Cart is empty Sand Dune Stepper….You NEED this in your life!
Training is stalling. I mean, I am working out 5 days a week at a fairly good intensity…but it isn’t really training. It’s more like “what can I do that won’t suck?”. Which basically means a lot of cardio because I can do that and listen to a book or some music and just zone out.
So, since there isn’t any super awesome training days to write about, I am going to do a shameless plug for a product…that isn’t ours. Its called the Sand Dune and you can check out the website at: www.sanddunestepper.com. I first tried it out at the recent Body Tempering Certification. Donnie Thompson had a few for us to try becuase he is incorporating it into his ankle and mobility work. I think I got on the Sand Dune for about 15 seconds at the certification and realized we need to get some for the gym.
Well, Marc bought two and we have been playing with them now for a week. Marc is experimenting in how to put them in his regular weight training. I am playing around with interval training, working recovery between sets and just plain kick-butt cardio. Here are some of the scenarios.
Working Recovery Between Sets (Or, as I found out as just more work to gas you between sets)
On bench day last week I put 30 seconds of Sand Dune high steppers, or high knees, between each bench set from the first warm-up to the last working set. I allowed plenty of time to recover and rest so I didn’t just bounce back and forth. The Sand Dune work was more just to spike my heart rate for a second. What it also did was trash my legs and give me a shaky foundation for when I got to my working weights. Luckily, I am sort of weak right now so my working weight was just 5 x 5 with 135 lbs. In total it took about 45 minutes and I was trashed when I was done.
Kick-Butt Cardio Additive
Saturdays are now my “run” days. Basically, I run/walk 2 miles working on pacing and speed. I have never been good at running and the winters are a pretty good time to work on it since early on a Saturday morning in the freezing cold is not a good go outside and push the prowler time. I can do the 2 miles in about 20-22 minutes. This Saturday I came down from that and got some water and let my heart rate come down and then I went and did some interval training on the Sand Dune. I set the clock for 20 minutes and then at the top of each minute I did 15 seconds of high steppers and 15 seconds of fast choppy steps then stepped off for 30 seconds of rest. My heart rate was pounding and my legs were not that cooperative. They felt heavy and uncoordinated after running. But as time went by, everything got warm again and sufficiently lubricated that I was able to finish without to much trouble. I ended with 1 mile of brisk walking in the 37 degree weather (with just a tank top and shorts on). And I was toast.
As Interval-ish Training
Some days I just jump on the Sand Dune for 10 minute bursts of either 30 seconds on/30 seconds off or 1 minute on/1 minute off. Do 3 or 4 of these “mini” intervals in a day and you get your work done without having to focus for one long period of time. Here is a video of me.
We really have fun playing with the new toys that we get. It makes training more fun when you can “play” instead of just “train”. If you have a home gym I think the Sand Dune Stepper is a worthy investment. If you live in a cold climate and want an easy way to get some cardio indoors then the Sand Dune Stepper is for you. If you are a stay at home mom, struggling to fit in cardio, if you want to run but can’t find the time, if you have balance issues, ankle stability/mobility issues or if you just like getting new toys then this stepper is for you.
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