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.

The topic today is going to be the different ways to get in shape through using various pieces of exercise equipment. People tend to get stuck inside the box and let their workouts become dull and mundane over time and once exercises become more like a chore than anything else, the mind becomes disinterested and the body becomes disengaged. Daily exercise is like most things that are good for you. Not fun. Running miles on your favorite Precor will be fantastic for your health, however it will be the furthest thing from fun. However, there is a way to have some fun when you lift on your treadmill home fitness equipment, or lift weights on your home gym and that is by keeping detailed statistics of your exercise sessions. By tracking your workout and carefully watching the amount of miles you are running and the amount of time it is taking you, it becomes easy to set goals for yourself  when you exercise.  When you set goals, using your home fitness equipment becomes fun because you are so curious each and every day as to whether or not you are going to surpass your previous highs.

Approximately thirty  years ago, after the engineering of a stationary fitness rowing machine by David Smith in his basement, one of todays most respected,  popular and successful fitness equipment brands was birthed. Spawning from David Smith’s development of an ergonomically correct rowing machine in 1980, Precor has turned into one of the international leaders in the branding, design, production and marketing of fitness equipment.  No more than 3 years after David finished the design of the rowing machine in his basement, Mr. Smith was joined by the bright and fitness minded opportunist Bill Potts. Potts brought his knowledge of electronic programmability to the table and sought out to integrate unique programming, as well as  statistical user-feedback, into the exercise equipment Smith was designing. Potts believed that allowing people to monitor their stats such as speed, time, distance and other readouts, would increase the popularity of their workout equipment.  Ultimately, making the exercise equipment more user-interactive, intrigued people because they could monitor their results in real-time and knowing how fast or long you have to exercise in order to surpass your previous records can be highly motivating and its potential was fully realized. By 1985, several more additions had been made to the once one man band, and Precor expanded to carrying treadmills, exercise bikes and rowing machines.

In 1990, Precor entered the health club scene, with a series of commercial treadmills, built to withstand all day wear and tear. There is a major difference in the structural integrities and mechanical capacities between commercial (health club) and residential exercise equipment. Whereas a solid home treadmill can be used at most up t0 four hours a day, a gym quality treadmill can be used for up to four times as much as non-commercial grade fitness gear. Precor realized that their commercial line of treadmills must have the size, speed and strength in order to compete with the other leading brands in the fitness equipment industry.

The year of 1995 was a breakthrough year for Precor, as they invented the first elliptical cross-trainer and put it on the map in the form of their Precor EFX 544 cross-trainer. The Precor EFX 544 was designed with an adjustable cross-ramp and fixed arms. The adjustable incline ramp makes it easy for users to work out different muscle groups in their lower body through the simple adjustment of the angle on the incline ramp. The EFX 544 was so popular that Precor decided to continue their production of elliptical cross-trainers for usage in health clubs and homes. One of the first additions to the Precor line of elliptical cross-trainers was a cross-trainer with moving upper body arms.

After already having the cardiovascular fitness industry  in the palm, through the acquisition of Pacific Fitness in 1998, Precor made giant strides towards building a successful line of strength equipment. A result of this merger was the extremely popular Precor Stretch Trainer, that is a favorite of fitness trainers and gym patrons.

In 1999, Premark International, which was parent company of the Precor brand at the time, was bought out by International Tool Works. Soon after ITW acquired Precor, popularity for Precor increased, as their equipment become more affordable and focused on consumer needs. With a bigger bankroll and more steam built up, Precor was acquired by Amer Sports in 2002 as part of a 180 million dollar deal. Amer Sports coming into the picture resulted in Precor changing their primary goals. After years of revolving around industrial products, Precor’s new aim was to become an international distributor of a wider range of fitness equipment and sporting goods.

With all of the success and momentum that Precor had built open over the last 2 decades was great, but they still did not have a dominant and consumer friendly line of strength equipment. That all changed in 2004 when Precor established an Icarian line of strength equipment. Icarian strength equipment can be found anywhere from private home gyms to large health club franchises. The line of strength equipment itself has all home gym products ranging from bench presses, to multi-station and plate loaded home gyms, to weight racks and other strength training machines.

A very popular feature on the Precor cardio line of fitness equipment originated in 2004 as well. The cardio theater feature on Precor cardiovascular equipment, came as a result of their relationship with an entertainment technology firm, ClubCom. For example, if you are familiar with the Precor 956i Treadmill, it can be purchased with a cardio theatre attached to the display console. Having an entertainment center to use when you exercise has proven to allow some people to workout up to 75% more than they did  on the same treadmill, without the cardio theater. The year of 2006 also marked the year that Precor introduced its Experience Series line and the Cardio Theater was an option for all Experience Series treadmills and elliptical cross-trainers. After gaining the support of consumers across the U.S., the Cardio Theater went on to win awards at the annual international product design competition, hosted by Business Week.

