Tag: gym

Talking About Home Gyms

The continuing evolution of home gyms

The days of bulky workout machines jamming up spare rooms in the home entirely are gone.

Over the past two decades, fitness and exercise have become extremely popular concepts in the world. So many people continue to visit ever-popular sporting goods stores to put together their personal version of the best home gyms. They try and base their design around the idea that convenience for them will encourage increased cardio workouts and activities.

The continuing evolution of home gyms
English: DeBarra Mayo in workout gear 1987. Photo presented as validation of DeBarra’s physical fitness level. Photo scanned from snapshot in DeBarra’s files. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Unfortunately, sometimes these designs of different equipment come to stand for unfulfilled workout plans.
The large and often bulky machines wind up serving as hangers for clothes and the carefully designed workout rooms become functional laundry rooms.

Trends have recently undergone a shift. There has been a positive evolution in workout machines, as well as in the concept of exercising away from the typical gym. Involved in the world of fitness for decades, the triathlon coach Jim Kirwin has been also a big part of the exercise evolution. For a variety of reasons he recommends various alternative methods in place of the standard indoor cardio machines, and he promotes these ideas to those athletes he trains. Kirwin says that “he does not like the utilization of machines for aerobic activity as a general rule. I think people lose interest and become bored, unless in fact they are an extremely disciplined individual”.

There is still a place for strength machines, but for many people today weight training has moved on to a variety of new methods of resistance workouts and freestanding weights. Thus the continuing evolution of home gyms.

Bikes, elliptical machines and treadmills still remain in homes but have lessened in size and advanced to now encourage workout plans and statistical data which are organized to provide incentive to workout. Kirwin also notes that ” an ever growing number of fitness experts and advisers are advancing down the road of circuit training“.

I like to encourage and advise people to utilize their personal body weight to do exercise.

Getting A Lightly Used Home Gym

Getting A Lightly Used Home Gym

When it comes to buying anything used or second hand, the Internet offers pretty much the best way to shop. If you’re looking for something small, Amazon.com may be the best place to shop because the entire transaction is handled online and there isn’t the threat of having to meet the seller in person and exchange funds. But what about if you want to order something so big that it would require a fortune to have it shipped across the country. For instance, if you wanted to order a Lightly Used Home Gym, you might not want to pay the steep fees to have all those weights shipped to you.

Instead, you could use a site like Craigslist but then there’s the prospect of having to exchange money with a stranger. If you use Craigslist, you’ll want to meet the other party in a busy, well lit area and be sure to inspect the home gym before you give them any money.

Lightly Used Home Gym
Lightly Used Home Gym

Perhaps the first place you should check when searching for second hand home gyms is the Internet but the local papers and classifieds may offer you a viable solution. The advantage to using the Internet is the fact that you can search for exactly what you’re looking for as opposed to waiting for the item to become available in the classified section. EBay also offers you a chance to buy a used home gym but the sheer weight of it may make the shipping costs pretty high. Like with all things, you should shop around when looking for a used home gym and you should be able to find what you want for substantially less than you would find it for brand new.

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Free 6 Week Workouts For Women

Free 6 Week Workouts for Women

There are two very popular varieties of free 6 week workouts for women available on the Web. The reason for their success is simple: They both employ varying degrees of cross fit and High Intensity Interval Training.  Judging from the success of these two types of workouts, combining the gym regimen with outdoor exercises and sports is the trick to losing 20 or more pounds in a matter of weeks.

English: Kim Kardashian Fragrance Launch, Glen...
English: Kim Kardashian Fragrance Launch, Glendale, CA on February 22, 2011 – Photo by Glenn Francis of www.PacificProDigital.com (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Move over, gym buddies, its time to get out, smell the roses, and get loads of fresh air while toning muscles  and burning those calories. These techniques have worked for Chloe and Kim Kardashian, with Jessica Simpson hoping to join the bandwagon, too. A word to encapsulate these two  techniques is, boot camp.

The first one is called The 6 Week Walking Workout designed by Chris Freytag. You can download the detailed regimen from https://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/a20449473/preventions-6-week-walking-workout/. The highlights of this fitness plan are fat-burning cardio and dozens of flexibility drills. The results are as good as the positive, self-confident attitude it instills in every new recruit.

