ViPR is one of the most popular tools in our studio for its versatility, intensity and novelty. Aside from being a great training tool, it has some even greater principles behind it. ViPR is an acronym for Vitality, Performance and Re-conditioning which encapsulates the adaptability of the tool, and the variety of ways it can be utilised for different training goals and populations.
The ViPR concept was inspired by farmer style movement habits whereby the whole body is recruited to perform daily tasks at unusual angles like shovelling, carrying or picking up objects like a bail of hay, and shifting them. Traditional gym training doesn't condition the full body movements or odd angles we often encounter in daily life like carrying the shopping, or moving furniture, rendering us strong in the gym, with poor transfer to daily life.
ViPR seeks to bridge the gap between movement training for life, and traditional strength conditioning.
Training with ViPR can provide all the standard fitness perks you might expect, with some surprising benefits like flexibility, metabolic conditioning, fascial health, and exceptional brain benefits like stress reduction, enjoyment and enhanced executive function.
ViPR is so unique because its purpose built to train movement, rather than just muscles. The result of training movement is that the entire system is recruited as an interdependent unit, thus promoting global body efficiency. When we train muscles, we emphasise the strengthening of local segments. The intention with ViPR is the complete opposite; to develop and condition the whole body with an integrated approach to be strong in motion.
In a time when many of us are sedentary and simply not getting the movement we require, we need more movement solutions that use more parts of our system. Enter movement training which creates a more robust body, pumps the lymphatic system and helps segments of our body remember that they work together and rely on each other! Injurieds happen when the parts stop working together, so a big part of building a resilient body, is training all parts for a team effort.
‘We don’t do well being sedentary the bulk of the day and thus we also need to move more frequently throughout the day. By this I mean not only spend more time at it, but also move more of our parts when we’re moving.’
- Katy Bowman, Diastassis Recti a Whole Body Solution Pg 46
Training movements means that our body and brain are able to mitigate forces through the entire system. If more parts can shock absorb and work together, there is less strain in any one part.
Movement training allows our brain to be more passive in training. Rather than intense focus on technique and contraction, ViPR training chases rhythmical movement, and a subconscious flow of muscles turning on and off with perfect timing. As one trains with ViPR more frequently there is always enhanced coordination and rhythm. It's a pleasure to watch, and a joy to experience. ViPR classes are very popular in our studio, once the initial induction phase is complete, and the brain can relax as more rhythmical movement is discovered.
At first ViPR can be a confronting tool to use because many of us have never heard of movement training! Traditional training is much easier coordination wise and often neurologically, than ViPR. Because so much of the body is working with movement training, the net result is that this style of training can be more neurologically demanding than traditional training. The sheer multitude of systems that must unite to fire and wire together with movement training can leave you feeling a bit exhausted after your first few sessions. Couple that with the fact that movement training is a foreign concept to many, and there is a certain element of fear and intimidation when you first witness the movement your coach is asking you to perform.
For a hollow tube with multiple grip options, the possibilities with ViPR are infinite and there are over 9000 documented movements. Because ViPR is much more than just another tool, it’s imperative to find a trainer who is qualified in understanding the concept behind ViPR and the 4 pillars of human movement: gravity-into-ground loading, stretch-to-shorten, multi-directional movement, and using the entire body for movement.
We love training with ViPR and so do our members. ViPR’s whole-body programming allows the body to perform in a multi-directional fashion which has a positive transfer into life’s activities and physical demands, and it's a pleasure to perform. There is something very therapeutic about performing flowing complex movement and feeling like a movement ninja!