FITNESS EQUIPMENT

2006-06-02T18:05:00.000-07:00

Advantages Of A Gym Exercise Equipment
Charlene J. Nuble

Now is a good season for the health conscious to check up on
the latest in gym exercise equipment. A wide variety of gym
exercise equipment is available in the market each designed to
tone the specific part of the body. So for that lasting
impression as you stride down the beach and flaunt it, here are
some of the important aspects in choosing the right gym exercise
equipment for you.

Know your body: whether you want to sport the firm and fit type
or something as insanely huge as the Hulk, gamma radiation
included, everyone has their own preference. For a first-timer,
choosing the right gym exercise equipment can be attained in two
ways: purchasing it from a sports store or to sign up in one of
hundreds of gym establishments in the city.

2006-06-02T18:04:00.001-07:00

One advantage in using the gym exercise equipment in a gym is
the selection of commercial models that will help you get in
shape, if not faster then better. Commercial gym exercise
equipment are a little more complicated to use, often with
digital readouts and other computerized systems attached, but
the outcome after using the machine does show fantastic results
after a few weeks. In addition to commercial gym exercise
equipment, trainers are available to help you draw up a program
to achieve that attention-grabbing body you always wanted. Be it
in a posh place like Gold's Gym, or a neighborhood one that
offers fifty bucks per session, these establishments hold the
upper hand when it comes to quality gym exercise equipment.

Home gym exercise equipment is something a little more easy to
use and compact enough that you can stow it away in your closet
after two hours of working out. Convenience is all about the
home gym exercise equipment, especially if they are the shy
type who could not stand to flaunt themselves in public, even
in a gym. They can be as attractive to look at like their
commercial counterparts, but with a price tag that is a bit
easy on the pocket. They require little effort when adjusting
the setting to get out its maximum exercise performance.

2006-06-02T18:04:00.000-07:00

A first-timer can acquire and use the home exercise equipment
without too much flub. But as he or she gains experience, and
not to mention a greater body, they go for more body specific
machines that will bring out the best in (and out of) them. All
they have to do is to draw a layout of his or her personalized
body building program from books and go from there.

Know your self, as well as your body. Whether you purchased it
in a store, or holding a gleaming member's card, gym exercise
equipment is the next best thing since the home-made dumbbells
and barbells out of cement on a pair of large milk cans and a
metal water pipe.

About The Author: Charlene J. Nuble 2005. For up to date links
and information about fitness equipments, please go to:
http://fitness-equipments.besthealthlink.net/ or for updated
links and information on all health related topics, go to:
http://www.besthealthlink.net

2006-06-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Exercise Bikes vs. Treadmills

You've decided you want to exercise at home. There are hundredsof pieces of home cardio equipment available. The most popularare treadmills and exercise bikes. In deciding between the two,you should compare long-term sustainability, the effectivenessof the workouts, and safety.Overcoming BoredomThe biggest obstacle to a home exercise routine is sticking withit. You don't have to drive to a gym, so your home fitnessequipment is more convenient. The problem is that otherdistractions are just as convenient at home. The key is to makeyour routine fun. You want to look forward to your dailyworkout. You have to be realistic. Playing with the heart ratemonitor or watching the calorie counter go up will only be funthe first couple of times you exercise.

Treadmill vs. BoredomOn a treadmill, you walk. Walking isn't that fun. You can walkat different speeds, but that isn't really much more fun. Ifyou get a treadmill that offers an incline, that keeps it a bitmore interesting. Walking uphill isn't exactly fun, but it'sdifferent. It presents a challenge.You can't really read on a treadmill because you are bouncing upand down. You can't keep your eyes on the same sentence, andyou usually end up with a headache. Basically, the only thingfun to do on a treadmill is watch television or movies. If youare really into TV or movies and are able to put your treadmillin front of a television, you can probably keep your treadmillworkout from becoming too boring. Problems consist ofcommercials, the noise coming from the machine, and again, thebouncing.

Exercise Bikes vs. Boredom,Exercise bikes are unique in that many of them come programmedwith various biking routines. You simulate different coursesthat require you to sprint, pedal uphill, and perform atdifferent levels within one workout without having to keeppressing buttons and changing everything. You can even selectrandom programs so you don't know what's coming, which reallykeeps you on your toes. Some exercise bikes can even be pluggedinto televisions and video games to let you interactively pedalthrough visual courses.On upright exercise bikes, you run into some of the sameproblems as treadmills as far as reading is concerned. Recumbentbikes, however, allow your hands to be free to hold a book ormagazine, video game controller, or phone. Multi-tasking duringan exercise bike workout keeps it from becoming boring andallows your workout to more easily fit into a busy schedule.Defeating boredom to successfully keep up a long-term exerciseroutine is much easier with an exercise bike than a treadmill.

The Calorie FactorIn a study conducted by Nordic Track, young, healthy people usedvarious exercise machines and did cardio workouts. Althoughthey felt they used the same intensity on all machines, theyburned the most calories on treadmills and ski machines.On average, most people burn about 750 calories per hour on atreadmill. The same people are likely to burn about 550calories per hour on an exercise bike. So it's a no-brainer,right? You should get a treadmill because they burn morecalories.Well, not exactly. You can't get so caught up in which machineburns the most calories. You have to take a lot of otherfactors into consideration. How likely are you to sustain atreadmill routine as opposed to an exercise bike routine?Because exercise bikes are usually more fun than treadmills, youare much more likely to stick with it long-term. This meansthat even though you can burn more calories on a treadmill, youare also more likely to stop using it altogether.

