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.

We all know that starting a workout plan at the gym can be overwhelming in many different ways. If you have not been before, or have not been for a long time, it can seem as though everyone knows what they are doing but you. Do not sweat it, everyone started from the beginning. Nobody is going to judge you and I have noticed that most people are glad to help out if you need some direction.

The first day is usually okay because most gyms provide an introductory session on how to operate the machines. But the second day can be confusing and even embarrassing, unless you have signed up with a personal trainer. You are quite likely to find that you cannot remember which machines you are supposed to use, or even how they work.

Relax. We all have gone through it. You will find it easier on the third day, and by the fourth you will be confident. Within weeks you will be powering through your exercises as though you were born in the gym!

Here are a few tips that might ease the way in the first few weeks:

1. If you are a complete beginner, it might be worth your while to sign up with a personal trainer for at least a couple of sessions, until you are feeling more confident. Otherwise, go with a friend. If you are both new, you can muddle through together. If your friend is experienced, he or she will help you out.

2. Take a notepad and pen with you for your introductory session. Write down the name of the machine and its position in the gym as well as a few words that will remind you what you are supposed to do on it. Especially since some machines can be used in several different ways. Also plot your progress on each machine with the amount of weight you are able to do and how many reps.

3. Do not hesitate to ask a staff member for help if you cannot adjust the machine for your weight and height, or if you cannot remember exactly how it works. They will not mind showing you again. They are there to help you and to make sure you are practicing correct form and technique.

4. Do not push yourself too hard to begin with. If you work out so hard that you can barely walk, you will be tempted to miss a day while you recover. One day does not matter much, but if you continually skip days because you are too sore, you are likely to drop out altogether. What is the hurry? After a few weeks, when your body is getting used to the extra exercise, you can increase the intensity.

5. If your knees and ankles react badly to increasing the speed on the treadmill, try increasing the grade instead. You might be pleasantly surprised to find that a slower speed, with the treadmill on an incline, burns more calories than jogging.

6. Smile and nod to the other gym users, but do not hold up their workout programs by chatting. As you become recognized as a regular, you will find that you gravitate to your own little group – probably people who have the same goals and needs as you do.

7. Wear comfortable clothing: either loose or with plenty of stretch. Avoid the temptation to buy workout gear that is two sizes too small in the hope that you will lose weight quickly. You might well shed those pounds fast – but if it takes longer that you had anticipated, you will always be conscious of those too-tight clothes.

8. Do not worry about being overweight. In a way, it is good to start off with quite a few excess pounds to lose; your success is much more noticeable than it is on slimmer gym users, and you will find the positive comments really motivating. Make sure you get a before photo of yourself at the gym when you start out. After a few months, you will be amazed at the difference. Keep the photo where you can see it to make the results really stand out.

9. If you are considerably overweight, you are likely to find that your stomach gets in the way on some machines. Just do what you can. You might feel better just increasing your fitness and losing some weight on the treadmill for the first month or so, then moving on to the machines when moving and stretching is more comfortable. Consider doing a few laps in the pool (either walking or swimming) as well as your other gym work. The water will help to support your weight and provide variety.

10. Try to find a happy medium between challenging yourself and resting on your laurels. If you can easily manage three sets at the current weight, try increasing it for the first set. If you can do twenty minutes on the treadmill without sweating, then increase either the speed, the grade, or both And remember, if nothing changes, then nothing changes!

One final tip: once you have decided on your regular gym days, resolve that nothing but an emergency will stop you going. Make your gym attendance a habit – and before too long, the exciting results will have you trying to convert all your friends to becoming exercise lovers too!

