Vasa Swim Trainer
By Vicky Waite
I went to the Fit Expo Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center this past October. Well worth the trip. There was so much to see that I made sure we made a full day of it. Walking through all the aisles, feeling like a kid running through the candy store, the Vasa Trainer Pro caught my eye. I’ve never seen anything like this before, so yes, I went for it!
There were a few fellas at the booth, and they were just as eager as I was to show me a demonstration. They go right into it, telling me the Vasa Trainer Pro is an exercise machine that targets muscular strength, balancing, coordination and core power, together increasing speed and endurance. It works by using your own body weight for resistance making it safe for your natural form. They said it’s like swimming without water.
I made the attempt to give it a shot. It seems simple enough as I am using my own body weight for resistance by simply moving the incline up or down. You can add more resistance with resistance cords or weights as needed. It has a smooth, yet quiet, gliding motion for a nice unique feel. As I continue to swim with no water, LOL, one of the fellas tells me the Vasa Trainer Pro targets the same muscles and range of motion that swimmers use in the pool. And it does because I can definitely feel those muscles working.
The Vasa Trainer Pro weighs 64 pounds is made of aluminum monorail and epoxy coated steel, strong enough to raise the body on an incline and hold it there comfortably. It comes with a bench pull-up strap bar, handles, paddles and a pulley cable system, stretch cord and a free training manuel. The Vasa Trainer Pro is a bench with pulleys on the front and an adjustable sliding pad on the frame.
You lie face down or face up depending on which exercise is being performed. In this position, you can perform the freestyle stroke drills, crunches, leg, biceps/triceps, back and chest. By sitting on the bench, you can exercise shoulders and core. With its unique design one can use hand/ankle weights and or resistance bands making it easy on the joints. Those with back, shoulder, even knee problems have received excellent results witnessing increased range of motion.
It’s a great full body exercise machine. Plus, it can be used as a therapeutic tool for low impact strength training. The machine allows users to work one part of the body at a time (strengthening) or all together (aerobic). This flexibility covers a wide range of needs for a variety of people. Even those with long standing injuries have expressed benefits from this machines functionality.
The guys were giving me quite an ear full at the show about the Vasa Trainer Pro. The more I heard and the more of the exercises I did, I started to think what a great way to exercise. There are over 200 functional and swim specific targeting exercises that strengthen exactly the muscles you need to make performance gains.
The Vasa Trainer Pro requires very little assembly, as most of the difficult parts are already put together when it arrives. In Bill’s case, with no assembly, let’s just say it just made his day. Step by step instructions and all tools are included. They have the Vasa Trainer Pro assembly video online plus a phone number for any questions. Can you believe an actual phone number?
The machine is great and it’s the closest thing to real swimming that you can do on dryland. And no worries ladies–no getting your hair wet. It’s the secret weapon outside the water. For further information go to www.vasatrainer.com. And, as with any exercise program, always, consult a physician before you begin.