When I was in my 20s and even early 30s, the Olympic bar bench press on a flat bench was my favorite exercise if I had to pick one.
I can still remember doing what we called “The Ohio State Workout,” a 10-8-6-4-2-1 pyramid in which we’d keep adding weight.
Other times, I’d change it to three sets of 8, or go with higher weights in a 3×5 or even 3×3 format. It helped my bench really grow, to around 300 pounds for one rep, but I eventually locked my shoulders up to where it hurt to even press the warm-up weight of 135.
Even though I was changing my number of reps, years of lifting the
shoulder at the same basic angle, with a 7-foot Olympic bar had taken its toll.
Today, I rarely do a flat bench press. I use dumbbells on an incline bench for chest, decline bench some and I work out on a Hoist V Express gym.

This Hoist Gym is impressive because it allows me to create my own motion off of the user defined motion press arm. I can still get a great workout and it does not destroy my shoulder joints.
Companies like Hoist have revolutionized the fitness world. These
manufactures have created home gyms that are completely free of fixed designs, these gym allow you to create your own motion and in turn give you better results with less stress on you body. It is amazing how far the home gym technology has come over the last decade.
During those long-ago years of bench pressing all the time, fitness stores I walked into would be stocked full of free weights and Olympic bars. It used to be that if you were even the least bit serious with your strength program, you would have used free weights. Back then, home gyms were somewhat of a joke and many people did not take them seriously. That’s certainly not so anymore.
If you have not been into a local fitness store lately, you may want to
see some of the newly designed home gyms, they are very impressive and even if you are the “old school” type, you may be the one who is most surprised by what is available.

Many people laugh when they hear the term “weekend warrior.”
However, it’s not funny when those people’s lack of physical fitness, especially when it comes to flexibility, leads to getting them hurt.
Weekend Warriors are men or women who participate in a physically strenuous activity only on weekends, or on a part-time basis.
If you think you’re going to show up at the slowpitch softball field, golf course, biking trail, etc., on just weekends, and not do anything during the week, you could be setting yourself up for a fall. The risk obviously increases as you get older and older.
But with a lot less time than you might think, the Weekend Warrior can go to full-time fitness.

Here are some keys to getting and staying in shape for busy people
* Exercise at least three to four times a week, even if it’s for just 15 minutes a session. The biggest problem for Weekend Warriors is working out hard at whatever they do and then going many days, or even a week or more until exerting themselves again
* The very next day after your big workout, whether it’s the weekend or a weekday, it’s important to move around again. If you don’t have time to do even a traditional short workout, such as running on the treadmill, riding a bike or jogging, then at least do something around your home.
Even a good, brisk walk with your dog or kids or both will help move your muscles around and get rid of the soreness from the day before.
* If your big activity is on the weekend, such as a basketball or slowpitch game, then get several short workouts in during the week. Even 15-30 minute workouts will make a world of difference.
* Here are some simple exercises for people on the go:
Squats (with our without weights), regular and decline pushups (feet on a chair or bench), exercise ball sit-ups and power tube stretches.
Do reps of at least 15-20 and only take short breaks in between.
If you have time to add some more favorite exercises, then do it.
Remember to stretch before and after the workout.
But the single biggest key is to exercise at least three times a week, preferably more. One big blowout fitness day a week, whether it’s playing a game with a team, or a 1 ½ hour workout on a Saturday, doesn’t do much good if you sit around the next six days.

Just because your budget is extremely tight doesn’t mean your cardiovascular training should go broke.
There are lots of ways to keep your cardio level at an optimum level while working out on your own and save the high price of being a member of a health club.
Jumping rope is one of the most underrated ways of getting cardiovascular exercise there is. And the best part is that good, high-quality jump ropes can be purchased for around $30-$40 or less.
People can jump rope in a relatively small space, indoors or outdoors. You can burn between 800-1,000 calories in an hour while jumping rope. And with practice, you can change up your rhythms with the jump rope and have fun – like when you were a kid.
Of course, there’s also always jogging – basically can be done for the price of running shoes – or bike riding.
People can also consider buying a variety of DVD exercise videos as well for in-home workout programs.
If those activities are a little too high-intensity for you, or too hard on the joints, everyone can of course benefit from walking.
To make your walking more like a workout, and more fun, consider buying a pedometer. They sell for less than $20.
It’s the perfect way to keep track of the mileage you walk and help you set and stick to goals. The simplest pedometers count the number of steps you take each day – take 10,000 steps a day to lose weight. If you can afford a little more advanced pedometer, it can also track calorie burning and speed measuring.
Click on this link below, or paste in your browser, to view a complete list of the strength and conditioning accessories available for shipment today from At Home Fitness:

http://www.athomefitness.net/Accessories-p-1-c-268.html

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

Just because your budget is extremely tight doesn’t mean your strength level should go belly up.
There are lots of ways to stay fit while working out on your own and save the high price of being a member of a health club, or stocking a home gym.
For strength conditioning, a few simple accessories can be purchased cheaply and combined with your own know-how and dedication to keep you as fit as anyone at a gym.
The extremely popular P90X workout program makes great use of Stretch Tubes that are used for resistance training.
Stretch Tubes offer resistance that allow you to do most of the lifts possible on expensive machines, such as triceps extensions, biceps curls, rows and squats but at a fraction of the cost. Stretch Tubes are available from At Home Fitness for just $39.99.
To further enhance your workout, an exercise ball ($39.99) is highly recommended. They are not only the best way to do sit-ups, but can also be used for a variety of other exercises.
Power Blocks will cost anywhere from $149-$399, but can give you an all-in-one, easy-to-use accessory that will replace an entire dumbbell set at a fraction of the price and space requirement.
And of course there’s always the good, old-fashioned push-up, sit-up or dip bar to use your own body weight to build strength and muscle mass.
So don’t use lack of money as a reason to not work out anymore. For just a few hundred dollars or less, you can get the same results as someone with a multi-thousand dollar home gym or membership to a plush health club.
Click on this link below, or paste in your browser, to view a complete list of the strength and conditioning accessories available for shipment today from At Home Fitness:

http://www.athomefitness.net/Accessories-p-1-c-268.html

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

My commentary on ladies fitness tips continues today. The goal is to debunk some myths about women and weightlifting and also get your ab workout into the 2000s 

Get with the right sit-up program
In every gym or workout room I’ve been to, most men and women have changed the way they work out the abs. Sorry, the old middle-school gym, lying on the floor and coming up to the bent knees sit-ups went out with the cassette tape and guys in short-shorts.
If you haven’t tried sit-ups yet on an exercise ball, trust me and give them a try. They’re more fun, easier on the spine and really work the abs better.
The plank is also really coming into style – it’s where you hold yourself up off the ground – propping yourself on the toes and forearms. It sounds easy, but it will really give you a burn.

Don’t believe the “big” myth about women and weights – hit ’em hard
I doubt if there’s anyone reading this who hasn’t heard the myth that women shouldn’t lift too heavy of weights, or else they’ll get huge. Like a linebacker on a football team.
Everyone I’ve talked to said that’s really not something women need to worry about if they follow a balanced program (ie: don’t spend five workouts a week on the leg press machine with 45-pound plates stacked high and wide).
Ladies, relax and repeat after me, “It is OK to try and up the amount of weight that’s lifted.”
That is, unless you have highly unusual genetics to put on muscle rapidly. In that case, please give me a head start if you’re unhappy with the way this workout plan turned out and decide to come after me.
I’m told women should find weights where they can do 15-20 reps, the last being the absolute last they can do to start. If you can handle the exercises at a certain weight, add another set of reps or add more weight
If a woman is lifting dumbbells lighter than her cat (unless it’s a real jumbo) then she’s not going to get much stronger or more toned. You need to challenge yourself – as we all know almost nothing comes for free.
Machine exercises are good, but don’t be afraid to try free weights.
And one other thing, don’t be intimidated by bigger guys lifting humungous amounts of weight if you go to a gym. Go about your business. Everyone there knows it would be a lot easier to be on the couch watching CSI re-runs, drinking soda and eating Ho-Hos.
So get cracking toward being fit starting today ladies. You go girl!