When you are committed to getting yourself in shape there are several options you can choose. Most individuals feel exposed when they go to gyms or fitness centers so they decide to spare no expense in setting up a home gym. The important thing to realize when you have a home gym is that you will be in charge of your exercises and unless you hire one there will not a be a personal trainer. That means you have to be aware of the home gym exercises that will give you a total body workout. So what are these exercises, well read on…

There are at least three areas you should concentrate on those are cardio, flexibility, and strength training. This is the same whether you are male or female. The repetitions you will do and the amount of weight you use will be determined solely on your body type. Most women tend to use 3 to 5 pounds in weights when they first begin strength training, while men are normally around 10 pounds. Keep this in mind because you do not want to injure yourself when doing home gym exercises. So now that we know the three areas to concentrate on and the pounds required when you first begin your home gym exercises lets look at each one individually.

Cardio exercises are meant to keep your heart healthy. Cardio means you are exercising to increase your heart rate as well as lose weight. Some machines you will want to have in your home gym may include a stair climber, bike, or treadmill. These pieces of equipment are the best to keep your heart elevated for the cardiovascular part of your routine. Such things as running, hiking, swimming, and bicycling are outdoor activities that you can certainly bring in doors with a little bit of exercise equipment. For more info see http://www.homegym-fitnessequipment.com/Home_Gym_Fitness_Equipment/ on equipment home.

Next let’s touch on flexibility. Flexibility exercises in your home gym are best done with things like yoga that teach you how to stretch your muscles and body. There are of course other programs that teach this, including Pilates. These programs are a step-by-step process that walks you through exercises. It is wise to start out with a beginning level program before moving up to more difficult exercises to give your muscles and body a chance to learn how to stretch and become more flexible. Flexibility helps to keep the blood flowing through your body. The more blood flow the more oxygen you receive and the better your body will feel. It will help your heart as well as help you breathe better and relax.

The third area of home gym exercise is the strength training. This is where exercise machines such as the bowflex come in handy or even dumbbells. Weights help enhance the strength in your arms, legs, and other muscles to keep your muscles toned and your bones strong.

The above information about home gym exercises will help you to keep in shape and workout at home. Home gym exercises should be preceded by a slow warm up and then a cool down period to help your muscles and body exercise.

It doesn’t matter if you are headed to the gym for the first time or perhaps the 113th time, here are a few gym etiquette tips you should remember to make the experience enjoyable for yourself and for those around you from Pittsburgh personal trainer and life and lifestyle coach, Jackie Omotalade, The First Lady of Fitness, Fashion, and Fun. Jackie Omotalade is a gym enthusiast and founder and owner of Fix Up My Body, LLC:

1) Respect People’s Zone: Do not over socialize. People come to the gym to workout, not to hear a long drawn out story about why you hate your sister. Respect your workout as well as the workout of others.

2) Share. Don’t horde all the weights or stay on the treadmill for hours when others are waiting. When you are finish with a a particular weight, put it back where you found it, so that others may use it. It is extremely annoying to have to search for around the gym for weights.

3) Clean up After Yourself: Just walking away from a machine, without wiping it down is just NASTY. Always bring a towel with you and wipe the machines down when you’re finished. Most gyms offer wipes or sprays for this purpose, so use them

4) Leave your cell phone in you locker: Unless it’s an emergency, save your cell phone chatter for after your workouts. You are at the gym to focus on fixing up your body!

5) Making Crazy Noises: The gym is not your bedroom. You are not having crazy passionate sex, nor are you giving birth to a child. You are working out, so keep the noises, grunts, and howls to a minimum. They are irritating and you sound silly!

6) Cover it up: The locker room is NOT a nudist colony! Respect that! No one wants to see your pubic hair or breasts, or whether you have perfect abs or a gut. Cover up in the locker room.

7) Toting around your gym bag: Do not carry your bag from machine to machine. You know those large hollowed-out rectangles called lockers? That’s where you store your gym bag.

Unload your weight bar: After you finish using a bar, leave it completely empty. Don’t assume that everyone can lift the same amount of weight you can. This rule doesn’t just apply to heavy lifters. Clean up after yourself! Your momma does not work at the gym!

