Posts Tagged ‘Fitness Equipment’

Portable Fitness Equipment



Since I first began personal training in 1985 people have stated basically the same goals: To lose fat and gain muscle, improve athleticism, heal the body,increase movement skills, spend little money and train whenever and wherever they wanted. I am pretty sure you want the same, but there’s a problem. Maybe you travel, it’s hard to get to the gym, or maybe you don’t like the gym and/or you can’t afford to build your own machine laden gym at home? So what do you do? Well the answer has been here for over 30 years. The answer to true physical fitness is portable fitness equipment from the Monkey Bar Gym! Portable fitness equipment has evolved from the light resistance bands and ankle weights they use in aerobic classes. Today portable fitness equipment is literally all you need to get into the greatest shape of your life. Whether your goal is basic overall fitness, strength, conditioning OR high level sports performance you can get it all with portable fitness equipment.

How do I know this? It is all I have ever done and all that my dad Bobby Hinds has ever done. My Dad started the beginnings of portable fitness equipment with the beaded jump rope and training program in 1973, which sparked the Jump Rope for Heart program. He followed it up in 1976 with the first ever Portable Gym. Back in the day people thought my dad was crazy…still do , but he was way ahead of his time. He saw a huge need for people to stay in shape while on the road, traveling, working out at home or outside. He knew that not everyone wanted to workout on machines, or had the money, time or drive to workout in a gym or inside for that matter. So, he took it upon himself to change it and the fitness world has never been the same.

Today, portable fitness equipment can do everything you desire in your fitness training: YOU CAN get stronger, leaner, improve athletic performance, heal & prevent injuries, increase movement skills, spend little money and train anywhere you want, anytime you want!!! Portable fitness equipment can also allow you to follow an online training program, almost like having your own personal trainer! Because of all of these tremendous benefits, portable fitness equipment is a common term in the fitness industry. I feel my Dad and his company, Lifeline USA, are a huge reason for portable fitness equipment being such an integral part of the fitness industry today. I have always believed in portable fitness equipment, so much that I opened up my Monkey Bar Gymnasium in 2001. It is the first hard core strength and conditioning training facility in the country that uses ONLY portable fitness equipment!

“Full body anywhere, anytime training is all we do and all we’ve ever done” says Monkey Bar Gymnasium, Certified Natural Trainer, Jessica Rucker. “We teach movement mastery first and then add resistance via portable fitness equipment. Using Resistance cables, Kettlebells, Jungle Gyms, Med & D-balls, Jump Ropes, Power Push ups, Power Jumpers, Vertical Jumpers and Power Wheels all add more challenge to basic bodyweight movements, thus taking them to the next level. It’s clearly the main reason everyone who trains with us either online or at the Monkey Bar Gymnasium is incredibly fit”.

So what exactly is portable fitness equipment? Any piece of exercise equipment that you can easily pack and take anywhere in the world and get a tremendous workout. That is why my dad’s first Portable Gym’s tag line was “a gym in a bag”. Portable fitness equipment gives you a great workout, not just an okay one.

IT WORKS!! A workout with really good portable fitness equipment improves your strength (functional muscle), conditioning (leaner body), sports performance, agility, mobility, stability, strength and power. Want proof, At the Monkey Bar Gymnasium we AVERAGE 17 lbs of fat loss and 5.4 lbs of muscle gain over the first 60 days of training…did I mention, only using portable fitness equipment!

More Proof. On a recent road trip, Jessica and I brought along all of our favorite Portable Fitness Equipment, a Power Push Up, Jungle Gym, TNT Cable, Power Wheel, Power Jump Rope and even the new Lifeline Kettlebell. Yes, the Lifeline Kettlebell. This may not be a true piece of portable fitness equipment, but it is a heavier version, it still is portable and definitely is fitness equipment. On our road trip we really put all of the portable fitness equipment to the test.

