Hippocrates once said, “that which is used develops, and that which is not used wastes away.” That statement perfectly describes the human body and its need for continual exercise and movement. One must exercise and challenge themselves through intense physical conditioning and regularly working out, if they want to be in top form. Exercises that increase ones pulse, such as lifting weights on strength training equipment and using cardiovascular equipment such as exercise bikes and treadmills, are quintessential exercises for people seeking optimal health. Cardiovascular exercise on treadmills and elliptical machines, as well as physical strength training with weight equipment, are also requirements for those who wish to be fit. Laying down in bed, day dreaming of what you wished you looked like, will only make you more upset. Do not waste time, procrastinate and day dream. Get on the exercise grind and make it happen!

Many of you reading this are probably saying to yourselves, “Why does this blog keep reiterating how important cardio and strength training are, when it is obvious that in order to reach your full potential, such measures must be taken. Is there a reason we have been told 50 times in this article that one must use both cardiovascular and strength equipment in order to maintain a successful exercise program?” Well, if we are preaching to the choir, then more power to you and we are more than pleased that our readers are doing their homework. However, although it is obvious that a total-body workout is necessary for a fitness training session to be complete, many people only focus on one aspect of exercise, while neglecting the other. In other words, many people will just lift weights and not run, or vice versa, so even though the majority of us perfectly understand the theory behind the necessity to incorporate strength and cardio training into the same workout, the majority of that majority, does not put their theory into practice.

When it comes to practicing with exercise equipment, weight machines are really fun and effective. Weight training is essential for increasing strength and muscle mass. There is a large variety of weight training machines in today’s fitness equipment industry, each having its own purpose, specializing in different functions. Therefore, there should be a machine suitable for any and all strength conditioning needs. The variety of home gym options, including but not limited to, single, double, triple or quadruple weight-stack home gyms, make it virtually impossible that someone can’t find a home gym that can help serve their needs. For example, Nautilus, Life Fitness, Body-Solid, Bowflex, Precor, Cybex and Kettler are some excellent brands of commercial and home fitness equipment, that all manufacture a wide variety of strength training machines suitable for ones home, or commercial health club facility.

Home gyms are used for strength training and are built to help people tone, build and define their muscles, however they are not all the same and there are many features of a home gym one must consider when shopping for one. Structural integrity and mechanical capacity are key terms that need to be completely understood by those seeking out a top of the line home gym. The mechanical capacity of the home gym refers to the amount of weight that can be lifted on the machine. Typically, home gyms, strength trainers and circuit weight machines, all have solid warranty coverage. Whereas treadmills, stair climbers, ellipticals and other kinds of commercial and home fitness equipment, all have electronic boards prone to breaking down, strength equipment such as home gyms, weight plates, circuit weight machines and selector strength pieces, are all electronic free and primarily made of steel.

Popular home gym models include, but are not limited to, the Body Solid 1500s, the BodyCraft Family Express, BodyCraft X2 Family Xpress, Life Fitness G7, Precor S3.23 Functional Trainer. Extensive research has proven that the health club caliber gyms previously mentioned are mechanically advanced and structurally superior pieces of gym grade equipment. One of the best parts about having commercial gym equipment at home is that it is rated to last for decades. Imagine how long pieces of gym equipment last in commercial environments over time. At the end of the day, you are only using it for a small percentage of time, compared to its usage in the gym, therefore the fitness equipment is rated to last much longer in your home, than it would in the gym.

If you want to take your life from hell to heaven, from a health standpoint that is, buy three pieces of home fitness equipment. The first piece of exercise gear you should buy should be a multi-station home gym. Make sure the home gym has more than one or two stations and also make sure that it has the ability to work out the lower half of your body. A leg press, leg extension, or leg curl machine will do. Additionally, you should also make sure that the weight stack for your home gym is broken down into 10 pound increments to make it easier for you to change the intensity level of your workout. Equally as important, is the ability of this multi-station home gym, to replicate the natural lifting motions of the top quality exercise machines that you would use at a commercial fitness center or gym.

Today I started training for my latest goal which is to get down to 175 lbs. by January 1st. First, a few facts about myself, and then you will be judge more acuartely as to whether or not I will be able to get down to 175 Lbs. My name is John, doesn’t matter my name, but I am 5’10, 195 Lbs. and I have a standing bet for $1000.00 with my girlfriend on whether or not I will be able to lose the weight (20 Lbs.) by the new year. I have already lost 9 pounds and I am down to 186 pounds right now. I get addicted to things easilly and before I even started training, I purchased some home gym equipment, health club quality of course, and some protein shakes, other amino acids, vitamins, and other nutritional supplements. Let me say, the Life Fitness 95Ti Treadmill is a horse! Life fitness also makes some great elliptical cross-trainers but my wife LOVES Precor and I didn’t want to buy 2, mostly due to the fear of not using them both, so I decided to go with the Precor EFX 576i because it exercises both your upper and lower body.