Vasper is an exercise machine that employs several approaches that have shown promise in studies for improving performance, health, body composition, strength, and recuperation. Those are compression/occlusion, cooling, and intervals. All three of those modalities have shown beneficial effects in studies, but it should be noted studies are ongoing. Vasper combines all three into a single machine, which seemingly allows a greater response to exercise in a shorter time period. Some major organizations, such as NASA, Texas Rangers, United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and various other groups and teams employ Vasper directly and or are researching the possible benefits. Several small pilot studies have shown some impressive hormonal effects, in the form of increased testosterone and IGF-1 and decreased cortisol levels.
I decided I had to investigate this exercise machine further and try one for myself. A Dr. Ramesh Kumar at LifeWellMD in Palm Beach Gardens Florida employs a Vasper at his facility, and I made arrangements to go try it. Obviously a single session on the Vasper does not tell us much, but I found the experience interesting. What I did notice, was after my 20 minute interval session, I didn’t feel as beat up and tired as a I normally would. Also, normally, I’m drenched in sweat from doing HIIT or intervals (which are not the same thing BTW…) but after using the Vasper, I was a little sweaty on my head and such, but I sweat easily. Dr. Kumar said most people don’t even sweat using the Vasper, which makes sense since your major extremities are being cooled during the workout. For an explanation as to the potential benefits of that, see the Vasper page. The non technical explanation is essentially the Vasper attempts to metabolically “trick” your body into thinking it’s working much harder and longer than it is without the tissue damage and other downsides that can accompany intense/lengthy workouts. I hope to work with the Vasper in the future for additional assessment, so stay tuned on that front.
The Vasper may have a variety of uses, from rehab to improved bodycomp and conditioning and definitely in the “worth a try” category in my view.
At LifeWellMD on the Vasper machine!
It may also be a time saver for those looking for maximum effects in minimal time. My major criticism is while there’s a good amount of data from third party sources on the individual approaches used, there’s little on the Vasper itself. “On paper” the Vasper looks quite promising for a wide range of uses, but Vasper et al would benefit greatly from doing a study on the Vasper itself versus a control, such as a group following the same interval workouts minus the compression and cooling. My understanding is, there are more studies in the works.
Conclusion: if you can find a place with a Vasper in your area, it may be worth a try, depending on your goals, needs, etc. The Vasper does get high marks in “real world” settings from those employing it, and a number of high level/pro athletes and teams using it find their general recoup improved using the Vasper. So far, I’m optimistic with a few caveats mentioned.
Learn More about Vasper HERE:
Will Brink is the owner of the Brinkzone Blog. Will has over 30 years experience as a respected author, columnist and consultant, to the supplement, fitness, bodybuilding, and weight loss industry and has been extensively published. Will graduated from Harvard University with a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.
His often ground breaking articles can be found in publications such as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.
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Sorry, did you mean to say ‘et al’, instead of ‘at al’?
I did, Edited, thanx 😉