At Home Fitness Articles & Features » Fitness Equipment Buying Tips

Dynamic stretching way to go before workout

Aaron Dorksen — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:53:38 +0000

The old toe-touch or pulling up the leg and holding it for a quad stretch before working out is a thing of the past for many.
Known as static stretches, in which you hold the end position, many athletes, trainers and coaches now recommend dynamic stretching instead before a workout.
Dynamic stretching has been shown in recent studies to incorporate constant motion throughout the warm-up and that maintains the core body temperature, whereas static stretching can see a drop in temperature of several degrees.
Dynamic stretching also prepares muscles and joints in a more specific manner since the body is going through motions it will likely repeat in the workout.
Traditional static stretching does little to increase flexibility or reduce injury when performed before a workout because the muscles are not warmed up. Some studies have actually shown that static stretches have a negative effect.
Here are three examples of dynamic stretchers you might want to try:
* Leg swings – Stretch out the quads and hamstrings, while also limbering up your hips.
Stand alongside a wall with weight on right leg and right hand on wall for balance. Swing left leg forward and backward to waist height for 10-12 reps. Switch sides and repeat.
* Walking knee hugs – Stretches hamstrings and hips, while also helping balance. As you walk forward, with each step grab your shin below the knee and pull knee to chest. Alternate legs for 10-12 steps. Focus on keeping your balance over the standing leg.
* Walking butt kicks – Help warm up your quads. As you walk forward, kick your lower leg back on each step, trying to kick your foot back to your butt and grab foot with your hand. Hold for a second and let go. Repeat as you alternate legs. Focus on maintaining balance over your standing leg.
After you’ve completed these dynamic stretches, you should be good and ready to take on the rest of your workout. Go for a run on the treadmill, hit the elliptical machine nice and loose or go for a bike ride.

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.com

Four stretching dos and don’ts Stretching is one of the most best things people can...
Fitness on the go: Great 15-minute workout (calorie burning) A total full body, fast-paced circuit workout with high repetitions...
Power blocks/Dumbbell workout tips for shoulders Are you looking to get more out of your power...

Fitness on the go: Great 15-minute workout (calorie burning)

Aaron Dorksen — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:15:40 +0000

A total full body, fast-paced circuit workout with high repetitions is a good way to get the most out of your time in a workout.
I’ve written on my At Home Fitness blog several times that even short workouts can be better than not doing any exercise at all.
If you have a program designed where you normally do 45- or 60-minute workouts, but have hit a busy stretch where you only have limited time, then do shorter workouts.
Now, if you really want to maximize your exercise results in a short time, here’s a great 15-minute workout for calorie burning.
15-minute Calorie burning circuit:
1. Deadlifts – Using dumbbells (or a standard barbell if you have it) do 6-8 reps. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend and pick up the dumbbells (or bar) while keeping your back as straight as possible.
Power the weight up using your thighs and back, while keeping your shoulders and elbows locked and the back straight. Once you’re standing straight up, pause for a second, lower weights to floor and repeat.
2. Chinups – Go straight to the chinup bar without taking a break and with an overhand grip (palms facing away) grab bar. Perform 6-8 reps.
If you’re unable to do a chinup, some machines provide assisted chinups or you can use a lat pulldown machine instead.
* Take a 30- or 60-second break between Deadlift/chinup circuit and repeat 2 or 3 times.
3. Pushups – Perform 15-20 pushups, keeping back straight and hands shoulder width apart.
4. Dumbbell lunge – Without taking a break, switch to dumbbell lunges. Stand with feet shoulder width apart and hold dumbbells at your side. Step forward with right leg and lower until other knee comes close to touching the floor. Rapidly power back up to starting position, repeat movement with other leg. Do 8-12 reps.
* Take a 30- or 60-second break between Deadlift/chinup circuit and repeat 2 or 3 times.
If your 15 minutes is not up yet, keep alternating with 1-2 and 3-4 circuits until time is completed.

Fitness on the go: Great 15-minute workout (muscle building) I’ve written on my At Home Fitness blog several times...
Power blocks / Dumbbell workout tips for legs Are you looking to get more out of your power...
Power blocks/Dumbbell workout tips for shoulders Are you looking to get more out of your power...

