Two types of exercise bikes are available. The design of the upright bike resembles that of a typical road bike but they are stationary. The pedals are positioned below the rider and puts added stress on the joints. The seat on the recumbent bike’s seat resembles chairs and the pedals are out in front of the rider so that pedaling is more natural and puts less stress on the joints.
Other types of exercise bikes are available as well. Dual action exercise bikes are upright bikes that have moveable bars or arm handles. You use both of your arms and your legs on this bike. While using this bike you will experience aerobic activity and upper body toning.
There is variety with resistance bikes as well. With direct tension bikes you can manually adjust the resistance you use. The cycling motion on a bike with flywheels is like regular cycling motion. Bikes with air assistance get resistance by pedaling against the airflow of a fan blade.
Read the rest of this entry »
Choosing the best home treadmill can be confusing as you sift through all of the options, new models, and brand name “deals”. Too often, people get caught up in all the ‘Goodies’ a treadmill offers them that they miss the fact that the treadmill doesn’t have the basic essentials of a quality unit.
By knowing the 4 basic essentials of a quality home treadmill, you’ll be able to quickly sift through the treadmill deals and choose the best home treadmill for you.
The 4 basic essentials to a quality treadmill are:
#1 - High Powered, Well Built Motor
Since the motor is the most expensive part of the treadmill to fix, a good motor is essential to your treadmill. Try to find at least a motor power of 2.0 HP, preferably higher.
Read the rest of this entry »
Are you using potentially dangerous exercises in your workout? You have to be very careful with strength training equipment because it may not be the most effective or functional available. How do you know that the exercises you are performing are safe? Found below are some potentially dangerous exercises with suggestions on how they should be done correctly or avoided completely.
Sit-up
Traditional abdominal exercises such as the sit-up, incline sit-up and hip-raises are exercises that are used to train the obliques and the upper and lower abdominals.
They are performed by first anchoring the feet on an abdominal board which prevents you from sliding back then raising your shoulders up towards your feet, tensing your abs at the top of the movement. Slowly lowering your shoulders back down and then completing the movement again.
The dangers of performing this movement are the shearing forces on the vertebrae and spinal discs when you have a flexed and rounded spine. In this position, the pressure is mostly placed on a very small area of the disc area, which can cause small ruptures. The safest and most productive way to train the abs is to use the brace and hollow technique. This is a basic isometric exercise that helps strengthen the abs and the muscular girdle around your waist.
Read the rest of this entry »
Choosing the best home treadmill can be confusing as you sift through all of the options, new models, and brand name ‘deals’. Too often, people get caught up in all the ‘Goodies’ a treadmill offers them that they miss the fact that the treadmill doesn’t have the basic essentials of a quality unit.
By knowing the 4 basic essentials of a quality home treadmill, you’ll be able to quickly sift through the treadmill deals and choose the best home treadmill for you.
The 4 basic essentials to a quality treadmill are:
1. High Powered, Well Built Motor
Since the motor is the most expensive part of the treadmill to fix, a good motor is essential to your treadmill. Try to find at least a motor power of 2.0 HP, preferably higher.
Remember that a 1.5 HP motor has to work twice as hard as a 3.0 HP motor - so it will burn out long before the 3.0 HP motor.
Also, not all motors are built with the same quality parts. Look for a good brand name and a long motor warranty to give you clues as to the quality of the motor.
Read the rest of this entry »