9) Give people space: Have you ever been in the gym lifting free weights and someone comes right next to you and starts lifting inched from you? Not only is it intrusive and annoying, it can be harmful. Out of common decency and for safety, plain and simple, don’t get in the way.

10) Do not fool around. You do not want to get hurt and you do not want those around you to get hurt. Practice common sense. Do not goof around at the gym. You could seriously hurt someone or yourself!

Its Six-pack abs! Muscles! Perfect physique! Well, these are the colloquial temptations of every guy. If you happen to be a gym newbie, a lot is in store for you to learn. To start with, let’s delve into some reasons that make the gym classes not less than a nightmare.

To begin with, life is quite hectic and you gym needs commitment. People hardly find enough time for gym due to their workload. Most of them don’t want to waste their stamina and energy in exercising which looks very boring to them. But always remember that it is not less than a new school for you. You need to get accustomed to those heavy and large exercising tools. It would be a bit intimidating in the beginning but slowly and slowly you would get used to it. If women gossip, men crib! This is one activity that you must avoid. Don’t join the gym classes only for the heck of it. Have that positive attitude which will help you in ultimate bodybuilding.

If its your first day at the gym, rather than to looking lost or intimidated by those stares and popping eyes, it’s advisable to ask your instructor to take you on a ride, which would reveal the different parts of the gym. This will obviously help you in locating the equipments and machines. You should also have few sessions taken personally by your trainer so that you get serious for the exercises. Your everyday workout would get designed in a perfect way. Your personal trainer would teach you the exercises needed to carve your body.

But no matter how much dedication you have for exercising, you might somewhere feel that you are loosing that spark. So, how to overcome it? Firstly, don’t ever give up your resolution. Stick to your gym classes and put your entire effort in every exercise you do. Secondly, don’t imitate people or get intimidated by them. Handle that exercising equipment which you are familiar with. Thirdly, don’t get diverted when you are exercising. Even if you are listening to your favorite peppy tunes, don’t lose your concentration.

If you keep all these things in mind your gym classes would no longer be a nightmare for you.

As a personal trainer and fitness professional, its my passion to help people get in shape. One of the things that can certainly help is joining a good gym. But there are so many choices out there. There is the good, the bad and the ugly. Ugly because if you choose the wrong gym, you will get so frustrated and may give up on your fitness goals altogether! I would hate to see that happen.

Bad service, bad ethics, bad trainers, bad customer support, refusal to refund purchases for valid reasons, charging customers who have already stopped their contracts and so on…

With all the bad press the fitness industry is getting lately about poor service I thought I would talk about what makes a good gym good so that people in Singapore (my home town) and elsewhere don’t start thinking that the fitness industry is a scam, and can make good choices about the gyms they join.

“It’s a shame that so many complaints have been made about the services, staff and ethics of big gyms.”

The way business has been done in the big commercial gym chains has been going on for a long while and the complaints and reports of poor standards have only increased over time.

“My role as a fitness professional is to help as many people as possible with their fitness goals. Boosting their health, helping them prevent diseases and helping them life full lives, and look great. Frustration with poor standards, ethics and customer service in the fitness industry discourages people from getting fit and living to their full potential. That is what makes me most upset.”

I will now explain how things are done at a well run fitness coaching facility.

“There are some things that can be done to make sure that everybody that steps into our place has a positive experience and feels totally at home.”

These are also things you can look out for when choosing a gym or a fitness training studio.

Here is how a good gym differs from a sales oriented and money motivated gym which does not care about their customers.

During the sales process…

In a good gym, when a prospect is given a sales presentation there is never a “hard sell” at the end. Each visitor is asked what his/her goals are, shown a program that can help achieve those goals, and asked if they would like to join. There is never any pressure or obligation.

In a good gym they never ever use negative words like “Your body is in such bad shape!” to get a sale.

