Home Workout Ideas

A Kettlebell is all You Need for a Home Gym

July 5, 2012 by J

Kettlebells are pieces of weight training equipment that originated from Russia where they go by the name of ‘girya’ but are now popular the world over, or at least amongst those in the know and who appreciate effective training methods that aren’t always recognised by mainstream gyms. Kettlebells are usually made of cast-iron and look like a cannonball with a handle welded on which allows you to pick them up and perform numerous weight training exercises that are perfect for those who want to get in great shape, put on some muscle, have a cardio workout, burn calories and improve their balance and co-ordination all in one workout with one type of fitness equipment.

Kettlebells are usually made of cast-iron and look like a cannonball with a handle welded on which allows you to pick them up and perform numerous weight training exercises that are perfect for those who want to get in great shape, put on some muscle, have a cardio workout, burn calories and improve their balance and co-ordination all in one workout with one type of fitness equipment.

Why Kettlebells are Excellent for Home Workouts

If you plan to do any kind of training or exercise at home whether you are working towards getting that beach body you always wanted, increasing your strength or getting fitter, then a set of kettlebells should be at the top of your shopping list and could be the only piece of home gym equipment you ever need. There are a few good reasons why you should seriously consider getting a set of kettlebells no matter how big or small your home setup is already and here are a few good ones to help convince anyone who is still unsure about these piece of gym equipment:

Extremely Versatile: this type of fitness equipment is very versatile and can be used to do lots and lots of different exercises that you would otherwise need lots of different pieces of equipment for. Want to do a chest press and don’t want to buy a bench, a barbell and some weights? Don’t worry you can do kettlebell floor press without any additional equipment. Want to do a squat and don’t have a power rack? Don’t worry; you can do kettlebell goblet squats without one.
Suitable for Many Different Goals: If you are training to get fit and increase your cardio vascular performance then you can do a powerful circuit training routine with just a kettlebell that will leave you out of breath and sweating like the proverbial. If you want to lose weight then you can do calorie busting interval training sessions with only a kettlebell for company that will help transform your body into a calorie burning furnace. If you want to get lean and toned and look the fittest guy or girl at the beach then a kettlebell allows you to perform all the essential compound exercises that can help you pack on the muscle and strip of the fat. Whatever your goals it is highly likely a kettlebell is all you need to succeed at home.
Space and Money Saving Abilities: One of the main problems with setting up a home gym is that there can be a lot of cost involved if you go all out and try and recreate a commercial gym in your spare room. We don’t recommend you go down this route as it can be very expensive and take up a lot of room. In fact even if you do have the space and the spare money lying around it isn’t even necessary to build a full home gym. A kettlebell can perform so many different functions that it can be all you need to get started and even reach your goals. You don’t need to buy a space hogging treadmill or bank balance zapping smith machine to get in shape.

So as you can here are just three great reasons to start thinking about getting your first kettlebell whether you are in the early stages of starting to train at home and get away from the gym on a part-time or full-time basis or whether you have a functioning home gym already and want to make your training even more dynamic and effective. Whatever your goals, a set of kettlebells has a part to play and should be seriously looked into.

Both men and women can make great use from a good kettlebell set and no matter what your goals are, they can help you achieve them.

To reach your health and fitness goals all you need is dedication and the right equipment. After all, you don’t want to be the guy with all the gear and no idea, do you?

How to Avoid Skinny Fat Syndrome

July 3, 2012 by J

A lot of people start going to the gym and exercising with fat loss as their main goal. Joining a gym or starting a home fitness program is one of the best steps you can take in your quest to lose fat and get in great shape but if you follow conventional wisdom when it comes to choosing and applying a workout regime then you could end up heading down the wrong path which might either make it a lot longer before you achieve your goals or take you to an entirely different, unwanted destination instead. That destination is the Skinny Fat Syndrome and it isn’t a place you want to go!

What is Skinny Fat Syndrome?

If, when fully clothed you appear to be relatively skinny and thin looking but in actual fact you have areas of fat such as your belly, chest and upper arms then there is a good chance you are skinny fat. This is the exact opposite of the athletic and toned look most people desire and affects men and women in equal numbers.

How Do People Get Skinny Fat?

Now, we understand that if you are reading this you specifically do not want to get skinny fat or are already there and want to know how to change your body composition to something healthier and more aesthetically pleasing. But it is worth pointing out the various ways people can end up suffering from Skinny Fat Syndrome to help explain this condition fully.

Starting Out Skinny with Gradual Fat Increases

This is the most common route to ending up being skinny and fat at the same time and happens to lots of people. Perhaps you were skinny or thin in your teens and early twenties and could eat what you wanted and didn’t have to do any physical activities to maintain your weight. As you started to get a bit older and as each year your body’s metabolism slowed down bit by bit you continued to eat the same amount of food but your body began to store more of this food as fat around your body. It might have been a gradual process of only a few extra pounds a year but after a few years this added up and you soon found yourself with a significant deposit of fat around your belly. Initially you could hide this new extra weight gain but when not wearing the right clothes or at the beach it was visible for all to see.

Following the Wrong Exercise Program when Trying to Lose Weight

This is the other main way people end up being skinny fat and is perhaps even more frustrating for the people to whom it applies. If you were overweight and had a body some people might have considered as being fat and you took the commendable steps to do something about it you might have initially started to lose weight and seen a striking transformation in your body composition as the fat started to melt away slowly but surely. But as you got down to a reasonable weight you found that although some parts of your body were thin and skinny other parts such as your belly, chest and thighs were still carrying unwanted weight and fatty deposits. Although you were now no longer overweight you still had areas of fat and for all the weight you had lost you still didn’t have the body you wanted.

The chances are you were using cardiovascular exercises such as running as your main or only method for burning off those extra calories and although this worked well initially it soon become a contributor to your status of being skinny fat.

