Sunday, October 9, 2011

Smith Machine Home Gyms - How Fast Can You Say Versatility

The Smith machine is the most popular of all the gym equipment on the market. This article provides you with information about this exercise equipment. Many people feel that the Smith machine is the best exercise equipment on the market. The reason for this is the versatility of such a machine for targeting most of the muscles in the body during a workout. Combining the use of this machine with dumbbells and free weights can give you a complete body workout.

If you have a good machine it will be counter balanced and easy for you to control. This takes you attention off keeping your balance and allows you to concentrate on the exercises. The smoothness of the movements puts very little strain on your muscles so there is less chance of an injury or strain. If you want to lift weights, this machine enables you to do so without the use of a spotter to help you.

You can do multiple exercises on this machine. Some of these are: squats and lunges for your legs; shoulder press for delts; shrugs for the traps; flat or incline bench press for the chest; bent over rows for the back and close grip bench press for the triceps. Using this machine for your exercise routine helps you to run the full gamut of exercises for the entire body.

You can have your own machine at home if you want would rather exercise at home than at the gym. Even though it would be cheaper to pay a gym membership, having your own piece of equipment allows you to workout at home in private whenever you want.

Check out http://www.1-stop-fitness.com for articles on smith machine home gyms and rowing machines for home.

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Stamina Bandflex Home Gym Reviews' - Should I Get A Bowflex Instead?

An affordable alternative to the Bowflex is the Bandflex Home Gym. The Bandflex Home Gym uses a series of 6 bungee cables with three on each side to give you the resistance you need in your weight training.

You stretch and pull these cables as you lift. A quick snap click lets you change the resistance levels to match your experience level and needs. In comparison to the Bowflex, this home gym seems to have more appealing features for far less money. There are 67 different exercises you can do and it is offers up to 260m pounds of resistance.

The Bandflex Home Gym consists of a multi-position bench, which of course is adjustable and a bench press. It has a lat pulldown for your back and triceps. For your legs, it features a leg curl, a leg press and a leg extension to give a workout for all the muscles.

There is a preacher curl attachment you can use for your biceps and a seated row for your back and shoulders. A simple adjustment of the pin lets you move through the exercises easily. It also takes up much less space and can be folded for easy storage.

The bungee cables of this machine tend to stretch and gradually get too long for then to be of any use to you. This means you will have to purchase replacement cables for the equipment.

OVerall, we do recommend the Bandflex home gym instead of the Bowflex. But, do bear in mind the pointers above and you will be have very satisfied with your purchase.

Check out http://www.1-stop-fitness.com/ for articles on yoga mats 1/4 and olympic weight benches.

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Creatine for Bodybuilding

Creatine is a supplement widely used in the bodybuilding circuit as a substance to enhance muscle growth and promote the functions which are involved in creating more muscle mass. In this article I will explain what creatine is, dispel the myths around the supplement and how it can help you achieve your bodybuilding goals.

Creatine is a naturally occurring substance in the human body and it aids your muscles to work at strength for longer - this is its primary function. Since creatine is found in products like meat, people who eat a lot of meat will generally have a higher concentration of creatine in their muscles than say vegetarians or those whom don't eat much meat.

It is also known that taking creatine in the body as an added substance, such as creatine supplements that bodybuilders take, enhances the strength of the muscles and improves recovery time when the muscle actually grows. This is the reason every competitive bodybuilder uses creatine when bulking and adding muscle mass.

When creatine as a supplement first came out there were many myths circulating about the safety of the substance, with stories of weights crashing down on people and alsorts of similar horror stories - while it isn't known why stories like these were spread they have since been proven to be false and creatine is now considered by most to be a safe supplement, just like protein powder or any other common supplement used in bodybuilding.

Creatine will enhance any strength trainers workout session as it allows you to lift for longer, this means instead of burning out at 3 repetitions of a heavy weight, you could in fact lift for a longer period of time, say 10 seconds, along you to complete a full working set of 8 repetitions, which is regards as the best number of reps to promote muscle growth. Due to the fact you lifted heavier for an adequate number of repetitions, the muscles will now repair and grow larger than they would have been able to previously.

Article by Frank Owen, visit his website on creatine for more information on creatine and how it can improve your physique

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Bodybuilding for Your Body Type

No two human beings are alike, so it should make sense that no two human beings can train the same way either. The key to successful bodybuilding, as any professional will tell you, is to know your body-know your limits and know how your body will respond to certain conditions. That said, to help optimize you bodybuilding workout, evaluate your body type. Everyone in the world falls into one of three categories: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. By determining your body category, you can help find the lifestyle that is perfect for you. As always, check with your doctor before changing your diet and workout schedule.