A good gym will never propose a high cost, leaving it up to the customer to bargain it down. The cost to the customer should be very clear with no hidden meanings or fees.

A good gym will never call or email people who don’t want these calls. All communication is to people who have already asked to be called or contacted.

A good gym shows clients a contract that includes a 100% MONEY BACK guarantee if they do what is asked but are not satisfied with the results or the services they receive.

A good gym offers a free trial if the client would like to “try” before buying. Again NO obligation or pressure. simply the best they can provide in terms of service.

When a client signs up…

A good gym will take them through a complete assessment of body fat, measurements, nutrition, photographs, mineral testing, digestive tests, hormonal and genetic tendencies and a movement and posture screening.

A good gym will individualize program design and nutrition according to this assessment. They will never simply “show a person around the machines” and call it a session. There are no “cookie cutter” programs that are “one size fits all”. Because every client is different.

A gym that cares will help you with coaching and correction of your posture and movements. This will result in better progress and a lower chance of a frustrating injury.

A good gym will build a healthy community so that the new client makes friends and enjoys the training experience. This also helps the client maintain the new, healthy habits that he or she forms because there is social support to help them.

A good gym will spend effort building a great gym environment that is all about encouragement and a positive atmosphere. There is no negative talk, no showing off, no bad attitudes in the training center.

Yes a good gym will be doing their best to run a business that really puts the client’s well being first.

I don’t believe that we need to compromise ethics, morals or integrity to be a good business.

Personally, I’m committed never to compromise even if it means a few less dollars in the short run.

This should be the point of view of all good gyms.

You can turn on the television, read a fitness magazine, or search the internet, and you will see that there are numerous ways to lose weight and get fit. All of these programs and routines help you to develop a lean sexy body, lose those extra pounds, and maintain good health. Best of all, these total body workout programs are available on DVD, which in turn, can make our fast paced lifestyle a little easier. It’s very difficult to take time for ourselves with so many activities during the day, and to actually stop by the gym. But most of us can find time to workout at home. All of us have an extra 45 minutes to an hour at home. The gym is the space between the television and the couch. Just switch on your TV and use some good workout DVDs. Gyms and health spas are taking a back seat nowadays. Why? Time is the biggest factor, already mentioned, but there is another factor. When you do get time to stop by the gym, you find yourself lost. What routine should you do? Who’s going to show you the proper form? Or vary your routine to prevent boredom and fitness plateaus? Unless you want to spend extra cash on a personal trainer, a home workout program could be just what you need.

Numerous renown fitness experts have unique ways of keeping workouts interesting with upbeat attitudes and great music, and these experts are making these programs available on DVD. These home based workout routines are growing by leaps and bounds, and are rapidly becoming known as the Next Generation workouts. These total body workout routines will help you burn fat, build muscle, and get that lean sexy body you have always wanted. These routines will set your metabolism on fire, and will trigger your fat burning engines so that you burn an extra 500 calories per day. Most importantly, you will find your metabolism is still burning that stubborn fat even when you are not working out. These new circuit training routines will take your metabolism to all new levels, and you will continually burn fat, even while you sleep. The results will be extreme and best of all; you’ll generally start seeing results within 30 days from the day you begin.

So how do these Next Generation workouts work?

It’s quite simple. These programs are generally divided into three phases to help you build lean sexy muscle with the use of the newest revolutionary circuit training methods. Most home based fitness programs contain numerous workouts to keep the program from getting too boring and stale. The workouts vary as you move through the program and keep you from hitting fitness plateaus. As you move through each phase, you’ll begin to notice big changes in yourself. Slowly but surely, you will see weight disappear. Lean muscle will replace the extra weight you used to have. Your results will continue to improve as each phase of the routine passes. Most popular programs are on average 90 days.

