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Buying fitness equipment can often be a baffling ordeal, try these tips to a stress free purchase.
Consider the noise level
How noisy are the equipments? Do you live in an apartment? Can your partner still hear the TV?
Size
Will the equipment comfortably fit in the space you have set aside? Will it stow away in a cupboard?
Cost
Is the equipment within your budget? Will you get the usage from the equipment?
Refund policy
What is the companies refund policy? If the product is defective can you easily return it?
Buy something you enjoy
If you hate the idea of running then don’t go out and buy a top of the range treadmill. Get a piece of equipment you will look forward to using.
Buy from a knowledgeable retailer
Get advice if you need it from the retailer, they should have a good working knowledge of the products they supply.
Buy some travel equipment
If you’re away on business or on holiday it’s always useful to have a jump rope and some resistance bands this will ensure you don’t have to miss your workout.
Have Cardio and Strength equipment
If you’re kitting out a home gym you need both Cardio and Weight equipment to ensure a quality workout routine.
Buy the best you can afford
Don’t scrimp on fitness equipment, buy the best you can afford and it will pay you back for years to come.
Do your research
Research the product fully before you decide to purchase.
Getting in great shape makes you feel superb; to get a great shape you must train with weights as well as your cardio workouts.
Evaluate
Before starting a weights plan you should evaluate your current position and goals. How much can you comfortably lift? What size is your waist? Do you want to be the next Mr or Mrs Universe? This all impacts the plan you must put together.
Keep your workouts short
Muscles respond better to short intense sessions, so does your boredom threshold and your life
Start with compound
Compound exercises will help keep your workout short and will allow your body to adapt to the rigours of weight training.
Eat well
When training with weights your body will burn up more protein as these are the building blocks of muscle. Six small protein rich meals a day is your goal.
Supplement
Your body will be stressed by a weights workout so ensure you take supplements that aid healthy joints and bones.
Rest
Muscles grow when the body is asleep so get plenty of rest for maximum gains. It will also help you to not over train.
Use correct technique
Bad technique leads to injuries and poor gains. Take the time to get the right technique. If you’re struggling for form then the weight is too heavy.
Lower at half the speed of your lift
The lowering portion of the lift can help build the muscle so make the most of it!
Stretch and warm up
Warm muscles respond better to strength training, it will also help you to avoid injury.
Measure your progress
Keep a log of your sessions so you can see your progress and you know what weights you were lifting in your last session.
Weight loss is probably the single biggest reason people start to exercise. Try these ten tips to blast that fat.
Don’t concentrate on losing weight
Concentrate on eating healthily and exercising rather than obsessing about weight loss.
Eat more often
Smaller meals eaten more regularly will keep your metabolism high and will help you to burn more fat.
Eat fewer calories
This is an obvious point but worth stressing. You CANNOT lose weight unless you create a calorie deficit. That is burning more calories than you consume.
Eat more protein
The ideal fat burning menu contains a large portion of protein.
Eat the right fats
Fats are very important to your diet, think oily fish however rather than saturated fats from fried food.
Consistent exercise
To create a calorie deficit and to tone up you MUST regularly perform both cardio and resistance training. Aim for three cardio sessions and three weight training sessions a week.
Weigh and measure weekly
Give yourself the boost of seeing the weight come off by weighing yourself weekly. Don’t do it with any more frequency however as body weight can fluctuate.
Cut down on sugar
Sugar causes insulin spikes and the sugar in your coffee or tea can really add up over the course of a day. Try green tea which is rich in antioxidants and can help burn fat.
Keep it hot
Did you know that simply changing the temperature of the water you drink can speed up your metabolism and burn more calories? Drink hot water!
Don’t go hungry
Starving yourself will just prompt the body to slow down it’s metabolism as it thinks there’s a famine so will store fat.
Cardio is the cornerstone of your workout; these ten tips will help you ensure your cardio is ultra effective.
Get a Heart Rate Monitor
A heart rate monitor ensures you don’t over train or workout at too high a tempo and can help you hit your goals
No Pain Good Gains
When performing a normal cardio session you should still have the breath to conduct a conversation, don’t overdo the intensity it won’t benefit your development.
Do something you enjoy
Hate running? Don’t do it. Love cycling? Do that. Pick a cardio routine you will look forward to doing
Switch Machines
A forty minute treadmill workout can be boring can’t it? Why not switch between the treadmill, rower, elliptical and stepper?
Play with the intensity
When you have completed your base phase why not throw the odd high intensity session into your workout? Sprint for thirty seconds and jog for two minutes and continue this for twenty minutes. A real tough workout!
Get the correct equipment
If you are running as part of your cardio routine, ensure you have the correct footwear. The wrong equipment will get you injured.
Do it in the morning
Performing your cardio routine in the morning on an empty stomach will massively improve the session’s fat burning properties.
Stay Hydrated
You will quickly become dehydrated if you’re not taking on water during your cardio sessions.
Stay Motivated
A standard cardio workout can become boring quite quickly so make sure you have some music on the go or a great view to keep you focussed.
Wait at least 45 minutes before eating.
Waiting for at least 45 minutes after your cardio session before eating will massively benefit your fat burning capabilities.
Good health is essential to your quality of life and longevity, try these ten for size.
Stop Smoking
Smoking has no benefits to you at all, so why do it?
Reduce Stress
Stress is one of the major killers in the western world, learn to meditate and relax, your body will love you for it.
Drink plenty of water
Water can help you loose weight and will help detoxify you.
Wear a seatbelt
Not wearing a seatbelt increases your chances of death or injury.
Reduce alcohol consumption
Alcohol abuse can cause relationship, money and health problems and contains a massive amount of needless calories.
Laugh a lot
Laughing keeps you young and is proven to provide countless health benefits.
Don’t ignore body changes
If your body changes or your start to feel pain don’t ignore it, get it checked out. Catching problems early can help professionals to cure them.
Sleep
Your body needs quality sleep to regenerate and to live it’s essential; you die from a lack of sleep before you die from a lack of food!!!
Take tests
Make sure you keep up with smears and other essential health tests
Check yourself
Ensure you check for breast cancer, testicular cancer and skin cancer regularly and take action if you notice any changes.