Around this time is when Precor struck a deal with the Hilton Family, that would make Precor gym equipment the main supplier of Hilton hotels such as the Double Tree, Embassy Suites and The Hilton.  Catapulting Precor into the mainstream, the mainstream commercial deal between Precor and Hilton Hotels, cemented Precor’s status as a premier brand in fitness equipment.

Several years after Precor began their quest to become an international player with strength based fitness equipment, the production amounts of their Icarian strength line increased by 300%. The year of 2006 also ,arked the year that Precor introduced its Experience Series line and the

Athletic and sporting good brands such as Wilson, Atomic, Suunto, Mavic and Salomonare are all different product lines under their parent company, Amer Sports Corporation. Precor fitness equipment is also owned by Amer Sports Corporation, who according to Precor.com,  ” is the worlds leading sports equipment company”. Since Precor has a mission to be “the most respected brand in fitness equipment (Precor.com)”, their relationship makes perfect sense.

A great majority of health clubs and gyms have Precor elliptical cross-trainers, treadmills, stretch trainers, exercise bikes and strength machines. Ultimately, the litmus test for whether or not fitness equipment is solid, is whether or not the fitness equipment in question can be found at health clubs and commercial gym facilities. In 2005 & 2006, Precor won the award for “Top Supplier”, from Golds Gym and Anytime Fitness. Since Precor fitness equipment can be found across the United States at almost every major health club, it can therefore be concluded that Precor represents the upper echelon of fitness equipment.

Customer Testimonial

“I just wanted to express how happy I am about my new Precor fitness equipment. In order to fill the monstrous void in my life, I decided to get off my butt and build myself a home gym. The last thing I wanted to happen was for me to get inferior fitness equipment and then use it as an excuse to not exercise. I believed that with really solid  home fitness equipment, I would have no excuse not to workout on a daily basis. For those of you who are unfamiliar with exercise equipment and which companies have the best reputation, I was in your shoes once too, and after lots of research and hard work, it became apparent to me that Precor fitness equipment was the most popular brand after surveying my friends and family (and some randoms) . Precor fitness equipment is the most popular and well respected fitness equipment company today. Their line of award winning crosstrainers, as well as their health club quality treadmills, exercise bikes and other cardiovascular pieces of fitness equipment, is recognized by gym owners and other fitness experts, as the most structurally sound and mechanically correct, exercise equipment on the globe. In order to fully understand the true quality of Precor gym and home fitness equipment, I recommend that you go to a local gym, or fitness equipment store and try out either a Precor treadmill, Precor elliptical, or exercise bike. Once you have experienced the smooth and sturdy performance of Precor fitness equipment, it will be much easier for you to understand how and why precor exercise gear is superior. Other awesome fitness equipment companies include Life Fitness, Star Trac and that is about it. There is no reason to over-think things when buying exercise equipment for your home. All you need to do in order to make sure you are not getting ripped off, is to make sure the company name on your home fitness equipment has a good reputation in the fitness equipment community. Precor has that, and I have been happy!”

*Precor history facts from Precor.com

Early in the morning is one of the best times to get sets of weight lifting done. People often forget how crucial weight lifting is towards maintaining a healthy physique. Weight lifting increases muscle mass, metabolism and reduces body fat. Yet somehow, fitness experts and gym goers alike tend to neglect the overall importance on strength training and it shows. It is very simple, try and spend as much time working out on your home gym as you do on your cardiovascular home fitness equipment. Nine out of ten people that call and speak to our fitness experts are inquiring about treadmills and ellipticals and that is great, but there needs to be an equilibrium that incorporates weight lifting too.

If and when you decide to buy home fitness equipment you must make sure that you get maximum value from your treadmill, elliptical or whatever gym equipment you use. Don’t be the guy who lets their Precor 556 elliptical turn into a coat hanger. Clearly, there is no value in that. One should never let their health club quality home fitness equipment turn into dust collecting clothing rack.

Ultimately, the key towards prevents gym equipment from turning into unused wastes of space, is to purchase hi-performance gym equipment. Statistics prove that people who purchase low cost fitness equipment for their home, do not end up using it and fall victim to the fact that their impulse purchase, based off of the attraction of a low price, ended up realizing that their purchase was a complete waste and failure. If you would rather go outside and exercise on a track because you do not have extra money saved up that you can spend on fitness equipment, then that makes perfect sense and it would be difficult to argue that is not a great way to stay in shape. However, if you buy cheap and generic fitness equipment because you do not have cash, that is not better than nothing, in fact, it is a losing proposition. If you plan on buying home fitness equipment such as treadmills, exercise bikes, rowing machines, home gyms and stair climbers, and you do not have at least $1000.00 to spend, that odds that you are going to be able to buy fitness equipment that will last and that you will enjoy using, are slim and none.

