Using home gym equipment for strength training has become a very popular component of many people's home fitness workouts. The benefits of strength training are many and well-documented, and they can be very useful for overall body conditioning. But there are so many choices to be made when looking at home gym equipment, so which will make the best choice for you? Here are a few points to consider:

Actually, the very least expensive strength training equipment is a good set of free weights and dumbbells, but they can also be unsafe if you don't know how to use them. Proper form and balance are essential to getting the results you want without hurting yourself along the way. So if you decide to go this route, it's a good idea to invest in a training program that will show you how to use your equipment properly and avoid injury.

Because of the safety factor, strength training machines have become much more popular, even penetrating the home fitness market. One of the advantages of strength training machines, or home gyms, is that they allow you to perform your exercises in a more safe manner, keeping your body positioned to maintain proper form as you exercise.

Home gyms are generally divided into two major categories, and again these categories often pertain to price. The lower cost home gyms are often featured on television and in magazines, being recommended by well-known celebrities and public personalities. You can even find them being advertised on infomercials as well. The two most common home gyms in this field are the Bowlex and the Crossbar.

Both of these kind of strength training machines use rods or bars to provide resistance for your muscles as you train, and many people feel that they do their job very well. The big advantage of using this kind of equipment is the lower cost involved.

The higher end of the home gym equipment field are machines that use a more traditional weight stack or plates. They more resemble the kind of machines that you would find in a typical fitness gym. But they are also much more expensive, and they can tend to take up a lot of room. So before buying this kind of equipment you need to make sure that you have the room to be able to accommodate it in advance.

Any of the equipment mentioned above can be used successfully by the average person at home to help them reach their fitness goals. But as with all fitness equipment, you need to try them out before you buy and make sure that you feel comfortable with the way the equipment works. And never began a strength training regimen without doing so under the supervision of a qualified physician to prevent injuries as you train.

Elliptical trainers are fast catching on as one of the most popular home fitness equipment machines that you can buy. If you have been to a fitness gym in the last couple of years or so, you've probably noticed that these machines are becoming more and more widely accepted. And that is also true of the home fitness market as well.

First of all, let's define what an elliptical trainer really is. It's usually an odd looking machine, and that is because it's more of a fusion of different machines put together. The best way to describe an elliptical exercise machine is to think of it as a cross between a stair-stepper and a ski machine. It actually takes the best benefits of both of those machines and combines them together into one package.

That means that perhaps the very best feature of elliptical trainers is the low impact exercise that you can get on it. This is because unlike treadmills you don't actually walk or run on an elliptical trainer. Instead, your feet rest on movable steps that go in an elliptical circle, and that is why the machine is so named. You simply shift your weight from one step to another, and the faster you do this the faster the machine goes. The workout is created by the resistance to this motion within the machine.

So for all of you exercisers that have sensitive joints, this may just be the machine that you need. And that is a welcome relief for those with arthritis or who may have suffered injuries to their joints in the past.

Another benefit of elliptical trainers is that even though they are low impact exercisers, they still provide an excellent all-around body exercise. Especially those that have handles to help you work out your upper body as well. In fact, even though there is little impact during the exercise, they seem to be able to burn almost as many calories as treadmills do.

One of the only drawbacks regarding elliptical trainers is their size. They simply aren't very small. In fact, they can take up as much space as a large piece of furniture in a room. So before you rush out and buy one of these machines make sure that you have measured out the room you plan to put it in and have made sure in advance that it's going to fit in that spot. You certainly don't want to get one of these big machines home and then suddenly find out that it just won't fit in your room.

Even though size is a major factor to consider, there is still a lot to recommend the use of elliptical exercise machines in the home fitness workout of the average person. As with all fitness equipment, be sure that you shop around and try out any elliptical trainer before you decide to buy it. Nothing beats actually using one of these machines to help you decide if it will work for you. But if you are looking for an exercise machine that is easy to use and still gets great results, why not consider including an elliptical trainer in your fitness workouts?

Looking for a quick way to inflate an exercise ball? Whether you bought an exercise ball online or if you got one from the store, the “free pump” that comes along with it is surely not the quickest or most efficient way to get the job done.

This is by far the quickest way to inflate an exercise ball. All you do is insert the needle from the pump, turn it on, and just watch for a few seconds until the ball is inflated to your liking. Some of these pumps can be rather noisy, but you will definitely save lots of time in return. It takes less than 1 minute to fully inflate an exercise ball using one of these. Compare this to 400-500 pumps with the cheap plastic pump that came with the exercise ball. This is my best recommendation.

2. USE A HAND PUMP

Go to: http://www.isokineticsinc.com and search for "air pumps"

If you are going to use a hand pump, try to use one that has a big shaft. This will help you pump more air into the ball with less effort. This is more manual than using a electric motor pump, but will still save you loads of time as opposed to using the one that came with the ball.

