Your Gym Advice

Buying a health club or gym membership can be quite expensive as anyone knows who has joined a gym in January. There’s a good chance you are paying more than at any other time of the year. Getting in shape is always a good idea, but in order to make sure it is your body and not your wallet that’s getting the workout, consider the following advice on gym membership and low cost exercise alternatives.

Trial gym membership – It’s a good idea to start with a trial pass to give yourself a chance to be honest with yourself about how motivated you are. Fitness clubs may offer one-week or one-month memberships on a trial basis. Remember, the harder the club is to get to, the easier it is not to go. Visit at least two or three easy to reach club close to your home or office and choose the one that’s best for you. Don’t sign a contract right away by someone pressuring you to sign on the dotted line, no matter how attractive the membership package. Read the fine print on the contract to determine your cancellation and automatic renewal clauses. Most clubs offer an opt-out clause for three days after signing in which you can cancel the contract without a penalty. Never sign a contract that includes interest charges.

If you absolutely can’t afford a gym membership and your home is not exactly well-stocked with the latest home exercise equipment, Garretson suggests these low cost alternatives.

Outdoor Exercise – Instead of wasting your money on a gym membership, why not buy a $100 road bike that will give you as much exercise as you want. Or you might buy a good pair of even less expensive running shoes and take the dog for a walk.

Exercise Tapes – Here’s another great alternative to an outrageous gym membership: Rent or buy some exercise tapes or DVDs, turn on the TV and start exercising. It’s like having your own personal trainer at home. You can do Yoga, step aerobics, weight training routines or whatever else the trainers suggest.

Used Exercise Equipment – Consider purchasing used exercise equipment available from online merchants specializing in reconditioned machines. Check garage sales and your local paper for used, or maybe even “never-used” equipment that is still in top shape. It’s better to put your money into your own home fitness gym instead of a gym membership.

Join A League – No gym membership is needed when you join group activities through community centers, churches and work such as bowling, softball, volleyball, soccer and flag football. They offer a great way to exercise while having fun with your friends.

Yep, no doubt about it. You can indeed build muscle without weights, and it’s not as primitive or as barbaric as you might imagine. No, you don;t have to get into hurling, (though that would definitely do the trick!) In fact, people have been doing this for centuries!

For many people the thought of hitting the gym gives them a great deal of unease. Perhaps it’s a physical limitation, injury, transportation, time, money or even a small dose of self-consciousness; whatever the reason, there’s a number of exercises you can employ that will enable you to build muscle without weights. Let’s look at some of these.

Pushups – An old standby, now aided by tools that can isolate chest muscle efficiently. You absolutely don’t need any tools, and there are many varieties of this kind of exercise to choose from. Pullups – There are many variations on this theme too, where you cannot only work your shoulders and arms, but add an abdominal element as well. Bench Dips – This one is as simple as finding a convenient bench, and start dipping! Regular Dips – Find two handles short distance above your waist, and employ this technique to develop your arms, shoulders and chest. Reverse Dips – Or tricep dips. Do this one backwards, and you’ll work out your triceps, upper back and shoulders. Arm Circles – While a bit monotonous, doing this one for more than a minute or two will give you a great burn and help with toning. Squats – Doing these either quarter, half or full, sometimes adding difficulty by increasing your load, will definitely strengthen your quads and knees. Stairs – Okay, now we’re getting evil here. Running, or even walking briskly several hundred stair steps can not only help build muscle, but can bring an added cardio benefit to the table as well. Bands or Isometrics – Using rubber bands designed to deliver resistance training can add a great strengthening element to your training without having to use weights. Other isometric exercises also deliver these benefits. Gymnastics – If you are fit enough and limber enough, and have access to gymnastic equipment these can provide terrific results. Who hasn’t admired the strength of athletes who use rings, parallel bars, pommel horses and other gymnastic exercises. Crunches – Also available in many flavors, these work out the smaller but socially vital abdominal muscles! Boxing workouts – Shadow boxing, or working against a heavy bag are very tough workouts indeed! Scissor Kicks – another tough ab exercise.

