Home Gym Guides

The Total Gym 1700 is a home gym that exercises your entire body using your own body weight. It also includes a weight bar that allows you to add up to 75 pounds of additional weight to your workout.You can increase the resistance you lift by adjusting the angle of incline of the ergonomic glide board. As you build strength, you can easily increase the angle of this glide board to make your workout more challenging.

The design of Total Gyms lets you build up your muscles across a wide range of motion. The pilates bar that is included with the Total Gym 1700 further enhances your range of motion while exercising.

With the Total Gym 1700 you will not only be able to give your upper body and lower body a complete workout; you will also be able to fully workout your abdominal muscles and even get a cardiovascular workout.

The machines efficient design allows you to accomplish this complete workout in as little as 15 to 20 minutes per session, three to four times a week.

The Total Gym 1700 is a top of the line offering that includes such extra features as a wide base for greater stability and an exercise mat to protect your floor. You also get an exercise chart to guide you through your exercise sessions.

This home gym is an excellent alternative for people who are looking for a home gym that will give them a complete workout with safety and economy in mind. At 69 pounds the Total Gym 1700 is lighter and more mobile than most other home gyms.

You will only need an area of about 8 feet by 7 feet to comfortably use this home gym. When not in use you can fold the gym and store it under a bed or in a closet.

All in all, the Total Gym 1700 is an excellent and economical option for those looking to get in excellent shape and build a smooth and toned body. If you are looking to build the physique of a bodybuilder, you will want to look at other home gyms or free weights. But for most people the Total Gym 1700 will meet all of your strength building needs. We give it 5 out of 5 stars.

There are various types of abs exercises to tone your abdominal muscles and build the six packs but the most convenient and basic of all is the sit ups. This is one of the abs exercises which you can do anywhere - at home, in the gym, in the hotel room, etc, as long as there is a flat ground where you can lie on and an exercise mat.You may hear some people mention sit-ups will not help to get 6 pack abs fast. However, like all abs exercises, it very much depends on getting the right form and executing the workout routines correctly. Also, if sit ups are not performed correctly you can end up with neck, back and shoulder injuries.

These are the 4 important points that you must take note to ensure you are doing sit-up right:

1. Your knees should be bent and not straight - doing sit ups with a straighten legs will add additional stress to your lower back.

2. Roll yourself up vertebrate by vertebrate on the upward movement - keeping your back straight on the upward movement will only add undue stress to the lower back.

3. Place your hands by the side of your ears or place them on your chest - this way you will not be able to use momentum to bring yourself up in the upward movement. Do not lock your fingers at the back of your head, you will tend to use momentum to bring your up and this can cause neck injuries if you jerk too much.

4. Always make sure that you keep your lower back on the floor, this way you are able to isolate the training to your rectus abdominis (the abdominal muscles that give you the six pack effect).

No matter how good an exercise is in training your abdominal muscles, it will not do you any good if they are performed badly. Always do abs exercises that are appropriate for your own level of fitness - do not over train and always give your abdominal muscles enough time to rest and recover. Over training can lead to injuries. Depending on the seriousness of the injury, it may take at least 3 weeks to recover and this can delay you in getting the six pack abs.

If you have not been exercising, you should seek the advise of your medical practitioner to determine what you should or should not do. Also, go in for a regular physical checkup to find out where you stand on the scale of things.