Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Fitness Solutions: Tips for buying Effective Fitness Equipment

Do you want to stay fit, healthy and flexible? A hale and hearty diet of nutritious fruits and vegetables is the key as well as regular and continuous exercise.

The best exercise is one that you are really and sincerely going to be working out on, be it push-ups, stretches, jumping jacks or the regular jogging or the much tamer walking. However, there are people who prefer to work out using fitness equipment in their own homes.


For example treadmills, barbells, elliptical trainers, ab machines, rowing machines and weight benches. Some of the most effective fitness equipment can be found at http://elliptical-machines-info.blogspot.com The following are a few basic and important things to consider when buying those exercise equipments.

Do not believe what you see and hear

At least not everything, it is good if you assess all those claims exercise equipments declare in their advertisements. It is so hard to accept as true for example some statements that assure people that they will lose several pounds off their weight in as little as seven days or that you will decrease your pants size in one month. Even with the assistance of dietary supplements, it is not possible to accomplish changes as major as these in just a few weeks, much less days.

Fat Burner is a No Burner


Be skeptical about claims that say you will be able to burn a tremendous amount of fat in a specific area of your body, such as the hips, thighs, waist just by applying a specific type of ointment or lotion, etc. The only sure way to burn all those fat way is by changing what you eat. Exercise is the best solution to works out every area of the body whose fat you want to get rid of.


What Body Area are you targeting ? Especially when you are first beginning your fitness routine you should begin with one specific area at a time. You must be sure that the equipment you intend to purchase is designed to give you optimal results in the specific body area you are targeting. It would be wise to express your intentions on the purpose you hope to achieve with the equipment to a trained professional and get their input.

The only testimonial that counts is yours

Before and after pictures of people who claim that they were able to lose weight because of using such and such equipments may or may not be true. If ever they are, their experience is purely personal and that is no assurance that your unique body weight, body make-up will also undergo the same change they went through.

Read the fine print

It is always advisable to read the fine print of anything. Though you believe that the fitness equipment you are planning to purchase is a good one, reading the fine print really wouldn't hurt as it may say that you also have to decrease your calorie intake and not just rely on what the machine could do for you.

Do the math


There are advertising statements that say you could pay off the fitness equipment in a number of easy payments or by paying a mere thirty nine ninety five a month. Do not forget to inquire about shipping and handling costs and include that in your calculation. Also, add-on the required sales tax, delivery fees, set-up fees. Know all the details before you purchase.

Guarantee the warranty


It is best that you consider asking about details on their thirty day money back guarantee. Though this could sound good to you as the consumer, it may or may not actually do you good if for example you are going to return the item. You may actually pay for the shipping cost and it could cost you more than what you could guarantee to receive in thirty days. Check out the shipping costs on fitness equipment at http://elliptical-machines-info.blogspot.com


Use Ellipticals - modern step towards fitness



Belly fat seems to be a common problem for majority of population, especially men. Naturally, men tend to hold more fat around their waist line, which we call love handles. Besides the physical nature of men, modern lifestyle has contributed in this sphere. Work, stress, entertaining clients and lack of exercise put in to the accumulation of belly fat.


Ellipticals are one of the modern machines to attain fitness in true meaning. These machines are originally designed by exercise scientists to provide movement as free as possible from the impacts and stresses associated with the more conventional forms of exercise such as running, or using exercise bikes and other aerobic machines. The exercise done on these machines are safe as they protect the exerciser from getting any kind of strain, shear and compression type injuries.


Elliptical machines offer workout for both upper and lower body of the individual. This machine is one of various fitness equipments; provide the benefits of weight bearing exercise but without the harmful stress and impact on your joints and muscles. It is a cardiovascular exercise device. The elliptical trainer mirrors running and walking somewhat like a treadmill, however the difference is that instead of the foot coming down on a hard surface, the feet move in a smooth, seamless fashion like using an exercise bike. This eliminates a vast amount of damage to the knees, ankles and joints that a treadmill imposes.


Some of the remarkable features of elliptical machines are:

* Brakes- Its braking system is very powerful as most of them have magnetic brakes. * Movement- It is a smooth machine that allows smooth movements without any risk of jerk or shock to any body part. * Maximum workload - how much workload can the elliptical provide when used flat out? If you're fit look for at least 250 watts. * Programs - can offer variety and motivation by simulating various hill courses, allowing you to create your own or by controlling your heart rate. * Power - some elliptical machines are self-powered; others need mains connection.


In all, it has been stated that elliptical machines emerge to be one of highly popular fitness equipments that is highly cost effective and one that would let you maintain good physic. You would be able to get fitness in true meaning.


Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Calories Burned On An Elliptical Trainer

If you're trying to choose between an elliptical trainer and another piece of exercise equipment like a treadmill or an exercise bike, one of the most popular questions is

'How many calories can I burn with an elliptical trainer?'

