Home Gym Guides

Having your own home gym and spending your hard-earned money for it is unfortunately not a guarantee that you’ll be using it faithfully everyday. If you want your home gym to help you achieve your fitness goals, you need to have the right motivators working for you. Here are a few to get you started and help you on your way to physical fitness.

Design it the way you want it.

There were sure to be a few things that you didn’t like in your old gym but had no power to change, weren’t they? But now you have the chance to do things your way! This is your very own home gym after all so whatever you say goes. This is the time to make all the necessary changes to ensure that your home gym is the best place you want to exercise at!

Invite your friends over.

Unless you’ve built an extremely small and literally one-man home gym, surely what you have now can accommodate a few of your friends? There’s nothing more enjoyable than exercising with your friends. Misery loves company, after all, and you definitely won’t mind sweating blood and tears at the treadmill if you see your best friend experiencing the same thing over the weightlifting area of your home gym. After that, celebrate with a delicious but health-friendly meal and you just might have given birth to a new routine for you and your friends.

Read a new book.

You definitely won’t mind working your guts out in your own home gym if you’re reading a new book. Since every page commands your attention, you probably won’t notice how long you’ve been exercising. If you can’t buy a new book for your home gym session, drop by the library and buy a new one.

Watch a new movie.

Head over to the video rental store and borrow any old movie you haven’t seen yet but you’ve always been interested in. Just like a new book, a new movie can make you temporarily forget the physical torture you’re enduring and focus instead on the story unfolding in the screen.

Monitor your progress.

Hang a calendar on the wall then cross out every box corresponding to the dates you’ve exercised. Seeing all those crossed out boxes are guaranteed to make you feel extremely proud of your achievement and at the same time motivate you to keep up the good work.

Regularly check your weight as well because nothing, and yes nothing, can make you feel better than seeing for yourself that your weight’s slowly decreasing.

Pat yourself on the back.

In other words, don’t forget to give yourself a reward for a job well done. If you’ve just attained a considerable feat then don’t hesitate to treat yourself because this can only encourage you to work out even longer and harder in your home gym. Don’t cheat though! If you do, the rewards would soon lose its meaning and significance and you’ll be forced to go back to square one.

Consequently, it’s important that the other end of the coin is considered as well. If you’ve reneged on your word, punish yourself accordingly. For every day of exercise missed, you should compensate it with twice as much exercise on the next day.

Have a role model.

Choose someone you’d like to be or look like with the help of regular exercise at your home gym. If you’ve chosen one already, have a life-size photo of your role model made then post it in your home gym. Every time you’re feeling lazy, just look at that photo and remind yourself that you need to exercise if you want to look like him or her.

Get things right.

Last but not the least, make sure your home gym has all the necessary equipment to give you a fun and complete workout. You must have exercise equipment that can help build your stamina, flexibility, and strength. Make sure they’re also easy and comfortable to use.

Your home gym must also be regularly cleaned because no one would be inclined to work out if they have to do so in a pig sty – or something close to it.

But ultimately, the motivation will still come from you. If you’re truly serious about your intentions then you’ll just a reminding nudge once or twice to get you back on track.

If you want to get the best from your own home gym, it has to be housed in the right room and with the right equipment. But most importantly of all, you need to have adequate perseverance in order to attain your exercise goals.

Where to Build Your Home Gym

Your home gym must first and foremost be properly ventilated. Windows are a must, especially if you don’t want to use the air-conditioning unit. Air in the room must be properly circulated to prevent your home gym from smelling of sweat. Your home gym must also be well-lit. If possible, acquire lights with dimming controls because there may be times you’d prefer to work out in the dark like when you’re watching a scary movie and you want an appropriate atmosphere for it.

Space requirements are also important to consider. Make sure there’s enough space for all your exercise equipment, gym furniture, and free space for you to perform freestyle exercise routines.

Choosing the Right Exercise Equipment for Your Own Home Gym

There are three types of exercises vital for your physical health and fitness: stamina, strength, and flexibility. Stamina exercises improve your endurance and make you last longer. Strength exercises build and hone your muscles while trimming you fat at the same time. Last but not the least, flexibility ensures that your body remains agile and mobile, focusing on keeping your muscles and joints fluid and responsive. If you want to get the best from your own home gym, you need exercise equipment that can help improve your stamina, strength, and flexibility and all in all providing you with a full-body workout.