How to Lose Weight without Becoming Skinny Fat

So now that we have covered ‘what is skinny fat’ and how it can happen we are getting to the crux of this article and that is how to lose weight without becoming a skinny fat person.

If we take a look the typical profile of a skinny fat person which applies to both men and women, we can see what needs to be done to avoid this situation:

Mainly skinny but with unwanted areas of fat such as the belly, upper arms and chest
Low levels of muscle tone
Legacy of being able to eat what they want which was mainly unhealthy food
Doesn’t exercise often and if does, only cardio exercises such as running, cycling or cross training
Drinks too much alcohol
Slower metabolism due to increasing age and/or lack of the right kind of exercise

So as you can see there are a number of contributing factors that could apply to someone in order to render them skinny fat. Some or all of those might apply to you and the more of them you can fix then the quicker you will be able to change your body to healthy and toned or whatever your goal might be.

The Best Thing You Can Do to Beat Skinny Fat Syndrome

If you look at the list above three of the key factors (low muscle tone, no regular exercise & slow metabolism) can be grouped together and remedied at the same time and that is with regular weight training. This applies to both men and women and we recommend that both genders should workout in the same way if they want to get in great shape, obtain a toned, healthy looking athletic physique to ensure they look good naked or at the beach.

Why Weight Training?

In a previous article we talked about why weight training is the best way to lose weight so for a more detailed answer you should look there but to sum it up weight training is the best way to no longer be skinny fat because:

Weight training workouts burn more calories than cardio exercises over the course of a day
More muscle tone means a faster metabolism which means your body burns more calories when resting
Adding muscle to your body gives you an athletic toned look with no flabby or wobbly bits

Weight training workouts can be done a few times a week and we recommend you only train for 30 minutes at a time. After half an hour shouldn’t have enough energy left to continue and if you have then you got the energy then you haven’t been doing it properly. Three 30 minute workouts a week should be sufficient.

You can start an effective weight training workout with hardly any fitness equipment at all or even without any equipment by doing body weight exercises. This means you can easily train at home without the expense of setting up a home gym or buying costly cardio equipment. For some ideas on weight training at home on a budget read this article to get started.

Why Cardio Isn’t the Answer

While cardio exercises such as running or cycling are great ways to increase your fitness levels they aren’t the best means to avoiding becoming skinny fat and having a toned figure. As you lose some of your fat by doing cardio training you unfortunately won’t be replacing that fat with lean body mass or muscle so your body won’t develop that toned, fit look.

Cardio training burns calories while you are training but as soon as you stop the exercise the calorie burning stops too. With weight training you get around an extra hour of increased calorie burn after you’ve finished working out making a weight training exercise much more effective in terms of calorie usage.

As your body doesn’t develop much if any muscle from your cardio workouts your body’s metabolism won’t improve like it does when you increase your levels of muscle. This means you don’t get the very important benefit of having a body that burns more calories in a day which you get from weight training and increasing your muscle mass.

Cardio training can even burn muscle instead of fat if you don’t do it correctly or fuel your workouts in the correct way. Muscle loss due to badly planned cardio workouts is more common than you think and can be a real problem and a big cause of becoming skinny fat. If your body is using muscle instead of fat for energy while you are running or cycling for example you won’t lose fat and will even lose muscle instead which might make your progress on the scales seem like it is heading in the right way but in terms of looking good in the mirror won’t help at all. Losing muscle will slow down your metabolism, make you look less toned and lead to a loss in strength and energy that might prevent you from being able to exercise in the future.

But I don’t want to Get Muscle Bound

This is a common concern from both men and women when they are recommend a weight training program in order to lose fat and get in shape but it isn’t something that should concern you. In order to get the benefits having more muscle gives you such as a faster metabolism and a more toned athletic look you only need to add a few pounds of lean mass. Adding significant amounts of muscle where you start to look bulky and out of proportion doesn’t happen overnight and takes years of dedicated heavy weight training alongside the user of supplements and special diets. We are not advocating that approach at all so this will not happen to you!

The average trainer will put on a few pounds of lean muscle relatively quickly and then the body will reach its natural limit of muscle mass. To get past that point you have to take your training to the next level which is something that is not needed to get in great shape and look good naked or at the beach. Do not fear weight training; excessive muscle gain isn’t easy!

Saying Goodbye to Skinny Fat

If you are serious about losing fat and getting in great shape I hope I have convinced you that weight training is the single most effective way of doing so without ending up somewhere you don’t want to be such as Skinnyfatsville.

Of course diet plays a big part and reducing the amount of alcohol you drink and cutting down on the number of unhealthy treats you have will definitely help but for the amount of effort vs. benefit weigh training can’t be beaten as it:

Speeds up your metabolism causing you to burn more calories each and every day
Replaces fat with muscle tone
Increases strength and gives you a great beach body
Can be done at home with very little equipment or none at all

If you want to know more about weight training for impressive fat loss then have a look at some of these articles:

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How to Bench Press without a Bench

June 25, 2012 by J

The bench press is probably the most well-known weight training exercise amongst gym regulars and those with no interest in fitness and judging by how busy the benching equipment in gyms around the world is you could safely say it also the most popular.

When most people start working out with weight their initial goals are to gain muscle on their chest and arms as these are the two most prominent muscle groups of the body. As people become more experienced trainers they start to focus on other muscle groups in order to achieve a more well-rounded and aesthetically pleasing physique but this still means they train their chest muscles regularly and we all know that one of the best exercises to develop our chest muscles in the pressing exercises.

How to Train Your Chest Muscles at Home

If you are training at a well-equipped gym then training your chest shouldn’t be a problem (apart from perhaps the queues for the benches on a Monday) but what if you are weight training at home?

