February 22nd, 2010 by Joe Alter | 1 Comment | Filed under Adidas Table Tennis
Adidas Table Tennis
For 25 years now, I have been looking for the perfect contra-seasonal product line to go along with fitness equipment. As you can imagine the fitness business is busiest in the cold weather months while folks are cooped up in their homes and looking to burn off those excess calories that came along with the holiday season.
Yowza Fitness has recently entered into an agreement with Adidas which gives Yowza Fitness and parent company Greenmaster Fitness of Taiwan the worldwide rights to design, manufacture and distribute Table Tennis tables, accessories and clothing. Yowza is currently building a new website for Adidas Table Tennis and we expect to go live sometime in the second quarter of this year.
As with our fitness equipment, we expect to deliver a real value proposition offering both indoor and outdoor table tennis tables that all feature our patented one-step folding mechanism. In addition, Yowza will manufacture all Table Tennis tables in Germany under the direction of Mr. Frank Koch who is the President of Yowza’s sister company Green Fitness.
Look for Yowza to offer promotional discounts on Adidas Table Tennis products to our existing customers this summer as we launch this new and exciting business.
February 12th, 2010 by dmartin | No Comments | Filed under Uncategorized
After the rush of activities associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and starting the New Year – STRONG – with our goals, work and school related activities, even weather challenges, well, it’s time to B R E A T H E. Right now, just breathe in, count to 4, hold, and exhale for a count of 6. Didn’t that feel good? Breathing exercises have been proven to help some individuals with High Blood pressure.
February’s challenge…it is time to de-stress!
The following article from the Dr. Oz website, is a reminder to us of some simple pleasures “…to refresh the body and mind: Taking baths, Reading, Doing breathing exercises, Receiving back rubs/massages, Listening to relaxation tapes, Writing in a journal, Meeting with a friend, Napping, Walking, Dancing, Engaging in spiritual reflection, Stretching, Listening to music.”
When was the last time you took a “mental getaway“? Or, during this season of “love”, how about a little pampering? Make some time for you this month. I know it’s not “Summertime“, but take some time to make “the livin’ easy.”
“Who will separate us from the love of Christ…” – Romans 8:31-39 (NASB)
February 12th, 2010 by jbrooks | No Comments | Filed under Running
Last time out we spoke of tips for the beginning runner. In the interest of time I kept that post to only nine but here are a few more that wanted to share. I have listed them below and also wanted to talk a little more about selecting the proper treadmill. As this is a big investment there are a few things to consider. First and foremost decide about the space you can alot. There are many great choices in folding and non-folding models. Get a longer running surface 20′ x 60″, so you will never outgrow your treadmill.. Be sure the unit you get has at least a 3.0 hp motor, multi ply belt, good sized hand rails, as well as a good heart rate training program and heart rate receiver. Choose one with nice user features such as water bottle holders (hydrate), a place to plug in your iPod and speakers if possible. Avoiding boredom is an important consideration if this is going to be a long term regimen. Beyond that, make sure it does not have hanger hooks, it is to run on and not to hang clothes on. Have fun:
1) Keep a protein bar near by for runs of 30 minutes or more. They provide good quick energy.
2) Set goals to motivate and a way to realize success. Start with time and eventually change those goals to distances in times. Next try a race, they will really increase your motivation.
3) Do not be afraid to amend goals if injury delays or time is yet unachievable. Better to change the goal date than to toss it aside altogether.
4) Build your runs with a solid base. Start with times, then add hills (incline) and speed (time to distance).
5) Be consistent. Run every day for 30 minutes rather than twice a week for 90 minutes.
6) Listen to your body. If the runs start to take there toll and become a chore, cut back the time a little or the days you are doing them. It should be fun and something you look forward to.
7) Focus on “quality runs”, good form and pace rather than always looking at your watch.
Before you know it you will be looking forward to the next run, your break from the hectic day, and the miles will pass as quickly as the stress of life falls away.
For much of the country it is a funny time to talk about running. What with the biggest snow storm of the decade raging in the Virgina area, schools and business’s closed up and down the east coast and no break in sight. Running is not limited to an outside endeavor, for many with treadmills this is the way to avoid cabin fever, reduce the stress and anxiety of closed quarters and for many a way to stay in shape for when the weather does break. It is also a way to start your training, attend to a resolution and develop some good habits. Like with any new exercise program you definitely want to be careful not to over do it and to do some advance preparation. Some helpful hints to remember:
1) Use a quality treadmill. Nothing worse than using a treadmill with the wrong specs, have it breakdown and derail your regimen or out grow it.
2) Buy comfortable and well designed shoes. Heavy padding is not as important as making sure they are a little long and a little wide for your foot to avoid discomfort. Actually a minimalist approach to cushioning might be best in the long run.
3) Run for minutes and not for miles. Concentrate on good form and increasing your duration in minutes. It is an easier goal to hit and maintain and will keep you from getting discouraged.