Treadmill – This is a staple in home gym and helps improve your stamina. Treadmills may be manual and electrically powered. The former is naturally more affordable but comes with fewer features. It’s best to work with an electrically powered mid-range treadmill model with adjustable inclination to give you a variety of workouts. If possible, look for a treadmill that lets you read a book, drink water, or listen to your MP4 player while exercising.

Weights – Dumbbells are approximately a dollar each. You should get several pairs of assorted weights because you’ll be working yourself up. Also, there are a number of combination exercises which will require you to use dumbbells of a prescribed weight. Having at least one barbell in your home gym is especially important for men. They cost twice as much as dumbbells like weight plates cost a dollar each. Again, consider investing in a set of increasingly heavy weight plates since you’ll be working yourself up with them in time.

TV Set and DVD player – It’s very important to have a TV set in your home gym. A TV can keep you entertained for hours while exercising. If there’s nothing good on TV then that’s when your DVD player comes in. Both are also important if you like watching and following exercise and workout videos. Make sure that your TV set has a screen big enough for you to see everything clearly from whichever part of the room. Keep the TV set in a safe area.

Mats – Even if your home gym is carpeted, it’s still better to have several mats handy as they’re cleaner, safer, and more convenient to use when you’re lying down and performing exercises on your back.

Exercise Ball – Have at least one included in your home gym. There are a lot of things you can do with an exercise ball but its greatest benefit is making it easier for you to perform flexibility exercises. And no, before you even ask, exercise balls are not exclusively designed for women. They can also be used by men and without lessening their testosterone count.

Adjustable Bench – This is important when you’re using your barbell and when you’re doing lunges and combination exercises with your dumbbells. Adjusting its inclination will help tone all muscles in your body.

Full-Length Mirror – This is very important not because it helps assuage your vanity but to ensure that you have the correct form and posture for whatever exercise you’re performing. The wrong position could cause unnecessary strain on your body.

Weighing Scale – Last but not the least, have a weighing scale handy in your home gym to keep track of your progress. Good luck!

Say good-bye to longer less effective workouts. In fact no other aerobic equipment or exercise comes close to the Superior Performance of the Bowflex TreadClimber Fitness EquipmentIt is hard to beat the cardiovascular workout you get, plus getting results you want in the shortest amount of time. The Bowflex TreadClimber revolutionary technology gives you the power to:

*Bring up your heart rate quickly and keep it there.

*Burn more calories and loose weight fast.

*Work more core muscle groups at the same time.

*Minimize joint impact.

*And do all this with out running or jogging.

Get the body you want in half the time with the BOWFLEX TREADCLIMBER TC5000

The Bowflex TreadClimber is a remarkable piece of fitness equipment for the home gym. Essentially a hybrid of three different kinds of fitness machines, it provides a smooth , fluid and VERY LOW impact workout that will have you sweating and panting and burning loads of calories in no time. The low impact of this treadclmber is very important and especially valuable for the elderly, those recovering from injury, or those who are concerned about the long-term damage to the knees that running or jogging can have on you.

So, what are your goals? To loose weight, tone up, feel more energized, or just live a healthier lifestyle?

The Bowflex TreadClimber fitness equipment combines the features of today’s 3 best aerobic machines: Stair climber, Treadmill and the Elliptical all into one amazing workout! With these three options, I will guarantee that you will reach your goals faster and easier. By switching my routines I’ve found that boredom is never a factor. With its dual treadle system you get two separate rolling platforms, like a treadmill, but with each of the two pads lifting as you walk forward. It gives you an ultra smooth motion with out the impact of a stepper. This is my favorite of the three options. All I need is some good tunes playing, my jug of water and my treadclmber.

It is important to stress that this is not a running machine, it is considered more of a hill walking machine. This TreadClimber fitness equipment can be used as the traditional treadmill or as a standard stair master with just a few minor adjustments.

The Bowflex TC5000 is a sturdy well built unit with many great features:

*Speed range of o.7 to 4.0 *Resistance levels from 0 to 12 *Electronic functions include-speed, distance, total steps, time, calories per minute, total calories, climb indicator and heart rate *Wireless heart rate monitor, and many other features!

In Summary:

With a Bowflex TreadClimber TC5000 machine, you get a superior cardio workout in the shortest amount of time, with a lot less impact on your joints, all in the privacy of your own home.