Even senior citizens can benefit from weight training

Aaron Dorksen — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:09:08 +0000

When many people think of weightlifting or strength training they picture young, athletic men and women powering up barbells and dumbbells.
But did you know that weightlifting, also known as strength training, can greatly benefit people into their 80s and even 90s?
Who knows, maybe there are even some 100-year-olds who do light arm curls or leg lifts.
A relative of mine in her 60s was recently diagnosed with early stage osteoporosis. One of the first things the doctor told her was to begin a controlled weightlifting program to strengthen her muscles.
Seniors are often encouraged to do exercises such as arm curls with light weights, leg lifts and other exercises depending on their health. By exercising with weights, people of any age can get their circulation flowing, burn off calories and improve their muscle tone.
If you’re interested in weightlifting or have a family member who it might benefit, but aren’t sure how to go about it, here are some basic tips you should know:
* Before starting a weightlifting program, or any new fitness regimen for that matter, check with your doctor. A doctor can help decide if you face any risks or need to make modifications for your health and safety.
* Talk to a trainer or research on your own by reading books or magazines to find a beginner’s program that fits your goals.
* Hoime gyms are easier to set up than you might think. You can buy machines such as functional trainers, and also add free weights such as dumbbells and barbells.
* Emphasize proper form over trying to lift the most weight you can. It’s much more important to use proper form because if you’re doing exercises wrong there is a greater risk of injury.
* For beginners, make sure you can do 12-15 repetitions of an exercise several workouts in a row before considering to increase the weight you’re lifting.
* If you work out at a gym, don’t be intimidated by other weightlifters. We all start somewhere and all have our adversity we face from time to time. Work hard, do your best and you can feel just worthy of being there as the next guy or gal.
* Remember to schedule at least one or two off days during the week as recovery time is crucial to building muscle.
* Finally, don’t give up. Stick with it and you will see results in no time. A strong, muscular body will help make you feel years younger and better support your spine and the rest of your body.

10 tips for beginning weightlifters Strength training with weights can help people of just about...
Getting a Complete Workout with the Help of Weight Training If you are putting together a workout routine that will...
Functional training: Four tips to build a stronger core To build a strong core it takes a lot more...

Get on the treadmill – and get going toward fitness

Aaron Dorksen — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 01:26:17 +0000

Treadmills

A treadmill might not seem like that important a piece of equipment to have in your home, but when you really look at all they can do it’s well worth the investment.
Whether you go with brands like Landice, Life Fitness, Vision Fitness, AFG, LifeSpan Fitness, SportsArt, Sole Treadmills, HealthRider. ProForm or some other, treadmills pay off their investment in no time compared to going to a health club.
Here are five reasons why you should consider adding a treadmill to your home:
1. Most popular choice – Treadmills are the top selling home exercise machine so that in itself demonstrates that lots and lots people believe in them.
2. Comfort factor – One of the best attributes is that you can work out with a treadmill where, when and how you want to. Set up the treadmill in front of a TV and watch your favorite show, place a book or magazine on its rack or play the home stereo while you walk or run.
By working out in the privacy of your own home, you don’t have to worry about walking outside and having people in the neighborhood staring as they drive by.
Some people feel more comfortable at home than exercising in a health club gym, either.
3. Get a great workout – You can also get an outstanding workout on a treadmill. Walk, run or mix in both for as long or short a workout as you want. Walking is excellent for your circulation, and boosts metabolism. Running also boost metabolism and suppresses your appetite as well. Combined with healthy eating, how much cardio activity you do and other factors like age and weight, you could lose 2-4 pounds a week after starting a treadmill walking program.
4. Options, options, options – Treadmills are easy to program and keep track of your workout. You can control the time, speed, incline of the walk or run and also log how many calories you’ve burned.
For intermediate fitness programs you can start working in interval training – going harder for several minutes at a time, backing off the pace and then quickening the walk or run on a repeated cycle.
5. Try it first – One of the most important tips I can offer prior to buying workout equipment is to purchase something you’ll use.
I can tell you that people who have treadmills get as much use out of them as any workout equipment on the market.
Many people with gym memberships don’t get there enough to get their money’s worth. Bring a pair of gym shoes to the fitness store and try out the treadmill in person.