Finding the best combination of exercises to build muscle without weights is one of personal choice and convenience. All of these have their benefits, and there are many, many more to choose from, but this list will give anyone a great start. All you need is time, a bit of space, and a lot of imagination! Make sure you combine these moves with a sensible eating plan and other fitness activities to get a total body benefit!

For more cool info on this subject, check out this article: Irvingia Gabonensis – Uh WHAT? Apparently an African Tree That Might Help Weight Loss

Once you have gotten back into working out, it is important to find ways to keep your workouts fun. This could entail diversifying a workout DVD collection, introducing new workout equipment, or even joining a gym.

Workouts from companies like Ultimate Fitness Gear offer a lot of variety. Diversifying workouts encourages muscle confusion. Muscle confusion prevents the weight loss plateau that occurs when the body adapts to a certain workout and the effects are diminished. The challenge is finding workouts that you actually enjoy. Workouts like Turbo Jam, Hip Hop Abs, and Yoga Booty Ballet incorporate dance to keep the workout fun and fresh. Dancy workouts are not for everyone. Some find challenging workouts to be the most fun. Workout programs like P90X or Slim in 6 might be more appropriate in those cases. Be sure to do adequate research when purchasing a new workout. Not all workouts are created equal.

Introducing a new piece of equipment can also keep a workout fun. Sometimes the best way to make workout fun is by creating your own workout program. A jump rope or a rebounder is a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment that can make a difference in your workout. Even adding free weights or resistance bands to a workout regimen can increase results and make the workout fun. Sometimes investing in an elliptical trainer, stationary bike, or treadmill is a good idea for shaking up a workout routine. This equipment can also be set up to use while watching television or listening to music.

There are also some creative ways to make your workout fun. Playtime with the kids counts as a workout. Get a bicycle and ride outside with your kids. Not only will you be overwhelmed with feelings of nostalgia, but your body will also let go of some that unwanted fat you’ve been holding onto. You’re working new muscles, and your body will efficiently burn fat and build muscle until it adapts to that movement.

Joining a gym can make a workout fun. Gym memberships open up an entirely new world for exercisers. Not only is there a lot of expensive equipment at your disposal, there is also wide range of services. You can take a class that will push you or teach you something new. Dance classes, step aerobics, Turbo Kick, or aqua aerobics are often available only with a gym membership. Gyms are often the best place to take a yoga or pilates class. If your home workout is feeling a little stale, consider joining a gym to change things up and maybe even infuse your workouts with a bit of fun.

A fun workout doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. A small investment can go a long way. The main thing is to mix things up so that your body doesn’t get used to any particular combination of movements. A new workout DVD, a jump rope, or a gym membership is a great way to implement muscle confusion and keep your body guessing. This not only makes your workouts more fun, but it also increases your workout results. Nothing is more fun than watching the numbers on the scale go down.

When it comes to working out, a lot of folks just throw on something lying around and then get started, but did you know that the kind of clothes you wear when exercising can play a large role in how comfortable you feel? Actually by wearing the right workout clothes and apparel you can enjoy your exercise routine more, and be more apt to actually stay with it, so let’s discuss some workout clothes that you ought to consider:

* Just regular cotton T-shirts are fine for wicking moisture away from your skin but they do little to keep you ventilated properly in the process and so you may feel an overheated sensation while working out. Some of the new workout shirt fabrics that have been released lately remove moisture and help keep you cool at the same time, so look for apparel that advertises this feature.

* With pants and shorts it’s good to have a stretchable waistband that does not hinder your activity in any way. It’s also important to have fabric that removes skin moisture here too. As far as shorts are concerned, be sure that they are long enough to prevent rubbing of the thighs and chafing as you go through your exercise routine.

* Sports bras can be very helpful for women while they exercise. Again the material used should be good at removing moisture from your skin, but a sports bra should also provide comfort and support without digging in and feeling uncomfortable. Lately sports bra manufacturers have been making half sizes that help make an even better fit for many women and they also are making good quality bras that help larger breasted women as they exercise too.

* Having the right socks can contribute a lot toward feeling comfortable in a workout session. Your feet are almost always in active movement when you are exercising and if you don’t wear good socks you can easily irritate your feet and maybe even blister them from the activity. Socks also provide another little layer of shock absorption for your feet, so they are a very important part of your overall workout wardrobe.