For more articles like this please go to my website: http://health.mbsonlineproducts.com

An important component that a number of fitness enthusiasts leave out when buying their own gym is the home gym flooring.Home gym flooring is nothing but a rubber floor that makes it easier for you to exercise and workout. Many people often end up injuring themselves while working out. This is usually because they use uneven flooring like carpet mats or floor tiles.

Gym flooring prevents injury by providing you with an even and soft surface to exercise on. The biggest advantage is that the flooring makes your body feel comfortable even while performing hard workouts. Concrete floors and carpets, as I mentioned before, are either quite hard or uneven and are really bad for your body’s posture and alignment while exercising.

While shopping around for home gym flooring, you will be presented two options. Either you can install it yourself or have someone install it for you. Usually, if you’re not too good at doing things like this yourself, it’s advisable to have someone do it for you. If you hire out someone from the same shop you buy it from the, you can save quite a bit on your total costs.

Another benefit of having someone install the gym flooring is that the person will take care that you use the right rubber flooring and that it’s installed properly which is very important.

Rubber gym flooring doesn’t cost too much either. It’s very affordable and available at pretty competitive prices in the market. While choosing gym flooring for your home gym, you must always visit at least a couple of stores so that you can compare the prices and get the best deal possible. Sports shops and hardware stores are good places to look at.

Once you have your gym flooring installed, test it out by performing some workouts. This will ensure that everything is right and that you feel comfortable. Always keep the flooring clean and provide it the care and maintenance it needs.

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.

When you are exercising at your home gym, you’re likely to be out of the watchful eye of your personal trainer. In a healthclub or professional gym they would probably be there to offer you help and advice on training technique. Because of this, it’s easy to get into bad habits at home. Here are some common myths surrounding weight-training exercises, that you should avoid.Myth 1- If I Train Longer, It’ll Be More Effective

Unfortunately not true. The key to toning and building your muscles is to do the correct type of exercises and do them well. The quality of the exercise you do is more important than the length of time that you do it. Once a muscle has reached the point where it is over loaded and will start becoming stronger, there is no point in repeating the exercise for hours

Myth 2 – If I Lift Heavier Weights, I’ll Get Bigger Muscles

Sure your aim is to lift bigger weights. But you need to do this is in a structured way, that is all part of your training plan. Lifting heavier weights should never be at the expense of technique. Remember that using sets and repetitions with lighter weights can be more effective and it is less likely to cause injury.

Myth 3 – When I Stop Training, My Muscle Will Turn To Fat

The biology of the body is that these two types of body tissue are completely different, so one can’t change into the other. When you start a fitness program, you can use exercise to burn fat and at the same time tone and build your muscles. When you stop training you could start to lose muscle. If you keep eating the same amount as when you were training then you may start to accumulate fat because the extra calories are not being burnt up.

Myth 4 – Lifting Weights Will Make My Muscles Big

Using weights are a great way to tone muscles and build up muscle definition. In reality, building muscles is dependent on a number of things. This includes your own individual body type and the type of exercise that you carry out. Building muscle mass in a short period of time is one of the more difficult fitness goals to achieve. If your goal is to build muscle, it’s important that you stick to a structured plan of both exercise and diet.

How many years have you told yourself the same thing: This is the year you’re going to get into shape? With images of your new, slender body so clear in your mind, you rush out and join a gym. Days turn into weeks, weeks into months. Perhaps you went a few times, but getting to the gym is simply too difficult. You don’t have the time or energy to get there. Now you’re stuck in a three-year contract that’s costing you $40 per month–with no results to show for it. The contract will let you cancel at any time, but that would be admitting defeat.What do you do? Do you just give up and enjoy the way the couch molds around you while you watch prime time reality shows? Look, it’s not you, it’s the fitness industry. Like any other business, fitness clubs are there to make money. For the very few who are hyper motivated, health fitness clubs are great things chockablock with useful (and some not so useful) gym equipment. For the rest of us, they’re designed to get us to pay as much as possible and use the facilities as little as possible. Commercial space and gym equipment are expensive things.

How did super motivated people become this way? Being successful at something, more than anything else, makes you more confident and provides needed motivation. That success can begin at home. If you start with just the things you really need and work a little every day, you can convert you living room, or garage, or your backyard, into a working gym.