Could we drive more than 3,000 miles & get great workouts at the same time? The answer was definitely YES!!Every hour we drove, we stopped and did a killer set with each piece of equipment. One hour we did a set of squat presses with the TNT Cable, the next hour a killer set of chins and rows with the Jungle Gym, the next hour 100 doubles jumping rope as fast as possible, the next hour 40 snatches each arm with the Lifeline Kettlebell. Honestly, it was amazing! Each set only took us 3 minutes! When we would get back in the car we felt incredible! We were totally energized and ready to go and looked forward to the next hour and what we would do. By the end of the day, we had without question, gotten a heck of a workout and we were both tired but very satisfied in knowing that we not only can do these workouts anywhere at anytime, but that working out with Portable Fitness Equipment is the best way to attain ultimate fitness.

The World is your Playground” workout anywhere / anytime (AA), indoors or outside!!!

Lets lay out a Backpack of Portable Fitness Equipment for you to workout AA!!

1) Jungle Gym: Pure bodyweight training: chin ups (assisted to kip ups), push ups, dips, rows, flys, assisting pistols /1 leg squats, leg curls, runners, core rollouts and lots more. One piece of equipment that can do full body training for strength & conditioning! Weight about 1.5 lbs, fits in pocket.

2) TNT Cable: Pure resistance training: squats, full extensions, cable cleans, presses, Russian twists, diagonal chops & lifts, resisted running & backpedaling, 1 arm punches, rows and lots more. Weight about 1 lb., fits in large pocket.

3) Power Jump Rope: Pure conditioning training: probably the single best tool for overall full body conditioning. Weight 1.5 lbs, fits in pocket.

We put them all together in the Portable Monkey Bar Gym. It even includes a comprehensive training DVD.

Add more fun to your BackPack with the following:

The Power Push up: Voted Best piece of exercise equipment by Mens Fitness. Can adjust from 20 to 270 lbs of resistance for your push ups. Weight 2.5 lbs., fits in backpack easily.

The Power Jumper: The Best Jump Training device on the market…and it’s portable! Get the Jump Training DVD, it’s great. You can do all lower body exercises with it too. Athletes average 6-8″ improvements over 12 weeks of training. Weight 2.5 lbs, fits in backpack too.

A Note on the Resistance Cables – 3 big points:

1) Non-Fixed ranges of motion – meaning you must react and balance the resistance, this improves motor function and performance greatly.

2) Progressive variable resistance – as cables lengthen they increase in resistance, creating an excellent balance as your leverage becomes greater, it becomes greater!

3) Adjustable resistance – in seconds you can lighten or increase the resistance. This means you can match bodyweight movements with precision resistance, can load or resist up to max loads thus giving covering all levels of strength training from endurance to power.

In general portable fitness equipment is in a league of its own. It’s accessible, light weight and convenient but yet can generate max resistance loads if needed or maximum challenge of exercise if needed, it literally can do it all!! With portable fitness equipment you never need to stop your workouts because of business trips or vacations and working out at home with $1,000.00′s of dollars of bulky equipment has become a thing of the past. Compare that with a mere $100 or so for all of the above listed portable fitness equipment. You can use portable fitness equipment to perform online training with any of the great sites out there, and achieve incredible results!

If you are interested or have any questions in our portable fitness equipment go to http://www.monkeybargym.com and have fun You can also join our online training, which includes daily workouts, nutrition, goal setting charts, videos of all exercises, all previous workouts, and workout & nutrition journals as well. So now you can train with us, anywhere, anytime, using our same Monkey Bar Gymnasium portable fitness equipment. Look forward to our Road Warriors Training DVD coming soon!

Fitness Equipment Apparel – Your Gym Garb Guide



What to wear, and what not to wear to the gym? When this million-dollar fitness equipment apparel question presents itself on gym days, even the strongest muscles turn to jelly.

Fitness equipment apparel has the potential to become the make-or-break factor in a fitness program – especially if you are just starting out with your get-in-shape routine.

The idea isn’t to make your fitness equipment apparel part of your workout-routine. This can easily happen if you are constantly lifting straps, instead of weights; tying laces, instead of being tied up at the workstation; doing pull-downs, instead of pull-ups; or giving an entirely new meaning to doing push-ups.

You don’t want to be wrestling to improve the flexibility of your fitness equipment apparel, instead of your body’s. If your clothes have some stretch in them, it will be much easier to stretch yourself to the limit!