You could go all out and build a home gym with all the best gear such as a power rack, an Olympic bar and a full set of weights but for those of us with more modest home setups this isn’t a viable option. You could get a single bench and some dumbbells which would allow you to perform the dumbbell bench press which is just as good, if not better than the barbell bench press due to the extra stabiliser muscles that are used to keep the individual dumbbells steady. But to do this exercise you would still need a bench of some kind which can be a problem if you are short of space or storage facilities.

Bench Press without a Bench

So if you don’t have the room or the desire to get a weight training bench for your home training space then you might be wondering how you can give your chest muscles an effective workout in order to achieve your goal of a great body.

Well the good news is it can be done and it is possible to perform the chest press exercise much more easily than you might have thought without the need for a bench. In order to do this exercise you simply lie on the floor and start the exercise from the mid-way position to perform a dumbbell floor press.

The other bit of good news is that you can do these dumbbell floor presses one arm at a time if you only have one weight and you can do it with a dumbbell or a kettle bell which means you need even less equipment to be able to train at home. If you use a set of adjustable dumbbells you can reduce the number of home weight training equipment you need even further making muscle gains with minimal gear even easier.

If you want some tips on how to train at home without any equipment at all check out our guide to training at home without any equipment now.

How to Find Out How Fat You Are

June 22, 2012 by J

Measuring your body fat levels is one of the best ways to keep track of your progress and make sure you are moving in the right direction towards your goals. Although there are many ways to measure your body fat percentage none of them are fool proof and they all have their pros and cons which are mainly related to their accuracy and how much they cost. When choosing a method for measuring the amount of fat that your body is made up of there will usually have to be a trade-off between accuracy and the amount of money you are willing to spend.

We will now have a look at some of the best methods out there for finding out how fat you really are!

Using Measuring Tape to Keep Track of Your Fat Loss

This is the most basic method and probably the cheapest. If you can find a regular tape measure laying around the house it won’t even cost you a thing. But as with most things that are free it isn’t necessarily the best way. The method is to simply measure your body at certain points such as your chest, belly and arms and then compare the measurements over set periods of time.

While this method is practically free and very easy to do it can give misleading results if you are also training with weights because as you add muscle the measurements might start to go up as you get bigger even though you have less fat. Perhaps this method is best used for those who are very overweight and are only initially training for fat loss rather than adding muscle.

Calculating Your Body Fat Levels with Skin Fold Calipers

This tool measures the fat under your skin at various points around the body by pinching the excess skin and fat to give you an overall reading of your body fat percentage. You need to take the measurements at specific points on your body and ensure you are taking the readings from the same points each time you use the calipers. The good news is that calipers are cheap to buy and are fairly easy to use if you know what you are doing. The bad news is that unless you have read the instructions fully then the chances of you getting an accurate reading are slim. But when it comes down to cost versus accuracy these are probably the best of the bunch.

Digital Body Fat Scales

These are like your regular bathroom scales except that they can also measure your body composition including how much of your body consists of fat: i.e. your body fat percentage. By sending an electrical current around your body they can measure how much resistance it faces which is caused by the fat in your body. They cost more than calipers but are much easier to use and read as you just stand on them and check the display but their results aren’t the most accurate and their calculations can vary depending on many factors such as hydration levels and how much of the body they measure. This makes them difficult to get an accurate reading on or track your progress reliably.

Ultrasound Body Composition Measurement Tool

Now we are moving into the more advanced technology which can give much more accurate readings but with accuracy comes a higher price and ultrasound body composition measurements tools like the BodyMetrix Personal are no exception. They are very simple to use as you just hold the handheld device and move it over the body where it will use ultrasound to record the thickness of fat or muscle anywhere on the body. The recordings are then uploaded to your computer where the calculations will be made and then the data will be presented to you using graphs and other methods. You get lots of different data from these devices such as your weight, your body mass index, your basal metabolic rate (BMR).

If you are doing any kind of personal training this is a great tool to have as you can give your clients loads of great information about their bodies and the progress they are making under your expert tutelage. Even if you are just a keen trainer they are worth a look as they are the best way to take readings and remove the element of human error.

Which One is Best For You?

It is likely that your budget will determine which option you go for as although the Ultrasound measuring tool is the best it is considerably more expensive than the calipers which deliver great results if they are used correctly. If you want to impress your clients then you might be able to justify the high price of the BodyMetrix Personal Ultrasound tool but if a simple body fat percentage reading will suffice then we recommend you get a pair of calipers.

To view the current best-selling calipers click here now.

Shopping for Home Cardio Equipment on a Budget

June 22, 2012 by J

If you want to start doing cardio training at home in order to help you meet your goals of improving your fitness levels, losing weight or just generally increasing your vitality then getting a piece of home cardio equipment should be at the top of your list.

If you’ve used any of the cardio machines in a gym such as the treadmill, the elliptical trainer or the stationary bike then you might have assumed that it would cost a large amount of money to get a piece of equipment of this type for your home. The reason you might have made this assumption is that the fitness equipment in the gym is for commercial use and is therefore more robust and kitted out with all kinds of features and settings to suit every type or trainer and their specific needs.

The good news is that buying a piece of home cardio equipment needn’t be an expensive ordeal and if you are prepared to shop around and reduce your expectations a little you can get a great piece of home gym equipment at a low price.

Why Do Cardio at Home?

Before you decide to hand over your hard earned cash for something like this you should be clear on exactly why you want to do cardio exercises at home. There are loads of great reasons to do so though so if you have the space and the budget then getting one of these machines can really increase the amount of time you have available to train as you care no longer constrained by the opening hours of the gym or the weather outside being suitable. Some reasons for choosing to workout at home include:

Being able to train at any time of the day or night whenever you choose
Not having to join a gym and pay expensive membership fees or travel back and forth each time you want to train
Make it easy for the whole family to improve their fitness or lose weight by providing them with an exercise machine
Do something else at the same time as exercising such as watching TV, reading or even some work at your desk!

