Maybe I’ve found the fitness machine that’s perfect for me, the recumbent exercise bike. Watching other people work out on it, it looks easy. Too easy? Is it just for old people? I’m not that old. But I do have a back that goes out now and then, and I figured I should try out the recumbent bike, see how it works, for one of those days when my back is tight but I still want to exercise.

I needed to adjust the seat, pull it up, because, as I mentioned in one of my last blogs, I’m short. It always takes time to do these adjustments, and, once again, a home gym will be the answer. Soon. Very soon. Kings of Cardio has a few deals I’m about ready to spring for, as soon as I’ve done enough testing to know exactly what I want. The recumbent bike was comfortable, once I got everything set, and I started out at the easiest setting, to get my bearings. What surprised me was that it wasn’t like sitting in a recliner. In order to cycle, I had to hold my stomach muscles in, which was good. And it wasn’t quite as easy as I thought. Within minutes, I could feel that burn that the upright bike gave me, but my butt wasn’t as sore. I amped it up and rode for twenty minutes, just as I had done on the upright. To be honest, after twenty minutes my butt was a bit numb. Remember, I don’t have much padding. Placing my towel on the seat helped. The seat is almost flat, so the towel stayed. And I’ve heard there are seat covers that will help, too.

I liked it, even better than the upright, and my legs certainly got their exercise. I walked the track after, to cool down, carrying two light weights, two-and-a-half pounders. I realized after my walk, I could have held the weights as I biked, doing curls. I’ll try that next time.

Well, actually, next time I’m going to try the recumbent cross-trainer, which will exercise my arms at the same time. I saw it too late, just as I was leaving the gym. I didn’t even know they made them. But they do. Onwards to better health!

Comprehensive and thought out weight loss plans are more effective than those which are based upon short term goals. Everybody wants to take a magic pill or a secret shortcut in order to lose weight. Although most rational, intelligent minds understand that eating well and exercising regularly are the most significant factors that contribute to the level of ones health, there are still tens of millions of Americans who are in search of a way to lose weight without doing the necessary legwork in order to do so. Those who strategically design an exercise regimen for themselves are far more likely to have success working out than those who do not. It is very easy to develop an exercise program. A simple search on the Internet of various exercise programs will be sufficient on order to find at least one exercise program applicable to your situation.

Once you find an exercise program optimal for your specific situation, look for health club quality fitness equipment. Lightweight and budget fitness equipment is not recommended for any physical fitness routine. Treadmills are machines that if built improperly, will break down frequently and function as headaches, rather than vehicles towards weight loss. Elliptical machines are only beneficial for its user if the artificial stride length of the stride length naturally coordinates with the stride of its user. Fitness equipment prices have a wide range and it is crucial to understand why these pieces of exercise equipment that look so similar, can have such disparities in pricing. There are many factors that contribute to the makeup of treadmills, ellipticals, home gyms and other types of fitness equipment. Treadmills have many parts under the hood that an average fitness equipment consumer would never be aware of. For example, although we can read from the treadmill manual how many HP the motor has, it is difficult to gauge the quality of that motor. What good is a treadmill with a 3.25 CHP (continuous horse-power) motor, that only last for eight months? Clearly, treadmills that last eight months would be considered bad buys, although the budget pricing on those same treadmills, are what makes them appear as good buys on the surface. Once again, one must look beneath the surface if they wish to purchase a truly durable and effective elliptical, treadmill, or any piece of fitness equipment for that matter.

Treadmill running decks should also be the focus for analysis. Lets us not forgot, if our treadmills running deck is broken, then our treadmill is inoperable. Make sure that your running deck was built to withstand your weight capacity and amount of usage. If Julie weighs 120 pounds and plans on working out on her treadmill for 30 minutes a day, 3 to 4 times a week, then she will not need a heavy-duty treadmill running deck. However, if Sam is 6’1, weighs 250 pounds and plans on using his treadmill for at least an hour every day, he will need a treadmill with a premium running deck. Whether or not you need a treadmill with a gym grade deck to run on totally depends on the body weight and size of who is going to use the treadmill and how often they plan on using the treadmill. Take the time to analyze your own situation in order to better understand the kind of treadmill running deck is optimal for you.

