 |
Fitness Equipment Review for great home workouts!
Ranging from about ten bucks to just over $100, what all these exercise equipment reviews share in common is that they feature fitness products that take up very little space, require very little maintenance, provide sufficient overload for your muscles, and add variety to your workout-- and all are portable enough to be moved around or hidden from view when you're done. Dumbbells for a great home fitness workout One of the first pieces of fitness equipment you'll want to have in your home is a great set of dumbbells. There are different types of dumbbells you can get. Adjustable dumbbells allow you to load and unload weight plates as you like. The greatest disadvantage is the interruption between exercises to change to the weight you need for every exercise you perform. Fixed dumbbells are the most popular kind and they're great to work with. The biggest disadvantage is that because the weight is 'fixed', you need to have many different pairs available for all of your exercises. This can take up a lot of room, especially if you need a great deal of weight. This is why I like Selectorized dumbbells. Either Bowflex or PowerBlock selectorized dumbbells do the trick for me. The way they're built, a single pair can replace up to 15 pairs of fixed dumbbells. What a space saver! If you've never seen them or tried them, you may be in for a pleasant surprise. A stability ball is a great piece of home fitness equipment to own. Originally used in physical therapy settings, the physio ball provides the opportunity to challenge often under-trained stabilizer muscles. The ball is highly versatile because not only can you use it for just about any exercise you normally perform, but you can add an entire range of specific swiss ball exercises to your workout routine for infinite variety. If you don't have a treadmill, elliptical, or stationary bike at home-- you might want to consider the very practical aerobic step for your in-home cardiovascular workout. In my home fitness equipment review, I mention how with a little creativity, you can even use it for some of your plyometric exercises or even as a bench for some of your weight training exercises. The great advantage to using the step for cardio work is that you don't need the space to move about the way you might for some of the more traditional forms of 'aerobics'. In comparison to the average price of a treadmill, elliptical, or stationary cycle, you can't really go wrong with the classic aerobic step. Medicine balls today are typically used to train for power. They come in different weight increments and you can use them for a variety of upper body exercises. I prefer the kind that bounce so I can release them against a rebounder or wall when I train outdoors without a training partner. While med balls have been around for years, they're gaining popularity with a lot of trainers and many health clubs are incorporating this tool into some of the programs they offer. Foam rollers are small cylindrical-shaped rollers used for flexibility training. In my fitness equipment review, I mention that I use them mostly for a kind of stretching technique called self-myofascial release or SMR for short. Think of it as self-massage to help relieve adhesions in muscle fibres. It's fast and easy, and ideal for home use. If you've never heard of foam rollers, it may be worth your interest. Resistance bands add mobility because you can take them anywhere. I always carry a few pairs with me whenever I travel. They're much lighter than dumbbells and fit easily into any suitcase. The fitness equipment review mentions that resistance tubing can provide a total body workout anywhere and with very little space available. Of course, you don't have to reserve resistance band training exclusively for travel. Many folks like to use their resistance bands when they workout from home. They're fun to train with and I recommend getting a few pairs that provide different resistance levels. The Pull Up Bar is an often overlooked yet indispensable piece of exercise equipment to own. Some are ceiling or wall-mounted, but by far, the most popular kind braces between your doorway. In my fitness equipment review, I mention that the Chin Up is a fantastic exercise. Everyone should be able to lift their own body weight. There are a few things you should pay attention to if you plan on purchasing a chinning bar-- most notably door size, moulding, and trim requirements.
|