Walk the Walk: Advanced treadmill workouts When is walking not walking? When you spice up your...
Walk the Walk: How to set up a treadmill workout plan When is walking not walking? When you spice up your...
Building your own home gym: Treadmill or Elliptical This is the fourth in a seven-part series on building...

Power blocks / Dumbbell workout tips for chest

Aaron Dorksen — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:36:17 +0000

Are you looking to get more out of your power blocks and/or dumbbells?
This week I’ll offer some good workout tips to put those Pbs and Dbs to use. Today, we take a look at the chest.
DB/PB Bench press – If you’re not using power blocks or dumbbells to work out your chest you’re missing out on not only one of the best lifts for the pecs, but one of the safest.
The DB or PB presses involve the delts less that straight bar bench presses, thus emphasizing the chest muscles more. Try flat bench, incline or even dumbbell/power block presses.
To get the Dbs up into position, sit on the bench and hold a DB/PB in each hand at your side. Lean back onto the bench and hoist the Dbs up as you lay flat in the same motion. If you get up into higher weights, say 70 pounds, 80 or bigger Dbs or Pbs, you’ll learn to lay back and hoist them up in one fluid motion. Once laying down, power them up and squeeze your chest at the top and then lower in control. Breathe out as you power them up, breathe in on the way down.
Perform 10-12 reps.
* Tip – Once a week or every other week, work incline DB/PB presses and on some other days do them on a decline. They’ll work your chest in different ways. Another way to change things up is to do higher weight and less reps on occasion – for instance 100-pound DB/PB presses for 6-8 reps.
Flyes – These are an underrated lift that can do a lot more than just shape the chest as some people say. Flyes can really add strength and muscle to your chest.
Lay flat on the bench holding a DB or PB in each hand. Stretch your arms out to the side, with palms facing up and slightly bend at the elbows.
Pull your arms together above your chest as you keep tension on the pecs, pause for a squeeze at the top and then lower your arms as you breathe out on the way down. Keeping your arms slightly bent, lower to the point where your elbows are down to shoulder level before bringing your arms back up again for the next rep.
Perform 10-12 reps, starting with lighter weights until you get the form down.
* Tip – Don’t let your shoulders come forward as you bring the flyes to the upright position or it will put more emphasis on your shoulders muscle and less on the pec. Keep the arm angle in line with the chest.

Power blocks / Dumbbell workout tips for arms Are you looking to get more out of your power...
Power blocks/Dumbbell workout tips for shoulders Are you looking to get more out of your power...
Power blocks / Dumbbell workout tips for legs Are you looking to get more out of your power...

Power blocks/Dumbbell workout tips for shoulders

Aaron Dorksen — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:21:23 +0000

Are you looking to get more out of your power blocks and/or dumbbells?
This week I’ll offer some good workout tips to put those Pbs and Dbs to use. Today, we take a look at the shoulders.
Standing dumbbell Arnold press – Stand straight up with your feet shoulder width apart.
Hold the power blocks or dumbbells at shoulder height with palms facing toward you.
Keep your elbows tucked in in front of you.
Press one of the Dbs or Pbs overhead and rotate your wrist on the way up so that your wrist faces forward by the time the weight is pushed all the way up. Alternate arms for these presses, doing 8-12 repititions.
* Tip: If your back feels a little uncomfortable doing these standing, you can also do these seated. One of my favorite ways to do these is to sit backwards against a preacher curl bench and get the back support from the curl platform.
Standing lateral raise – Stand straight up with one leg staggered to the front. Hold the power blocks or dumbbells at your sides, keep your core tight, elbows bent a little and palms facing in.
Raise your arms out to the sides in an arc in a disciplined, controlled manner until the dumbbells are about to shoulder level. Slowly lower the weights to your sides without moving the rest of your body and repeat for 8-12 reps.
* Tip: Some people like to go up to just before shoulder level on the raise, while others go even. Find what groove works and feels best for you. Do these with a controlled motion, it’s especially important on lateral raises to have good form rather than how much weight you’re lifting.