Ectomorphs are people who naturally have little or no fat. Usually, ectomorphs are tall and have longer limbs as well. Because of their build, most ectomorphs opt for endurance sports, like running, but if you fall into this category, you can also become a world-class bodybuilder. To start, ectomorphs need to up their calorie count and eat it more throughout the day in smaller meals. Try to increase your intake by at least 500 calories per day to help you put on the weight. Eating more does not necessarily mean eating anything, so ectomorphs need to have a high calorie but healthy diet to be successful at bodybuilding. Also, if you are an ectomorph, cut most of the cardiovascular activity from your workout and focus purely on intense weight training. Don't overtrain, but get into the gym every 3 or 4 days for a hard full-body workout that targets all muscle groups. It is difficult for ectomorphs to gain muscle mass, but with lots of dedication, it can be done.

Mesomorphs are the people everyone envies. They're the folks you see who eat lots of junk food, yet still have the "perfect" bodies. One trap mesomorphs easily fall into is the mindset that because they can skip workouts or eat pizza without any visible effect, it is having no effect on their bodies at all. This is not true-good genes gave you a good body, but things such as heart disease will effect you just as easily as the next person. Mesomorphs shouldn't have to change the amount of food that they eat, but if you fall into this category, make an effort to eat healthy foods and lots of good carbohydrates. At the gym, you can choose to do a full-body training session, but it will probably be more beneficial to you to target and define muscles in specific areas.

Endomorphs also have no problem gaining muscle mass, but unlike mesomorphs, these people also have no problem gaining weight. Diet control is the key to successful bodybuilding for endomorphs-eat smaller meals spread out throughout the day and cut out the junk food. Also, drink a lot of water and try to stop eating for the day about 3 hours before your bedtime. Endomorphs shouldn't have any problem becoming muscular, but they need to hit the gym for lots of cardiovascular workouts as well-every day if possible. This will help the fat melt from your body so that you can begin to see the muscles you are defining.

Whatever your body type, bodybuilding can be the perfect sport for you. Be sensible about your habits and be dedicated to the sport, and you will find that definition and muscle mass can be accomplished.

Tom Ambrozewicz is one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio technology on his web sites. You can read, you can listen to professional narrator reading to you or having MP3 files download and train in gym while you listen. You can check all bodybuilding tips at Ask-How.info now.

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Bodybuilding in College: It Can Be Done!

Transitioning from high school to college is difficult for most people, but bodybuilders may find that being away from their home gym and kitchen is extra tough. The first week or so may be a little intimidating, but bodybuilders can stay successful in college with high levels of dedication and motivation. When you enter college, set your goals for the year and try to motivate yourself to stick to your workout and diet plans.

College meal plans vary, but nothing about college food is good for a bodybuilder. Many colleges offer plans that include three meals a day at most, but your diet will probably call for more meals each day of smaller amounts of food. Don't load up at the cafeteria if that's not what you are used to doing! Instead, invest in a small refrigerator for your dorm room. Set aside some extra money each week for food, and schedule your classes so that you have enough time to eat. Most professors don't mind if you carry a snack to class, so if you must take a class that's during your normal mealtime, have some energy bars or protein shakes on hand as a back up plan. When you do eat in the cafeteria, make healthy meal choices. It's ok to splurge on one or two rewards, such as pizza or ice cream every week, but in general, stick to the foods you would normally eat at home-eggs, grilled chicken, bran cereals, salads, cottage cheese, and the like-even if there's a buffet of other things available.

One of the first things you should do when you get to college is explore the gym and weight facilities. Note the hours of operation-most schools are aware that students have busy schedules, so your gyms will probably open early in the morning and still be open late at night, but get a copy of the schedule so you never have to question the times. If the gym is too small or inconvenient for you schedule-wise, check out the gyms in town to see if any would better suit your needs. Students even get discount memberships at some places.

Lastly, be conscious of your other habits. Continue to get enough sleep even with your new workload, and be aware that activities such as smoking will only have an adverse effect on your health. A big part of college for many students is drinking, and you will probably be faced with this as well. If you are just bodybuilding for the sake of looking and feeling good, a few beers every week won't hurt you as long as you are responsible, but drinking is out of the question for competitive bodybuilders. Not only will it pack on the fat, but drinking will also cause you to lower your levels of testosterone and become dehydrated. Volunteer to be the designated driver instead, and you will find that it is easy to fit in while still maintaining your healthy lifestyle.

Tom Ambrozewicz is one of the pioneers in using breakthrough audio technology on his web sites. You can read, you can listen to professional narrator reading to you or having MP3 files download and train in gym while you listen. You can check all bodybuilding tips at Ask-How.info now

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