Advantages Of A Gym Exercise Equipment

Advantages Of A Gym Exercise Equipment

by: 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. 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. 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. ------------------------- Note: This article may be freely reproduced as long as the AUTHOR'S resource box at the bottom of this article is included and and all links must be Active/Linkable with no syntax changes. ------------------------- 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/

Are You Too Old to Pump Iron?

Are You Too Old to Pump Iron?

By: Jean Bowler
http://www.ageless-beauty.com

Are you too old for weight lifting? Will weight lifting help
you stay and look younger? The answer to the first question is
no and to the second is a resounding yes. Weight lifting will
help both men and women stay fit and supple and might even help
you look younger. And, no matter what your age, you’re not too
old to start.

Dr.Walter Bortz, in The Journal of the American Medical
Association, 1982, stated that a number of the physical
changes we undergo as we age, such as loss of muscle tone,
organ deterioration, and osteoporosis are “indistinguishable
whether caused by age or inactivity.” He believed that exercise
could delay many of the diseases associated with aging, adding
“at least a portion of the changes commonly attributed to aging
are in reality caused by disuse and, as such, subject to
correction”.

As we age, we lose bone density and muscle mass. We get stiff
and our joints creak. Instead of using our body, we “rest” it
even more, starting a very dangerous downward spiral. The
synovial fluid dries up, the tendons become brittle, the sinews
grow weak. It hurts to move, so we don’t.

More recently Dr Henry Lodge and Chris Cowley published a new
book on this theme, "Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like
50 Until You're 80 and Beyond". The premise of this book is that
weight lifting will help reverse the loss of both bone density
and muscle mass that begins to take place as we get older. And
they’re not talking about light weights, but rather big heavy
weights.

In July 1983, Terry Todd wrote in Sports Illustrated that “Anyone
who has spent much time in what is sometimes called the "Iron Game"
has, of course, seen weight trainers over 40 whose physiques were…
surprisingly youthful. Apparently there is something about the act
of regularly stressing your body with heavy exercise that gives it
the wherewithal to resist the visual manifestations of advancing
age…research in this area suggests that men and women of middle age
will respond to systemic progressive resistance with weights by
becoming more powerful and more flexible, with more endurance and
less fat.”

In 2003, the Centers for Disease Control reported that strength
training "can be very powerful in reducing the signs and symptoms of
numerous diseases and chronic conditions, among them:arthritis,
diabetes, osteoporosis, obesity, back pain and depression."

Strength training will also increase your flexibility and balance,
which decreases the likelihood and severity of falls. One study in
New Zealand in women 80 years of age and older showed a 40% reduction
in falls with simple strength and balance training.

I don’t agree that we need to undertake heavy weight training to
see substantial benefits.

The American College of Sports Medicine strength training
guidelines say we should start with at least two days a week of
any type of resistance exercise by doing 8 to 10 different exercises
and doing 8 to 12 repetitions per day. A repetition is how many times
you lift the weight or do the exercise.

So start off with a weight that you can lift correctly for at least
8 reps, even if it’s only 2 to 5 pounds. Rest between each set of
repetitions and between each exercise. If you can't make it to 8 reps
during the first few tries, don't give up. Do as much as you can do.
You'll be suprised at how soon you will feel like you need to add a
bit more weight.

But the goal is not to become a body builder, but rather to restore
your muscle tone and joint movement. You can gradually work your way
up to heavier weights if you desire, but you will obtain the best
benefit by avoiding injury and sticking to the program – lifting
weights every two or three days.

An excellent resource on this subject is Getting Stronger: Weight
Training for Men and Women by Bill Pearl and Gary Moran, Ph.D. I have
the edition that came out in 1986. A newer one is now available.
I have referred to it constantly over the last 19 years.

The book gives you tips and pointers on how to set up a strength
training regime. There are illustrations of every exercise with step
by step instructions on how to do them properly.

You can either learn beginning to advanced body building, sports
fitness routines to help you do better in 22 different sports,
exercises to help prevent injuries at work or just the principles
of general conditioning and strength training.

And you don’t need any fancy equipment to get going. Almost all the
exercises use cheap dumbbells and weights that are available in just
about every sporting goods store. All in all, this is a very
comprehensive book on weight training and is especially helpful to
those of us who have never lifted weights before.

If you have any disease, injury or physical disability, consult the
doctor who has been treating you before undertaking these exercises.
Follow his advice on how to get started and do not strength train if
he says not to.

Start off slowly with light weights. Follow the diagrams in the book
to make sure you’re positioning your body correctly to avoid injury
and obtain the best result from your workout.

After several weeks, you will be well on your way to improving your
appearance, physique and general attitude toward life, while doing
wonders for you internal organs and maybe even fighting off disease.
“Use it or lose it” applies to just about every part of your body.
Don’t “lose it” because of inactivity and disuse.

This article is for informational purposes only. It does not purport
to offer medical advice. Consult a qualified physician before
undertaking any exercise program.

By: Jean Bowler
http://www.ageless-beauty.com

About the Author

Ms Bowler has taught ballet, gymnatics and aerobics and has been a personal coach.

