“Train Like The Pros.” That might be a phrase that gets thrown around a lot by people with different workouts, but when it comes to Ed Downs and his Downs Disc program, “Train Like The Pros” is exactly what you are going to be doing.

Olympian Carlos Boozer and Ed Downs

The main concepts that Ed Downs focuses on with his Downs Disc programs are: working on the core of your body, having a total body workout, making a safe workout, making your body “stable in an unstable environment,” giving you a faster workout and finally and this should please everyone, it is as Downs puts it, “It’s portable and affordable.”

You might say to yourself, “How am I going to get a workout from two round inflatable discs?” That is a good question and one I asked myself. Where are the weights, the barbells, the machines, and the gym? Well after one time going through the “5 Minutes of Fire” DVD, your entire thought process of a workout will change. You will feel every muscle in your body being used and you certainly won’t believe it’s possible to get a complete workout in five minutes, but it is.

Ed Downs doing squats on the Downs Discs

The workout incorporates your entire body, which goes back to the theory that your body works as one in everything you do. As your body gets used to these workouts, your body will become more stable and it will incorporate a number of muscles into each workout as opposed to just one or two muscles that you use in traditional exercises. You will quickly see how fast your muscles fatigue as your body starts to shake at some point in your first workout; this is telling you your muscles are fatigued. When is the last time you went to the gym and you had your legs shaking? This is nothing to be concerned with, it just means you are actually getting a workout and your body is feeling it.

How effective are the Downs Discs, lets go back to the phrase “Train Like The Pros,” because that is exactly what you will be doing as pro athletes such as: Carlos Boozer, Baron Davis and Jerry Porter all not only use the Downs Discs, but they take them with them when they travel. What sports are more physical than basketball and football, if these athletes tell you that it helps them improve their game, it should also tell you that it will help you improve yours.

Ed Downs started out in personal training and in martial arts and quickly gained notoriety with professional athletes by helping NBA great Jamal Mashburn resurrect his career after suffering through numerous injuries. He then went on to work with several other athletes and continued working in personal training while developing the Downs Discs.

Jerry Porter

Working with the Downs Discs can not only help you rehabilitate a sports injury, but it can help with back, knee or any number of other joint and muscle issues by allowing you to focus on stabilizing the body. The great thing about the Downs Discs as opposed to other fitness products is that these discs are individual pieces, no matter how tall or short you can move them to fit your needs and Ed also went so far as to have them tested by the Air Force to show that each disc holds up to 600 pounds. And finally if you happen to lose your balance, you have only two inches to fall to the ground, so you should feel pretty safe on these discs.

Don’t think you have to be a pro athlete, or even an athlete at all to use the Downs Disc program. This is really for everyone, from five-year olds to senior citizens and every one in between. The entire concept of working the core is something that can improve everyone’s life. Would you prefer to stand more upright with better posture, get rid of that back pain or get rid of that little gut you have developed over the years, all of this centers around the core of your body? Whether you are golfing, playing baseball, getting knocked around as you drive the lane in basketball, everything in sports starts from the core of your body, if you have a stronger core, you will be stronger.

Carlos Boozer doing the Ab twist

What you think you know about abdominal work, well you will think you have been lied to. Hundreds of crunches will pail in comparison to how you feel after doing some ab work on the Downs Discs, Ed has developed his program so that you work the transverse abdominal muscles. At this point you probably are asking what those are. Well they are the often and actually almost always ignored abdominal muscle that is beneath the top layer and it is they key to not only giving you better looking abs, but also to helping support your core.

Downs is also trying to focus on helping the youth of American get in better shape and the American Council of Exercise has even recommended that the Downs Disc program be implemented into schools.

Shoulder raises on the Downs Discs

So no matter what your age, your sport, your goal in life, if you just want to be healthier and happier, there is no question that the Downs Disc program is like no other workout program on the market and it will help you achieve whatever goal you are setting for yourself.

For more information, visit: www.downsdisc.com or call 1-800-249-3902

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