You want to get the most bang for your exercise buck - that's understandable. Here are some calories burned estimates for elliptical workouts - and 4 tips to burn more calories with your elliptical trainer!

General Estimates of Calories Burned with An Elliptical Trainer:

- 150 pound woman, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 387 calories

- 180 pound man, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 464 - 500 calories

- 120 pound woman, 30 minutes of elliptical exercise: 310 calories

General Estimates of Calories Burned (According To Elliptical Manufacturers)

- Elliptical manufacturers claim you can burn up to 720 calories an hour with an elliptical workout.

Factors that dictate how many calories you burn include:

Workout Duration

Interval Training

Elliptical Tension Settings

Body Composition (Muscle to Fat Ratio)

State of Cardiovascular system (regular exerciser or new to exercise)

Weight

Sex

Upper Body Arm Usage

And for those of you who want to burn the maximum amount of calories on your elliptical machine, here are 4 tips to increase your calorie burn:

- Build in Intervals

Most elliptical trainers offer incline and or tension that you can increase or decrease while workout out. Try building in 30 second incline intervals every couple of minutes to your workout.

This will not only push your body further and burn more calories during your workout - but it can also elevate your calorie burn for up to 24 hours after your workout.

- Use Upper Body Arms

Many ellipticals offer you upper body arm bars that you can use to build your arms muscles into your workout. More muscles worked = more calories burned. If there are no upper body arms, grab a couple of 2 - 5 pounds handweights and swing your arms while striding.

- Take Advantage of the Forward and Backward Directions

Using more muscles (and ones you may not have used before) also increases your calories burned, even after your workout. So take advantage of the fact that most ellipticals allow you to go forward and backward. Switch up your routine every few minutes to rev your calorie burn.

- Break up your Workout

Experts are now telling us that 2 mini-workouts may even be better than 1 long workout as far as fat burned. Why?

Any exercise will temporarily rev up your metabolism - so if you can do 15 - 20 minutes in the morning, and 15 - 20 minutes in the afternoon, your metabolism will stay charged up for a longer time. (If you can't do this, don't worry - remember that a 30 minute workout will still burn more calories than a 15 minute workout!)

So there are some tips to skyrocket your calories burned on your elliptical. Remember however that the best workout is one you enjoy - since it increases the likelihood that you'll want to do it again!

Friday, February 8, 2008

Low-impact Exercises From Elliptical Exercise Equipment Provides Good Results

Elliptical exercise equipment are more in demand than ever and this is clear to see when looking at the number of ellipticals at the health clubs and seeing how many people are using them. An elliptical fitness trainer provides what some consider to be the perfect workout because it works the whole body, is low-impact on joints and yet provides extremely good aerobic exercise.

An elliptical trainer reduces the stresses that are put on your legs, the hip and knee joints because of the gentle elliptical motion that is used. Less stress on the joints means there is less likelihood of strain that can lead to injury. One of the biggest problems with most types of exercise machines is that at some point during the movements, there is stress, or impact, which can cause soreness or injury. When this is the case, soon the machine is doing little more than collecting dust instead of helping people become more fit.

People who have used an elliptical fitness trainer say that it is like walking in midair. Because your feet never leave the large pedals of elliptical machines, there is no jarring on the feet, ankles, or knees, such as happens with treadmill equipment.

Instead, the smooth motion of the crossover elliptical trainer actually mimics the natural path of movement of the hips, knees and ankle joints during walking, running or jogging. However, unlike the actions of walking, running and jogging, your feet are supported the entire time you are going through the motions on an elliptical trainer, eliminating the jolting impact that comes from each step when you walk or run.

It has been estimated by sports physiologists that the impact the joints of the lower body receive when one is running is two and a half times their body weight. In addition to stressing the hip, knee and ankle joints, this also has a significant impact on the lower back as well. Using an elliptical trainer for your workout routines reduces such impact to virtually nothing.

In order to reduce joint strain even more, the best elliptical trainer models feature articulating foot pedals. This type of training elliptical configuration of the foot pedals allows the machine to better conform to your natural stride.

More and more often, fitness experts talk about the importance of doing weight-bearing exercises. This is because it has been shown in studies that weight-bearing exercises can reduce the occurrence of osteoporosis, which is another big concern for the aging population. Unlike fitness machines such as stationary bikes and rowers, an elliptical machine allows you to get a weight-bearing workout with minimal impact.

Another aspect that makes an elliptical uniquely beneficial is that it provides a way to workout both the upper body and the lower body at the same time. In fact, crossover elliptical trainer machines are in a class by themselves in this regard. There are simply no other exercise equipment gym machines that can simultaneously work as many muscle groups as the training elliptical method can.

With an elliptical fitness trainer you can get a complete workout that puts your hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes, back, chest, biceps and triceps to work all at the same time. This helps people to tone and strengthen all areas and muscles groups. As an additional benefit, this means that you are able to burn up more calories in a shorter amount of time as well.

elliptical exercise equipment>>