I have tried a home gym, you say. I purchased gym equipment, that big cable and pulley thing that now is used as a clothes rack (that started out looking like a torture device, maybe one of those racks that stretch you.) I bought that bike too, with the big fan for the front wheel that sends me lurching up and down with the moving handle bars. Makes a great towel rack though.

Fitness equipment doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy to work. Because you need to start slow and work up to the harder exercises, a large bag of playground sand and an army duffel bag will do the trick. Begin by chunking the sand into 5 pound bags. Use duct tape to secure them. Now, you can use as many or as few to put into the duffel bag. With the bag on, do a few deep knee bends and pushups. Of course, consult a manual, the internet or other source to be sure you use correct form with your exercises.

Once you believe you’ve made some advances, buy an inexpensive set of weights and a stand for them so that you can perform knee bends with the dumbbells and also standing presses. Forget the equipment for bench presses, since it’s not truly worth the cost. But in any event, be certain to see a physician before beginning (and don’t let that step be just another reason for not doing your exercises!).

Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells are a wonderful new innovation for the home gym that simply make working out with free weights a breeze. Dumbbells are the best tool for muscle building, even better than a straight bar and much better than a resistance machine. The makers of the original Power Rod technology and the new Bowflex Revolution have now used their creativity in the free weight arena to come up with a truly clever idea in the Bowflex SelectTech.When it comes to resistance training, serious fitness enthusiasts know that nothing beats free weights. In order to keep good form, the body must employ numerous stabilizer muscles, which keep the limb steady while working it against the resistance. Strength training machines are often more inclined toward isolation exercises, by keeping the movement restricted throughout with the use of mechanical assistance. Though this can show large gains when first starting, a plateau is often reached after awhile that will have developing body builders switching over to free weights.

Free weights, however, also have some disadvantages. One of them is that the likelihood of injury is much higher than with a machine, because the same range of motion that leads to muscle development, could potentially tear a ligament or put undue stress on a joint, if the exercise is not conducted properly. This is especially true of exercises that use a lot of weight, like bench presses or squats. The only real way around this is to work up carefully and slowly to the big weights, always keep correct form, and use a spotting partner if possible.

The second big disadvantage to free weights is the need for a large number of weights, and a fair bit of room to keep them in. This is where the new Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells come in. These dumbbells have the classic dumbbell shape, of two weights on either side of a handle. The big difference is that instead of having to either remove and replace weight plates, spinning off the threaded collar each time, or grab from a huge rack of dumbbell pairs, the SelectTech dumbbells use a dial to set the weight, then when you lift the appropriate amount of weight is attached to the handle and whatever you aren’t using is left behind.

What this means is that instead of needing a huge rack of dumbbells, usually at least 10 pairs, you simply have one set of handles and the various weight plates. But unlike standard weight plates, the SelectTech sits neatly in a tray, and without the need of threading a collar each time the weight can be changed in an instant.

This is especially advantageous to those who like doing circuit training. Circuits are a combination of aerobic and anaerobic workout, so that the heart rate is increased at the same time muscle is worked. Generally circuit training requires jumping from set to set without any pauses in between, and unless you have a professional dumbbell rack this is near-impossible with a standard adjustable dumbbell. The Bowflex SelectTech makes it easy.

The dial on the Bowflex dumbbells allows you to switch from 5 to 52.5 pounds in an instant. All that you need to do is rest the dumbbell back in the tray, set the dial to the appropriate weight, and lift it out again. It is that easy. The trays keep the unit compact, and the dials keep the changeovers fast, so it is really the best of both worlds and a really great innovation for the home gym.

Like most Bowflex equipment, however, the SelectTech dumbbells are expensive. However, a full set of dumbbells will cost you as much, and used dumbbells are in demand, as anyone who has scoured Ebay or Craigslist will know. So if you are going to spend upwards of $300 on a set of dumbbells, you should take a good look at these.

It isn’t all that often that a truly useful innovation is created for the home gym market. Often, what is touted as a breakthrough is often some gimmicky retread of someone else’s idea. Bowflex has consistently looked at some of the barriers that exist to working out at home, and found clever ways to address them. The SelectTech dumbbells are designed to get around two of the problems with using free weights at home – the need for lots of space and the need for speed in switching weight – and succeeded admirably.