With all of that said, the clear answer to anyones question about what they should do to stay in shape, the answer is to make sure you actively exercise on health club quality fitness equipment. There are so many different programs and obstacle courses one can use on cardio fitness equipment such as Precor ellipticals and life fitness treadmills, that working out on durable, well equipped and technologically advanced treadmills and other cardio equipment, is fun and interactive. Having an interactive workout allows users to really follow through on their goals through being able to track their progress. Not only do Life Fitness and Precor treadmills keep great user statistics, but they are also very comfortable on users knees and other joints. This brings us back to the first point which is that unless you purchase gym grade home fitness equipment, you will not get maximum value from your exercise equipment.

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.

In 1968, Dr. Keene P. Dimick had a dream to design a ground-breaking, stationary, exercise bike, that one could use in his or her home.  As a result of his dream, Life Fitness emerged as a a progressive fitness equipment company, specializing in the development, design, and delivery of health club quality and home fitness equipment. Dr. Keene P. Dimick and his Life Fitness cycle, kick started what is now one of the most popular and successful fitness equipment companies in the world. SInce the late 1960s, Life Fitness has earned themselves a flawless reputation, through producing some of the worlds finest health club and home fitness equipment, year after year. If it were up to us, having health club quality fitness equipment would be right, rather than a priveledge. Working out and exercising are human necessities. With that said, it is difficult to stay in shape through working out, without using gym caliber fitness equipment. In other words, That man was Dr. Keene P. Dimick and his Life Fitness cycle, kick started what is now one of the most popular and successful fitness equipment companies in the world. SInce the late 1960s, Life Fitness has earned themselves a flawless reputation, through producing some of the worlds finest health club and home fitness equipment, year after year. If it were up to us, having health club quality fitness equipment would be right, rather than a priveledge. Working out and exercising are human necessities. With that said, it is difficult to stay in shape through working out, without using gym caliber fitness equipment

Home gyms are great because in most cases, they have multiple workout stations, which makes it easy to work all of the different muscles on your body. When looking into buying a home gym, one should always take into consideration several factors. First of all, make sure that the home gym equipment that you are looking at is sturdy and not prone to breaking down. Clearly, there is very little that can be accomplished on a home gym that is out of order. Secondly, check out the weight stack on the home gym you are looking at. For example, the Body-Solid 1500s gym has a weight stack of 160 pounds. While that is perfect for many people, some athletes that like to life a lot of weight would prefer maybe a 200lb. weight stack like the BodyCraft Xpress Pro has, or a weight stack that provides up to 400 pounds of resistance, such as the BodyCraft X4. Other features to look for when purchasing strength equipment or home gym equipment is whether or not the home gym is a single, double, triple, or quardruple  weight stack. For instance, if there were 20 plates of 10 pund weights on a home gym machine, that would represent a single, 200 pound weight stack. If the home gym is for only one person, then a single stack will be great. On the other hand, if you have a single weight stack gym, then only one person can use it at a time. If you have a workout partner, and the two of you like working out at the same time, you will need a double weight stack gym, and so aon and so forth. Gyms with four weight stacks are typically commercially rated for health club usage, as they normally have thicker and heavier gauge steel framing than weight machines with one or two weight stacks.

Life Fitness exercise equipment is special. There is just something about using life fitness treadmills, ellipticals and weight machines. Next time you use a Life Fitness treadmill for instance, actually take a couple minutes, just a couple, and check out all of the outstanding qualities that it exhibits. For example, there are rows and rows of Life Fitness 95Ti, 95Te, 97Ti and 97Te treadmills, lining gym floors across the U.S.A. Whenever it is that you decide to go for a run on one of these premier treadmills, instead of going right into your exercise routine, just scroll through some of the programs and features, and you will be blown away by the attention to detai l that Life Fitness pays to each and every one of their products.

Let’s not forget that there is no way to lose weight and build muscle without putting in the work. So many people look for a magical cure when it comes to getting in shape. There are lots of ways to lose weight so why not do it the right way with safe and proven methods. There are exercise and meal plans out that if followed strictly, are almost sure to work. For those of you who actually put in the necessary time and energy when it comes to working out, congratulations and good for you. Keep grinding it out on the treadmill and make sure you stick to your goals. Also, elliptical trainers, Precor, Life Fitness and Star Trac, are all great for getting your heart rate up and your blood pumping. Elliptical training machines have been labeled as being much more user friendly in the sense that they protect the joints and bones of the users much more than treadmills do.