Each program may differ, but a good routine will generally have a structure similar to what follows:

Phase 1: A Burn Phase

The first month is a Burn Phase. In this phase your muscles will be pushed to attain failure in 10-12 reps and will focus on accurate form, which will maintain the effectiveness of the workout. Then the routine changes, you prevent boredom and fitness plateaus as you move to the next phase.

Phase 2: A Push Phase

The second month is the Push Phase. In this phase your muscles will be pushed beyond its comfort zone. The primary focus will be on toning every part of the body one at a time, to strengthen and tone each part. Then guess what? Another change, and another fitness plateau is diverted, as your body continues to push forward to new heights.

Phase 3: A Lean Phase

The last phase is the Lean Phase. During this phase, focus will be placed on every part of the body; the upper, the lower and the core. This phase will be focus on getting you as lean as possible. You have survived the first two months, you have lost weight, you feel great, and you are realizing your fullest potential. This gives you the extra energy to achieve your fitness goals, and have what you have always wanted, to be in great shape and look great.

As a personal trainer, I have to find solutions to a lot of problems. One obstacle that appears for many of my clients is work-related travel.

“My hotel didn’t have a gym.”

“My hotel had a gym, but I didn’t know how to use any of the equipment.”

“My hotel had a great gym, but it was a hassle to get there from my room.”

Travel and the lack of hotel gym equipment are no excuse to miss workouts. Many of the exercises I do with my clients in my gym are bodyweight only exercises, or can be modified to be so. After covering the material in this article, we’ll never have a good excuse to miss a workout in any city.

Bodyweight exercises are some of the most challenging and also the most modifiable exercise choices available. Some coaches even recommend that a certain level of performance be achieved on bodyweight exercises before weights are used in any situation. If we plan correctly, we can easily develop enough total body workouts to get you into shape without a single dumbbell.

Before we get to the workout, a few notes about modifying bodyweight exercises and knowing how many reps of each exercise to do. The first rule of bodyweight exercises is that we want to be able to perform repetitions with good form, as with any exercise. If the exercise is so hard that our form is atrocious, we modify. The second rule is that when we modify an exercise, depending on the situation, the modification may make it almost too easy. This is better than too hard, since we can always do more repetitions and sets to make up for the level of difficulty. The third rule is, no matter what exercise we’re using or what set and repetition parameters we decide on, each set should nearly fatigue the muscles we’re working. In other words, we don’t want to take each set to complete failure, but maybe just one or two reps shy of complete failure. For timed exercises, stop when you feel yourself start to lose form or feel pain in an area that is unexpected.

Bodyweight Workouts

Bodyweight Squats – stand with feet between hip and shoulder width apart. Push hips back and down like you were going to sit in a chair. Once you reach average chair height, return to standing. Feel free to raise your arms out in front of you for balance as you complete the movement.

Modified Push-ups – to modify a push-up, lean on a raised surface so that your shoulders are above your hips, but your body is still in a straight line. The higher the surface, the easier the push-ups will be. Look for tables, chairs, countertops, etc. for modifications.

Planks – Lie face down to start. Then lift your body up so that your weight is supported on your forearms and your toes, with your body as straight as possible. Brace your abdominals (hold them tight like if someone was going to hit you in the stomach) and squeeze your glutes (butt muscles). Do not let your lower back arch excessively. This should look like upper push-up position only with your arms bent and your forearms on the floor. Hold for time.

Squat Thrusts – stand with feet hips width apart. Squat down and reach your hands to the floor in front of you. Let your weight rest on your hands and kick your legs back so you end up in a push-up position. Jump your legs back to your hands and stand up.

Leg Lift Holds – Lie on your back and lift your legs up to a 90 degree angle at the hip. Lower your legs, keeping your abdominal muscles tight, until you start to feel your lower back come off the floor. Stop here, press your back onto the floor, and hold for time.

That’s it. Now we never have a reason to miss a workout while traveling. This is a great workout and it can be completed anywhere. Now get to work!

ronnie johns ‘chopper’ as a personal trainer funny