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All right, I agree, the pull-up is a great exercise and I wish I could do more of them…
...but I still have some questions:
What is the Taper Shaper™ and how can it help me?
The high quality, portable Taper Shaper™ Chin/Pull-up Assist is a simple yet highly effective piece of kit (Patent Pending) that comfortably and measurably offsets a select amount of your own body weight to allow you to perform this superb exercise with greater ease. The portability will enable you to transform just about any existing chin/pull-up station into an assisted chin/pull-up station. The set-up and disassembly are a snap, enabling you to take it to the gym or use it in conjunction with a doorway mounted chinning bar in the comfort of your own home. The measurable levels of assistance provide more consistant assistance than either a partner or chair pushoff and therefore provide you with a more accurate strength gain assessment. The availability of progressive levels of assistance* allow you to increase or decrease the amount of assistance quickly and conveniently in order to easily track your strength progression over time or to provide just the right amount of assistance in order to force out those last few repetitions in your exercise set. Whatever your implementation technique, exercise novices to highly conditioned athletes will find the spotter-free assistance** of the portable Taper Shaper™ a fantastic accessory for strengthening and conditioning the body.
* Progressive selectivity is offered with the Intermediate and Professional models of the Taper Shaper™ Chin/Pull-up Assist.
** Spotter-free assistance is best provided if the bar can be reached from a standing postion.
You've said this product is for conditioned athletes, but shouldn't they already be able to do pull-ups?
They certainly should be able to do them, however the weight subtracting features of the V-Taper Shaper™ provides a great deal of variability to this exercise thus enabling you to stick to your training routine. For instance, many exercise routines prescribe 3 sets of 10 repetitions. If you can already do 10 pull-ups that’s great, but can you do two follow-up sets of 10 with only a minute rest between trys while keeping to proper form? With the Taper Shaper™ you could perform your 10 bodyweight pull-ups followed by the second set of 10 with your body weight minus 10 Kg and finally the third set with your body weight minus 15 Kg. In this way you still benefit from the repetition count while adhering to the proper form for maximum safety and muscle development.
Another useful benefit of the Taper Shaper™ is that it enables athletes to perform various types of advanced training sets with the pull-up. It has always been easy to add weight around the waist, but subtracting it has generally been the job of your spotter. The Taper Shaper™ makes pyramid sets, drop sets and other advanced set routines possible in a reliable and consistent manner.
I haven't done pull-ups since I was in school, why should I start now?
The classic pull-up exercise should be a staple exercise in any athletic strength-training program, and it can be done convienently in the comfort of your home with minimal equipment. This highly versatile exercise will increase your strength, agility, and athletic performance; it will help you achieve the timelessly athletic V-shaped torso; and it activates muscles in a natural and functional manner – working them together for overall balance and symmetrical muscular development.
Unfortunately, most people don’t benefit from this exercise because they can’t do them – they’re just too difficult. If you can’t do pull-ups, your mobility and athleticism are greatly diminished by your inability to handle and control your own body against the forces of gravity. If you can’t do pull-ups, the Taper Shaper™ may be the tool you need to get your chin over the bar and progressively help train you to the point where you’ll be able to do them without assistance. Even better yet, if you can do pull-ups, the Taper Shaper™ will make you want to do more of them. It will increase your pull-up repetition range so you can maximize the effectiveness of this fantastic exercise by enabling you to complete all the repetitions in your assigned sets or implement advanced training regimes as you may already do with other exercises. Either way, the Taper Shaper™ can help make the pull-up exercise an indispensable part of your training routine.
For whom is the Taper Shaper™ designed?
The Taper Shaper™ is designed for reasonably fit to very fit men and women. The individual must at least be reasonably capable of performing a pull-up with a minimum amount of partner spotting assistance and must be able to control his/her body to maintain proper form while performing the exercise. With the Taper Shaper™ fit individuals will find the ability to complete assigned repetitions and sets of the pull-up exercise. Very fit individuals will find that the weight reduction from their own body weight will allow them to more fully utilize advanced training routines with the pull-up (such as pyramid training and drop sets).
Who currently uses the Taper Shaper™?
The Taper Shaper™ is a brand new product that hasn’t been widely marketed yet, but the British Royal Navy is already deploying Taper Shaper™ units onboard combat and support ships within the fleet in order to provide the officers and crew an effective and compact tool for providing assisted chins in confined spaces. The chin/pull-up assist is also regularly used by various athletes, personal trainers and others just like you possessing the desire to stay in the best possible shape.
Isn’t the lat pull-down a substitute exercise that is just as effective as the pull-up?
No. The lat pull-down is a great exercise, however it is functionally inferior to the pull-up. With the lat pull-down you are typically locked in a position that neglects the normal body stabilizing work of your core musculature. The pull-up positions your body in free space. Control of your body in free space works many of your core stabilizing muscles thereby making the pull-up far superior as a functional exercise. The pull-up also requires less space and equipment – all you need is a bar and your body. Even with the Taper Shaper™ used for assistance, no additional space is required and the user exercises in a free-swinging environment that is functionally superior to that of the locked and stationary position of the lat pull-down.
What about mechanically assisted pull-up stations found in some very nicely appointed gyms, spas and training facilities, aren’t they useful?
They can be useful, but there are reasons they only exist in very nicely appointed facilities – SIZE and COST. Many gyms don’t even possess such devices and you might as well forget about the convenience of such a device in the home. Furthermore, as with lat pull-down exercise equipment, the exerciser typically is not positioned in a free-swinging environment and therefore the functional exercise nature of these machines is diminished.
Is the Taper Shaper™ useful for both men and women?
Absolutely.
Where can I set up the Taper Shaper™?
The Taper Shaper™ is designed to attach to practically any existing pull-up/chin-up station that is already on the market. Take it to your gym (I’ll bet there’s no line at the pull-up bar) or use it in your home, flat or dormitory in combination with any appropriate apparatus – it’s your choice.
(You will find a nice selection of versatile doorway mounted chinning bars on the Bars & Accessories page.)
I don’t have a lot of space…
Not an excuse with the Taper Shaper™ since it can be quickly (less than a minute) attached to a bedroom or bathroom doorway mounted chinning bar. In fact, pull-ups are probably the best way to develop and strengthen your back within confined living quarters. Coupled with the press-up, abdominal crunch, and bodyweight squat (all of which only require a small amount of floor space) you can complete a fairly well-balanced, full-body workout. (You will find a nice selection of versatile doorway mounted chinning bars on the Bars & Accessories page.)
I don’t have a lot of time…
So make the time you have more productive. The benefits of exercise are indisputable – in a nutshell you will feel better, look better and perform better. It doesn’t take a lot of time to realize some of the benefits exercise has to offer and the pull-up is one of the very best strength building exercises you can do; so a few minutes every couple of days combined within a sensible physical training routine will be time well spent.
What other exercises should I do along with the pull-up to achieve balanced muscular development?
The pull-up, while a great exercise, should only represent part of a regular and comprehensive exercise and strength-training program. Consult a certified physical trainer or refer to a respected physical fitness magazine for a comprehensive and varied exercise and strength-training program that will suit your needs and time constraints. Remember to always check with your doctor before embarking on any exercise program.
What are the Taper Shaper™’s technical advantages?
The Taper Shaper™ is unlike anything else you have used.
It is: Comfortable and Convenient
Compact and Portable
Measurable and Progressive
Highly Effective
What about the quality of the product?
The Taper Shaper™ is constructed of the highest quality components sourced from premier manufacturers in England and around the world. The product was designed and is assembled in England.
Remember to always check with your medical care professional before embarking on any exercise program.
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