* The shoes you wear are an important choice too. Your feet need good support as they are going through intense activity and if you don’t wear shoes that provide that support, you may find yourself sidelined with injuries before too long. Avoid that by getting a good set of shoes, perhaps cross-trainers that will provide solid all around foot support.

Having the right workout clothes and apparel on when you are exercising shows that you are serious about your commitment to a healthier way of life and it will reward you with better and more comfortable workout sessions.

The best upper body workouts are the ones that can be done anywhere with little or no equipment. Being single with no kids may allow for wasted time in the gym doing twelve sets per body part, but once in the real world of spouse, kids and job, those two hour gym visits are over. The great news is this should be a welcome change because the old school bodybuilder, weights and machines type workout routines can do more damage in the long run as compared to a smart, properly structured upper body, body weight exercise routine.

Weights and machines will always have their place in fitness – but they are not the only way to achieve a strong, well toned upper body. The right selection of body weight workouts can produce a sufficient training stimulus to bring about desired changes, continuous progress and visible results. As health clubs and fitness centers are filled with and endless amount of workout machines and weight training equipment it is in their best interest to promote weight and machine type fitness programs. Naturally, members develop a dependency on these types of workouts because they do not learn any alternative training methods. Some fitness experts argue that workouts with machines and weights are the only path to true upper body fitness. Nothing can be further from the truth.

The problems with this scenario range from the ‘more is better’ syndrome to the ‘I got out of my routine’ excuse. To develop a strong, fit and defined upper body your workouts must be realistic for long term adherence and they must consist of exercises that can be done at home or in a hotel room. As a career personal trainer and fitness consultant I’ve had the opportunity to work with many people at various stages of life. The people who live with long term fitness success are the ones who adopt their upper body workouts so that they are ‘portable’ – meaning if they don’t have a gym available to them – it’s not going to prevent them from getting their upper body workout session in. This ties into one of the essential elements of fitness success – consistency. Staying on a regular routine will yield the best long term results. Starting and stopping a routine that is unrealistic will yield harmful results.

Upper body workouts consisting of body weight exercises produce an incredible amount of natural strength while providing gender specific improvements in muscular development. While women seek more of a toning and firming effect, men seek more of a lean muscle building effect with muscle group definition. A silly fitness myth exists that has people believing that a woman will develop muscles like a man if she follows the same type of upper body workout program. The exercise program does not dictate this result. It’s the gender/genetic differences of the male and female DNA that dictate the characteristics of the results that men and women derive from well rounded, and properly structured upper body workouts. Not the type or intensity of the workout itself.

Yes, we occasionally see women who look like male bodybuilders or power-lifters – but these freakish looks can almost always be traced back to some method of pharmaceutical enhancement. For example, taking anabolic steroids to develop as much muscle mass as possible is one way for a woman to lose the fit and feminine look. Nothing against them – but they do not represent the definition of fitness.

Whether you are male or female, the benefits of properly structured upper body workouts that do not rely on the confines of a gym or fitness center can give you all the results you could ever want, in a program that can easily be followed for life. After all, isn’t that what true fitness is about?

Keep your health club membership – especially if you enjoy doing some of your upper body workouts there. But it would be wise for you to develop some bodyweight exercise routines for you to follow at home or while you are ‘on the road’ – so you don’t fall victim to over-training injuries or find yourself missing three weeks of workouts because you were ‘out of town’.

Does even the thought of the word workout fill you with dread ? When you think of the word do you picture lots of huge, muscle bound, sweaty men pumping iron in a poorly lit gym ? Would you run a mile if a friend suggested you join them for a quick workout down the gym or fitness centre ?

Well you are not alone, most people have a negative reaction to the word. However it doesn’t need to be that way. It can mean a multitude of things depending upon who you ask. Yes to some it means is a long session down the gym pumping iron to deveop muscle size & strength, but it could also mean an aerobic session to music most popular with females. It could mean a short 20 min stint of light exercise in your garage just using a mat. In short a workout can be whatever you want it to be.