Treadmill walking belts cover the running deck. Certain types of walking belts provide more cushioning for its users. These treadmill running belts are commonly referred to as multi-ply or orthopedic waling belts. Treadmill users who have knee, back, and hip problems typically have an easier time exercising on thicker walking belts. Woodway treadmills, which are industrial and heavy duty, have walking belt that are comprised of slates and can function up to 25mph. Its running belt is an astounding 27″ wide and 88″ long. On the other side of the range, we find smaller treadmills such as the LifeSpan Fitness TR 100 Treadmill, which has a razor thin walking belt measuring 16″ in width and 47″ in length. Not only is the running belt on the LifeSpan treadmill much smaller than the Woodway, but the belt is capable of only moving up to 8 mph, while the Woodway ELG can operate at an amazing 25mph. It is important to make sure when purchasing a treadmill that you are aware of the quality and specifications of all its components. In most instances, the treadmill belt and running deck are not thought about before one purchases a treadmill.

Finding the best elliptical machine can be a tough because although the quality of the machine may be sound, the stride length still may not adapt to your natural walking, jogging and running motions. If you are six feet tall, then you will not feel comfortable on an elliptical with a 16″ stride length, no matter how well the machine itself was built. The same can be said for someone that is 5’3 trying to use an elliptical that has a stride length of 23″. Although the elliptical with a 23″ may be health club quality, it does not matter how nice the elliptical trainer is, if the stride length does not conform to the natural stride of its user. Treadmills are easier to buy. When assessing the quality and performance of a treadmill, all one has to do is make sure the treadmill running deck is large enough to accommodate their leg length at full stride and make sure that the structural integrity of the framework is sound. Although it may sound difficult to determine the potential longevity of a random treadmill that you are interested in without an engineering degree, the truth is, a simple search on the Internet or first hand review from a friend who is in the know, is all it really takes to decipher the quality of a treadmill. Make sure you are thorough with your research when seeking out a new elliptical trainer. Purchasing a new treadmill is a fairly easy

Most importantly, in order for fitness equipment to function as a tool for increasing ones health, the exercise equipment that we use must be durable enough to withstand the test of time. No matter how awesome you think your fitness equipment may be, if it only lasts for short period of time before it begins to breakdown and give you problems, then it can not be a good purchase. The amount of time your elliptical, treadmill, or exercise bike lasts, is essential towards its overall quality. While there are many things that help to determine the effectiveness and quality of fitness equipment, durability and longevity are as important as any deciding factor. Make sure that the fitness equipment you plan on purchasing is rated to last through intense and fast paced workouts.

Another rule one should follow when buying fitness equipment is to not over-think the situation. Although thorough research and extensive analysis always helps, there becomes a point where you need to just realize that you need to start working out and stop what has become redundant research. People love to not work out. Many people will find any kind of excuse possible to not exercise. Do not let yourself get used to using the excuse that you do not have functioning fitness equipment at the moment. Once you identify what type of treadmill, elliptical or other fitness equipment will meet your needs, purchase it and start exercising immediately. Far too often, consumers prolong their search for fitness equipment to the point that they stop working out for an extended period of time. At the end of the day, it is not very difficult to find an effective and durable piece of fitness equipment, sure to help you lose weight and stay fit.

Body-Solid fitness equipment is extremely well known for its comprehensive warranty policy. Most fitness equipment companies, especially companies that manufacture home fitness equipment, do not provide their customer base with the extensive warranty coverage that Body-Solid offers. They claim, “Nobody beats our warranty. Absolutely nobody.” In support of their claim, Body-Solid provides their customers with in-home, lifetime warranties, on every piece and part of home gym equipment. Pads, pulleys, frame, any part one could think of on a home gym, is covered by Body-Solid, under their exclusive, in-home, lifetime warranty.

