Home Gym Equipment for You

May 23, 2010

Home gym equipment essentials—Part 7

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Avoiding the gym

After talking about the “why” someone would want to purchase a home gym, I thought I’d put together of a list of the people at the commercial gym that would make anyone want to buy a home gym.

The grunter/screamer—Yes we hear you, yes we see you attempting to lift every weight in the gym (usually without success), yes you’re annoying.

The girl who wants to be seen—OK, you’re in shape.  Please put some clothes on and quit looking in the mirror the whole time you’re on the stair-stepper.

The guy in the bandana, flannel shirt with the sleeves cut off (ala Larry the cable guy), Zubaz pants from the 80s, and Timberland boots.  Enough said.

The elderly folks (God bless them for being at a gym) who are on the machines doing incredibly horrific form that at any time you just know they’re going to break in half.  I don’t need that stress.

The very overweight folks (God bless them for being at the gym) who are doing preacher curls or the abductor/adductor machines.  This will not help you lose weight!!!

The trainers who are with most of the above folks having them do the most ridiculous exercises to get them “in shape”, when they have absolutely no idea what they’re doing.  (Note:  my best friend is a great trainer, so no offense to those of you who do know what you’re doing).

So, hopefully I haven’t upset too many people.  But these people give you a very good reason to get your own home gym and do some serious training.

-Dr. Mark Mylan
Creating fit and healthy bodies with home gym equipment
www.healthyhomegym.com

May 8, 2010

Home Gym Equipment Tips to Transform Your Life—Part 26

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Nutrition 1:

Nutrition is another subject that is very simple but not necessarily easy.  It could be summed up in two rules:  1. Drink only pure water. 2. Eat only organic, live foods.  Done.  Obviously, that is easier said than done.  So, we’ll focus on what is most important to get the nutrition your body needs and avoiding what is making your body sick. 

Water is obviously the most valuable health source we have and everyone should drink at least one gallon every day.  This cleanses the body and is involved with basically every life giving function in the body. 

Although, when eating your meals you should refrain from drinking anything, including water, for ½ hour before you eat to 1 hour after you eat.  This will ensure that the acid in your stomach that breaks down the food you eat into the nutrients the small intestine will absorb is at optimal levels.  Water can dilute this acid.

So why did I choose to talk about water first in the nutrition section?  Because if most people stopped drinking everything else and drank one gallon of water every day, our society would be much, much healthier.  It’s that important.

No worries.  We’ll discuss what you should and should not be eating in depth soon.

-Dr. Mark Mylan
Creating fit and healthy bodies with home gym equipment
www.healthyhomegym.com

April 27, 2010

Home Gym Equipment Tips to Transform Your Life—Part 15

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Chin ups:

Chin ups are one of the most important upper body exercises you can do.  This exercise trains the upper back and arms.  Many people ask if you should do chin ups or pull ups and how far apart should your hands be, and which grip is best, and etc., etc., etc.

The answer is to do all of the above.  Simply, grab a bar and pull your body above it with as many different grips as you can.  This will hit the many different muscles of your upper back and arms at different angles which will lead to a more developed upper body.

There are a few rules for doing chin ups.  Don’t jerk your body when you’re tired.  Always maintain control.  Do as many chin ups with a still body and then use a foot on a chair to help push your body up to complete the set for the desired amount of repetitions. (Note:  if you can’t do a chin up, use the foot on a chair to help pull you up from the beginning. This is a much more efficient exercise then doing lat pulls.)

Don’t do chin ups behind your head.  This is poor form and can lead to injury.   Invest in wrist straps if your grip is weak, but don’t rely on these if you can help it.  Work the different grips in order to improve your entire upper body strength. 

The beauty of chin ups is that it will not beat up your body.  Bodyweight exercises are much easier on the body than lifting weights.  The problem is that most people don’t do chin ups or don’t do nearly enough of them because they think they can’t.  Use the foot on the chair technique to build a strong back and help with all your other strength training.

-Dr. Mark Mylan
Creating fit and healthy bodies with home gym equipment
www.healthyhomegym.com

April 16, 2010

Home Gym Equipment Tips to Transform Your Life—Part 4

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Cardio, Part 2:

I recommend doing as much of your cardiovascular training outside as possible.  Fresh air and sunlight (NEVER SUNBURN) are very healthy and make training more enjoyable. 

Of course, weather (hot or cold) or personal preference makes it necessary to have indoor options with your home gym equipment to keep your training consistent.  So what’s the best way to get into shape?  

Here are the top five examples of what I would consider the best ways to increase your cardiovascular endurance in decreasing order.  Please note, check with your doctor to make sure you are healthy enough perform these exercises.

1.  Running hills outside can’t be beat for pure cardio.  I like this exercise as it involves being outdoors and is a very rigorous way to exercise.  This one is simple.  Find a hill and run up it, many times.

2.  Next is running outdoors.  The reason it’s number two is once again the outdoor factor.

3.  If you can’t get outdoors, the next best thing is running hills on a treadmill.  This is nice as you can control the incline of your hills and keep track of how fast you are running. 

4.  The stepmill is a great piece of equipment that incorporates elevation to get your heart pumping.  This is also good if your knees can’t handle running

5.  Finally, running on the treadmill with little elevation.  (Note:  Due to the belt moving under your feet, a 2.5 degree incline will equate to running on the ground)

Obviously, running is involved in four out of the top five cardiovascular exercises.  It is one of the best ways to get into shape.  The next entry will include alternatives for those of you who can’t run due to physical limitations, or just simply don’t like to run.

-Dr. Mark Mylan
Creating fit and healthy bodies with home gym equipment
www.healthyhomegym.com

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