The above are just some of the great reasons as to why you might want to start doing cardio training at home as opposed to the gym. But now the question is what type of home exercise equipment should you go for and how much will it cost?

The Best Home Fitness Equipment

As I mentioned earlier in this article the cardio machines you might be familiar with from the gym are of a commercial standard and are designed to be used non-stop for many years by all types of people of different abilities and sizes.

You probably don’t have the budget or the space at home to install a full sized commercial treadmill and there is no need for you to do so as your goals can still be achieved on a more modest piece of equipment.

If you must do running training then the budget treadmills won’t be as good as the commercial versions but they are still worth looking into but if you really want the best value for money home fitness equipment then you should consider getting a small or folding exercise bike. The reasons you should consider getting a folding stationary bicycle is that they offer the best combination of low cost, high quality and minimal space requirements.

The Advantages of Folding Exercise Bikes

So if you really want a piece of home exercise equipment that is easy to store away when not in use and won’t take up half of your living room when you are using it then you should definitely consider a folding exercise bicycle. If you are on a budget they are great because they can be purchased for as little as $130 for a well-regarded model with lots of positive customer reviews such as the Confidence Fitness Space Saving X Bike which is great for endurance training and fat burning steady state cardio sessions. As these compact exercise bikes are easy to setup and move around they are great for those who want to vary the places they do their cardio such as in front of the TV, looking out the window or even out in the garden when the weather is nice. They don’t require any power from the mains so you don’t have to worry about trailing leads and bearing near to a power outlet to do a workout. There are a number of options to choose from such as the aforementioned Confidence Fitness Space Saving X Bike to the quirky but ingenious FitDesk X Compact Pedal Desk which actually has a stand to hold your laptop allowing you to workout while working or playing games on your computer!

The Best Home Cardio Equipment for You

As you can see there are lots of options available when it comes to choosing a piece of home cardio equipment and they all have their pros and their cons but at the end of the day the best machine will be the one that you will use the most.

There is no point getting the most expensive treadmill if you aren’t going to use it and would’ve been better off with a $100 mini exercise bike you would’ve used a few times a week.

So when it comes to making your choice, be honest with yourself and pick one that is likely to get the most use rather than the one which looks the best and has the most positive customer reviews.

If you want to get in shape at home and don’t have the space for any cardio machines then take a look at some of our other home training articles such as:

We hope you found this article helpful and if you have any questions please leave a comment below.

How to Get in a Fat Burning Workout Whilst Watching TV

June 21, 2012 by J

If your idea of a relaxing evening doesn’t involve going to the gym and pounding away on the treadmills or exercise bikes then you can still achieve your fitness goals of losing fat and getting in shape without ever setting foot in a gym or leaving the house.

In fact, even if you’d rather spend your evenings at home in front of the TV watching your favorite shows or films you can still meet your targets and burn a considerable about of calories without ever having to leave the house and tear yourself away from in front of your home entertainment center. Even if you love the outdoors and hitting the gym having the option to train at home can be a blessing when you are short on time or the weather is just too unpleasant to venture outdoors. Depending on the home fitness equipment you chose you could even get in a round or two on your favorite console game while working up a sweat.

This article aims to show you that there is more than one way to skin a cat when it comes to getting in a fat zapping workout even if you don’t have the time or the inclination to visit the gym.

Combine Watching TV with Fat Loss

If two of your goals in life are to keep up with the latest season of The Apprentice and get a beach body to be proud of then the good news is that these two goals are not mutually exclusive. This means you can achieve both goals at the same time. There are a few options to help you do this and which one you choose depends on a few key things such as:

How much space you have at home
What your budget is
How strenuous or relaxing you want your workout to be

Now, in a previous article I talked about how weight training was the best way to lose fat in the long term and get a toned, athletic physique but there is still a place for cardio training if you want to increase your fitness levels or lose fat and it makes a great accompaniment to weight training.

Weight Training While Watching TV

Not only is weight training one of the best ways to change your body as it burns fat while also getting you toned and in great shape but it is extremely easy to do at home while watching TV. In fact you don’t even need any equipment to get started with this type of training. You can get some ideas for a home workout without any equipment in this article.

Cardio Training in Front of the TV

Cardio training is an excellent way to improve your fitness levels which has great health benefits but it is also an ideal way to burn off those calories. Doing a cardio session in the evening after a hard day at work can be quite difficult to get motivated for but if you combine it with watching your favorite film or TV show then it can make it much more tolerable. If you are watching something engrossing then you might even forget you are doing any exercise at all! If you pick a show that it a set amount of time then you can workout alongside it and be sure you get your allotted amount of exercise in. Pick a 30 minute show for a quick workout and something lengthier for a more thorough workout. But what equipment do you need to get in a cardio workout in front of the TV?

The Best Home Cardio Options for a TV Workout

Most people don’t have the luxury of a spare room they can convert into a gym and even those that do often have other uses in mind for the spare room such as a study, play room or just a fun hangout for kids or adults. If the idea of having a small piece of equipment you can bring out for some front room exercise appeals to you take a look at some of these home cardio products that can help you meet your goals while also conveniently fitting into your lifestyle:

Mini Exercise Bikes

The mini exercise bike is perhaps the archetypal piece of home workout equipment for those who want to get in a home cardio session while doing something else such as working at their desk or sitting in front of the television. Due to their relatively low cost and small size they aren’t a large investment in terms of cost or space requirements and they can easily be stored away when not in use. They are very simple to operate and don’t require any setup once they have been initially assembled. This means you can quickly whip out your mini exercise bike when you decide it’s time for a workout and get straight to work without having to fiddle with any settings or additional equipment. You can either sit on your sofa or settee and place this piece of small exercise equipment in front of you or you can use it while sitting at a desk with the mini stationary bike at your feet under the desk. These mini exercise bikes can also be used to train your arms if you place them on a desk or table but for the best results we recommend you operate them with your legs but it is nice to have an extra option for your workouts. These products would make a great choice for someone who works at a desk all day and would like to burn off calories while they work as well as being perhaps the perfect accessories for a productive evening of television viewing.