4) Get plenty of nourishment. If you are hungry, eat, your body will tell you what you need as long as its not dipped in chocalate or fried you should be good.
5) Run relaxed, shake your hands every once in awhile and avoid bunching your shoulders up. The more relaxed the less chance for muscle tension and pulling.
6) Vary your workouts. If you only have time for a short run, 10 to 15 minutes, then do it. Something is always better than nothing.
7) Always stretch after running. Do some light warm ups to start and save the stretching for a warm and flexible state.
8) Drink lots of water and stay hydrated. This does not only mean while you are on the treadmill but all of the time.
9) Listen to your body and remember to run through annoyance, not through pain. Your body knows.
Take these suggestions to heart and enjoy yourself. Before you know it the snow will melt and you will be ready for that Summer 10k. Read Friday’s post for 10 more tips for the beginning runner!
January 29th, 2010 by Joe Alter | 15 Comments | Filed under Fitness Tips
Think about this first.
Engage your core
Many people have asked me how to get the most out of our Cardio Core upper body motion which is featured on the Yowza Sanibel and Captiva elliptical models. First, let me say to you that this Core abdominal motion works just great, but you must put some effort into using your core and upper body muscles. Resist the temptation to let the legs do all the work. Also, you should understand that since you will be doing roughly 1500 repetitions of the movement at a relatively low resistance level, the machine is not designed to make you sore.
Unlike conventional weight training, Cardio Core is designed to target your core muscles effectively without having to tear the muscle fibers in order to make the muscles leaner and stronger. So you will feel the muscles working (if you do it right), but you wont be excessively sore the next day.
Here is the workout!
Start by doing a few minutes of regular elliptical motion to warm up at a medium speed roughly around 30rpm. Experiment with the various grip positions and make sure you begin to accentuate the body motion. Try to do more work with the core muscles and upper body than you normally would with a straight handled elliptical.
Now put your palms facing up to the sky and under the bottom of the lower handles and aggressively push upward with each motion trying to make you arms and abs do 80% of the work with you legs doing only 20%. You should see your heart rate really spike up quickly and that is how you can tell it is working. I recommend doing this motion in 30-90 second intervals depending on your physical condition.
Return to a normal movement for a few minutes and then cup your hands on the top of the handlebars with your palms facing down. Pull downward aggressively while twisting at the waist and you will really feel it in your upper abs and obliques. Again this movement is fairly intense and your heart-rate will spike upward so do it in short intervals always returning back to the standard movement when your heart rate begins to exceed it’s upper limit.
Lastly the most intense Core interval motion involves criss-crossing your arms by grabbing the right handle with your left arm and visa verse. You should grab the middle of the upper grip position and aggressively pull across your body and down with each movement. Be Careful because your heart rate can shoot up to over 200 beats per minute and this is not the motion for novices or deconditioned folks.
Repeat these intervals as you see fit and remember that you need to activate your abs by accentuating the twisting movement.
Good luck. Your on your way to a stronger leaner core!
January 20th, 2010 by dmartin | No Comments | Filed under Nutrition
As we are at the beginning of this new decade and New Year, I know many of us have made new goals for a new healthier body. No doubt you have heard the importance of changing a ‘mindset’ which will lead to new choices, followed by new habits and then the new YOU!
The experts have said to change a habit you need to repeat the new action for 30 days. Let’s make a choice, this year, to make one small change: DRINK ONE EXTRA GLASS OF WATER and drink one less can of soda.
I work in the fitness industry. There are so many of us who are so focused on working out whether at home on our treadmills, ellipticals, home gym, or favorite club. Some of us opt for Pilates, Tai chi, Yoga or other forms of strength building exercises. Since we are mostly made of water, 60-70%, let us choose to focus some attention on our inner health. Let us cleanse and refresh the “living waters within us.”
January 17th, 2010 by jbrooks | No Comments | Filed under Running
A colleague of mine recently sent me a copy of a Men’s Health article on the Tarahumara people of Mexico. In essence it totally called into question all that I have ever learned about running, diet, running shoes and what is really important in life. Pretty profound when you realize it is about an Indian tribe from the high hills of Mexico with no real wealth or economy, whose people run bareoot or in sandles. Now I am not suggesting we all pack up and move south, only that there are some things we can learn from this article and the Tarahumara.
1) Many runner’s foot injuries are now thought to be caused and aggravated from too comfortable a shoe? Several shoe manufacturer’s are designing less cushioned shoes for a more barefoot like feel.
2) One should run and land from the forefoot and not land on the heel, keeping your shoulders directly over your hips and keeping your arms high and elbows pumping. Picture running up a steep hill at all times and you will have the motion.
3) The best diet for strength and conditioning and high protein is not chicken, eggs and red meat, but vegetables, wild grains, and legumes. Read the full story.