Do not be put off by the thought of a workout,starting anything new or something that you have not done for a long time can sometimes appear a little daunting, however you are in control, you can select an exercise routine to suit yourself. Whether you choose a video or DVD from a well known personality or a set of step by step instructions from a book or magazine you can choose to do as much or as little of the program as you want.

Even if you go to a gym or fitness centre & take one of their workout classes, if you feel tired or unwell you can simply take a breather or stop alltogether, nobody will shout at you or think less of you. After all we all have to start sometime, go at your own pace & ease yourself into the routine gently. Yes it may be true that in order to gain the full benefits of a workout you will have to push yourself at some stage, but not at the beginning, take your time & in the long run you will begin to enjoy yourself & reap the benefits in improved fitness & body shape.

To start you off, a workout need not be one in the traditional sense eg one where you change into your gym gear & go to the garage for a workout or go for a jog etc you can start by simply taking a short walk round the block or use the stairs instead of the elevator (if you work on the 50th floor or above you don’t have to walk all the way up, just part of the way will do ! ) or get off the bus a few stops early & walk the rest of the way. All these simple methods can be employed to get you going.

If you still just don’t like the thought of a workout remember that during it your body will release chemicals, including serotonin to the brain, which improves your mood & will therefore make you feel better. So if you don’t feel too good & think the last thing you need is a workout, think again, it will actually make you feel better.

Copyright (c) 2007 Ainsley Laing

A large well known fitness facility company has a no grunting policy. Last year, they made news in the U.S. when they called the police to escort a member out of the gym for grunting. Whats the deal with that?

Ok, ok. Aside from being drama queens and a bit annoying, what are these grunters really doing wrong?

And how does the gym staff decide what is a grunt and whats just normal exhalation of air upon exertion?

Do they hire Grunt Monitors?

I can see it now in Grunt Monitor Training: Ok grunt monitors, a grunt is considered a legitimate grunt when it sounds like uuuoooohhhgg but is not a grunt when it sounds like ugh. I mean, honestly  doesnt this seem pretty silly?

Of course, theres the deeper more philosophical question: is there a difference between a snort and a grunt?

What if you drop a weight on your toe and scream ouch. Do you get expelled for that?

And what are the exact procedures for expulsion from the gym for grunting? Is a member issued a grunt warning first? Maybe two grunt warnings? Three grunts – you are out?

Imagine what happens at the employees shift change: Hi Jack, you see that guy over there in the red shirt? Watch him carefully. Hes had two grunt warnings already and I believe I heard the beginnings of a grunt earlier. His days are numbered&

Ok Susie, you can count on me&I never miss a grunter.

What about the poor grunters? Dont you think they feel discriminated against? Is this the beginning of gym apartheid?

Will people have to be grunt-tested before they can join the gym? If they grunt, will they be sent to the grunters gym?

New membership drives and advertisements will go something like this: Are you a grunter? No problem! Come on down Maybe more avant garde gyms could have tiered membership fees  as in, Yes indeed sir, we do have a Gold Membership just for grunters. Of course, it will cost you more.

Most women when they workout make more of a moaning sound than a grunt. Do gyms need special rules for moaners?

Or is it like ladies night at a bar? Ladies attract men, so they are allowed to moan.

Heres an idea: they could implement special hours for lady moaners. That would be good for business, dont you think? Fit women sweating and making moaning sounds. Most guys I know would be there for sure  and not to workout either!

On a more serious note, what is the grunting and moaning all about? Does it really serve any purpose? Well, theres not much evidence that it serves a physiological purpose. Psychological? My guess is thats the reason people do it.

To lift heavy things properly, its important to breathe deeply. Holding ones breath when lifting can drive blood pressure up.

There used to be a belief among trainers to teach people to exhale at exertion, but that idea is continuously challenged by new research.

Its more common now for trainers to explain to folks the importance of breathing well and continuously while working out.

Whether one inhales or exhales on the lift doesnt really matter. Whatever is comfortable is best&so long as breathing occurs.

So heres to all the grunters and moaners out there&.happy lifting!

The gym is a health hazard for a lot of people.

