Weight Fitness

Weight Fitness Equipment – Wii Fit: A Fun and Effective Daily Wokout

February 18th, 2010 at 06:59pm Under Fitness Equipment

When talking about weight fitness equipment, no conversation is complete without including my favorite, Nintendo’s Wii Fit.

It stands head and shoulders above every piece of exercise equipment I have ever owned and is a ton of fun too.

Although I am a second degree black belt in GoJu Karate and exercise regularly, I can’t stand going to the gym.  I really hate lifting a heavy piece of metal  over and over or running on a treadmill.  It’s all very boring to me.

Enter the Wii Fit by Nintendo. I LOVE THIS THING!  It’s far more than just a toy or game, the Wii Fit actually delivers a very good workout.

You are able to choose from Strength Training, Yoga,  Balance, or Aerobics with many exercises for each category.  As you get better, you unlock more exercises and more reps. It keeps you entertained too. I find myself looking forward to each workout and always trying to beat my last score and get the number one spot.

The Hula Hoop workout is my wife Tiffany’s favorite while I enjoy the Island run. When doing the cardio workouts, you actually get a good sweat going.

The strength training will  get you sore if you are not used to exercising. It will definitely provide a challenge when the advanced reps are unlocked.

The yoga program is very good too. You’ll find yourself more flexible and toned with daily use. Your breathing will also be much deeper and rhythmic.

I don’t go a day without using this piece of weight fitness equipment.  It also incorporates  male and female  virtual trainers to help you, an accurate scale and a true fitness log.

You can even create your own avatars, called miis, to represent you. they show up on many of the exercises and balance games.

Set a goal to loose a certain amount of weight and the Wii Fit  will track your  progress and give feedback.

Bottom line is that if you want a way to exercise that you will continue to come back to and that is actually fun, check out the Wii  Fit.

This is one peice of weight fitness equipment that will not be collecting dust in a corner of your room.

By Paul Add comment

Free Weight For Fitness

January 25th, 2010 at 10:58am Under Fitness Equipment+ Weights and Fitness

If you have dived into the world of resistance training you would have noticed that there are two types of resistance methods: free weights and weights equipment. So which is better? Well – it depends upon your goals.

If your goal is to build a lot of muscle you will want to focus mainly on the free weights. If your goal is fitness, a mixture of both is ideal…

Free weights are those which do not provide any assistance such as cables or machines. They involve you solely lifting the weight without any help or counter resistance. In other words, free weight for fitness means that you can judge exactly how much weight you can lift at any one time without being hampered.

Strength training equipment now comes in hundreds of different types that cover almost the entire body. Many people opt to use equipment for leg exercises and free weights for training the top half of the body.

Whilst it is entirely possible (and highly beneficial) to use barbells and dumbbells to train your thighs, hamstrings, calves and entire lower body, using equipment is easier; particularly if you are just starting out. It is easy to strain your back when doing leg muscle free weights, so it’s not a bad idea to strengthen up for a few months on equipment before experimenting with exercises like dead lifts (lifting a barbell from the ground to train your upper legs).

There are advantages and disadvantages of using machine weights. On the good side machines are safer as there’s no danger of you getting stuck holding weights that you can’t put down. They can also help you to target a particular muscle easier than free weights in the beginning.

But the benefits of free weight for fitness outweigh those of machines when you consider what they can do for your body. You can perform movements cleanly and without obstruction or help. This makes your muscles totally extend for the entire action. The action of free weights also closely mimics actions you make in sports and in stretching.

They are also very versatile as a pair of dumbbells can serve to provide you with exercises for many different muscle groups. You don’t have to join a gym if you concentrate on free weights for fitness as the equipment will cost you under $100 and will provide you with an all over body workout for many years into the future.

By Paul Add comment

Fitness Center : Motovation and Fun = Results

October 25th, 2009 at 01:41pm Under Weights and Fitness

A fitness center is a great place to get motivated from fellow fitness enthusiasts, whilst also being able to take full advantage of the wide range of equipment and classes at the particular gym or health club that you go to.

There are now so many gyms and fitness clubs to choose from and all offer different services at different prices. So who should you sign up with?

Firstly you need to look at what exists in your local area. If you need to drive any further than 15 minutes or so to a gym, it is very likely that you will not go as often as you need to. If you live in a metropolitan area this will not be a problem as there are now multiple gyms in every single city.

LaFitness is one of the most well known and leading fitness centers in the US. They have many different locations around the country and have different activities for you to choose from. They are more than just a gym; LA Fitness provides basketball, swimming, indoor cycling and other sporting facilities so you can have an all round workout whilst never getting bored of doing the same gym routine.

LA Fitness clubs are also equipped with state of the art cardio and free weights equipment for those who prefer a traditional gym environment.
I could not locate any pricing plans on the LA Fitness website which is always alarming, but they are a very well known brand and as such can be trusted. Call your local LAFitness fitness center to find out which pricing plans they have available.

Another excellent fitness center is BallyFitness. They currently have a $0 enrollment fee and plans from just $29.99 per month. This is one of the most affordable fitness clubs around. The great thing about BallyFitness is that there is no long term contract so you aren’t obliged to keep paying if you don’t want to. They have several membership levels; with the Comprehensive plan being especially enticing as you get personal training included.

These are just two of the many fitness centre choices you have – so do your homework and then get signed up!

By Paul

Lifting Weight for Fitness – How to Do It Right

September 15th, 2009 at 07:23pm Under fitness

I started lifting weight for fitness back in high school in order to get some strength to help in my new discovery of martial arts. Prior to that, I was the smart, quiet, nerdy kid that everyone liked but not a single girl wanted to date. That changed when I found my love of martial arts and in it, psychical fitness.

Weights were a large part of my workouts those early white belt days, I figured as long as I lifted, I would get stronger. I did have success with that attitude, but as my mastery over my body improved, I also gained additional insight.

Here is some of what I have discovered.

Certain equipment is needed in order to lift weight for fitness. The most common being free weights such as dumbbells or their bigger brothers, the barbells. weight machines are popular ways of working on specific muscle groups also. If you have issues with your back, a good support belt is helpful and gloves designed for weight lifting ward off blisters and absorb sweat.

Lifting weight for fitness also can turn back the hands of time, giving you a more youthful look, and a stronger, healthier body, (sorry, to the best of my knowledge, it still can’t grow hair).

You need to exercise caution since your chances for hurting yourself increases with the amount of weight lifted. It’s always best to start with a weight you can handle and build as you progress.

weight lifting  is also a great way to manage your body weight since muscle requires more calories than fat to exist, so the  muscle you add burns calories at a much higher rate and increases your metabolism without the aid of diet pills.

Your muscles also need rest between workouts, if you are even lifting moderately heavy weights, give your body time to recover between workouts. That’s why a lot of people work on an upper-body, lower-body daily schedule.

It’s essential to get the correct form down in order to avoid injury and gain maximum results. Remember that if you wind up hurting yourself, it means no workout for at least a few days untill your body recovers. (Oh yeah, don’t forget the actual PAIN!!!)

When done correctly and safely, lifting weight for fitness can give you the body you’ve dreamed of, more energy than you thought possible, and the wonderful attention of the opposite sex, all with less than half an hour per day.

By Paul