An interesting question, which frequently is brought up amongst friends, is  how far someone can push their body if life changing money is on the line. Could you walk 10 miles home from your friends house? Would you be willing to try and walk 20 miles after sushi and Saki bombs, if you were to receive $20,000.00, for walking the 20 miles? People are so quick to say how they would be able to do this, that, that and this. However, 99/100 people would not be able to walk 20 miles after sushi and Saki, no matter how much money is on the line. In the same breath, there are some brave, fearless souls, that have the power to overcome virtually impassible hurdles by personifying the phrase, “mind over matter.”

Through the consistent and effective use of home fitness equipment we can increase our strength, speed, endurance, and flexibility, but there are still certain limits that we will not be able to surpass, no matter how long we train on our Precor EFX 5.17, or Life Fitness 95Ti. For example, Jesse Kofman is 30 years old and runs 40yd dash in 5.4 seconds. If Jesse exercises and runs everyday for a year, on his Star Trac Pro treadmill, the result will be that he would be able to run approximately a 4.9 second 40yd dash. No matter how hard Jesse tries, he will never be able to run a 4.2 second 40yd dash.

With the hot and sunny summer approaching, one needs to make sure that he or she adjusts their outdoor exercise routine, in order optimize their fitness training sessions. For those of you who run, bike or swim several times a week outdoors, it will be difficult to maintain your current routine, one the heat is sweltering and your energy is drained. If you are serious about staying on top of your physical fitness and making sure that your body doesn’t fall victim to the scorching temperatures of June, July, August and September, then make sure you have health club quality, home fitness equipment, available to use at home. Perfect examples of what fitness equipment is great include the Life Fitness 95ti treadmill, the Precor EFX 546 Elliptical Crosstrainer, the Body-Solid 3000s LPS Home Gym and the StairMaster 4400PT. Those cardio and strength pieces perform at health club caliber levels. Your body will look and feel exponentially better as a result of having solid home gym equipment at home to use during the summer.

Waking up and working out. There is no better time to exercise and get your daily fitness routine in. Not only are you totally rejuvenated from the rest you got the night before, but you also get your day off to a running start, which can make the difference between having a good rest of the morning, afternoon and night. We all know what it feels like to wake up feeling sluggish and not have that burning desire that we need in order to stay at our best. Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that one exercises in the morning when he or she wakes up. Far too often, we become lazy, and go for the quick fix for our energy boost in the morning, and gulp down some coffee. Don’t get me wrong, caffeine in moderation is not the worst thing in the world, however, once we start to habitually substitute drugs (coffee), for natural ways to get energy, we become unhealthy and absurdly overweight in general. You may be thinking, “How in the world did we go from coffee not being the worst thing in the world to it being a primary catalyst for the obesity crisis that has grabbed our nation by its love handles?”, well, the answer is simple, that coffee that you drink 10 times a day is worth its weight is sugar, which is not a compliment by any means. As a conclusion, you should try and avoid coffee, and try and exercise more, and that will lead to healthier, more productive days.

The best way to get healthy and stay in shape these days is to use an elliptical fitness machine to work your legs, arms, stomach, back and buttocks. Not only are elliptical fitness training machines great tools for staying fit and thin, but equally as important, elliptical crosstrainer fitness equipments are very gentle and easy on your joints too. One of the best parts about working out is the nice, calm and serene feeling that you get when you are done. If you do not want that feeling to be overcome by body aches and pains in your joints, muscles and bones, then make sure you train on an elliptcial trainer instead of a treadmill.

There is a ton of literature out there on why ellipticals/crosstrainers are better tools for cardiovascular exercise than treadmills. However, the only thing that should count is whether or not the stride on the elliptical fitness trainer is as comfortable, or more comfortable, than the treadmills you are used to running on. One should always remember that the true test of how well a piece of fitness equipment will work for you, is always solved by actually trying the different gym machines and then determining their value to your workout program.

