Ugi, Ugi, Ugi – what a fun name for a fun ball. I liked
saying it – Ugi, Ugi, Ugi – then I learned I was saying it wrong (sigh). I was
pronouncing it “yoo-gee” when it is really pronounced “you-guy”. Oh well, at
least the ball is still fun!
I’m a self-professed, old school gym rat. I love to push the
weight, feel the iron in my hand, the strength in my body. This means I have a
tendency to overlook other, very important, types of fitness regimens – such as
stretching, yoga, and functional fitness. So, one of my goals this year was to
incorporate these other types of workouts into my routine. I’m getting better
at the stretching and doing plyo’s – I even pick up a kettle bell on a routine
basis now. Now, I’m trying functional fitness – thanks to the Ugi system.
What is functional fitness you ask? The goal of functional
training is to emphasize the transfer of fitness gained from exercise into
improved performance in daily activities, such as shoveling snow from your sidewalk.
The body knows movements rather than muscles. Traditionally
we use a machine-based strength training which focuses on isolating muscles to
increase the size of a given target muscle but does not demand the
coordination
required to build optimum strength and performance. Simply put, it forces you
to use muscles you didn’t even know you had.
I was more than thrilled when Ugi agreed to let me take
their system for a test drive – and I love that the ball they sent was pink – perfect
for my Sweat Pink Sisterhood!
So what is an Ugi ball? Essentially, it’s a squishy medicine
ball. When you kneel or lean on it, all your stabilizer muscles are called into
action to keep you from falling off. It comes in various weights so you can
choose the right one for you. They sent me an 8lb (if you are an advanced
exerciser I would go with the 12lb – which I may order myself). You can use the
ball for any exercise you would use a medicine ball – as well as many others.
Ok, enough technical mumbo jumbo – on to what you really
want to know – does it work? In a word, yes, and it was so much fun to use! The
DVD was great to follow and had exercises that I hadn’t tried. By the end of my
30 minute workout, I had a nice “glisten” – oh who am I kidding – I sweat! I can easily see this becoming part of my
weekly routine. You can make it as easy, or as tough as you want by the
exercises you choose and the time you spend doing each one. You can get a whole
body workout done in 30 minutes – anywhere - no gym required!
Your Ugi kit comes with:
- Ugi ball in the weight of your choice, available in 6, 8, 10 or 12lbs.
- Five total body workouts on DVD with instructions, tips, tricks, modifications (utilizing 140 different exercises)
- A stand-up, easy-to-follow Ugi workout guide that has all 5 total body workouts, easy to pack and carry no internet needed!
- A no-nonsense guide to making good eating choices
- Access to an online video library of Ugi exercises
- Free downloadable Ugi interval timer for the iPhone (other smartphone platforms to come)
My opinions –
The Pros:
Easy to use DVD. This is a big one
for me, if it appears too complicated; I will turn it off in a heartbeat. If I
don’t like the way the instructors talk – again, off it goes. Luckily this DVD
just had music – no annoying (slowing me down) talking.
Instructions are super easy to
understand – if you can look at a picture – you can get it.
Exercises are good, simple,
effective and will make you get a sweat on.
The time is totally customizable –
short on time is no longer an excuse.
It is travel friendly; I threw it
into my jeep and took it on a week-long trip to visit family – no excuses
right?
There are a whole range of other
things you can do with the Ugi besides just what is provided – check it out - Bodyrock.tv
uses Ugi.
The Cons:
The cost? It will set you back a
shiny nickel or two. But if it will get you off your keester and make working
out fun – isn’t it worth it? After all, one trip to the doctor’s office will
set you back a couple of shiny nickels also. Plus, it isn’t any more expensive
than other fitness programs on the market – some of which I’m sure you’ve
tried! ;)
2 comments:
I totally needed this while I have been away from Cross Fit for two months. This looks awesome. Thanks for the review and about the talking thing. I hate that too. This looks just right for me for portability.
This looks awesome! Not sure if I would spend the money over maybe some new running shoes etc, but it sounds like a great workout!
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