Power blocks / Dumbbell workout tips for chest Are you looking to get more out of your power...
Power blocks / Dumbbell workout tips for legs Are you looking to get more out of your power...
Power blocks / Dumbbell workout tips for arms Are you looking to get more out of your power...

Top five tips to get most out of your weight workouts

Aaron Dorksen — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:06:05 +0000

There are just about as many different opinions out there as to the best way to lift weights as there are different exercises you can do.
Based on my experiences as a weight lifter, personal research and time spent talking to other athletes and trainers here are my top five suggestions that will help maximize your time in the gym.

Dumbbell Bench Press

Do dumbbell bench presses – Many trainers feel these are the single best exercise to do for your chest and even better news is that they don’t put as much stress on your shoulders as standard flat bench presses. The dumbbell bench presses involve the delts less, thus emphasizing the chest muscles more. Try incline of flat bench dumbbell presses.

Squats, squats, squats – If your back and knees will allow it, many fitness experts agree that squats are the single most important exercise you can do.

Make sure to use proper form, keeping your back as straight as possible as you go down and don’t go past parallel. Good form is the key on squats. Work with a trainer or ask an experienced lifter for help if just starting. Start out light and get the form down, possibly doing sets with 95 pounds or 135 on the Olympic bar until you get it down. Start out doing 10-12 reps for sets of three or four.

If you’re just starting out, you should be able to gain strength quickly. For intermediate lifters, a good way to increase your maximum squat is to do heavy weights and low reps – 5 sets of 5 -on occasion.

Alternate routines – Change up your bench sets regularly. This will avoid hitting plateaus and develop endurance as well as strength. Mix in days where you do higher reps with lighter weights – even hitting burnout sets. Follow it with days where you go real heavy, such as three sets of three.
Also, mix in incline and decline dumbbell chest work as well.

Remember to always stretch well, especially the shoulder muscles. Also, make sure to counter-balance bench pressing by working out shoulders (front and back) on opposite days.

Plank Ab Exercise

Do the Plank - Most people know about sit-ups, ab crunches and even using exercise balls for sit-ups, but the plank is arguably the most underrated ab exercise.

For the Plank, lay face down on the floor or use an exercise mat or other flat surface. You can do them comfortably most places. Place the elbows and forearms underneath your chest. Prop yourself up to form a bridge using your toes and forearms and keep your back flat and hips parallel to the ground.

It’s important to keep your back in a flat alignment – don’t let it sag or prop up too high. Looking straight ahead will help you keep your back straight
Basically, you’re lifting yourself up to a parallel position and supporting yourself.

It doesn’t sound that hard, but try holding that position for 1-2 minutes at a time. It will give your abs a great workout. The Plank not only works strength, but will help build your muscle endurance.

Put off the big stretch – More and more research shows that you should only stretch lightly before a workout. You’re more flexible post workout and that’s a better time to go into real deep stretches.

Pressed for time weight workouts If you’re not one of those rare people who can...
Power blocks / Dumbbell workout tips for chest Are you looking to get more out of your power...
Great exercises you might not be doing: The Plank If you’ve never done “The Plank” it’s a core-strengthening exercise...

Variety can improve your workouts

Aaron Dorksen — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:12:50 +0000

Workout Variety

Variety is the spice of life. It can also help jumpstart your workout programs.
If you feel they have fallen a little bit flat lately, or that you’re having trouble getting over the hump to reach certain fitness goals, consider changing things up.
Here are five tips to change up your fitness routines.
Switch up your exercises – Although this seems obvious, some people continually do very similar workouts week after week, month after month and even year after year. Take advantage of the versatility of a home gym by tweaking the way you perform lifts of certain body parts, or find different ways to work out with free weights. Find a different way to work out the body parts, such as doing a pushup circuit at different angles instead of always doing bench presses to build the chest muscles.
Change your workout length – If your workout normally lasts 45 minutes or an hour, change it up every few weeks by shaving 15 minutes off the time.
Increase the intensity and amount of weight used for sets, but do fewer sets and take less time between exercises. This will create muscle confusion, force you to step up your effort and make it more interesting because it will be different. And the best part is you’ll get done a little bit quicker.
If you use a treadmill or elliptical machine a lot, change the speeds and lengths at which those workouts are conducted.
Change your techniques – Many lifts on a home gym are done with both arms or legs at the same time. To change things up a little, though, do lifts where you exercise one arm at a time, for example, on triceps extensions or one-legged extensions. This will work your muscles in a more concentrated way and serve as another way to change things up.
Change your workout time – If it’s getting harder and harder to stay motivated to work out, consider changing what time you exercise for a week. If you usually exercise in the morning, try working out at night after work a few times. Maybe you’ll like one better than the other, but a change even for a few days can make a difference in the quality of workouts.
Change your music – A small, but sometimes helpful tip is to change up the music you’re listening to. Take some time and think of songs that will get you pumped up to work out. If you don’t usually listen to music, then consider putting a CD on that will get you moving a little quicker.

