When it comes to setting up a home gym, or just buying your first piece of exercise equipment, there are many factors to consider.
Two of the most important, probably in this order, are 1. Will you use it? and 2. Cost.
It doesn’t make much sense to spend hard-earned money on something you aren’t going to use.
Once you determine what piece of equipment you want, then start shopping around for prices and options.

For many people, one of the most popular purchases is a home exercise bike. There are upright bikes and recumbent bikes.

MANY WORKOUT OPTIONS
These bikes put less wear and tear on your legs than running on a treadmill.
You won’t burn quite as many calories as running in the same amount of time, but exercise bikes still offer the chance to get consistently good workouts.

FIGHT BOREDOM
Many exercise bikes come equipped with numerous workout options that will keep you from getting board even though you’re in a stationery position.
They come programmed with numerous biking workouts, ranging from different courses that require sprints, interval training, pedaling downhill and uphill.
You can do all this without manually having to keep pressing buttons and changing options.
If you want to be surprised, select a random options course that will keep you ready for anything.

CONTROL YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Another nice feature of a home exercise bike is that you can control the environment in your home.
You can set up a TV in front of the bike, or listen to the stereo. On many bikes it’s possible to have a rack set up to read the newspaper, or a book, or magazine.

CALORIE COUNT
Studies show on average that people burn 750 calories per hour on a treadmill, compared to 550 on an exercise bike.
That can be a little misleading, though, because for many people it’s much easier to keep up a good pace longer on an exercise bike than a treadmill.
So in the long run, you may be capable of burning more calories on a bike.

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

With the summer heat index cranking up, training inside on a treadmill is one of the best ways to get consistent aerobic exercise.
Here are five reasons why a treadmill is a great way to stay in shape even during the summer months:

Weather - When you have a treadmill, you can control the environment. If it’s colder or hotter than you’d prefer outside, or there’s a chance of rain and lightning or high winds, a treadmill allows you to quickly bring your workout inside.
Convenience - If it’s getting dark and you still want to get a run in, just hop on your inside treadmill.
Safety - If traffic is particularly heavy at a certain time of day, or as mentioned above storms are imminent in your area, or it’s later at night, safety fears can be put aside if you run inside on your treadmill. The footing underneath you is also a sure thing on a treadmill as opposed to possible hazards outdoors.
Extras - A treadmill also allows perks such as easier measurements of your exact distance and calories burned than running outside and you can also control your pace and course better. With a treadmill you can program just where the hills are and how the course will be.
Shock absorption for your body is also better on a treadmill than running outside.
Privacy - Finally, if you don’t like it when seemingly every other car slows down to gawk as you run or walk through the center of town, then privacy won’t be a problem on a treadmill inside your own home.
Spring is here and it’s a great feeling to breathe in the fresh air and catch rays while walking or running outside. But even the warmer months are still a great time to keep using your treadmill often.

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

Working out the legs is often last on people’s enjoyment list.
Even those who work out hard and diligently often don’t like to exercise the legs. That’s understandable because working out the legs takes a lot of hard work and commitment.
However, don’t be one of those guys, or once in a while women, who have big, strong upper bodies and rail thin legs.
Three key areas to focus on for leg exercises are hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles.

Here’s a good leg workout program along with some added tips to get a leg up on your fitness:

* Lying or seated leg curl (3 sets of 10-12) Use good, steady form
* Leg extensions (3 sets of 10-12) Don’t go past parallel on top
* Squats (3 sets of 10-12) You can use free weights, or do squats on a machine that keeps you in track. Keep your back straight and don’t go past parallel on bottom
* Calf raises (3 sets of 15-20) Calves can take a lot of reps, work them hard.
* Lunges (3 sets of 10-12) A great way to pull everything together and firm up the core as well.
* Dumbbell step-ups (3 sets of 10) Get a platform you can step up onto and off of

You should always warm up extra good on leg day and, of course, stretch out well when you’re done, too.
Get in a cardio workout afterwards on a treadmill, jumping rope of whatever else you like.