The best-selling mini exercise bike is the MagneTrainer ER Mini Exercise Bike which has a great customer feedback score on amazon.com although there are cheaper options out there should you be on a budget.

Exercise Peddler

These are similar to the mini exercise bikes mentioned above but they cost less and are more basic in terms of design and features. If you really want a lightweight solution to your home cardio needs then a small exercise bike like this could be the answer to your prayers. They too can be tucked under a desk for some discrete cardio while at work or can be placed in front of you while sitting comfortably in front of the TV. There really is no limit to the number of places you can use one of these exercise peddlers, only your imagination will hold you back!

The best-selling piece of home workout equipment of this type is the Drive Medical Deluxe Folding Exercise Peddler which is currently half price on amazon and comes equipped with a digital display to let you know how long you have been exercising for, your revolution count and how many calories you have burned. It also has a large number of positive customer reviews.

While not as robust as the mini exercise bikes these peddlers cost a fraction of the price and take up hardly any space making them easy to store away and vastly more portable. If these are important considerations for you then take a look at the best-selling peddlers on amazon by clicking here now.

Mini Trampoline

When it comes to choosing a piece of home workout equipment that is fun and easy to use then a mini trampoline tops the list. You can do all sorts of exercises on these trampolines from jogging on the spot to jumping jacks and shadow boxing.

Hold a pair of adjustable dumbbells in your hands while bouncing to give your workouts an extra level of resistance and you can easily make a leisurely cardio workout a tough and challenging session.

The legs usually fold down on these mini trampolines so they can be stored away slightly easier than it may first appear but if space is limited then they might not be the best solution for you. They are pretty cheap when compared with other small exercise equipment and if you want a bit of novelty with your training then they might be just the thing for you.

To view the best-selling mini trampolines on amazon click here now.

Folding Exercise Bikes

If you want the convenience and features of a regular exercise bike but don’t have the space to devote to one then a folding exercise bike is the next best thing. The good news is they are often a lot cheaper than the regular non-folding ones so not only do you save space but you save money!

There are a number of different types and makes to choose from and there are lots of good deals to be had. There are two main varieties which are the folding recumbent bikes on which you sit down on a seat and pedal with your legs outstretched in front of you and the more conventional stationary bike design where you sit on a saddle and the pedals are positioned under the seat.

While the folding recumbent bikes are more comfortable they take up more space and tend to be more expensive.

To view the options available to you when shopping for a folding exercise bike click here now.

Which Option is Best for You?

When it comes to working out at home some approaches are better than others. For the average person with an able body I would generally always advocate following a weight training program first and foremost if their goals are to burn fat while getting toned and in great shape.

But at the end of the day it is most effective to choose an approach they you will stick to over the weeks, months and even years.

There is no point choosing the most effective fat burning method if it is not something you will enjoy doing. If it quickly becomes something you start to loathe and have to force yourself to do it won’t be long before you give up entirely. Therefore it is better to do something that is quite effective on a regular basis than something that is very effective occasionally. So with that in mind think carefully before deciding what approach you are going to apply when working out in front of the TV:

Physical Exercises without Weights such as press-ups, squats, jumping jacks and burpees.
Home Weight Training using dumbbells or kettlebells or even a mini home gym.
Home Cardio Training using jump ropes, mini exercise bikes, folding elliptical trainers or full sized exercise machines.

Whatever you think you will do the most often is the best choice to make for you!

If you are looking for some more home workout ideas check out these recent articles:

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Help: I’m Working Out but not Losing Weight!

June 21, 2012 by J

When most people start working out their initial goal is to “lose weight” but this phrase can be misleading as what their actual goal is is to lose fat. In fact they might not even really want to lose any weight at all!

When I first started going to the gym I did so because I noticed, or rather one of my friends noticed and kindly pointed out, that I was starting to develop a bit of a belly after years of being skinny due to a bad diet, too much drinking and no exercise (sound familiar?). I decided to nip this problem in the bud and join my local gym and start exercising there as I played no sports or did any training of any kind apart from walking around town.

Losing Weight vs. Losing Fat

My strategy was to do lots of cardio on the running machines and use the resistance machines in the gym. If I had a goal back then it would’ve been “to lose weight” but really what I wanted to do was “lose fat and gain muscle”.

As muscle weighs more than fat your weight might increase when you first start going to the gym as your body will be shedding its excess fat reserves while putting on some new muscle or lean mass. If you are unaware of what is going on there is a good chance you might get disheartened when you first step on the scales after a month or so of going to the gym. You will see that your total weight has gone up when the reason you started going to the gym was to lose weight – what is going on?

Scales aren’t the Best Way to Track Your Progress

For this reason using scales to weigh yourself isn’t the best way to see if your hard work in the gym is paying off. Seeing your body weight going up can be disappointing so we recommend that you track your progress in other ways. Some great ways to chart your change in body composition are:

Use a tape measure to measure the key parts of your body. Choose the main areas of your body you think that would give you a good indication of whether you are losing fat or not such as your belly, hips, thighs and upper arms. Make sure you measure yourself in exactly the same positions each time. A good idea is to measure yourself at the widest point, so for your belly find where you are the biggest and measure there each time. Do this once a month to allow enough time to pass for there to be a noticeable change and don’t get despondent if there isn’t a change as when it comes to getting in shape patience is definitely a virtue. If you are doing weight training as well as cardio which you really should be as it is the best way to lose fat and get toned for both men and women, then you will notice that some measurements might start going up such as your upper arms, chest and possibly shoulders. This is due to an increase in muscle and is nothing to worry about!
Take a photo of yourself at regular intervals to record the change in your body’s composition. If you are quite overweight then at first you will notice your fat deposits starting to reduce in size and visibility and then once you get to a low body fat percentage which could be less than 20% for men and maybe under 30% for women you will then see some muscle tone and definition start to become visible. This is where your weight loss might start to slow but do not worry! This means you are still losing fat but are gaining lean mass or muscle which will keep your weight level or even increasing but will result in a great new look which is toned, healthy and athletic looking. Try to ensure you take the photo in the same place such as the bathroom or the changing rooms at the gym to keep it consistent as different lighting and positions can make it harder to determine if there are any changes from photo to photo. I wish I started doing this when I first decided to get in shape as it can be a great motivator for you to see how far you’ve come and when you don’t feel like going to the gym a quick look at the photos of yourself looking fat and out of shape can give you that extra bit of motivation to workout!
Measuring your body fat is probably the best way to keep track of your fat loss progress but it is also quite tricky to do, especially by yourself. The cheapest and easiest way to get a measurement is to use a pair of body fat measuring calipers and although they come with instructions they can often give inaccurate readings if you don’t know what you are doing. There are more reliable methods available but they require special equipment that you won’t even find in most gyms. There are of course scales that claim to be able to measure your body fat by sending an electrical current around your body which they time to calculate what percentage of your body consists of fat on the premise that the current travels slower through fat. These products are not known for their accuracy and even on the same day can give different readings so don’t rely on them for an accurate reading or even to track your progress.

The best way in my opinion is to use a combination of the mirror and measuring tape to track your fat loss and muscle building progress once you start working out at home or in the gym. One of the main reasons we workout after all is to look good and to have a healthy appearance so what better way to keep an eye on this than by using our reflection.

If you still want to try and measure your body fat levels at home check out these products now.

Top Gym Motivation Tips to Help You Reach Your Goals

June 14, 2012 by J

Undoubtedly the hardest part of reaching your goals whether they are losing weight, getting fit, increasing your strength or putting on some muscle is staying motivated for long enough to keep on training or eating the right foods.

If your motivation is faltering then these fitness and gym motivation tips will help you get back on track and stay there!

There is nothing wrong with admitting your motivation isn’t currently as strong as it once was and realizing that you have a weakness is the first step in the process of eliminating that chink in your armor. So let’s get started with the top motivation tips that will ensure you get to where you want to be.

Name and Shame

If your goal is to lose weight or put on some quality muscle mass then take a photo of yourself now or find one of you looking less than flattering and pin that image up around the house. I am currently using a photo of me from a holiday a while ago on the beach with my top off looking larger than I thought I was! I’ve set this image as my computers desktop background and also printed a copy out and stuck it on the fridge. This means when I am on the computer and look at the desktop or press the alt and tabs keys to scroll through the open windows I get to see myself at my worst.

Also when I sneak off to the kitchen to grab a snack this terrible sight greets me as I am just about to open the fridge door for an illicit treat. As I am doing intermittent fasting to lose weight and put on some muscle, if I am tempted to eat outside of the allotted eating period this motivational tip usually stops me in my tracks.

Top Tip: If you’ve made good progress from when the photo was taken change it to a more recent one as you might get a false sense of confidence if you’ve come along way but still have not met your goals.

You can do the Name and Shame approach with other targets such as the weights you are lifting or the times of your runs but in my experience this one works best when you need motivation to lose weight.

If you want to take this gym motivation tip to the next level you can post the photo on Facebook or twitter for a public shaming but I don’t recommend this!

Google Image Search

Most people have some idea of how they want to look when they have reached their goals and if you need motivation to lose weight or gain some muscle then this fitness motivational tip works wonders. When you are scheduled to go to the gym but just don’t have the drive or motivation to set off simply fire up Google Image search and type in something like workout motivation for men or before and after weight loss women to bring up a whole host of great motivational photos. Don’t spend too much time trawling through them though. The idea is to act on the sudden burst of motivation and get going rather than trying to find the best ones.

Top Tip: You can download some of the best ones and compile a ‘mood board’ that is made up of your favourite motivational images. Just copy and paste the images into Word and save it or print it out for future reference.

Share Your Goals

Once you speak your goals out loud and tell other people about them they become real and take on a life of their own. At worst no one will be that interested but at least the goal has now been spoken and it will motivate you on to reach it now that other people know about it. By sharing your goals you might just get someone interested enough to keep checking on your progress to see how you are doing. Having someone on your back and keeping an eye on you can really help you stay motivated when you don’t feel like training or skipping that extra slice of cake.

Top Tip: Try and find someone to share your goal with who will ridicule you or at least tell you that you won’t make it; there is nothing like the ability to prove someone wrong to keep you going until the finish line.

Focus on the Positive Not the Negative

This might sound a bit airy fairy but it is still worth a try and keeps you in a positive state of mind which is very important. If your goal is to lose weight and no longer be fat don’t focus on how you hate being fat but focus on how great it will be when you are thinner. If you want to lift heavier weights don’t focus on how much you can lift now but focus on how much weight you want to lift. This goes for other things too. If you want more money then don’t say to yourself “I don’t want to be poor” but say “I want to be rich”. Just thinking about negative words like fat, weak or poor will put you into a negative state of mind which will zap you of your motivation. Make sure you goals are positive such as:

Have a six pack
Eat more healthier foods
Get a bikini body

Rather than negative ones such as:

Lose the belly fat
Eat less junk food
Stop being too fat for a bikini

They are still essentially the same goals but you have reworded them to become more positive and therefore more motivating.

Top Tip: Write these goals down and keep them to hand in your wallet or purse or as a screen saver on your computer.

Set Rewards

There is nothing like a bit of instant gratification to keep you on the straight and narrow and when it comes to workout motivational tips there is no exception. Set mini goals and targets such as hitting a certain weight on the scales, reaching a specific dress size or doing a set number of workouts in a week whether that means hitting the gym or working out at home. Make sure your goals are specific and that you know when they are reached and not vague targets like ‘eat healthy food this week’ ‘go to the gym as much as possible’ or ‘look good naked’. Those are all subjective and you can talk yourself into thinking you have met them when perhaps you haven’t. Keep the goals specific!