She is very interested in antiaging research.

Golf Strength Training Exercise Is Not Body Building

Golf Strength Training Exercise Is Not Body Building

by: Mike Pedersen

Despite many reassurances, some amateur golfers still dread golf strength training exercises. The problem would appear to be the presence of equipment like dumb bells in this sort of strength training. Not everybody is an exercise expert and therefore many people cannot tell the difference between body building exercise and strength building exercises. The two are very different. They are so different that the difference can be compared to the difference there is between day and night. Body building has got no part to play in golf strength training exercises. If anything this sort of exercise routine would damage a golfer’s game rather than improve it. One of the effects of a body building exercise program that includes nothing else is that it causes the body to lose flexibility. Flexibility is very important in golf and that is precisely the reason why stretch exercises are a part of any good and genuine golf strength training exercise program. In body building the emphasis is on lifting increasingly heavier weights so as to get the muscles to grow in size as quickly as possible. A body building program is usually rigorous and definitely not for everybody. Muscle strength-building exercises using dumb bells are the exercises that are useful to golfers. Dumb bells play a huge role in golf strength training exercise programs. Only that the weight lifting program is very different from the one used in body building. Much lighter weights are used and lifted up and down many more times than is the case in weight lifting. Still the sessions are much shorter than body building sessions. Results have shown clearly that when this golf strength training exercise program is combined with stretch exercises, the improvement witnessed in any person’s game has to be seen to be believed. The results of golf strength training exercise programs are usually tremendous. About the Author About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness dvds and Manual at http://www.performbattergolf.com

Are You Too Old For Golf Fitness Workouts

Are You Too Old For Golf Fitness Workouts

by: Mike Pedersen

Many a senior golfer would not resist the temptation to skip golf fitness workouts, using their age as an excuse. And at first glance age would seem to be a genuine excuse to avoid golf fitness workouts. After all golf fitness workouts, as most people seem to believe, are supposed to be very strenuous programs where even dumb bells are used. So how do you tell that you are too old for golf fitness workouts? The answer to that question is really simple. If you are too old to play golf then you are probably too old for golf fitness workouts. I regularly work with 80 year old golfers who comfortably go through golf fitness workouts, dumb bells and all. It is also probably appropriate to add here at this juncture that I also regularly work with youngsters barely in their teens. Both groups of persons are able to dramatically improve on their game with the help of golf fitness workouts. Golf fitness workouts are not any more rigorous and punishing than the game of golf is. Remember that the work outs are golf specific, meaning that they are specifically designed to help strengthen and condition the very muscles used in golf. It is definitely not a boxing or body building fitness workout. Workouts for those sports reflect the rigorous and physically demanding aspects of those sports. In the very same way that golf fitness workouts reflect the requirements of the game of golf. The dumbbells are usually used for strength training because this is the most efficient equipment anywhere for building strength quickly hence their inclusion in the best golf fitness workout routines. The idea is never to lift heavy weights over long periods of time. Rather the objective to condition and strengthen golf muscles using lighter weights lifted over very short periods of time. If you are not too old or too young for golf, golf fitness workouts are for you. About the Author About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Take a look at his just released golf fitness dvds and Manual at http://www.performbattergolf.com

Fast Weight Loss Programs

Fast Weight Loss Programs - The importance of low body-fat l

by: Greg Ryan- High Profile Fitness Expert

My name is Greg Ryan and I am a high profile fitness expert. In twenty years of being a personal trainer and health club consultant, I am frightened at how fast the health of Americans is deteriorating. You are being eaten alive from the inside out by diabetes, heart disease and obesity. And the scary thing is either you do not know it YET, or you are in denial of the problem. You have a choice to make and you better make it soon, before it's too late. Is this a scare tactic? You bet it is! I am very tired of patting people on the back who walk into my clinics and want something for nothing. I'm frustrated with listening to people make excuses for not exercising and eating right. Your weight gain and high body fat levels will comes down to three things; denial, pride and laziness. My responsibility as a high profile fitness expert lies not in if you like me, or even if you buy my e books. My responsibility lies in giving you straight talk. You want quick fixes to your health problem that has taken years to develop. You think you get them by purchasing gimmicks that promise you fast results. You fall for it, and at the end of the day you are more frustrated than every. Why? Because you are denying the root of your problems. Promises in fast weight loss programs is part of the problem with Americans having high percentages of body fats. People, they do NOT work! Quit wasting your money on a false hope! The ONLY way of dropping good weight (fat) is to balance your lifestyle with, exercise and better eating. NEWS FLASH: The problem with Americans body fat levels is not with the exercise programs out there, it is the lack of fitness experts helping you with your approach combined with lack of responsibility. Body-fat is the over all percent of muscle to your body weight. If you are close to thirty percent you are clinically considered to be obese. Over forty percent of you are obese. And sixty percent of you are over weight just asking to get diabetes. Do you know if you just lower your body fat levels 5 percent you will decrease your chances of heart disease, diabetes, strokes by half? Not to mention the greater quality of life you will live. Is your image of yourself so bad that you would rather be fat than to feel good? Here are the main ways to lower your body fat levels: #1: Lower your fat intake in your daily diets. #2: Get a full balanced exercise program started: walking, weight training, and stretching. #3: Take basic vitamins #4: Lower stress levels #5: Quit making excuses So I ask of you, I beg of you, start exercising today. Make better choices in your food groups. If you need help I can help. www.resolutions.bz About the Author Greg Ryan is a high profile fitness expert and former employee of Kathy Smiths. Body building champion, public speaker and personal trainer to the stars. He is a best selling author of the Changing from the INSIDE OUT through real behavior change, smart eating and effective exercising. Start getting in better shape today! For FREE MINI COURES click here www.resolutions.bz