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

Nothing can stop someone’s workout program in its track like sustaining an injury.
From the most common setbacks such as back, ankle or knee injuries, to shoulder or Achilles’ tendon difficulties, injuries can pack a physical and mental punch.
To rehab effectively and quickly, a smart mental approach can be just as important as doing the physical work necessary to return to form.
Here are five tips to get back to form after an injury:
Cross train – If it’s possible with your injury, try finding a different outlet to continue to get some exercise. For instance, if you’ve hurt your shoulder lifting weights then try to increase the amount of time you run on the treadmill or ride the exercise bike. If you’ve sprained an ankle, concentrate more on upper body weightlifting that doesn’t put strain on the ankle, or get in the swimming pool and see if you can move around there.
When we exercise endorphins are released in the body that create a natural high. You’re overall mood will be a lot better if you continue to experience the benefits of exercise.
Learn about the injury – Research the injury on your own through the Internet, books or fitness magazines, talk to friends, trainers or coaches who might have significant knowledge on the subject and if you decide to visit a doctor learn all you can from him or her.
Knowledge will help you cope with the problem better and be smarter about what you need to do to rebound.
Get support – After suffering a sports injury don’t pull away from the friends, athletes, teams or coaches who you normally do things with. Try to still show up at the games, or get together with them before or after their workout. Show support by bringing them a PowerAde, or offer them words of encouragement. In turn, it will be nice for you to get some words of encourage from them as well.
Think positive – Even though it may be hard to do, think positive thoughts. Research has proven that negative thinking can increase a surge in the hormone cortisol, which can divert the body’s energy away from healing.
Tweak your goals – As hard as it might be to do, if you suffer an injury sit down and re-examine your fitness or sports goals.
If you planned to run in a local 5K in early June but are experiencing calf problems and losing valuable training time, maybe look on the local sports calendar and find a race later in the summer and set a goal of competing then.
It’s obviously never fun to get hurt, but unless you’re one of a very select lucky few everyone deals with sports bumps and bruises, sprains and pulls at one point or another.
Just remember that a positive mental approach can sometimes be almost as important as the physical aspect of rehabbing an injury.
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

With summer here it’s a great time to think about changing up your workout program.
You should still try to do regular strength training such as working out with a home gym, or cardio workouts on an elliptical machine or treadmill.
However, summer is also a great time to break from the norm.
Here are four fun summer workout ideas:
Play tennis: Tennis is a relatively cheap but fun way to stay in shape. Most communities have public tennis courts at parks or high schools that can be used for free. Buy a racket, some tennis balls and lace up a good pair of shoes and you’re on your way. If you’re on a budget, consider going to garage sales or second-hand sporting goods stores to find a racket.
Choose a racket that’s right for you. If you haven’t played tennis much before, it may take a a little time to get used to some soreness from using muscles differently but stick with it.
Bike riding: Re-discover the fun you had riding bikes as a kid as an adult. Many parks have bike trails to challenge beginners as well as experienced riders. This is a great way to build up your strength and endurance while not putting the wear and tear on your joints that running does.
Softball – Get the old glove, bat and ball out and re-discover playing ball again. Whether you just play a spirited game of catch in the backyard, get family and friends together for batting practice or actually join a league, this is another fun way to stay in shape.
Badminton – As far as a summer backyard games go, badminton is an oldie but a goody. A set can be purchased relatively inexpensively and it’s a sport that’s fun for players of all ages.

This week the focus is on Home Gym workout machines and Functional Trainers. Although they have slight differences there are also many similarities. I’ll talk about basic workout tips to help people on both and then offer up my suggestions on how to set up a basic workout program. Today, here are my tips for Workout C (back and biceps).
This is the third of a three-part workout program that if followed will improve your strength and stamina.
Program A will work out the chest and triceps; on the next day do Program B (legs, shoulders); then Program C (back, biceps), followed by a rest day. Then, repeat the cycle.
If you wish, you can add Program D (an all-cardio) day, then take a rest and start over.
Start all workouts with a good warm-up. Do a real light stretch for a few minutes, then walk, jog or ride a bike for 10-15 minutes to get the blood flowing and some warm-up cardio time. At that point, I do a more thorough stretch because my muscles are warmed up nicely.

