Train your gut with virtual reality

Icaros Fitness Experience

Your gut is not only the seat of the immune system, it is also the centre of our health. Find out here how you can train your gut, what role the Icaros training device can play, and why we use it at VIVAMAYR.

Why train your gut?

It’s all happening in our belly: Day in and day out, the digestive organs tirelessly fulfill their tasks. Whether it be the stomach, pancreas, liver or gut: When they are healthy, they perform in perfect harmony and digest the food ingested in such a way that our body is able to optimally absorb and utilize the nutrients. Movement plays a crucial role here. Anyone who moves regularly creates a positive impact on the digestive organs. For one thing, there is an indirect effect, since movement regulates blood pressure and has a positive influence on blood glucose and cholesterol levels. For another, it is actually possible to directly influence the digestive tract using targeted movement. In particular via the structures surrounding the gut, such as the abdominal muscles, pelvic floor muscles, but also the spine and fascia lines, it is possible to train the gut and improve digestion.

Abdominal training and spinal exercises for a healthy gut

All physical exercises that challenge the abs are beneficial for harmonizing the digestive system. This includes all kinds of crunches, side plank and balance exercises.

What’s more, at the level of the thoracic spine, we find the nerves that control the function of the gut leading from the spinal cord. They perform processes that take place without us giving them a second thought. They happen automatically while we focus our conscious attention on other things, such as working at the computer, reading, having a conversation or cooking. The system responsible for these unconscious processes is the enteric nervous system, which spans almost the entire digestive tract. Find out here how it’s connected to your mind and can even boost your mental resilience.

Exercises that target the spine not only train the muscles, but also influence the gut and its digestive activity via the nervous system. All exercises that challenge the spine – in particular the thoracic spine – are ideal for training the gut. So stretch out long, bend from side to side or rotate to the left and to the right with an upright back! By doing so, not only will you affect the deep-seated back muscles, you’ll also have a direct effect on the neighboring digestive organs. This stimulates the gut activity and promotes digestion.

But how can we train the gut as effectively as possible? This is where the Icaros training device comes into play.

The gut is trained automatically – especially during Icaros training

ALL physical training has a wide-ranging effect on the body. Accordingly, every training session – to a greater or lesser extent depending on the training style – influences the digestive tract. However, there are methods that specifically increase the impact on the core, thus making training as effective as possible for this area. The Icaros training device is among the most effective and cutting-edge options when it comes to training the core. “Training with the Icaros device is the training of the future. It combines the real and the virtual world and is an absolutely unparalleled style of training. We are not aware of anything else at present that comes close to it,” emphasizes Jürgen Kahlhammer, head of movement therapy at the VIVAMAYR Health Resort Maria Wörth. What is it that makes Icaros training so special?

When training with the Icaros device, the person exercising is holding a constant plank position, a support position where the belly is facing the floor. The feet are positioned on a metal bar similar to a fixed pedal. The lower legs and forearms rest on padded supports and the hands hold onto handles. The body’s core is the highest point and is freely moveable. The person training predominantly holds themselves up using their abdominal, back and glute muscles. An important additional element: A pair of virtual reality glasses (or VR glasses for short) that transport the person training into fantastic game worlds.

“The Icaros training makes many people’s dream of being able to fly a reality,” reveals Jürgen Kahlhammer. “In order to master the challenges in the parallel world, the person training has to remain in constant movement. They have to tilt their pelvis and dive in every possible direction – even circular movements are possible. This challenges the deep muscles, but also the sense of balance and the limbic system which, among other things, enables the execution of movement and controls digestion. And best of all: “Since the brain is kept constantly busy, the person exercising doesn’t even notice how demanding the training is,” explains Jürgen Kahlhammer. Fun is guaranteed with this workout, as it elegantly combines the modern gaming world with physical effort.

With a total length of four to eight meters, the gut takes up a lot of space in the abdomen. The muscles and fascia surrounding it are responsible for ensuring the organs are kept in the right position. Training with the Icaros device challenges these structures in particular, and therefore also indirectly the gut. “It is trained passively as a consequence – throughout the entire training session,” reports Jürgen Kahlhammer. “Unlike training on the ground, this style of training is multidimensional. It represents an intensive challenge for both mind and body. You can only take a breather by briefly assuming the resting position,” the movement coach says, describing the training intensity and process.

Icaros: Holistic training for (almost) all needs

Icaros training sessions are ideal for building muscles and improving the stability, functionality and reactivity of the core. With a training duration of 30 to 45 minutes per session, the muscles are trained in strength endurance. Due to the multidimensional movements and the unpredictable training sequence, there is a particular focus on engaging the small, delicate muscle fibers between the spinal vertebrae. These are summed up under the term autochthonous back muscles and are of great importance for the mobility and stability of the spine.

“As a result, this training method leads to success in a short period of time and solves problems that were previously hard to get under control. People with back problems often reach a point within one week where they are free of pain,” Jürgen Kahlhammer reports on the success of Icaros training. The only thing that cannot be replaced by the Icaros training sessions and must take place separately is basic endurance training.

For guests at the VIVAMAYR Health Resort Maria Wörth, Icaros training is an ideal way to complement the gut-friendly diet. “Diet and movement go hand in hand; this has been demonstrated by many studies over the years. Beyond that, muscular activity in the stomach has a positive effect on the cleansing of the gut, which is the foundation of every VIVAMAYR program,” explains Kahlhammer. The Icaros training features many different games with various levels of difficulty, meaning that there’s something to suit all fitness levels and all needs. If you ever completely run out of strength

Have we piqued your curiosity?

Training with the Icaros device is not yet widespread in Austria and, among health facilities, is in fact currently unique to VIVAMAYR Maria Wörth.