Then there is the Ultimate Fitness Workout developed by Valerie Waters. The six-week exercise program switches between cardio routines and body-sculpting circuits. Download the details at . Key to the success of this technique is to allow adequate rest in between the two groups of exercises, in order to allow the muscles to develop without any interruptions. Whatever you choose, you stand a big chance of trimming as much as four inches from your waistline.

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Fitness Classes for You

If you are a member of fitness center then you probably know about their special fitness classes that they offer at an added fitness cost. If you are not yet a member, however, it is good to know about some of the fitness specials and fitness deals that the renowned fitness institution has to offer. Here we list some of the specialty classes that might appeal to your specific fitness needs. Click here if you need further information besides the classes listed here.

Club Boxing Circuit

Aside from the regular fitness exercises and courses, the Club Boxing Circuit is also available for you to enroll in. It is a class where you can play with fellow members and lose up to 550 calories. The professional trainers will help you climb your way from being a newbie boxer to a pro one. You could gain speed through specialized boxing combinations and increase your agility through drills. You will also try body punches to a heavy bag to increase power in your arms. Furthermore, this is perfect in enhancing your hand and foot coordination (instead of hand and eye coordination).

Core Training

This is one of the fitness specials that a good fitness club has. Enrolling in this class entails additional fitness cost that would add up to your total monthly bill. However, this class is very much worth the 50 minute session time and the money since you could lose more than 300 calories. You could also strengthen your already defined abs, your back, and glutes and many more. This class aims to exercise core muscles.

Cycle

This is also one of the fitness deals recommended for individuals who are looking for a challenging workout. Moreover, it is done outdoors and you endure the trail with other club members. This is certainly a fun way to exercise whether you are training for a triathlon or just improving cardiovascular health.

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Four Fun Fitness Ideas to Escape the Drudgery of the Gym

Each year thousands of people start with the best of intentions and join a gym. Yet most of those people will only go to the gym a few times before they get bored, and their goal of loosing weight and becoming more fit fails as they have lost their motivation. A lot of people feel like they are putting so much effort into their exercise but not getting much in return. This causes them to loose the motivation they originally had as they feel it’s not fun any more and it feels like hard work. On top of the disappointment of not managing to stick to an exercise plan, there is the additional frustration at the money wasted on paying for the gym membership.

The most common reason for people loosing motivation is that they simply start to get bored. If you find exercise fun you are more likely to stick with it and reach your fitness goals. It’s for this reason that many people are seeking an alternative to the gym, but with so many options out there where do you start. I have put together my favorite ways to stay in shape to help you get started.

Skipping

You may not have skipped since you were at school but it is actually a fantastic way to burn calories and shed a few pounds, (you can burn up to 300 calories in 30 mins). It also provides a great workout for your shoulders, thighs, calves and bottom as well as being a good cardio workout. Even if you haven’t skipped for yours it shouldn’t take you too long to pick it up again and with a bit a practice you’ll be surprised at how good you get.

Skipping is a really versatile workout, all you need is a rope, some supportive shoes (tennis shoes are good) and somewhere to skip. You can skip pretty much anywhere insite our outside. It is best to avoid skipping on concreate or any surface where you could injure yourself if you were to fall. Grass, carpet and wood make good skipping surfaces.

Begin by practicing skipping on the spot. When you can manage 70 skips in a minute then you are ready to move on and try out some of the more fun and advanced moves. If you can’t remember them, here are a few to refresh you memory:

Bell Jumps

This is one fo the more basic advanced moves and a great one to move onto when you have got your skipping to to speed. Jump forwards then backwards as you skip. This move will do wonders for your thighs.

Running

This move it great for working you abs. As you skip simply pull up your legs.

Double Unders

When you have got the hang of the moves above then you will find it easier to master some of the more advanced moves. A good one to start with is double-unders. For this move you need to pass the rope around your body two times for each jump.

Crossovers

As the name suggests, in crossovers you have to cross over your arms while the rope passes over your head. As the rope does this you jump though the space that is left.

