What it is: The
ViPR ("Vitality, Performance and Re-Conditioning") is a large rubber tube that weighs between 8.8 and 44 pounds. While it may not look like much when it's lying on the floor, fitness trainers use it to get their clients into amazing shape with any one of the 9,000 potential moves in which the ViPR is carried, tilted, dragged, thrown, flipped, dipped, swung and rolled. (
See what we mean here.)
Why you should try it: ViPR training is based on flowing total-body moves, like "thread the needle," which incorporates arms, legs and the core (
it's the sixth move in this slideshow). This kind of coordinated, 3-D action is considered "loaded movement training," and it helps not only build strength but also improve balance, agility and cardio fitness, explains Lisa Wheeler, national creative manager for group fitness at
Equinox gyms, where the ViPR is used in classes and training sessions. And that makes your body better prepared for life's fitness challenges (like the 35-pound kid who wants to be picked up, or the tree limb that needs to be flung off the lawn).
Keep in mind: Because ViPR workouts involve the whole body, you won't be able to baby a sore muscle. Try this when you're feeling 100 percent.