Daily, I see people giving their all on cardio equipment in an effort to lose a few kilos, or heaving weights back and forth in an effort to ‘get big’. These are the same people who, a year later have nothing to show for their three-one-hour-per-week-sessions except for perhaps a sore back, an injured knee and a good deal of disillusionment.

Here’s a list of seven things people should not be doing in the gym and some exercise alternatives:

1. Avoid fixed resistance machines. I use this metaphor for performers: using machines is like learning a role by deciding exactly what you will do before you even begin rehearsing, and patterning it for every performance. In the same way machines allow no freedom for the muscles, literally boring them senseless with the same pattern and decreasing neuromuscular awareness. They also take away the role of the important stabilising (core) muscles which is where all real-life movements begin and is where our power comes from.

–> So choose free-weights or cables instead and try incorporating Swiss Balls to increase the neuromuscular demands. Most qualified fitness instructors will be able to show you how to get the most out of such equipment.

2. Don’t overdo cardio. Many people still believe you just need to do lots of cardio to reduce body fat. This is false. Too much cardio can actually result in your body producing hormones that encourage fat storage in the body. You are also possibly sacrificing vital calorie-burning muscle tissue as a fuel source if you do more aerobic exercise than your ingested fuel allows for. Aerobic exercise is important as it allows nutrients to be transported to cells via the bloodstream when fat is released from the adipose cells. The bloodstream is the vehicle that transports it to be burned.

–> Do your cardio after a weight training session to promote fat loss or try circuits which are excellent vehicles for reducing body fat and increasing cardiovascular fitness.

3. Think laterally (literally!). Muscles work as force couples – they play together like teams. Training in isolation can cause an imbalance, leading to injury and an unsymmetrical looking body. Also don’t overemphasise movements in one plane of motion (particularly front to back) as our bodies naturally twist and move from side to side as well.

–> Think training “movements” not “muscles”; pushing, pulling, squatting, lunging, bending, twisting are the basic movements of day-to-day life. Finally if you train slowly you will play slowly, so vary the speed.

4. Posture is key. It’s not just an aesthetic thing, it can also lead to injuries and regular bouts of associated pain. The details can be complex but it’s important to know that there are muscles in your body that naturally become short and tight and others that get long and weak by nature.

–> The required response to correct this is to stretch the shorter, tighter muscles and strengthen the longer, weaker muscles. For example when someone has a posture that makes them look like the Pink Panther – protruding head and rounded shoulders – the chest is one muscle that needs a good stretch. Only stretch what is tight, as stretching the long and weak muscles will lead to further imbalances.

5. Crunch after crunch. There is no such thing as a spot reduction. 100 sit-ups a day will not flatten that tummy and it will only lead to poor posture by over-strengthening the upper abdominals and the powerful and greedy hip flexor muscles. The energy to do the crunch may actually come from fat stored somewhere else in the body.

–> So choose exercises that engage lots of muscles. A squat, for example involves over 14 major muscles.

6. Have a plan. Having no plan will decrease your chances of success.

–> You need to clarify your goals and determine the best way to achieve them or you may be wasting a lot of time (not to mention money).

7. Leave the books at home. Don’t take books or other distracters into the gym.

–> Do exercises that require you to focus on each task as though it’s a meditation and treat every session as a chance to increase your awareness of how your body moves.

Your 3d Coach

Craig Burton

Are you annoying people when you go to the gym for your workout? You may not even know that you are annoying people with your bad gym ethics. When that is the case, it is embarrassing.

Some gyms will put up a notice of what do’s and don’ts but many do not. Gym etiquette is supposed to be common sense, but we all know that common sense sometimes is not so common. If you workout regularly at the gym, you would have come across inconsiderate and annoying people. Don’t these people have common sense? Of course they do, but it either did not occur to them that they are annoying you or they are simply inconsiderate and rude.

So before you unintentionally annoy other gym users and get yelled at, here are some gym etiquettes you must know. Observe these ethics and make your gym workout be an enjoyable experience not only to you but to others too.

•Good Housekeeping – Put back the weights where they are supposed to be after using them. By not stashing them into where they belong, you not only inconvenienced others having to look for the weights, you are also creating possible accident situations where people may trip over the barbells and other weights lying cluttered all over.