4) Lastly, run, run, run, and run. If you are unable to do this to start, then walk and walk until you can run. But learn the right way and add years to your life without the nagging injuries. A treadmill is a great tool for this because of the incline capabilities and softer landing surface.
You can see how with more energy, fewer injuries and pains, the prospect of a healthier life and a passion for fitness allows the Tarahumara to have little or no heart disease and happier lives. By the way, the article talks about their proximity to drug smugglers and the danger therein, their love of alcohol and gambling and the fact that many smoke. Why is it they are healthier and more fit than us with less stress? Read the article and start running everyday!
January 14th, 2010 by Joe Alter | No Comments | Filed under Uncategorized
My name is Joe Alter and I am one of the founding partners or Yowza Fitness. I’ll be blogging on a regular basis on all things fitness, including treadmills, elliptical trainers, and especially our unique products like the Captiva VME variable motion elliptical and our brand new Core X trainer.
Sign up to the left of this screen to receive our newsletter, special offers and of course links to our latest blog. You’ll get new workout routines, industry news, information about new product breakthroughs and much, much more.
When you are browsing around our website you may notice that we have a lot of technical terms and industry-specific language associated with our products and manufacturing processes. Well that is because we all come from a background of fitness purists who believe that there is a right way and wrong way to build fitness equipment and it is well worth the extra time and effort to get the bio-mechanics right when it comes to “feel-based products like elliptical machines.
Speaking for myself, I have always been fascinated by the physiology of exercise dating back to my days in College as a pitcher and 3rd basemen for coach Eddie Stanky at the University of South Alabama. I would spend hours trying to understand how to get more mileage out of the human body whether it was trying to crack 90mph on my fastball, hit the ball out of the park without over-swinging, or just avoiding injury with the proper mechanics.
Not surprisingly, I surrounded myself with like-minded people over the years resulting in the formation of Yowza Fitness – America’s premier factory direct fitness equipment company. Feel free to give us a call or drop us a line to discuss our products and how they were developed. We would love to chat with you!
January 14th, 2010 by Joe Alter | No Comments | Filed under Running
Gary and Amby Burfoot
Check out this blog post by Amby Burfoot (Editor at large for Runner’s World Magazine) http://footloose.runnersworld.com/ After winning the 1968 Boston Marathon he has continued to run for over 40 years! But some of us are not as fortunate to have survived the injury bug. Running outdoors on asphalt is OK for those thin guys who don’t have enough body-weight to inject heavy trauma onto their joints, but many people need to make the switch to a soft shock-absorbing treadmill.
That’s why our engineers at Yowza Fitness have spent years studying impact and knee sheer and designing better and better shock absorption systems with each new generation of treadmill we build. Our current line-up of treadmills features the best-selling Keewadin folding treadmill which utilizes the patented swing arm impact absorption system. Swing arm absorbs impact in the front of the belt where your foot lands on the deck but allows for a firm and stable surface in the rear of the belt to push off of. Check out the Keewadin here www.yowzafitness.com/Treadmills/Keewadin-Folding-treadmill
In 1982 a man by the name of Ken Hutchins invented a new form of strength training called “Super Slow” while doing some research at the University of Florida, Mr. Hutchins was searching for a new training method that would provide greater results than the various techniques that were being employed at that time.
He began testing the concept of doing “time-based” reps while using Nautilus machines, free weights or even the person’s own body weight. He soon determined that a person would gain 50% more strength over an eight week period if they lowered the weight, increased the time of each rep to a minimum of 20 seconds and did only one set to complete muscle failure.
How could this be true? Well with Super Slow your muscles are under a constant load for a longer period of time which is called (TUL) Time Under Load. By stressing the muscles continuously, Super Slow training eliminates the bouncing or ballistic movements that are normally caused when an exerciser changes direction. So for instance, if you do pull ups really fast, your muscles will only be loaded for a portion of the upward movement and under very little load on the downside, and you would be able to cheat from the residual bounce created there, in order to do more reps.
But with a Super Slow pull-up you cannot cheat and your muscles will be stressed to the max until they begin to quiver and ultimately fail. Lactic acid builds up at a faster rate and ultimately you will end up shedding body fat and seeing more muscle tone.
That said, Super Slow is a difficult and sometimes tedious method of training and probably works best as a portion of your overall weekly workout routine. It can be done in 10 minutes a day and also in regular work attire. So give it a try and experiment with the length of time that you allow for each repetition. Try doing only one repetition for each exercise and even take as long as five minutes to do one rep. Start with a pushup on your knees and advance to a full bodyweight pull-up or for seniors or deconditioned folks try using machines with light levels of resistance.
After the rush of activities associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and starting the New Year – STRONG – with our goals, work and school related activities, even weather challenges, well, it’s time to B R E A T H E. Right now, just breathe in, count to 4, hold, and exhale for a count of 6. Didn’t that feel good? 
