Hey everybody, it's Doctor Jo. It's product review time again, and Derek from ActivMotion
Bar sent me a sample of his ActivMotion Bar. This one here is a 4.5 pound bar which is
more for the therapy side of it, but there's also a whole bunch of other weights and sizes
if you want something just a little heavier for a regular workout. I really like the ActivMotion
Bar cause if you can hear it, there's steel weights in there that force you to use your
balance and stability while you're working out. So it's really, really neat, it's almost
like a medicine ball in a therapy session. Where you're going back and forth, except
the cool part of this is it's longer, a longer lever arm. So it actually gives you more of
a pull from one side to the other. You can actually almost see my body going that way.
So you have to use your core muscles and your balance muscles to make sure you don't fall
or move while you're using the bar. So it's really, really neat. There's also a whole
bunch of videos you can get. They start at a level one which is the foundation builder,
all the way up to higher level training and even some golf fitness. It's really, really
neat because if you don't just believe it when you feel it, the University of Michigan
actually did a study with the ActivMotion Bar, and they compared this to just a regular
static bar. And the ActivMotion Bar, with its dynamic movement, actually activates muscles
up to 172% more than just a static bar. So, when you think about it, that's a lot more
activation in your muscles. I also like the fact that it's smooth. Now you can hear the
weights moving, but it's a smooth movement, so it's not jerky while you're doing it. So
your muscles can really work without working in a odd way or an uncomfortable way. So there
are some exercises that are my favorites that I would like to show you so you can kind of
see how the bar works. So let's get started. So when you're using the ActivMotion Bar,
there's two white lines on each side. That's where you want to place your hands. And the
reason for that is when you're moving the bar, you can hear the weights rolling, but
when you're trying to keep the bar stable, you don't want the weights on one side, or
the other side, you want to try and keep them in the middle. So you're gonna probably hear
those weights rolling around, but you really want to work your core and your balance to
keep them in the middle while you're working out. So the first one I want to show you,
you're gonna actually lie down. And I like this in the rehab setting cause you're almost
getting yourself into that pelvic tilt. You want to keep your back flat on the ground,
and then bring your knees up, push the bar against your thighs here, and then slowly
tap one leg down and come back up. So if you can hear those weights moving, you really
want to try and keep them in the middle. Which this is a lot tougher than it looks like it
is. And you can push as hard as you want to against your legs or as little as you want
to to start off with. Just trying to keep it nice and balanced. Now I'm gonna show you
some stuff standing up. The next movement it gonna be an overhead side bend. So just
take the bar up over your head. Keep your arms nice and straight. And then just bend
to one side and come back over to the other side. So when the weights shift over, you
can really feel that stretch. And then the next one is gonna be a hinge rotation. For
the hinge rotations, bend at your hips but keep your back straight. Then rotate from
side to side. As the weights come down, you can really feel it pull yourself even more
into a stretch. So the last exercise I wanna show you is actually one I usually just do
in the clinic with a medicine ball. So the ActivMotion Bar is gonna actually make it
a little harder than a medicine ball because the weights go out even further. So usually
what I'll have a patient do is stand on one foot, and then just rotate side to side. And
not fall over. And then, of course, switch sides so you keep yourself even. So overall,
I really like the ActivMotion Bar. I feel like it helps with stability and balance,
and it really gets your core working. There's several videos out there, there's even one
by P90X Guru Tony Horton. He's fighting off some Zombies and working with the ActivMotion
Bar, so if this can work him out, it's definitely gonna be able to work you out. After I even
did the Level 1 Foundation Builder video, I was really impressed by how much my core
was being worked at the end of the day. So I really like it, I think it's something that's
very beneficial. Make sure you talk to your Doctor or Physical Therapist before you use
it, but if you wanna get some extra core workout, I would say this is for you. If you'd like
to purchase this, you can check it out in our product store, or you can go to active
motion bar to check out the different weights and sizes. If you have any questions, leave
them in the comments section, if you'd like to check out some other videos, go to AskDoctorJo.com.
Don't forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter. And remember, be safe, have fun,
and I hope you feel better soon.