What happens when your treadmill stops suddenly, and how can you troubleshoot common home gym equipment? Selecting the best mini-trampolines, resistance bands, and cross trainers can significantly improve your at-home fitness results and safety.
The ExerHealth company, and later Icon Health & Fitness, have manufactured a line of exercise machines called HealthRiders since 1989. The HealthRider Total Body Aerobic Fitness machine was an early model that’s no longer manufactured, but you may still find it in gyms or on the used equipment market.
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The Contour Ab Belt is a device that wraps around your middle and delivers tiny electric shocks to your abdominal muscles. Contour Technology, the maker, claims that the stimulation of the muscles will allow you to build six-pack abs without doing any sit-ups.
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Total Gym is a San Diego-based company that manufactures innovative fitness equipment used in various settings, including physical therapy clinics, gyms, homes, hospitals and universities. The company's goal is to create equipment that enhances body-weight exercises and provides a more effective workout.
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Kettlebells have increased in popularity in the U.S. since they were made famous by Russian fitness trainer Pavel Tsatsouline around the turn of the century. Kettlebell training often focuses on performing a high number of repetitions with less weight than traditional barbell weight training.
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Walking on a treadmill is not bad for your back. In fact, treadmill walking may be the perfect exercise for both easing existing back pain and preventing new injuries.
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Indoor studio biking is an intense training regimen that helps you burn a substantial number of calories per workout. A typical 40 minute workout can burn 400 to 500 calories, depending upon your body weight and intensity.
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Walk into any fitness room or gym and chances are you will find a vast assortment of exercise balls. Some meant for stability training, others built for strength training and those used for both.
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The ankle joints are susceptible to injury during sports and physical movements that require you to cut and change directions explosively. When you perform cutting movements and your foot tilts either too far inward or outward, you can sprain the ligaments in the ankle.
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Unlike most treadmills, the manual treadmill is powered not by electricity but by your own effort to move the belt while walking or running. Your pace and motion control the speed.
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A trampoline appears as nothing more than simple fun, but it is actually a complex array of the most basic laws of physics. Jumping up and down is a classic example of the conservation of energy, from potential into kinetic. It also showcases Hooke's laws and the spring constant.
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The ability to store a treadmill under the bed is a benefit for people who want to exercise but have limited space or don't like to leave their exercise equipment within sight.
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No matter your fitness level, an exercise ball, also called a stability ball, fitness ball or Swiss ball, can add an element of fun to your workouts. When used correctly, the ball enables you to perform a number of exercises to help improve your balance, muscular and core strength, and flexibility.
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Elliptical machines, also called cross-trainer exercise machines, are cardio machines designed to provide an aerobic workout with little to no impact. The movement required to operate the machine is a cross between walking and running, without the joint stress that running imparts.
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Exercise machines come in many shapes, sizes and forms, and they are designed to work every part of the body. When slim thighs are your goal, you need to focus your attention on cardiovascular exercise. This is performed in a repetitive motion for an extended period of time.
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When you think abs, think cardio. Both an elliptical and a treadmill can help you lose fat and create definition in your abs. The obliques, which run diagonally across the ribs, and the rectus abdominis, or your “six-pack”, can benefit from the workout on both of these machines.
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The heavy bag is one of the most important training tools for an individual involved in boxing or martial arts. Training at home can help you hone your craft. If you have a couple basic tools an Everlast Punching bag can be permanently installed in a short time.
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The Total Gym is a serious fitness investment. Depending on the model, it can cost anywhere from $1,295 to $4,895 at the time of publication. The Total Gym products are sold to physical therapy clinics, gyms, hospitals, athletic training facilities and many other large corporations.
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If you like to get your workout on the dance floor, then one of the following dance fitness DVDs might get you motivated to sweat, groove and drop a few pounds while increasing your cardiovascular fitness. All of these workouts are strong sellers according to Amazon.com, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
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Treadmills take up quite a bit of space and they don't always match the decor of your home. Placing them in an out-of-the-way spot, such as your garage, is a tempting solution. However, manufacturers strongly advise against this, especially if the garage is unheated, and it could void your warranty.
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The Bowflex TreadClimber is a hybrid cardio machine that combines the benefits of a treadmill with those of the stair stepper machine. Bowflex claims that the hybrid technology built into the TreadClimber allows you to “get the body you want in half the time,” but there’s no scientific research to prove this statement.
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