Body Fat Calculation and Health

Body Fat Calculation and Health

by: Pauline Robinson

Body Fat Calculation and Health The higher your percentage of fat above average levels, the higher your health risk for weight-related illness, like heart disease, high blood pressure, gallstones, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, and certain cancers. Also, the higher your percentage of fat (and the smaller your percentage of muscle) the less calories you need to maintain your weight and therefore the easier it is to gain weight. This is because muscle is more metabolically active than fat tissue. Body Fat Percentages and Lean Muscle Mass When in ideal shape, body fat will make up about 15% - 18% of a male's body weight and 18% - 22% of a female's. The remainder of the body's “lean weight” is composed of water (55%-60%), muscle and other lean tissue (10%-20%), and bone and minerals (6%-8%). In other words, a 150-pound woman who is within or close to her ideal body fat composition range at 22% will have approximately 33 pounds of fat, 86 pounds of weight composed primarily of water, 20 pounds of muscle and other lean tissue, and 11 pounds of bone and mineral weight. This total then makes up her total weight of 150 lbs. Now take the example of another woman who weights 150 pounds, but has 30% fat on her body. She would have 45 pounds of fat on her body, and the rest of her weight would be divided among muscle, bone and water. Her non fat body composition might look like this, 79 pounds of water (53%), 17 pounds of muscle (12%), and 9 pounds of bone and minerals (6%). Both women weight 150 lbs. and are about the same height, but one looks much different because she has less body fat. Body fat percentage is generally accepted as a better gauge of weight loss progress and fitness than scale weight. The method of calculating body fat from body measurements as used by HealthSmart Nutrition is the fourth most accurate method. Hydrostatic testing underwater is first. Electrical testing of body mass resistance is second and body fat measurement by caliper is third. Although it is not the most accurate, if you record your measurements carefully and consistently using the measurement taking instructions given, you will have a good relative gauge of how much body fat you are gaining or losing. To our knowledge, the HealthKeeper software is the first program to offer this body fat percentage by measurement feature. body fat percentage done by the caliper method. One product we highly recommend is the Tanita bathroom scale. It does very accurate electrostatic testing of body mass resistance to determine your body fat percentage in seconds. For higher accuracy you can override the automatic body fat measurement calculator and enter your body fat percentages done by hydrostatic testing underwater, electrostatic testing of body mass resistance or The more accurate of method you use for tracking your body fat percentage the more accurately you will be able to use the Lean Body Weight tracker. More about Lean Body Weight The two most important graphs and statistics you want to watch to find out if you are making true and honest progress on your weight loss diet or body building program are, body fat percentage and lean body weight. Increasing lean body weight (mostly muscle mass) is important because if you body fat is going down into your ideal range and your lean body weight is going up you will be able to eat more calories without gaining weight and, it will be easier to maintain your desired body fat percentage when you reach your goal. This is because more lean body weight (composed of increased muscle mass) raises the body's basal metabolic rate (BMR) and the calories your body burns even when you are doing nothing. If you body fat is going down to your ideal range and your lean body weight is going up you should be absolutely ecstatic. You have attained two of the three holy grails of honest and lasting weight loss. (The third is keeping within your ideal body fat range for 3-5 years after getting there.) In spite of lean body weight being such a vital statistic to honest weight loss, the Performance Diet is the only program and software we know that tracks it. (To track you lean body weight make sure you have used one of the 4 methods of body fat tracking and your body percentage is entered in your Personal Profile. Then go to the Graphing mode and select the correct date range and Lean Body Weight from among the various graphing options.) The lean body weight tracking we use is based upon your current weight and the following formula. From your current weight calculate the number of pounds that is equal to your current �X� percentage of fat. (That is the number of pounds of fat on your body.) The remaining percentage of your weight is your non-fat lean body weight. This is composed of muscle and other lean tissue, water, bone, blood and minerals. Over an extended period of time (even considering periodic water retention,) the levels of water, bone, blood and minerals remain fairly constant. About the Author Pauline Robinson is a Nutritional and Metabolic Bio Typing Consultant for HealthSmart Nutrition For Metabolic Bio Typing info go to www.air-water-nutrition-healthsmart.com

Body Building Equipment for the Rest of Us

Body Building Equipment for the Rest of Us

by: 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. About the author: http://www.body-building-equipment.comprovides reviews of the most recent developments in equipment and technique you can use to reshape your muscles.