3. USE A BICYCLE PUMP

This is basically the same as a hand pump, but you are more likely to already have one of these around the house somewhere. Also, you can go to any sports or department store and find one there as well. Again, the same rule applies: the bigger the shaft of the pump, the less effort it will take to full it up.

When you are finished inflating the ball, be sure to have to insert the air plug as soon as you remove the needle from the ball to prevent air from escaping. This is especially important if you are not using an electric motor pump because you could work for 10 minutes to get it inflated, only to have it deflate again in a few seconds. In this article we went over some good techniques to inflate an exercise ball. Now, go give it a try.

Looking for an exercise ball on sale?

Most gyms and fitness centers do not get their exercise balls from a department store. They use reputable companies which will be listed on this page.

Here are the top places that I have found to get an exercise ball on sale. The top 3 websites I have found are listed below. If you don't want to order online, you can always go to one of the stores I list below and pick one up there.

Here are my favorite websites to get an exercise ball. They offer a great variety and high quality products

This is my favorite website online for fitness equipment. Not only do they sell high quality equipment, but they are the only site which has tons of articles and input from some of the top experts in each area of the field.

The exercise balls offered here are called Gymnic Stability Balls. They offer two kinds, the Gymnic Stability Ball Plus and the regular Gymnic Stability Ball. The Gymnic Stability Ball Plus is made of burst resistant vinyl, which deflates very slowly if the ball is punctured. The regular Gymnic Stability Ball does not have the same burst resistant vinyl.

Both kinds are made of latex free vinyl.

The Gymnic Stability Ball Plus starts at $22.95. The regular Gymnic Stability Ball ranges from $14.95-$39.95.

Also offered on this page is a unique piece of equipment called a Physio-Ball. This is similar to a regular exercise ball, but has a peanut shape instead of a spherical shape. This shape only allows it to go forwards and backwards, but not side to side.

I also really enjoy some of the DVD's on this site. The Essence of Stability Ball Training Volume 1 and 2 by JC Santana are excellent. Both of them are very thorough in explaining the theory of exercise ball training, as well as demonstrating hundreds of different exercises for the most basic beginner to the elite athlete. Volume 1 covers chest, shoulders, back, and balance training, while Volume 2 covers legs, hips, and core. The price is a little steep at $49.95 each, but you will not find higher quality information anywhere else. It is a great place to get an exercise ball on sale!

Another great site is Power-Systems.com. They have an exercise ball on sale which is called a Resist-A-Ball. They start at $15.95, which is most certainly a very reasonable price.

There is a whole site dedicated to the Resist-A-Ball at http://www.resistaball.com. They have all kinds of information available, as well as localized workshops all over the country for people who want to learn.

On top of having exercise balls for cheap, they also sell pumps as well. As you saw in the How to Pump and Exercise Ball page, the easiest way to do it is with a motorized pump. However, a manual one such as the ones sold by Power-Systems will do just fine.

They have a page which tells you what size exercise ball you should have which is determined by your height. Along with that, there is a very large selection of different sizes and colors.

There is also a large veriety of information products related to exercise balls. They have books on how to use an exercise ball in conjunction with yoga, free weights, Pilates, core training, flexibility and more.

Just go to the homepage and click on the "stability ball" link on the left hand side.

This website is cool because it offers free shipping! It has a type of exercise ball on sale called a Fitball. It comes in different sizes, and when purchased come with a pump and an exercise chart.

The selection from this site are pretty cost efficient as well, but my favorite thing is the variety of information and products that are all geared towards having good posture and maintaining a healthy back. If you have bad posture, it effects your body adversely in many different ways.

Did you know that some people use an exercise ball as a chair? It almost forces you have to good posture, because if you slouch you will fall backward!

Elliptical exercise machines are quickly catching up to treadmills as one of the most popular pieces of home fitness equipment. If you haven't seen one so far, just visit your local sporting goods store and take a look for yourself. Generally, they are odd looking machines that are a combination of a stair stepper and a ski machine. But since they are fairly new to the home exercise field, a lot of people aren't sure what to look for when they shop for one. So let's discuss some of the features of elliptical trainers that you need to be looking for.

First and foremost, you really should try it out yourself before you make any decisions. Try a wide variety of models made by different manufacturers, and see what seems to fit you best as you go. There is really no substitute for actually using the machines yourself to see what features are most important to you.

With that in mind, you also should make sure that the elliptical machine seems very stable and solid. You don't want any herky jerky motions while you're working out. Everything should be smooth and quiet. This will usually not only provide you with a better workout, but is often an indication of the quality of the machine itself and how long you can expect it to last.