Walk the Walk: Advanced treadmill workouts When is walking not walking? When you spice up your...
Time to start thinking about winter treadmill workouts Here in the Midwest it’s been an unseasonably warm start...
Top five tips to get most out of your weight workouts There are just about as many different opinions out there...

Walk the Walk: How to set up a treadmill workout plan

Aaron Dorksen — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 18:25:31 +0000

When is walking not walking? When you spice up your treadmill workout program with some creative twists that add a whole new aspect to an old standby in many workout rooms.
Any physical activity you do is beneficial to some degree, but if you are looking to get more out of your treadmill workouts I will offer some advanced tips for treadmill walking this week.
Today, here are some ways to setup a treadmill workout plan for beginners. Follow this program for cardio walks on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays:
* To begin (weeks 1 to 3):
Warm up for 5 minutes by walking at 1.5 to 2 mph, then get off the treadmill and stretch.
Get back on the treadmill, walk for 20 minutes at 2 mph and then stretch afterwards. Total workout time is 30 minutes.
* Now we’re moving (weeks 4 to 7):
Follow the same warmup and stretching, but then walk for 30 minutes before stretching afterwards for a total workout of 40 minutes.
* Stepping it up (weeks 8-12):
Follow the same warmup and stretching, but then walk for 40 minutes before stretching afterwards for a total workout of 50 minutes.
* Add interval training:
If you want to add more to your walking program, then also walk on Tuesdays, Thursdays, leaving Fridays and Sundays for rest days.
Once you’re comfortable with the walking, consider doing speed intervals on Tuesdays and Thursdays and perhaps adding incline intervals on Saturdays to build more endurance and strength.
That is, for speed intervals walk at a faster pace for 1 or 2 minutes at say 3 to 3.5 mph then return to your normal comfortable speed. For inclines, put the treadmill at an incline of 1 to start and when you’re comfortable you can take it to a higher level.
Gradually increase your effort level with the speed and incline intervals but if you stick with it should make a noticeable difference in your fitness level.

Walk the Walk: Advanced treadmill workouts When is walking not walking? When you spice up your...
Time to start thinking about winter treadmill workouts Here in the Midwest it’s been an unseasonably warm start...
A spring break shape-up plan If you have a spring break trip planned or other...

Walk the Walk: Advanced treadmill workouts

Aaron Dorksen — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:22:49 +0000

Check out our selection of Landice Treadmills

Interval training – If you normally walk for 20 minutes on the treadmill at 1.5 or 2 mph speed, change things up by walking at a faster pace for different portions of the workout. For instacne start with a 5-minute warmup but then bump up the speed to a higher level for 3 minutes. Then go back to your lower setting for 5 minutes, followed by another bump-up interval. You’ll burn more calories that way and improve your conditioning level. Tweak the interval jumps to fit your ability level.
Incline training – Raise the incline on the treadmill to work out your legs in a different way. This will break up the monotony of always doing the same flat-plane workout.
Strength moves – At the end of your walking workout perform some strength moves while still on the treadmill. You can do lunges, squats and side steps, using the treadmill handles to assist with balance if necessary.

Walk the Walk: How to set up a treadmill workout plan When is walking not walking? When you spice up your...
Time to start thinking about winter treadmill workouts Here in the Midwest it’s been an unseasonably warm start...
Interval Training with Your Treadmill Are you looking for a more effective way to work...