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at <a href="mailto:aaron@athomefitness.net

For any ladies out there reading my fitness blog, I’ve talked to a few experts recently to gather some tips on strength training especially for you
I consulted a college coach, a licensed trainer and another pretty qualified person – my wife Angela, who happens to be a massage therapist and regular gym-goer
Many women make it a point to work out regularly, whether it’s in the form of lifting weights, using resistance training, doing yoga, running on a treadmill or a variety of other activities.
I will also bet that many women go through their routines without actually having a workout designed by a trainer or qualified coach.
Short of paying a trainer yourself, which wouldn’t be a bad idea if you have the money and time, here are some important tips on interval training and weightlifting to improve a woman’s workout. On Thursday, I’ll offer some more advice for women in the weight room.

Interval training works best
For the average woman who wants to look and feel good (ie: fit into that favorite pair of jeans that’s been a little snug lately), everyone I talked to highly recommended interval training.
Combine a program of lifting weights with intervals of high-intensity running on a treadmill, riding on a stationary bike or elliptical followed by recovery time. (just to catch your breath, don’t let your heart rate drop too much)
Pick out a different weightlifting exercise for another 5 minutes, get back on the treadmill or try the bike instead for another 5-7 minutes and repeat.
Although interval training is harder, it will surely bring greater benefits than jogging along at the same slow pace for 30 minutes in a row. Even thouhg it’s harder, most people think it’s more fun, too, as it breaks up the monotony.
If you do this workout a minimum of even just three times a week for around 45 minutes to an hour, it will make a world of difference.

Work out the big muscle groups
Have you ever been to the gym and seen women with tiny dumbbells doing triceps extensions or calf raises? These exercises really don‘t do much. If you want to maximize your workout in a shorter time period (ie: you don’t want to be exercising for 1 1/2 hours a day) they’re not really needed. 
Instead, concentrate on exercises that work entire muscle groups rather than isolating smaller areas. Do presses, rows and pull downs and those same little muscles will work in conjunction with the bigger ones.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

It seems like athletes are being pushed into organized athletics at younger and younger ages and more and more of their “play” is supervised by adult coaches.

Whereas my friends and I played limited schedules on local baseball and football teams in grade school when everyone made the squads, today many kids are trying out for elite travel teams before they reach junior high.

I’ll reserve judgment on how serious coaches and parents should take grade-school sports for another day, but talk about another aspect of youth athletics today: Strength training and weightlifting.

Many people wonder about these questions:

* At what age should kids start strength training?

* What about weightlifting?

* Wait a minute, what’s the difference between the two?

First of all, basic strength training is done without weights. We’re talking about pushups, sit-ups, dips, and exercises with light resistance exercises such as using strength bands.

These exercises are fine for youngsters in grade school and actually recommended. Strength training at a young age can make kids look and feel better, increase their strength and endurance, protect their muscles and joints from injuries and even improve their mood. It should help them sleep better, too.

It will also improve their performance in sports, but even if they’re not on a team a good physical fitness regimen is highly beneficial. It can help them start on a life’s path to being physically fit.

Light machine weights can be used or dumbbells 10 pounds or lighter, but it’s recommended to do 20 reps or more for each exercise. The emphasis should be on endurance and flexibility rather than lifting as much weight as possible for youngsters.

* So when is it OK to start lifting weights?

Many doctors say that at the onset of puberty, around age 12 or 13 for many kids, it’s OK to begin weightlifting. It’s highly important to get proper instruction and use proper techniques when they begin weightlifting and to have an experienced spotter nearby.

Start with very light weights and controlled motions to reduce risk for long-term injury.

If athletes start trying to lift too much weight before their bodies are properly developed, it can put too much strain on them. They shouldn’t compromise form to lift as much as their friend or older brother.

Many trainers and coaches I know start athletes into weightlifting programs in sixth or seventh grade, but as I stated above they’re careful to monitor technique and how much weight is used.

By the eighth grade step it up some more and once high school arrives, it’s full-go ahead for weightlifting.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

It’s debatable whether or not explorer Ponce de Leon really found The Fountain of Youth in the 1500s.

While there is no magic potion for staying young today, I can tell you without question the closest thing to it: exercise and a good diet.