Pay attention to the display of each machine as you test them. From one machine to another the display can be completely different. So make sure that your favorite machine has the display that you want. Most of them will show your speed, your time and distance. But there may be other useful information that you want as well, for instance, calories burned, or heart rate. Also, the display should be easy to read even while you are in the middle of your exercise.

The handlebars on an elliptical trainer are an important consideration as well. Because they usually go back and forth, they can actually get in the way or even hit you if they are not well designed. So make sure that they are comfortable and easy-to-use.

A very popular feature on the new elliptical trainers is the exercise program built into the trainer. This will allow you to adjust your workout as you go. It's good to be able to both set up the program before you begin, and also allow you the freedom to manually adjust your work out while it is in progress. So look for elliptical machines that let you do both.

Size is always a consideration with an exercise machine that is this large. So before you buy anything make sure that you have measured out the room where you intend for it to go well in advance, and know that it will fit there.

If you have decided to join the millions of others who are turning to elliptical trainers as their preferred home exercise equipment, there are a few things that you should know before you actually buy. Of course, elliptical trainers are well known for providing a solid cardio workout with very little impact on your body's joints. But which machine is best to choose? Here are some things to consider:

The first thing to know about elliptical exercise machines, is that they aren't cheap. In fact, most online consumer reviews indicate that the lower-priced machines reflect substandard quality. Most reviewers tend to think that the best ellipticals start around $2000. There are some that get decent reviews under that figure, but generally speaking, most high quality elliptical trainers will cost more. So be sure that you have enough money in your budget to afford a quality machine before you buy. You may be able to afford one of the cheaper machines initially, but most likely you'll pay for it in repairs and downtime.

Another important consideration of elliptical exercise machines is their size. These are not small machines. They can take up the same amount of space that a large piece of furniture will. There are folding units available, but very often the quality begins to suffer when you add in portability. So if you have your heart set on an elliptical trainer, be sure that you have the room at home to be able to support it.

Safety is also a consideration with these kind of large motorized machines. They may look innocent enough at a casual glance, but they can still be very dangerous for small kids to play on if important safety features are not built in. So if you have children at home, be sure that your elliptical trainer has a shutoff device that will allow it to only be turned on by an adult.

Finally, you need to understand that just reading reviews and buying an elliptical trainer online based on those reviews is not a good idea. They most important information that you can have about an elliptical trainer is how well it fits you as you use it. That is information that no one else can have, so it calls for you to do some homework of your own and actually try out the various elliptical models in person. Usually you can find them at local sporting goods stores and department stores, although the very best models may be harder to find. But the time taken to familiarize yourself with each elliptical exercise machine will be well worth the investment made.

So if you think that an elliptical exercise machine will work well for you, following the suggestions given above should help you be better prepared and more informed as you make your final buying decision.

Because elliptical trainers are fairly new to the home fitness market, there aren't as many consumer reviews on them as you can find on some of the other home fitness equipment that is sold online. But there is enough to help identify some of the best models that are available for purchase. As we looked over these reviews, here are the top results that we found.

First of all, it's important to note that most reviewers feel that the low cost budget part of the elliptical trainer field is seriously lacking in overall quality. That's why many reviewers encourage spending at least $2000 in order to get a really high quality machine. Of course, the very best units are commercial machines that you will find in most gyms. But they usually start around $5,000 in price, so when looked at from that perspective, $2000 is not so much to spend. With that in mind, here are two elliptical trainer models that we found were usually rated very highly:

1.The Precor EFX 5.19 - this elliptical trainer comes very highly recommended by many, and sells for about $2400. It has a lot to offer though, including an adjustable incline and a child's safety feature to prevent accidental start-ups. It's said to be very quiet and had a solid stable feel. Some of the lower-priced Precor models are also very good machines but they lack the handlebars for an upper body workout. We think that is very important, and so could not recommend those lower-priced machines instead. The only thing that this machine could use in our opinion is an included heart rate monitor. At this point, you have to pay extra for one, and the costs is around $150. Still, overall this is a very fine machine that should provide years of quality service.

2. The Life Fitness X3i - this trainer is also another very highly recommended model, and it generally sells for $2600 or so. It's especially highly rated for ease-of-use and ergonomics, and it's build quality is superior in every way. It also has movable handlebars to give you a complete and thorough upper body workout, but unfortunately you also have to buy the heart rate monitor as an extra on this machine, and that can cost up to $200. But lots of reviewers and consumers are very positive in their comments on this elliptical trainer, and that is a very good sign. Both of these elliptical machines can take up quite a bit of room, so be sure that you have the space to be able to accommodate them before you buy. Actually either one would be a fine choice to make.

There are several other highly rated elliptical trainer machines as well, but we could not include them all in this article. But hopefully, the models that we have mentioned above will work well for you too, as they have for so many other people. As with most other home fitness equipment, we recommend that you use them and try them out in person before you make your final decision.

