Monday, December 26, 2011

Body-Solid Fitness Equipment - Building a Custom Commercial Gym

!±8± Body-Solid Fitness Equipment - Building a Custom Commercial Gym

When you start looking towards building a commercial gym, you will need to think about all the different people who will be using it. Gyms are typically used by people with varying levels of experience with exercise equipment - from first-time gym goers to veteran fitness enthusiasts to sports professionals or bodybuilders. To meet the needs of these diverse groups, you will need a broad range of equipment. With Body-Solid, you can find a variety of fitness and exercise equipment to choose from all in one place.

For beginners, you'll want a compact gym that can introduce them to a lot of exercises quickly and provide an overall, total body workout. The EXM3000LPS and the EXM4000S gym systems provide just that and are capable of serving multiple users at once (four with the 4000S which has the optional leg press station). The 4000S has eight different stations total that will work all the major areas of the body. Best of all, these machines are compact so you can easily fit them into your gym design.

For the more experienced gym member, Body-Solid's line of freeweight machines will focus their workout on the individual muscle groups to help build bulk and tone. All of these machines use freeweight plates to set and customize the weight, so you don't have to worry about any trouble with stacks and cables down the road. Moreover, they allow the users to target not just the appropriate muscle groups, but also the exact weight they need for their own personal routine.

Body-Solid offers machines that focus on the biceps, triceps, arm curl, row, abs, legs and more. Additionally, Body-Solid offers knee raise and dip stations, Roman chair, and hyperextension stations for added toning and conditioning of the entire body.

For the professional, or those looking to really take their routine to the next level, Body-Solid offers an extensive line of free weights. Get a dumbbell set in a variety of weight ranges for every level of user and offer the legendary Kettlebells for a unique workout in your gym. Use the multi-press rack or the pro power rack for gym members who are looking to really sculpt and build their bodies using barbells. Round off your equipment with sets of plates, bars, belts and benches for comfort and safety for every user.

Body-Solid Fitness Equipment - Building a Custom Commercial Gym

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Friday, December 9, 2011

Good Home Workouts for the Winter

!±8± Good Home Workouts for the Winter

Finding ways to workout with limited to no equipment is hard. But at least we can go outside to a playground to use all the equipment there. You know, the pullup bars and dipping stations.

But not when it's cold. When it's cold, you don't even want to step outside the house!

Which is why I usually gain fat. But not this year. This year I made a promise to myself that I was going to get my workouts in, no matter what. This new determination has motivated me to use alternative way to add resistance to my training routines.

The Equipment

Bag Filled with Books

The easiest way to add resistance to your workouts is to get a sports or school bag and fill it up with books. The one I have in the workout weighs 33 lbs. Put in a few more books, and I could probably get it up to 37 lbs.

With a school bag, you wear it on your back while doing pushups and pullups. My friends and I used to put weight plates into the school bag. I urge you to experiment. Go around your house and find objects to place into the bag.

2 Chairs and a Broomstick

You can do a lot with a chair, including elevated pushups and dips. However most of these movement are for the chest or abs. To effectively work your back without a pullup bar, just get a broomstick.

Make sure the broomstick is nice and sturdy. Start the inverse rows with your feet flat on the floor. Keep your body low to the ground, so just in case the broomstick snaps, you won't suffer too much damage.

The Exercises

Front Squats

Grab your bag and hold it with your hands under the bag as shown above. Keep your back straight and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. Push your hips back as if you were sitting down in a chair.

Push your hips back as far as possible before bending your knees. So your hips are pushed back first, then bend your knees. This will help keep your knees behind your toes. Squat as deep as you can while keeping your back straight.

Keep practicing until your can do this movement without rounding your back. Keeping your back straight is usually easier when you are holding an object in front of you. Push back up with your glutes, hamstrings, and quads to starting position.

Cross-Body Mountain Climbers

It's hard to see in the picture, but cross body mountain climbers are pretty simple. Get into pushup position with your feet on a chair or other elevated object. Lift one leg up and bring that knee towards the opposite elbow.

Bring it back to the chair and repeat with the other leg. To make this movement easier, simply perform it with your feet on the ground. To make it more difficult, you can place your hands on an elevated object.

The last variation is to place your feet on a stability ball. But you may want to do regular mountain climbers first before doing the cross body version. Either way, you'll be getting a better ab workout then situps or crunches.

Chest Press

Lay down on the floor with bag on your chest. Grab the bag from either side, and press up. It might take a few practice reps before you're able to balance out the weight and get the hang of it.

But the great thing about having a bag full of books as opposed to a heavy barbell is that you don't have to be afraid of cold steel hitting your chest. However, make sure you position those books so that no sharp edges are pointed downwards.

Inverted Rows

The key to executing this movement is a solid broomstick. Make sure you test out the broomstick before you start the workout. Once you've find the right broomstick and sturdy chairs, you're ready to execute the movement.

Lay down on the ground and grab the broomstick with a wide grip. Keep your feet flat on the floor and back straight. Brace your abs, and pull your chest towards the broomstick. This is a surprisingly tough movement.

After a few reps, focus on getting the flow of the movement. Inverted rows are a great variation for people who have not yet mastered pullups.

Progressing with your Workout

Perform this workout 3 times per day, for 4-6 weeks. Write down how many repetitions you do per exercise per workout, and try to perform at least one more repetition per workout. This will keep you more interested, and your workouts intense, as opposed to just adding more exercises, rounds, or increasing the time spent on each movement.