width apart).
2. Bend your body forward at an angle of 45 degrees, bend your knees slightly and hold the position.
3. Hands are freely lowered down.
4. As you exhale, stretch the bodybar to your lower abdomen, tensing your back muscles. Don't round your back.
5. As you inhale, straighten your elbows and repeat the movement.
Gymnastic stick. Types and features. Bodybar and exercises
A beautiful figure not only improves your appearance, but is also a sign of a healthy and strong body. Sport helps improve health and make your appearance attractive. The easiest way to exercise is to go to the gym, but not everyone has time for this. You can bring home a simulator, regular or multifunctional. However, there is not always enough money to purchase it, and there is often not enough space in a small apartment to install a bulky structure.
And yet there is always a way out. An ordinary gymnastic stick can work wonders. It will help maintain harmony and also relieve many diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Often people leading a sedentary lifestyle suffer from this disease. By exercising with a gymnastic stick just a few minutes a day, you can improve your posture and get rid of osteochondrosis and other similar troubles.
Gymnastic stick - what is it?
It is considered a unique simulator. Of course, you can do the exercises without it. However, this equipment increases the efficiency of exercise, improves coordination of movements and helps maintain correct body position during exercise.
This is an excellent option for the home, as it has many advantages:
- It doesn't take up much space. You can store it in a corner or in a closet.
- Low cost makes the projectile accessible to all segments of the population.
- With it you can do fitness, therapeutic exercises and even pump up your muscles.
- When used correctly with a gymnastic stick, all muscle groups are developed.
- Suitable for all age groups of people of any gender.
- Allows you to exercise not only indoors, but also outdoors.
This projectile has the appearance of an ordinary stick, made of available materials and having a length that can vary from 70 to 110 cm. The diameter of their cross-section is approximately 25 mm.
As mentioned earlier, this equipment is used during training, warm-ups and during physical therapy. Without the use of apparatus, several muscles and ligaments in the human body remain unused.
Therefore, for home fitness, it is recommended to purchase such equipment so that:
- Increase the mobility of the shoulder girdle.
- Strengthen your back and abdominal muscles.
- Improve blood circulation.
- Tighten your glutes, thighs, and obliques.
A gymnastic stick will help to significantly diversify the set of activities, which will have a positive impact on the well-being of a novice athlete. The effect is achieved due to the fact that all exercises will be symmetrical, the load will be the same on the right and left sides of the body.
Kinds
Gymnastic poles are a hollow or solid tube with a length of 70, 90, 100, 110, 120 and 150 cm.
Depending on the weight and material of manufacture, they are distinguished:
- Light or classic. It is usually made of wood, metal (usually aluminum) or plastic. With this accessory you can perform most of the exercises. There are a large number of options on sale.
- With shock absorbers. This equipment is used mainly in physical therapy. With the help of this projectile, various muscle groups are developed and the spine is strengthened along its entire length. It is important that the lower body, upper and lower back muscles receive greater load.
- Bodybar. This is a weighted gymnastics stick made of metal. It has a rubber coating and two knobs on the edges. The weight of such a projectile can vary from 4 to 16.3 kg. Such equipment is used in various exercises, but at the same time they strengthen muscles well due to the increased weight. Depending on the weight, they are equipped with knobs that differ in color. The mass of the bodybar is selected depending on the purpose of the projectile. You can do strength exercises with them or exercise to improve your posture.
Rules for selecting bodybar weight
If you want to choose a weighted gymnastics stick, then you should choose the right weight for training. There are rules for selecting the weight of a bodybar depending on physical fitness. Since the cost of the equipment is not high, as your physical fitness improves, you can purchase a heavier bodybar.
Weight selection rules:
- For beginners with poor physical fitness, it is best to buy the lightest bodybar weighing no more than 3 kg.
- Amateurs who have already completed all stages of initial training should opt for body bars weighing from 3 to 6 kg.
- For athletes, poles weighing no more than 9 kg are suitable.
- Professional athletes can choose any equipment, but it is better to buy the heaviest one.
Contraindications
Despite their uniqueness and versatility, gymnastic sticks are still not suitable for everyone. Projectiles cannot be used if:
- At the moment, the athlete is suffering from an exacerbation of a chronic disease.
- During illness, if body temperature is elevated.
- Bad feeling.
- There are compression fractures of the spine.
- The joints are hypermobile.
Before you start exercising, you should consult your doctor. Sport, even such a safe one, can still cause harm to health. Exercising with a gymnastic stick can not only not correct your posture and figure, but also have a negative effect on the musculoskeletal system. In addition, initial training should be carried out with an experienced instructor who will teach you how to hold the apparatus correctly and prevent overload. This is especially important when engaging in therapeutic physical education.
Exercises
Training with a gymnastic stick is practically no different from a regular warm-up. The difference is that when practicing you use an additional accessory. But it is very important to hold the projectile correctly.
There are only two ways:
- Straight grip with the back of the hand facing up.
- Reverse grip, with the inside of the palm facing up.
How to hold the apparatus depends on the type of activity and which muscles need to be used during training.
Depending on how the gymnastic stick is positioned, different muscle groups develop:
- If you place the projectile on your shoulders and put your hands on its ends, then your posture is corrected, since this position forces you to keep your back straight. The shoulder joints also develop, and the torso is clearly fixed in a plane. With a fitness stick on your shoulders, you can squat, bend and twist.