These exercise machines are related to cardiovascular and aerobic workouts. The equipment listed here allows for more challenges and more variety in your exercise routines. These machines are great for anyone looking to lose weight and improve their overall health.

Some advanced exercising machines include electronic devices that measure your weight before and after you do the exercise, the amount of calories you burned, time elapsed, heart rate, and other useful information. Let’s look at what these machines are and what benefits they provide.

Treadmill:

A treadmill is an exercising device consisting of an endless belt on which a person can walk or jog with or without changing pace . It is supported by a sturdy deck propelled either by an electric motor or by the user. It generally has some shock absorption system, usually rubber cushioning, to minimize stress on your joints.

Using a treadmill will speed up your metabolic rate and allow your body to absorb and utilize greater quantities of the nutrients that you consume. It will also help to stabilize your blood pressure and blood sugar as well as increase your energy level. When using a treadmill to burn fat and lose weight, you need to exercise on a daily basis.

A treadmill helps you burn more calories by increasing your exercise frequency. It gives you a LOT of workout versatility. You can start with a slow walk and then speed it up as your body gets into better shape, and there are also various incline levels to provide extra resistance when you become more advanced. By using the large muscles of the legs, a treadmill helps you burn more fat calories.

Elliptical Trainer:

Elliptical trainers are exercise machines which combine the natural stride of a treadmill and the simplicity of a stair climber. On an Elliptical trainer, you stand comfortably in an upright position while holding onto the machine's handrails and striding in either a forward or reverse motion.

The elliptical trainer burns more calories than either the treadmill or the exercise bike. With an elliptical cross trainer, you get the benefits of both aerobic and resistance exercises without the wear and tear on your joints. It provides a great cardio workout that pumps you heart to the max without the strain and stress on your joints. It uses all of the muscles of the lower leg. Therefore, you will strengthen and build your lower legs. This is an ideal workout for those exercisers out there who are overweight and do not want to jog.

Exercise Bikes:

There are two types of exercise bikes you can use, upright bikes and recumbent bikes. Upright bikes simulate the action of a real bike except you do not go anywhere. Recumbent bikes on the other hand, have bucket seats which have the pedals out in front of you. Exercise bikes are great for cardiovascular fitness and toning or building your thighs. The recumbent bikes are especially good for toning your butt. Being stationary, you can enjoy your favorite magazine or TV program while working out.

For overweight people, the recumbent bike offers bucket seats which can be more comfortable than traditional uprights. This type of bike is more ergonomically correct than a traditional upright exercise bike and an effective way to improve aerobic capacity, as well as burn fat. Plus, it offers more back support and may be a little more comfortable to those people with lower back pain.

Rowers:

There are two types of rowing machines. A hydraulic machine uses a piston to provide the resistance. With a cable-driven machine, your pull spins a flywheel which produces a smooth action similar to rowing on water. The smoothness of the flywheel creates little strain on the back. If handles are not adjusted properly for height differences, hydraulic rowers can create back strain.

Rowing machines provide a whole-body aerobic workout: arms, shoulders, back, abdomen, legs, heart and lungs. It also builds muscle strength and endurance in addition to the aerobic benefits. It improves your whole cardiovascular system with a low impact workout. Other benefits include improved flexibility and muscle strengthening in the arms, abdomen,

Now that you have your home gym all set up there is some maintenance you need to do to keep it in great operating condition. Provided that you use it weekly, you will want to do certain things to guarantee it operates smoothly and flawlessly for many workouts. Pay attention to the maintenance schedule that was provided when you purchased it. There are also other things you should do on a regular basis to various parts of the equipment.

One important thing to do to your home gym at least once per month is to grease all of the cables. You can use what is recommended by the manufacturer, or try some lithium grease which is available at many stores. Greasing the cables will keep them well lubricated so they do not break under stress. The last thing you want to happen when you have alot of weight suspended on your home gym is for the cable to snap. Injury can occur when this happens.

After each workout you should thoroughly wipe down the surface of any stations on your home gym you were working out on. This will keep the vinyl surface in like new condition and prevent any types of mold or discoloration from ruining it. Also, by doing this you will remove the smell of sweat from the equipment which over time will become strong. Your workout partner will thank you if you do this little bit of maintenance after each exercise session.

One more important maintenance item to perform at least once per month is to double check that all nuts and bolts are securely tightened. With the constant motion of the pulleys and sliding of the weights, things will come loose over time. You can try to use locktight to help with this, but ultimately you will want to double check the bolts every once in a while. Similar to a cable breaking, you don't want a bolt to work itself loose in the middle of your heavy set. The weight could come crashing down causing injury or stress to your body. It doesn't take much time to insure this doesn't happen.