When people ask me if it’s OK for senior citizens to train with weights, I not only say “yes” but add “they should lift weights by all means.”

I’ve seen the benefits firsthand in my own family and also in talking to many trainers and doctors. Weightlifting programs for seniors should obviously be tweaked as they get older, but even lifting light dumbbells and using light weights on a home gym machine can make a huge difference.

Why weight training is important for older people

Once we hit about age 40, muscles get atrophied and will continue to lose mass.

That is, unless people exercise, lift weights and eat right.

My dad is 68 years old and has regularly worked out since his 30s. It’s nothing for him to work out for an hour a day with free weights and kettle bells, or go on a 20-mile bike ride. His waist line is more trim than some of the teenagers I see walking around eating burgers at the local mall. 

My grandma is 92 and walks three times a day in 15-minute increments. She used a rowing machine and light dumbbells into her 80s.

They both clearly have good genetics, too, but their dedication to physical fitness has no doubt been the biggest key to staying healthy.

When people say “use it or lose it” it’s most true about fitness.

Working out with free weights, machine weights or resistance machines improves many areas:

* posture stability

* prevents falls by improving balance

* strengthens bones and reduces risk of fractures

* improves muscular endurance and lets people better control symptoms of arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes,  back pain and even depression.

* Working out can even improve your overall outlook on life and make you feel better. If you maintain fitness levels in your golden years, it can help you keep a healthy, independent life much longer.

Weight training tips for seniors

While the benefits are proven time after time of working out with weights for seniors, it’s important to also be smart about it.

* Consult a doctor before beginning any significantly different fitness routine than you’re used to.

* A good stretching program is as important as any aspect of physical training, especially for seniors. It can take a lot longer to heal the older you are.

* Don’t be in a hurry. Take your time and use correct form.

* Ask a doctor or trainer for correct weightlifting techniques and how to set up a weekly routine. One of the most basic tips is to keep your head up and looking straight ahead for standing lifts and use your legs instead of your back to avoid strains. 

Remember that if you begin a physical fitness program at any age you can maintain your current muscle tone much longer and in many cases even improve it.

Weight training will put more demands on your body than regular-old couch potatoes, but that’s OK. Combined with a proper diet, you should actually have more energy than your used to.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

One of the most common complaints I’ve heard from people is that it’s hard for them to stay motivated to work out.

You can do a lot to change that simply by planning ahead.

Not only is it important to set aside time in your busy schedule to exercise, but you should start by setting up a successful environment in your home to work out in.

Place your fitness equipment in a comfortable room, one where you’ll enjoy putting in lots of hours of exercise. If you set up a treadmill in a crowded, cluttered garage, do you really think you’ll use it a lot there?

Now that could be different if it’s a big garage and set up nicely for exercising, or a basement that’s big enough and cleared out enough for fitness equipment.

Wherever you set up your fitness area, make sure it’s conducive to working out. Try to make it as fun a room as possible to be in. Set up a stereo and/or TV. Put up pictures or posters that motivate you. It’s hard enough to stay motivated for fitness the older we get, but if it’s a boring room to be in that certainly won’t make it any easier.

Make your fitness room a source of pride. Add equipment along the way. Maybe even give it a name. And keep working out!

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net

You’ve just arrived home from a long, hard day at work and it’s time to get a workout in. The problem is, you just really, really don’t feel like exercising.

Try the Five-Minute Rule to get you going.
Get on the treadmill or exercise bike even if you’re still in your work clothes. Walk or ride at a light pace for five minutes. Your heart rate will start to increase and your body chemistry will start to get you into the workout mode.
Ninety percent of the time, you’ll follow through with a near-complete or complete workout.
If after five minutes of this mini warmup you’re still not in the mood, then you know what, you really didn’t want to work out that day. Take the day off, don’t beat yourself up too badly, but try to get back on track the next day.
Chances are, though, you’ll be ready to go after five minutes. Go get changed and have at it.
And pat yourself on the back because the most important, but hardest to do part of staying fit is consistency. And the five-minute rule is a great tip I’ve learned to help people stay on track.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at <a href="mailto:aaron@athomefitness.net