Make sure you also set realistic rewards and write them down first. Also make sure they aren’t opposed to your goals. Don’t reward ‘lose 10 pounds’ with ‘eat a family KFC bucket’. Try a reward that is more in tune with your goals like buying a new item of clothing or spending time with a friend.

Top Tip: Don’t overdo this one as you will get addicted to the treats and run out of things to reward yourself with!

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Having some money on the line is a great motivator for all sorts of goals, targets and objectives. If I told you to go to the gym every day for a year you’d probably tell me that that was impossible for you as you are far too busy and couldn’t possibly spare the time. If I told you I’d give you a million dollars if you went to the gym every day for a year you’d magically find the time. Well I’m sorry to break it to you but I’m not going to offer you any money and I don’t think anyone else will. But having a friendly bet with a friend that you can reach a certain goal should keep you motivated to lose weight or get faster, bigger or stronger. You can challenge each other to both meet a goal or you can be the only one with a goal and make it a simple bet: I bet you I can do 100 press-ups by Christmas. Again, make sure the goal is specific so there is no room for your partner to weasel their way out of it.

Top Tip: You don’t have to bet with money. Good old fashioned challenges work just as well such as eating a tin of dog food, not brushing your teeth for a week or watching Titanic.

Sign up for an Event

Find a local event that matches you goals and sign up for it. If you goal is to run faster then sign up for a running race. If you want to get toned and in shape then sign up for a wet t-shirt contest. Make sure the event or competition is related to your goal so you are working not only towards your goal but to avoiding public humiliation at the event you have registered for.

Top Tip: Get people to sponsor you so it is even harder for you to pull out as you will have to do the walk of shame around the office refunding all the money you collected because you chickened out!

Pay Someone to Motivate You

If you just can’t get yourself down the gym and these motivational tips did nothing for you and you still need motivation to lose weight or get in shape then hand over some of your hard earned cash for a personal trainer. Knowing there is someone waiting for you to arrive and will call you up when you don’t make an appearance at the gym should keep even the most unmotivated people focused on the task in hand. Plus the amount of money you will lose by not showing up will be an extra motivating factor.

Top Tip: Make sure the personal trainer doesn’t let you cancel sessions without a long notice period and that you have to do all cancellations over the phone and not by texting or emailing to make it harder to back out at the last minute.

Forget the Bad Days

Nobody is perfect and we all have off days when we just aren’t motivated enough to exercise or stick to our diets. When these days occur don’t beat yourself up about them. If you can’t get motivated just suck it up and move on. Tomorrow is another day and another chance to get closer to reaching your goals.

Don’t use this as an excuse not to workout though as you can only have so many bad days before you have a bad month, then a bad year and then…well you get the picture!

Oh and here is a final motivating word for you: while you were reading this article trying to get motivated you could’ve done your workout already so get on with it. Now!

For more motivating photos check out our Pinterest board.

Working out at Home on a Budget

June 12, 2012 by J

There are loads of great reasons to start working out at home and doing so doesn’t mean you have to quit the gym. Training at home can allow you to still get in an effective workout on those days when you can’t make it to the gym but if you do want to cancel your gym membership setting up a gym at home doesn’t have to cost a lot and can easily be done on a budget.

Some reasons why you might want to setup a gym at home include:

You don’t have the time to consistently make it to the gym but still want to workout
You don’t have the extra money to spend on a gym membership
There aren’t any good gyms in your area
You want the freedom to be able to train whenever you like, not just when the gym is open
You prefer your own company when working out and don’t want to be surrounded by annoying gym goers
You want to listen to your own music or watch your own TV programs
You want to train in your underwear without getting strange looks

Whatever the reason is that you want to start working out at home the good news is that you don’t have to break the bank to get started. It is possible to make do with very little equipment and still get a good workout in no matter what your goals. Even if your main goal is to lose weight you can still succeed by exercising at home. Training for weight loss doesn’t require any fancy cardio machines and can be done perfectly adequately with just a simple set of weights as you can find out here in this article about getting in shape at home without using any cardio machines.

Essential Equipment for Training at Home

Whether your goals are increasing your strength, getting lean and putting on some muscle or just losing weight the most important piece of equipment you need is some kind of free weight. We recommend you start your home gym with a set of dumbbells or a kettlebell. As you can lose weight, increase your strength or build muscle to get that athletic toned look with this type of weight it is a great place to start and doesn’t cost the world or take up much space.

If you plan to do lots of exercises working out different parts of your body then you will need weights that cover a large range in terms of how much they weigh. This can get expensive and the growing number of weights could end up taking up a lot of space so something like a pair of adjustable dumbbells is a very good idea.

Kettlebells perhaps give you more options when working out at home as even without any secondary equipment such as a bench you can still perform lots of effective exercises to build muscle and burn those calories. Adjustable kettlebells are available but you might want to invest in a few different weighted kettlebells to save costs.

To get a great workout at home you don’t really need much more than a set of weights and a good imagination. The less home gym equipment you have the more creative you will have to be to ensure you get a rounded workout but there are plenty of resources on this site and the internet in general to give you inspiration for an effective workout at home.

Additional Equipment for Setting up a Gym at Home

Once you have chosen to go with either a set of dumbbells or kettlebells or even both if you have the space and money then you might want to start thinking about some other equipment to give your workouts a bit of variety. Even though you can do a calorie zapping working at home with just a set of free weights you might want to add something to your home gym setup that can give you a good cardio workout to help improve your fitness and expend up a few more calories. If you are on a budget a great place to start is a jump rope as they can be purchased for as little as $10. In fact, at the time of writing the best-selling jump rope on amazon.com, the Valeo Deluxe Speed Rope, retails for just $7.30.