It takes two to make a thing go right. It sure does. Can we be healthy, while looking and feeling great, if we chose to ignore either running or lifting, which many people often do., while many more don’t think about running or lifting weights, but those people are near hopeless, and can be addressed at another time. For now, this discussion will focus on those who do exercise on a regular basis, but have a hard time incorporating both aspects of exercising into their workouts. For those of you who do not know the two different areas of exercise, and they can overlap at times, is cardiovascular exercise (running on treadmills, using elliptical machines, rowing on rowing machines, playing sports), and strength exercise (weight lifting).

A great example of of strength workout would include warming up, then spending about an hour lifting weights, and then a cool down. For example, on a home gym machine such as the BodyCraft Xpress Pro, one could do three sets of chest presses at 8 reps a piece. Once those are completed, it would be a good idea to work on the home gym’s triceps station. Tricep pull-downs can be performed on almost all home gym machines these days. Home fitness gyms that do not include some sort of triceps pull down  machines are out of date and not worth having, so if you have an older home gym machine, wake up, smell the coffee, and at least get a home gym machine with a triceps station.

Some of you may get intimidated when you walk into a fitness equipment store due to heavy price tags and home fitness equipment that looks more like villains from a Transformers movie, than safe and effective home fitness equipment. That is why we have friendly and knowledgeable fitness experts ready to talk to you 24 hours a day. feel free to call us (Kings of Cardio 800-990-1108) and ask us any and all questions pertaining to home fitness equipment.

Take for instance, a 29 year old guy by the name of Jerry. Jerry has recently realized that he does not have much energy as he is used to having and Jerry realizes he is also 21 pounds heavier than he has ever been. Instead of Jerry going out to a local fitness equipment store to buy some exercise equipment for his home, his absolute best bet would be to talk to a fitness equipment expert and find out what the best piece of exercise equipment would be, based on his specific needs, body traits and budget. The sad thing is, ninety-nine percent of people do not research the elliptical machine, home gym, treadmill or rowing machine they are going to buy for their home, and they end up with nothing more than an inferior piece of home fitness equipment that never gets looked at or touched, let alone used. So do not let your home gym equipment turn into an over-priced coat-hanger, do your homework first, call one of our friendly and informative fitness equipment experts, and we will make sure you are on the right track towards weight loss and muscle gain.

Certain home fitness equipment distributors will try and sell you anything, no matter the quality, as long as they can reach an optimal profit margin. If you are not able to decipher between well built, versus cheap and flimsy commercial, and home gym equipment, then, a dummy proof approach, as hard as it is to hear, is price. If you are paying top dollar for fitness equipment (home or gym grade) then you can be sure it will at least have the ability to be in use for the majority of the day while remaining stable. On the contrary, pieces of fitness equipment that sell for less than, say…$1000.00, there is a very good chance that it will not be able to remain stable through fast-paced and intense workouts.

A friend of mine asked me today what the best kind of running surface is and how treadmills compare to other running surfaces such as grass, concrete, rubberized tracks and a couple of other running surfaces. The easy and 100% correct answer is that grass is the best and it is not even close. Other running surfaces such as concrete are really rough on joints and bones to the point where running can actually become detrimental towards your health, rather than beneficial.  The easiest option is to get a treadmill that has a great suspension system and a shock absorbing running belt. With an advanced suspension system and an extra-thick, orthopedic style running belt, a treadmill can be the next best thing to run on for your body, other than natural grass.

The Life Fitness 95Ti treadmill, is part of a series of heavy-duty, hi-performance, gym quality, commercial-grade treadmills, that are built to last a lifetime, and please the most hi-maintenance of athletes. Some of the features on the Life Fitness 95Ti treadmill include its 4.0 continuous horsepower motor, 28 exercise programs, a built in reading rack, built in water bottle holder, extra-wide and long 20” x 60” commercial size treadmill running belt, 3.5” precision crowned steel rollers, a power incline of up to 15%, and a speed range of 0.5 to 14mph!