•Do Not Grunt Loudly – Some people grunt loudly because they are oblivious to the fact that others may want to concentrate on their lifts and do not want to be distracted by loud grunts. Others grunt to show off usually when lifting heavy weights. Either way, it is bad ethic.

•The Smart Aleck – Do not tell other people what to do even if their lifting form is wrong unless you are asked for your opinion. Dishing out unsolicited advice will simply bruise their ego. They will just think that you are trying to show off. There is an exception though. This is when poor lifting form may lead to injuries. Even then, do so only when their set is over and not to interrupt them when they are lifting weights.

•Hygiene – Keep yourself neat and clean at all times. Do not wear the same T shirt or socks you wore at your last workout. Being in an enclosed area, you may really stink.

•Chatting And Idling About – You may go to the gym for social reasons. So you go about making friends and chatting people up. What you do not know is that many people are unlike you. They go to the gym with just one thing in mind. Have a great workout and go home. So you are taking up their time. Furthermore, your chatter will also distract and annoy other people.

•Do Not Hog – Do be aware that the gym equipments are for all to share. When resting before your next set, do not rest on the machines or sitting on the benches. Others will want to use them while you are resting between sets.

•Use Clean Towel – If you are sweating profusely, wipe your sweat. It is unhygienic to have your sweat dripping everywhere. It is even worse when you use the weight stations and leaving your puddles on benches and seats. Clean up your sweat residue on the equipments all the time.

•Creating Excessive Noise – Have you ever been irritated by loud clanging of weights when people workout? Treat the weights and machines with tender loving care. Why damage the equipments and irritating other people at the same time. If you cannot control the weights, then the weights are probably too heavy for you anyway.

Be sensitive to others and when you are annoyed by certain unethical behaviors, make a mental note not to do the same thing. If only gym etiquettes are to be observed by all gym users, our workouts will be so much more pleasantly enjoyable. So, bear in mind your gym ethics the next time you head for the gym.

Ab workouts are a fantastic method in ensuring strong and sexy abs. An individual can locate various home products designed to strengthen and tone every muscle in the ab region. Each individual can accomplish this goal from the comforts of their home without much effort. Several programs are designed with this part of the body in mind. AB workouts are an important element of the exercise process, because by having a strong mid section you will be able to build other muscles faster. For those who enjoy running, football, baseball or other sports, strong abdominal muscles will help better your performance. Not only for sports but everyone wants fabulous ab muscles that they can show off when they take their shirt off or wear a bikini. Both men and women will find these types of exercises vital to their overall body shape and tone. There are various techniques a person can use to receive fantastic ab workouts.

Not only are there exercise programs such as Hip Hop Abs or Turbo Jam, but also going to the gym or playing sports will help you tone your abs. A gym will have various programs that are designed to assist you in achieving toned abs. If you need a little motivation you can hire a personal trainer who will keep you motivated in getting strong abs, or you can spend a lot less money and buy a video workout such as hiphopabs or turbo jam and get the same workout. There are many different ways you can strengthen your abs, either by a program at the gym, a home fitness video or by just doing sit ups every day. The great thing about working out at home is you can do it without others watching you. If you are a little timid or shy you won’t have to worry about what others think about you while you do your exercise. The video exercises are great for those who are overweight and want to change their life. Most people who are overweight will never go to the gym because they are insecure about themselves. That is why having a video workout program like Hip Hop Abs will help you get to the point where you start to feel better about yourself and start feeling secure again. It will take a lot of time and effort but in a few months you will start to see a change in your body that will make you happy about yourself again. Doing ab workouts is definitely tough but worth the effort to get in shape. Strengthening your abdominal muscles are an important step in achieving the look and feel you may desire. A person will be able to tone and loose weight with these programs fairly simple. There are several exercises on the internet that you can do for free or you can buy something that has been proven to work.

Everyone wants to be able to have a 6-pack and look fantastic with their stomach showing. Women especially love the feeling of half-shirts and looking fabulous while wearing a bikini. Men just love to show off their abs and toned muscles in front of other people. With different forms of ab workouts, an individual can accomplish this goal without much effort. Ab workouts can be achieved in various methods directly from the comforts of home.