You might need to make sure you have a high enough celling for jumping rope indoors but if your technique is good you should be ok. If you have an outdoor space then that is even better! Despite not using fancy materials jumping rope is a great way to get in an intensive cardio session and if you are a fan of HIIT or High Intensity Interval Training then you will be pleased to know this can be performed very easily with a jump rope and basic timer.

If your budget and space constraints allow it then purchasing a bench for your gym at home gives you a lot more options for the price. Benches start from about $50 but they are not essential and if you do a bit of research you can get in a great workout at home without one.

So there you have it, getting the necessary equipment to start training at home isn’t as hard as you might have thought and takes up a whole lot less space than you might imagine. If you are prepared to think outside the box and get a bit creative with the exercise you perform a simple set of dumbbells can be enough to ensure you reach your goals without ever setting foot in a gym.

Of course, if you have the budget and the space then you can get lots more equipment than this and really get to work on building a professional-grade home gym but if you are just starting out and want to give home training a try you really needn’t break the bank.

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How to Get in Shape at Home without a Cardio Machine

June 11, 2012 by J

If you want to lose weight and get in great shape while training at home without the need for expensive cardio equipment or doing boring cardio exercises then this article is for you.

We will show you how you can burn more calories, save space and spend less money to get the look you want. All by training smarter, not harder.

Weight Loss Myths

Lots of people assume that the best way to lose weight is to do lots and lots of cardio. While cardio training such as running, cycling, swimming or rowing does burn calories it is not the most effective way to get rid of that excess fat we all have and want to say goodbye to.

In fact, the best way to lose fat and get that lean athletic look is to focus on weight training which means lifting weights. If you are planning on training at home then this is great news due to the fact that weight training equipment takes up a whole lot less space than an exercise bike or treadmill.

WOSS Suspension Trainer

This means you can now start working out at home in a way that will help you shift those stubborn areas of fat you want to get rid of in order to get the look you want. Something like this very popular but affordable WOSS suspension trainer could be just what you need.

Another advantage to this type of training over doing cardio at home is that basic weight training equipment also costs a lot less than the equipment you would need for a home cardio workout.

So not only will you be burning more calories but you will be saving space and money. Convinced yet?

How Does Weight Training Burn More Calories than Cardio Exercises?

A vigorous workout with weights burns almost as many calories as a cardio workout but one of the two main benefits of training with weights is that during the hour or two after your training session your body has a metabolic spike which means that your body continues to burn calories at an accelerated rate even if you have finished working out and are sitting down relaxing. Your body burns these extra calories in a bid to help your muscles recover from the weight lifting exercises you have just performed.

The other main benefit from weight training over cardio training is that as the amount of lean mass or muscle your body has increases so too does the amount of calories your body burns during the day. The amount of calories your body uses in a day is known as your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) and is the amount of energy your body expends to keep your body’s vital organs ticking over such as your brain, heart, lungs and other essential bits and pieces. Any other activities you do during the day also burn calories on top of this amount. Common BMRs for adults can range between 1500 and 2500 calories per day. But if you are weight training and increasing the amount of lean mass on your body then this number will go up and even on a day when you don’t do any exercise at all your body will use up more calories then when you didn’t have the muscle mass.

How Much Muscle Do I Need to Increase My BMR?

Now the thought of adding this extra lean mass or muscle to your body might sound like hard work and if you want to really bulk up and get big then I’m afraid it will be a hard task you are faced with.

However if you just want to add some muscle to get that toned look and burn more calories by weight training than from doing cardio then it’s not so hard. You will still have to train seriously and regularly as you would do if you were doing cardio training as the payoff is great and the benefits longer lasting then it shouldn’t be hard to keep motivated.

By adding just three pounds of muscle your body will burn an extra 120 calories a day.

Don’t Worry About Gaining Too Much Muscle

Some of you reading this might be thinking “but I only want to lose weight, I don’t want to gain muscle”. If you are thinking this the reason if probably that you don’t want to get too big and bulky or get the look of a bodybuilder.

Well the good news is there is no need to worry about that happening. Building muscle is a slow process which becomes quite difficult once you have passed through the initial period where you might easily gain a few pounds of muscle when you first start training with weights. There is no chance you will wake up one day and realise you have become the Incredible Hulk by accident.

Getting big takes a lot of time and work and is not something that happens by mistake!

Why Loosing Fat and Not Building Muscle is a Bad Idea

If you went down the route of only doing cardio training to meet your goals of losing weight you would eventually meet your targets and lose the pounds you had been desperately trying to get rid of. Sure it might take you longer than if you trained with weights but you should get there in the end. The problem is that if you lose fat and don’t add muscle to your body then you won’t get that healthy, athletic, toned look people with attractive bodies people have. Just losing the fat won’t tighten you up and any wobbly bits will still be wobbly, just not as much so. You will also won’t get the bonus of increasing the amount of calories that your body burns daily and will therefore but at much more risk of putting the weight back on. Also, gaining muscle also makes you stronger which can come in handy from time to time!

The Best Way to Lose Weight Training at Home

Although the information in this article can be applied to people training in a gym the main purpose of this piece was to show you that even if you want to train at home and your goal is to get in great shape then you can do so without the need to do cardio at home.

Doing home cardio workouts can be expensive due to the need for large equipment such as stationary bikes or elliptical trainers which also require a lot of space.

You can easily start building muscles at home with just one or two pieces of equipment such as a pair of dumbbells or a kettlebell. Even if you are travelling on the road you can get a good workout in using a portable training device such as the very effective suspension trainers.

As you can see weight training is the best way to not only lose fat but also get a great athletic, healthy, toned body whether you are training at home or in the gym. If you are now convinced this is the way forward take a look at some of our other articles to help you get started:

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