Pole Fitness

Pole fitness is becoming more and more popular as a way to work out and get in shape. The sleazy stripper image is long gone and pole fitness is now thought of as a type of gymnastics. It is a great method of building up your strength and giving your muscles a good workout. To get started you will need a pole. There are a wide range of pole dancing poles on the market today to suit every budget and level of ambition. The x-pole dance poles very easy to put up and are probably the most popular choice across Europe and the US. Once you have installed your pole you are ready to get started and there are lots of free lessons on YouTube. There are also lots of pole dancing DVDs that will take you from beginner level to advanced. Just remember to take it at your own place, some of the moves can be difficult to master. Make sure you put your safety first and stay inside your comfort zone.

Cycling

This is a fantastic zero impact workout and considered by many to be the best exercises you can do. It is much gentler on your body than jogging and running that can damage your joints and tendons. If you think about it why would you pay good money to sit on an exercise bike in a gym going nowhere, when you could be riding through the countryside taking in the scenery. If you are nervous about riding on roads in the city or countryside then get a mountain bike and enjoy cycling in parkland and countryside trails.

Dance Games

Dance games like the renowned Dance Dance Revolution provide a fun way for you to exercise and keep your motivation. They are especially good as you can compete against your friends and family so it won’t even feel like your working out. Most dance mat games let you select from a range of music. It can be a lot harder than it looks and will take a lot of practice to master. But most games will have beginner levels, so you can start off slow and work your wau up to learning the faster paced songs

This article was written by Caitlin, a fitness fanatic who hates the gym with a passion and writes for . When she is not blogging she can most often be found spinning upside down on her X-Pole Xpert

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Fast Ways To Spice Up Your Fitness Plan

If you feel like you’re getting bored of the same old workouts over and over again, it’s time to take a good look at what you can do to shake things up and improve the results you get.  Regularly changing around your workout programs is going to be key to seeing ongoing success because this is what will keep your body responding and you seeing constant progress.

Those who simply go to the gym and perform the same routine over again are not only more likely to drop off due to the boredom issue, but are more likely to hit a plateau.

Any of the following tips will work perfectly to solve this problem.  Simply add one or two into your next workout and see how your body responds. You may want to stick with any given technique for a few week’s time or continually interchange the following techniques throughout your workout week.

Whatever you choose, one thing is for certain and that is that you will see significantly better results because of it.

So let’s get to it and show you exactly what you should be doing to boost your fitness success.

Add Some Supersets

The very first way to spice up your workouts is to add in some superset training. This is where you’re going to perform one exercise and then immediately after that’s finished you’ll move right into the next.

Then, once both are completed you can take 30-60 seconds to rest before completing your second and possibly third round.

This technique will help to cut down on the total time you spend in the gym during each workout session and will help boost your muscle’s ability to tolerate fatigue as well.

As an added benefit, it’s also one of the best methods to increase your metabolic rate.

Reverse The Order

The second quick tip to help you get more from your workout program is to reverse the order of the exercises that you perform.  So rather than starting with your squats and then moving to your bench press, and then to your shoulder press, try going shoulder press, bench press, squats.

Just a simple change like this can offer huge benefits as it’s placing the muscles in a scenario they aren’t used to.

Just note that you should group your compound and isolated exercises together as even with this technique, isolation exercises should still be performed after compound movements.

Drop That Weight

The third way that you can boost your workout success is to use drop weight sets. This is great for enhancing muscle tone and definition, increasing fat burning, and helping you get stronger fast.

To perform this technique, you perform one set at the normal weight that you typically use, and them immediately after it’s finished, you drop the weight five pounds and perform your next set.  Once that set is complete, drop the weight one more time and push through a third set.

Once three sets are completed, then you can take your must-needed rest period.

Insert Abdominal And Core Movements

Finally, the last method to spice up your workouts so you can see even greater benefits is to add core or ab exercises in between each main exercise you do.

This will ensure that the workout is giving you a fantastic ab workout while also helping you be more productive during your downtime.

It’s a great way to shorten up the workout for those who are on the go.

So there you have the key tips that you must be sure you’re using as you go about your workout routine to fight back against a progress plateau and make things more interesting. Which will you use?

 

Aishwarya is a blogging enthusiast and is associated with Offshore Ally, a full time virtual assistant company. Apart from blogging she likes to travel around different corners of the world and is professionally serving an active VA for real estate.

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