Let’s start with fitness equipment apparel fabrics. To make the most of your time in the gym, you have to feel completely comfortable. Dryness, tear and abrasion resistance, stretch, ventilation, ease of movement, and durability are all factors to keep in mind.

Look for labels with references to materials such as Supplex, Lycra, Spandex, Cotton, Polyamide, Coolmax, Dri-Fit, or a combination of these. Cotton on its own is usually not the best choice. It tends to hold on to moisture, becoming unpleasantly clammy and heavy. Who goes through the workout effort in order to g

Home Gym Exercise Equipment – Key Factors in Choosing Fitness Equipment For Your Home



When choosing which home gym exercise equipment will work best for you, there are many things to keep in mind. One being, what are you looking to get out of if?

Do you want to trim down your waist or bulk up your chest? These are factors to consider before buying equipment. When you know what your goals are, you can then take into consideration other key things like budget and space.

It’s often a good idea to give a machine a “trial run” in a store if you can, that way you know if you will fit the machine, and if it feels comfortable before you spend 10 hours putting it together. Just be ready for the sales people who will swarm you, after all it is their job. Knowing your facts before going into one of these stores is critical or you may get swayed into something you didn’t want. Steer clear of infomercial equipment and gimmicks.

If they promise you will drop 2 pants sizes by the weekend, it’s probably too good to be true. It is also a wise idea to shop around online. Not only can you often find a better price, you can have it delivered.

So now that you have narrowed down your goals, budget, spatial logistics and researched home gyms, you need to look to the future. Will you outgrow this machine in a matter of months or does it have the lasting power to change with your new body? Look into home gyms that offer accessory packages and weight upgrades.

While initially they may seem more expensive, it will save you from purchasing a new gym once you outgrow that small weight stack.

Most importantly, make sure you like the gym you buy. Sure, that sounds pretty straight forward, but if you aren’t completely satisfied with the equipment, you simply won’t use it and have wasted hundreds of dollars. If you have never lifted weights or done strength training before, either find a friend who has a home gym and test it out, or get a trial gym membership to see what equipment you like to use before buying something you hate.

The internet is a great place to do some initial research to see what is available and compare features, benefits and prices between the offerings from the various home gym manufacturers. When you have carried out your research you can then go forward with confidence knowing what you want, what you can afford and which is the best home gym system for you.

A Used Fitness Equipment Review



Used fitness equipment is a more viable option today than it ever has because of the difficult economy. People still want to stay in shape but they are looking for other options besides having to pay big dollars for brand new gym equipment.

Much the same way you buy a car the moment you drive the new car of the lot the value goes down. The same with fitness equipment. The moment you buy new fitness equipment the value diminishes significantly. So what can you do? You can buy used, yes, you can buy used fitness equipment.

You just need to be careful that you don’t purchase another persons problems. This used to happen quite a bit by trying to buy on places such as eBay and Craigslist. Look for a company that specializes in used fitness equipment. There are companies that often buy health club machines from clubs going out of business.

They take these machines for pennies on the dollar then fix them up to like new conditions and then turn around and sell them for a profit.

You can save as much as fifty percent or more and the quality is almost brand new. A number of school districts and rehabilitation centers have started exploring the refurbished gym machine markets looking to save a few dollars without sacrificing quality.

This is an area they can, just make sure the company has been in business for at least ten years, they have a website and phone number so that you can talk to them.

I would suggest calling them and talking to them to make sure that they are helpful and can answer your questions. These companies will ship these fitness machines all over the world because of the substantial savings. When you are talking to them on the phone I would also ask if they have a service department.

A company that has their own service department means that they will have parts in stock not to mention the team in place to restore the machines to like new conditions. You will also want to make sure that you talk to a few of the customers they have done business with in the past if you are making a large purchase otherwise just review their return policy.

This market used to have a bad reputation because of fly by night operations but more recently has gained a better respect since more reputable companies have hit the market. By taking a few extra minutes and doing your homework you can find quality workout machines by buying used fitness equipment.

Home Fitness Exercise Equipment – Should You Buy a Set of Dumbbells?



