ViPR is not your every-day weightlifting tool says Nick Luciano.

 

Lifting weights is among the most common exercise practices. We lift weights for aesthetics, hypertrophy and, specifically, performance.

 

A key word to describe performance training is transfer. Power lifters, weightlifters, and CrossFit athletes are just a few people who compete in lifting training exercises. Other athletes who lift for performance need adaptations of the lifting exercises to transfer to their sports or activities. The most common lifting practices can be categorized as loaded linear lifting: ‘loaded’ means having an external load as resistance (more than bodyweight) and ‘linear’ means uniplanar dominant. Most lifts are performed in the sagittal plane, while a few are performed in the frontal and transverse planes.

 

There are other commonalities among the popular lifts. If ground force reaction is direct, then the standard base of support is usually two feet on the ground in the frontal base, set apart at a moderate width. Techniques usually call for the weight to stay close to the body and in line with the body, when possible (overhead). The tools used allow little to no diversity in the actual hold on the tool: hand position, width and diameter (if applicable) of the hold on the tool. ViPR is an exception.

 

ViPR falls into another category: Loaded Movement Training. ViPR allows us to lift in all three planes, in different foot positions, and change levels with ViPR held close to or away from the body in over 40 different holds. The lift can be vertical, horizontal or diagonal. Bilateral lifts can be symmetrically or asymmetrically loaded due to the various hold options.

 

Common lifting practices demand the tissue stays under tension throughout the duration of the set, with the exception of ballistic lifts. With ViPR, both constant tension and ballistic lifting are appropriate. In addition, ViPR offers rhythmical lifting. The tissue is loaded to unload as ViPR is driven with momentum. The tissue then loads to decelerate and unloads after the directional change. This type of lifting is the most metabolically efficient and authentic to our body’s design.

 

After considering all of the possibilities with ViPR Loaded Movement lifting, we can see how it could offer great potential for transfer into sport and activity. We can lift ViPR anterior to the body, lateral to the body, across the body, and while the body is in rotation or locomotion. We can lift ViPR from prone, supine, seated, kneeling, one leg or two. We can even lift ViPR with our feet. If we’re standing, our feet can be in the sagittal plane, frontal plane or transverse plane and they can be in a narrow, moderate-width or broad stance. We want many options, so we can have variability. The more variability we can create, react to and adapt to, the more resilient and prepared we will be to transfer ViPR technique to sport and activity.