Are you looking for a way to work out at your desk? Have you ever stopped to think that if you just could lift weights while you work you wouldn’t need to go the gym? Well, don’t cancel your gym membership quite yet, but if you want to add a little resistance training to your daily routine at the office, consider the dumbbell phone.

Adding a Little Weight to Your Telephone Presence

The dumbbell phone is not an actual phone. Instead, it is a dumbbell you attach to your phone. Weighing 10 pounds (about 4.4 kilos), the dumbbell phone is guaranteed to give you a workout every time you answer your phone. (An iPhone attachment has to be ordered separately.)

Japanese Phone Dumbbell Exercise Workout Routine

If you buy a dumbbell phone for use in Japan, there is an optional service to make sure you get the most out of your dumbbell phone. For an extra fee, your “personal fitness trainer” will call you every hour on the hour and make sure you pick up your phone. In Japan, that can mean 14, 16, or even 18 calls a day. The more overtime you work, the fitter you get.

Avoid Workplace Injuries

While the dumbbell phone is an example of the Japanese call “chindogu,” weird and wacky inventions, the idea of lifting weights at your desk at work is not a bad one. In fact, you can avoid all kinds of workplace injuries if you incorporate a little stretching and lifting into your daily routine. Here are some serious ideas that can actually work for you.

1. Every hour or so, “shake out” your fingers. Especially if your job involves a lot of keyboard entry, you can stress the ligaments surrounding your carpal tunnels. The nerves inside them can become stressed so that you either feel nothing or feel a constant burning sensation or you feel occasional bursts of sharp, intense pain—or all three. Just wiggling your fingers occasionally helps. Popping your knuckles, however, does not.
2. Sit up straight. Your mother was right. It’s a good idea to sit up straight, your back straight against your chair and your chin parallel to the floor. The advantage of sitting up straight is it takes stress off the muscles of your lower back and reduces the risk of back strain on your well-deserved days off.
3. And, yes, lift your dumbbell phone several times a day. It will give your strong biceps and may even protect you against rotator cuff injuries.

Read More About Dumbbell Equipment: Shake Weight

May 13th by Fit Gizmos