It’s true that one of the most popular off season workouts involves watching YouTube and drinking beer. While this is one of the top training methods for marginal athletic performance, this approach results in startling feelings of being out of shape after a long cold winter. We suggest another route: intentional training for the activity at hand.
By Sara Bliss Weidemann, Team Bellyak’s fitness instructor
Last week I brought one of my personal training clients and her son to workout on my Frequency Bellyak for the first time. Gretchen has been my client since June 2016 and we train consistently two times per week. Our workouts are strength based and typically full body. In the past year, Gretchen has done it all: TRX bands, battle ropes, tractor tires, resistance bands, kettlebells, barbells and more! As trainers, a part our job is to make sure our clients enjoy the workouts and that they don’t get bored. With the Bellyak, it’s a win-win!
By Sara Weidemann,
“My workouts are boring!” Said no one ever that owns a Bellyak. My first time on the Bellyak was an unforgettable experience. And by unforgettable, I mean my muscles felt the workout for days so I literally couldn’t forget about it. To be honest, I haven’t stopped talking about it either. So, I bought a bellyak. Since I can walk out my front door and go 10 miles in any direction and run into a lake, I bought the Frequency bellyak because it’s best for open water – and let’s be honest – it has a built in hatch to hold a couple cans of my favorite beer.
I’ve been a personal trainer for over 10 years and I was amazed by the number of muscle groups involved when using the bellyak. While paddling down the French Broad Section Nine River in North Carolina (first time ever on a bellyak!), I told myself how thankful I was that I incorporate Pilates into my fitness routines. I found myself engaging certain muscle groups that I would in prone Pilates exercises on the bellyak. The only difference was that the next morning I felt as if it was the first time ever doing Pilates. Hell, I felt like it was the first time I’ve ever worked out! My muscles ached, specifically my core muscles. It brought a smile to my face and I thought to myself…”I have to be a part of Team Bellyak, and I need to do so immediately because the world needs to know about the bellyak”.
I get bored easily with workouts and even the classes I teach, which is why I’m certified and able to teach so many different fitness formats; Yoga, Mat Pilates, PiYo, Barbell, Kettlebells, TRX, Water Aerobics, HIIT are some, but not all the formats I teach on a weekly basis. The bellyak gave me new hope that there IS something out there for me that will keep my workouts fun, fresh, and different. My goal going forward is to show you all, the Bellyak users, different fitness routines you can incorporate into your life to not only help with being better at the Bellyak and possibly surpass the man himself – founder Adam Masters – but to increase your overall strength, help with posture, decrease risk of injury and to spice up your workouts!
I look forward to putting on fitness challenges, creating workout videos, and writing blogs. If there is anything specific you’d like me to write about please e-mail me at sara@bellyak.com!
Psst – have you completed my first fitness challenge? The bellyak burpee? Check it out below!
Do you have abs of steel and a thirst for winning? Then we have the challenge for you! The Bellyak Burpee Challenge! A play on the regular burpee found regularly in CrossFit and fitness workouts, this version uses all the same technique but is styled out on your bellyak! Take a gander:
Think you can beat Jaime’s 19? We want to see! Submit your videos by sharing them with us on Facebook! Just tag @bellyak and use #bellyakburpee! Winner’s will receive this limited-edition hat!
Other than being super fun, the bellyak burpee also helps improve:
Have fun and good luck!