You might also find it difficult to use it long enough perworkout session to get the full benefits. Most people find iteasier to workout for 20 minutes on an exercise bike than 20minutes on a treadmill. You have to think about that. If youare likely to only do 10 minutes on a treadmill but can easilydo 20 minutes on an exercise bike, you will burn more caloriesper session on an exercise bike.So just going strictly by the numbers, treadmills burn morecalories. If you easily get bored or have tried and failed tostick with exercise routines in the past, you might want toconsider burning less calories per hour in favor of asustainable long-term exercise bike regimen.Your SafetyThe biggest difference between exercise bikes and treadmills isoverall safety to your body.The first case of safety is the most basic. You can fall off ofa treadmill. It's very difficult, however, to fall off of anexercise bike. In fact, you would probably have to try to fallwhen riding an exercise bike. While you might be thinking you'dhave to be pretty clumsy to fall while walking, it happens morethan you'd think. People get involved with watching televisionor the beat of music. One wrong step and you can seriouslyinjure yourself. It's also possible to spill water or sweat onthe treadmill track, causing a safety hazard you might notnotice until after you've slipped.Another safety hazard is injury from the activity itself. Atreadmill puts quite a bit of stress on your joints, especiallyyour knees and ankles. Even if you invest in a treadmill withsome degree of shock absorption, when you eventually get to ajogging or running point, you can put severe orthopedic stresson your body, even up to three times your body weight. Peoplewith existing conditions such as arthritis will find a treadmillpainful at times due to this stress. Otherwise healthyindividuals can sustain injury and possible long-term damageover time.Exercise bikes put much less stress on your joints. A properlypositioned exercise bike supports your weight and still allowsyou to receive the benefits of a higher impact cardio workout.Upright bikes can sometimes stress your back in the way you haveto bend to reach the handlebars. Recumbent exercise bikes,however, can actually improve existing back pain by forcingproper posture and giving support as you exercise. On anyexercise bike properly used, your knees and ankles are notstressed as they are on a treadmill.The less you stress joints, the less likely you are to sustainan injury during your workout. You are also less likely to besore afterwards. Most importantly, a non-workout injury doesn'talways have to halt your exercise routine on an exercise bike.If you hurt your back or neck, you will find the support of arecumbent exercise bike will keep you from having to stop yourexercise regimen altogether. Let's face it - if you have tostop, you are less likely to start again.An Exercise Bike is Better for Your Health than a TreadmillAs you can see, both pieces of home fitness equipment haveadvantages. While the treadmill continues to be the mostpopular piece of home gym equipment, most people are more likelyto faithfully use an exercise bike. This means you're morelikely to have to dust a treadmill until it gets the garage salesticker.Michael Walker is a freelance author providing usefulinformation about http://www.all-in-exercise-bikes.com

2006-06-02T18:00:00.000-07:00

Body Building Equipment for the Rest of Us

Nicky Pilkington

Large, bulging muscles like those found on the models of body building
magazine covers are often what people associate with strength training. Of
course, building muscles is part of this type of training program. There are
other benefits that even women who don’t want to “bulk up” can appreciate.
Stronger muscles can reduce your risk of injury to your back and other parts
of your body. Since your metabolism increases when you strength train, you
can also maintain a healthy weight. Body building that results in large
muscles typically involves long, strenuous workouts. To experience the
results just mentioned, you would just need to perform body building
exercises for 30 minutes, 3 times a week. What makes the difference in
results you experience with strength training exercises is the body building
equipment you use.

If you are interested in a moderate workout, you can simply add ankle or
wrist weights to your existing low-impact workout. Adding a few extra pounds
forces your heart and muscles to work harder. Weight vests are also an
option if you are interested in defining your upper body. The key to success
with this body building equipment is to make sure you don’t put too much
stress on your muscles, which can cause serious injury. Since these types of
weights are easily adjustable, you can try out varying weight amounts to
find the amount that will give you the best results without undue stress and
strain.

A common body building regimen for professional bodybuilders is to focus on
one set of muscles each workout. You can choose any order you wish. Since
you can work your abdominal muscles on a daily basis, body building
equipment that includes a platform for performing abdominal exercises is a
good choice. Smith machines is equipment that features stations for
performing different exercises. These machines generally feature a bench
that you can use to perform bench presses as well as crunches or sit-ups.
These machines can cost upwards of $500, but low-end Smith machines such as the Body Solid Powerline that costs less than $500 are perfect for a basic
body building program.

For “spot” workouts, bodybuilding exercises that focus on one muscle group,
there are numerous types of body building equipment available on the market.
Within this market there are numerous kinds of body building equipment for
light-to-moderate body building exercises. A good starter piece of equipment
that you can purchase anywhere is a chin-up bar. This equipment costs as
little as $10 and fits in any doorway of your home. Push ups are perfect for
any type of exercise program. Although you can perform pushups without
special equipment, purchasing a pair of pushup stands can provide extra
support for your wrists. This equipment is also great for traveling. Dip
stands may not fit in your suitcase, but you can easily slide them in a
corner of a room when they are not in use. Dip stands are used to perform
exercises that work the arms and abdominals. If you’re creative you can
easily design other upper and lower-body exercises. The equipment listed
here is only a percentage of what is available on the market. You can find
more detailed information about body building equipment at
body-building-equipment.com.