For program C, the back and biceps take centerstage. Home gyms and functional trainers offer many excellent workout options for the back and bi’s.
After warming up, start with seated cable rows (3 sets of 10) and then move to front lat pulldowns (3 sets of 10) to work the back and lats. One-armed rows can be added for 3 more sets of 10.
Next up, work the biceps with 3 sets of 10 standing curls. Then, do alternating one=armed curls for 3 sets of 10. If you have a preacher bench that can isolate the biceps even more. Another idea for some of these back and biceps sets is to sit on an exercise ball to add a workout for the core as well.
Now that all three programs have been covered get to work. If you alternate working out different body parts with this split routine it should keep your workouts fresh and build strength and muscle over the long run.
Thanks for reading and good luck with your workouts.

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

This week the focus is on Home Gym workout machines and Functional Trainers. Although they have slight differences there are also many similarities. I’ll talk about basic workout tips to help people on both and then offer up my suggestions on how to set up a basic workout program. Today, here are my tips for Workout B (legs and shoulders).
This is the second of a three-part workout program that if followed will improve your strength and stamina.

Program A will work out the chest and triceps; on the next day do Program B (legs, shoulders); then Program C (back, biceps), followed by a rest day. Then, repeat the cycle.
If you wish, you can add Program D (an all-cardio) day, then take a rest and start over.
Start all workouts with a good warm-up. Do a real light stretch for a few minutes, then walk, jog or ride a bike for 10-15 minutes to get the blood flowing and some warm-up cardio time. At that point, I do a more thorough stretch because my muscles are warmed up nicely.

For program B, it’s time to work out the legs and shoulders. For legs, perform squats (3 sets of 10) if your knees will allow it. For squats it’s extremely important to use good form. Keep your back straight as possible as you go up and down and think “front legs” to power the weight up and down. A good tip is to pick a point out on the wall at eye level and look at that to keep your head up. When descending, do not go down past parallel.
Then mix in three sets of 10-12 of leg extensions and leg curls, followed by calf raises (3×15).
For shoulder exercises overhead presses, aka military presses, are always a good exercise. Do three sets of 10. For more shoulder work you can do front raises and side raises (3 sets of 10 for each).
After all of your basic strength training sessions then do some core work (ie: sit-ups, plank, etc.) and cardio (ie: 15-30 more minutes on the treadmill or elliptical).
Thanks for reading and Friday I’ll add the basics for Program C (back and biceps).

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

This week the focus is on Home Gym workout machines and Functional Trainers. Although they have slight differences there are also many similarities. I’ll talk about basic workout tips to help people on both and then offer up my suggestions on how to set up a basic workout program. Today, here are my tips for Workout A (chest and triceps).

This s the first of a three-part workout program that if followed will improve your strength and stamina.
Program A will work out the chest and triceps; on the next day do Program B (legs, shoulders); then Program C (back, biceps), followed by a rest day. Then, repeat the cycle.
If you wish, you can add Program D (an all-cardio) day, then take a rest and start over.

Start all workouts with a good warm-up. Do a real light stretch for a few minutes, then walk, jog or ride a bike for 10-15 minutes to get the blood flowing and some warm-up cardio time. At that point, I do a more thorough stretch because my muscles are warmed up nicely.

For program A, start with flat bench press (3 sets of 10), followed by either incline or decline bench press (3 sets of 10) and flyes (2 sets of 10).
Then its on to triceps. It’s good to use heavier weight for triceps extensions (3 sets of 10), and there are a variety of ways to do these. Standing and working overhead, or sitting or lying on a bench for the same motion.
Then, I use a little less weight for triceps pushdowns or kickbacks (3 sets of 10) to really isolate the triceps.