There is a lot of home fitness exercise equipment available to choose from when developing your home gym. Unfortunately, cost and size of exercise equipment can restrict your fitness needs. Dumbbells are the most versatile piece of equipment for home gyms.

With a good set of dumbbells, there really is no need for additional home fitness exercise equipment. Almost any exercise you can do on a bench or weight machine can be done with dumbbells. Unlike bulky machines, dumbbells have no restrictions in movement so you have a larger variety of workouts available.

Another benefit of dumbbells are they cost much less than most gym equipment. Even if you’re buying a used full body gym, you may spend $600 or more. With dumbbells, you only buy how many you need. The price will vary depending on the amount of weight you want, but it’s significantly less than a gym.

Another benefit is that basic workouts can have their intensity increased by adding dumbbells to a routine. Shadow boxing while holding dumbbells will increase the intensity in your arms and shoulders. If you hold dumbbells to your chest while doing crunches, you will give your abs a more difficult workout. You can even hold dumbbells above your head while doing supermans to really feel the burn in the core areas of your body.

Even if you have a wall full of dumbbells, with the right organizational skills, they do not take up a lot of room. Dumbbells are advancing, so instead of having a wall full, companies like PowerBlock allow you to adjust the weight settings. These allow you to have 5 to 100 pounds of weight, but are the size of two large dumbbells, so they barely take up any space.

Using dumbbells as your home fitness exercise equipment of choice will give you the body you desire. There’s no workout you can’t do with a set of dumbbells, so the possibilities are endless.

Elliptical Fitness Equipment and Fitness Workout



There are a lot of health aids out there that can get your life back on track, going in a right direction, such as books, supplements, nutritionists, gyms, health food stores, and more. Health clubs are a form of health aids if you can afford them.

Elliptical Fitness Equipment, the Wonders it can and will do for You. I know because I use it, at least 3 times a week! Elliptical fitness equipment is swarming the nation as more and more people are realizing the real health benefits of elliptical equipment. Elliptical Fitness equipment, also called Elliptical trainers have become one of the most notable cardiovascular workout machines in the world. They provide low impact for every muscle in the body because it uses arm and leg movements at the same time. And, if you’ve ever used a Gazelle, you’ll see the benefits of hand placement on the movable bars increases arm reach,creating more movement. Most home fitness trainers strengthen upper and lower body, although some offer just lower body exercise. Elliptical fitness equipment works all the muscles at the same time.

For many years, medical professionals and fitness experts have been advising clients to use exercise equipment, whether at the gym, or home, to improve overall physical health well-being. Elliptical fitness equipment(at the gym or health club) and those used for home fitness, imitates walking, running, while producing almost no consequences to your joints. Fitness equipment training included in your workout can go a long way towards achieving your fitness goals. Elliptical fitness is hugely popular, and with it a flow of elliptical equipment to buy. I have noticed for myself, more calories are burned than using a treadmill. Elliptical Fitness equipment does not have to fancy and super expensive. While some types of exercise equipment or aerobic fitness equipment (cardiovascular equipment that is), aren’t seen as for muscle building,they remain identified as aerobic fitness equipment or cardiovascular equipment. Fitness equipment reviews will help you do your homework and find the best one for you. Elliptical Fitness equipment is a low impact choice that also provides a full body workout.

The following is suggested in health articles noted by health experts, and remember also, consistency and a developed routine. You should exercise at least three times a week, and it is better if you to exercise daily on a cardiovascular machine. Elliptical machines are growing as a popular home fitness answer to a need for a more convenient way to exercise.

Elliptical fitness equipment is available in a wide price range, from a couple of hundred dollars up to several thousand. If you’re going to go out and invest in elliptical fitness equipment, then you ought to at least know what it is. Elliptical fitness equipment is manufactured by many companies like Nordic, Eclipse, Life, ProForm, Precor, and are available for prices ranging from as much as $500 and up to $10,000 or more. Invest in a few pieces of trusty elliptical fitness equipment and you’ll never have to go to the gym again. Well, that’s what someone said, anyway. I like to hit the gym as well, just in case you lack fitness weight training equipment at home. Good luck and happy workout!