Fitness Focus from
CatholicMom.com
How To Get A Great Workout At Home
by Lynn Bode
Workouts For You -- Personal Training
http://www.workoutsforyou.com
Many people think that creating a home workout gym is either too
intimidating or too costly. So, often they instead invest their money in a
health club membership not realizing that for the same amount of money (or
even less) they can create a very effective gym right in their own home.
For an effective home gym, all that is required is a little bit of planning.
Don’t fall into the trap of purchasing random fitness equipment because of
fancy advertising for the latest infomercial fad or the great “sale” at your
local fitness store. That type of purchasing leads to a house littered with
equipment that’s only use is as a clothes hanger or dust collector. This
often happens because the equipment is either useless, poorly constructed or
quickly loses its value because it doesn’t progress with your fitness level.
To avoid having a basement filled with expensive dust-collecting equipment,
keep these points in mind when making a purchase:
1) What are your fitness goals?
2) How often do you realistically think you will use the equipment?
3) What fitness level do you expect to be at in 3, 6, 9 months?
4) Will the equipment meet your needs as you get more fit (at the 3, 6, and
9-month marks)?
5) Does the equipment offer enough variations in use that you can change
your workouts frequently to prevent your body from hitting a plateau?
6) Will you enjoy the exercises or will you quickly grow bored of them?
7) And, of course how much can you afford?
Once you have answered all of the above questions then you are ready to make
some purchasing decisions. Of course, how much you can afford to spend may
dictate what you can actually purchase. Don’t get discouraged. For as
little as $100, you can have a very effective total strength training home
gym. Even for as little as $35, you can create an effective workout that
will tone your entire body.
Regardless of what your fitness goals are, there are a plethora of equipment
options to consider. For building muscles and/or toning-up you can choose
from free weights, selectorized machines, resistance bands, benches and even
no-equipment. For cardiovascular improvements (e.g. running, walking, etc),
there are even more options. They range from treadmills, to elliptical
trainers, to bikes and beyond. So, answering the previously mentioned
questions is very important.
To help make your decision easier, below are several recommendations based
on costs and needs, along with benefits of the exercise equipment.
If you want to create a gym that will provide you with a total body workout
(cardio, strength and flexibility) and you have a budget of at least $1000,
consider the following recommendations:
· Treadmill – The best option for cardiovascular equipment because it can
be used for running, walking, and even some leg strength training. Plus,
workouts can continually be varied based on speed, incline, even direction.
And, it easily progresses as fitness levels improve.
· Full dumbbell set with weights ranging from 5 pounds to 50+ pounds. –
Great for light toning, to intermediate strength training to building
muscles. Less expensive than selectorized machines and usually provides more
flexibility and variety in workouts.
· Fitness Ball – Provides exercise options for toning, strengthening and
stretching.
· Resistance Band – Provides another option for strength training. Can
alternate use with free weights for a great challenge that will help prevent
plateaus.
· Step Bench – Can be used for both cardio workouts and strength training
workouts.
If you want a home gym specifically for building muscles (or just can’t
afford cardio equipment), and can afford at least $100, consider the
following recommendations:
· Dumbbell set.
· Fitness Ball
· Resistance Band
· Jump Rope – Offers very challenging cardiovascular fitness workouts at a
very low price.
If you want a total body home gym but can only afford less than $100,
consider the following recommendations:
· Three dumbbells sizes (e.g. 5, 10 and 15 pounds)
· Resistance Band
· Jump Rope
If you are limited to purchasing just one very affordable piece of
equipment, consider buying a Fitness Ball. As mentioned above, it provides
many different exercise options. With the ball you can get an upper body
workout, a lower body workout, very challenging abdominal workout and a
stretching/flexibility workout. And, you can get all of this for around $35.
Also, don’t underestimate what you can do with things that are already in
your house, like stairs, a chair, milk jugs and others. There are a lot of
exercises that require no equipment at all. For example, push-ups, tricep
dips, squats, calf raises, etc. You can even create your own “weights”
through milk jugs filled with water or sand.
As you can see, there are a lot of options available for creating a home gym
that will meet your individual needs and will provide a lot of workout
variety. Even on a shoestring budget, you can still make a wise purchase
that will be invaluable in helping you get more fit and healthy. And, you’ll
enjoy all the benefits of working out at home.
What are the benefits of working out at home? Well, here are some
highlights:
· No wasted time driving to and from a fitness club
· No waiting in line to use the equipment
· Workout on your schedule, rather than just when the health club is open
· No expensive monthly membership fees or long-term contracts
· Motivation to workout as you pass by the equipment every day
Of course, you will need previous knowledge of how to use your home
equipment or you will have to be willing to learn. But, it’s not difficult.
Most equipment will come with basic instructions and a few sample exercises.
You may want to enlist the help of a professional to provide additional
exercise options and guidance that will ensure that you get the most out of
your fitness equipment through every fitness level stage.
For an affordable workout plan personalized to your individual needs and
available equipment, enroll in a WorkoutsForYou.com online fitness program.
More Fitness Focus
from CatholicMom.com
Lynn Bode offers her personal training services online through her company,
WorkoutsForYou.com. Workouts For You provides even the busiest of people
affordable, personalized exercise programs for losing weight, toning-up,
building muscles & increasing stamina(via the Internet). The programs can be
done on their schedule and in the comfort of their own home (or gym or
on-the-road). Membership includes one-on-one fitness consultation, animated
exercise demos and much more. Visit http://www.workoutsforyou.com for a FREE
sample workout.
This article provided by the Family Content Archives at: http://www.Family-Content.com
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