These are some excellent base exercises to work out the chest and triceps, but you may find others you like to substitute or add in time. You can also change up the number of sets and reps every few weeks, for example doing 3 sets of 5 on the bench press some days to work with more weight.

After all of your basic strength training sessions then do some core work (ie: sit-ups, plank, etc.) and cardio (ie: 15-30 more minutes on the treadmill or elliptical).

Thanks for reading and Wednesday I’ll add the basics for Program B (legs, shoulders).

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

This week the focus is on Home Gym workout machines and Functional Trainers. Although they have slight differences there are also many similarities. I’ll talk about basic workout tips to help people on both and then offer up my suggestions on how to set up a workout program. Today, here are some tips to find out which one is right for you.

A Home Gym or Functional Trainer offers great freedom for owners: The ability to exercise whenever you want and to totally control the workout environment because it’s in your own home.
When many people set out to build a workout room in their homes they’re not sure which is right for them – a home gym machines or functional trainers.
Here are some basics you should know about both:
The more traditional Home Gym includes one or two weight stacks, with fixed arms and hand grips. It can be bulkier and more expensive than Functional Trainers.
Most movements on a Home Gym follow a set plane, such as military press for shoulders, bench press for chest or leg extensions.
Home Gyms are great for beginners as they are generally regarded to be easier to use, but they can also benefit experienced lifters.
They can be a good complement to lifting with free weights because Home Gyms will keep you on a controlled lift and do a good job of isolating specific body parts.

Functional Trainers have increasingly gained popularity as they are often less expensive than Home Gyms and take up less space. Functional Trainers have weight stacks on their base, too, but the main difference is in the cable systems that come with different shaped handles. They provide more options for working out and because the cable does not have to follow a fixed plane more sports specific routines can be implemented.
For instance, a golfer can hold the cable handle and simulate his or her swing. A baseball or softball player can grip the cable handle and mimic a throwing motion. There are hundreds of different movement possibilities for a Functional Trainer.
You can even incorporate an exercise ball into your workout, sitting on it and pulling the cable handle toward you at a variety of angles.
However, these machines can also be harder to use and some people aren’t sure if they’re following the right motions. It’s important that they ask questions when contemplating buying a Functional Trainer and have correct information on how to use them

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

Is there a single exercise that could be called the best? Obviously, one size does not fit all when it comes to exercising, but this week I’ll reveal my picks as the best exercises that benefit the most people across the board. Featured today is a report on push-ups.

New workout fads come and go, but the age-old exercise push-ups still can’t be beat.
There is no simpler, cheaper, less space consuming way to stay strong and toned than using your own body weight to do push-ups. Herschel Walker, one of the all-time college and pro football running back greats, said push-ups and sit-ups were basically the only two exercises he did to maintain his extraordinary physique.

The push-up has been called the closest thing to a perfect exercise – you use your own body weight and gravity to work multiple body parts.
Most people know that push-ups really work the chest and triceps, but when done with proper form the entire body is engaged from toes to the neck to hold the parallel position.
If you can’t do a perfect push-up, then “cheaters” can be beneficial too by keeping your knees on the ground and pushing your upper body up and down. Some people call those “girl” push-ups.
For people who really have conditioning issues, they can even do a modified push-up by standing and leaning against a wall and pushing off and then back. This puts very little strain on the elbows or wrists.

To do a perfect push-up, lay on the floor and straighten your upper back, shoulders, and arms and push up your body weight off the floor, then slowly lower it back down. Keep a straight line across your body. Repeat for numerous repetitions.
Make sure to use your arms and chest for power – don’t cheat by using your stomach or butt for extra help.
There are many push-up variations once you get the basics down, such as on the finger-tips, knuckles, wide-grip, close-grip, triangle grip with hands and off a home gym weight bench.

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