- By placing the stick on your back near the waist and grasping it with your palms or bent arms, you can make your waist thinner by also doing twisting and bending. In addition, all positions of the projectile allow you to swing your legs while keeping your back straight.
- The gymnastic stick helps improve dexterity and coordination of movements. At this time, the projectile itself is not fixed on the body, but, on the contrary, is mobile. For this purpose, the stick can be held strictly horizontally, placed on an open palm, rotated, passed or thrown in the hands. You can also hold the stick on your foot while lying on your back or standing with one leg extended forward. The last exercise is quite difficult, but you will learn to maintain balance.
- The gymnastic stick is also used during martial arts classes. It is used as an imitation weapon for attack and defense.
- You can learn to fencing with light and short projectiles. There are also sets of exercises with this equipment for pair training.
If you exercise regularly, after a few weeks you will notice improvements in your posture and figure. In half an hour of exercise you can burn up to 300 kC, which is equal to about half an hour of jogging. Only during running, all muscle groups are not worked out, but only calories are burned.
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Benefits of a bodybar
So, why should you take a closer look at such a simulator as a gymnastic stick:
- One of the main advantages of a bodybar is its compactness. Even if you are not a supporter of fitness rooms, you will always find a place at home to buy a stick and exercise with it for at least 5-15 minutes a day.
- Availability of the projectile . The price depends on the material and manufacturer, but the simplest gymnastic stick can be bought starting from 200 rubles.
- The low incidence of injury during exercise, even at home, only adds advantages to the simulator’s treasury. The rubberized shell prevents your hands from slipping when performing exercises, and in general, the constant weight of the projectile and its length contribute to a comfortable grip. Read more about safety precautions below.
Useful tips
There are several tips regarding training using a bodybar, following which will allow you to achieve the best results and avoid injury. So, when practicing with a gymnastic stick, you need to follow these rules:
- Before performing exercises, it is important to warm up. It is necessary to bend the body to the sides, as well as rotate the body. Additionally, it is worth doing several squats, swings of arms and legs. To prepare your body for training with a bodybar, you can jump rope for a few minutes.
- When exercising with sports equipment, you should definitely exercise control over your own breathing. When stressing the muscles, you should inhale, and when relaxing, exhale.
- It is recommended to train with a bodybar in front of a mirror. In this case, you can monitor the correctness of the exercises. It is better to initially seek help from a trainer who will demonstrate how this or that movement should look like.
- To increase results, you should gradually resort to using body bars with higher weights, increasing the pace of exercise.
- When training with a gymnastic stick, you should work the muscles of the body from top to bottom. In other words, you need to start the exercises with a load on the shoulder girdle and arms, gradually moving on to pumping up the back, abdominals, buttocks, and legs.
Waist exercises
Exercises with a bodybar are indispensable for women. To correct the shape of the body in the waist area, the apparatus is held with a wide grip on the shoulders. Then the body is rotated in one direction and the other. In this case, the legs are slightly bent at the knees. The pelvis is left fixed in a static position. Attention is also paid to abdominal tension. For intense rotations of the body, it is enough to perform 3 approaches lasting several minutes.
The above exercise helps to evenly distribute the load across a number of muscles. Naturally, the main emphasis falls on the waist area, where fat deposits are actively burned and weak muscles are used. Hard training with a body bar of this type makes it possible to correct your figure in a fairly short period of time and make it more attractive.
Advantages
We found out what a bodybar is. Now let's look at the advantages of the invention. First of all, among the advantages, it is worth noting the possibility of using the device as an alternative to a barbell and dumbbells. When doing aerobics and fitness, the bodybar turns out to be much more convenient compared to the above-mentioned equipment. It's not that bulky. In addition, it does not have removable weights at the ends of the bar, which reduces the likelihood of accidental injury.
Exercises with a bodybar make it possible to get a positive effect after the first workout. Indeed, during classes the load is applied to almost the entire body. Regular use of the device guarantees progressive muscle building. By performing various exercises, you can quickly correct your own shape.
Among other things, training with a bodybar looks like an effective solution for correcting posture and strengthening weak back muscles. This becomes especially valuable for people who lead a sedentary lifestyle and are forced to do sedentary work.
Exercises to strengthen the buttocks
Girls who want to correct the shape of their buttocks and make them more elastic need to do squats with a body bar. To do this, do the following exercise. Feet are placed shoulder width apart. The gymnastic stick is held with a wide grip, positioned behind the head. From this position, perform deep squats. To ensure the maximum effect of the exercise, use a bodybar of maximum weight.
To train your buttocks, you can resort to lunges. In the starting position, the legs are placed together. The gymnastic stick is placed on the shoulders behind the head. Then take alternate steps forward with your left and right feet. At the same time, the back remains straight. A right angle should be formed between the thigh and shin of the limb used to lunge. During one workout, it is enough to perform 15 repetitions on each leg.
Advantages or disadvantages of each model
Fitness clubs use rubberized steel bodybars. However, both wooden and plastic shells can be found on sale.
The advantage of a wooden stick is its low cost. However, the weight of such simulators depends only on the diameter and length. A wooden stick is not fully considered a body bar, although it is great for practicing at home if your budget is limited.
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In group classes it is used to perform elements of martial arts.
A wooden stick is not fully considered a bodybar, although it is perfect for practicing at home.
A plastic gymnastics stick is also inexpensive, but it is too light for strength training . Suitable for activities with children.