If you don't know where to start on your fitness quest ask the fitness trainer in the gym, he or she will tell you what's good for you. After have a look if you find the suitable fitness equipment, maybe a fitness bike, fitness equipment bench, a elliptical fitness trainer or other fitness equipment machines.

Have a look at fitness equipment stores or the internet to find the right fitness equipment treadmill, weights, dumbbells, treadmill or whatever. Again always consider a used home gym equipment if its for you. Maybe consider to buy a treadmill, if you have some preferences for jogging anyway but don't want to inhale the dirty air outside a good exercise treadmill could be just right for you. There are even folding treadmill if you have limited space in your apartment. Plenty of internet fitness shops have treadmill for sale as home exercise equipment. There is no need to buy a pro treadmill for your home gym. A treadmill with a low price will probably be enough for your daily treadmill workout. Other fitness exercise equipment or products are weight lifting equipment and weight training equipment. If you are less interested in building muscles and pumping iron try a stationary fitness bike, that might be just the right fitness machine for you.

Treadmill

Spin Bike

If you want to do it the hard and acrobatic way buy a spin bike, but a simple bike probably also will do it, but be careful on the road. As a biker you have no gage around you and accidents with bikes and especially motor bikes are many. Here could be the best solution to buy a stationary bike and do your biking at home. In any case there are plenty of different fitness bikes out there in different price ranges, go for a cheap one if you are not a real fitness freak, a simple fitness bike will do the job. With fitness bikes and other normal bikes have a close look at the saddle, when you move

Fitness Bikes

If you are out for speed on your fitness trip consider to buy inline skates, they are more or less like speed jogging don't forget your helmet. Don't get aggressive on inline skates when the others are not so quick. For the best inline skates visit a inline skate shops. This kind of roller blades or inline roller skates you must try on your feet before you buy them, they must fit perfect otherwise you easily loose control, that's somehow similar to ski shoes. On top of it you will get tired very quick if you don't have a perfect rollerblades fit. If you want to do it the very fast way there are inline speed skates. When you start inline and roller skating practice falling, sooner or later you need to know it. Always wear protective gear. Don’t always buy the cheapest fitness gear since it certainly wont last very long. A skating helmet is a must, get a especially made helmet for skating, also get protection for wrists, elbows and knees with good pads

Inline Skates

Take the jolt out of aerobic exercise. Women participating in a weight-control study at the Fitness Farm in Indianapolis report good results using these innovative water exercise products.

Wearing an AquaJogger buoyancy belt and AquaRunners footwear during a water workout helps build strength, increase tone, reduce weight, and aid recovery from illness or injury. Running, walking, cross-country skiing, and dancing can be/safely performed in the water.

Triangular-shaped DeltaBells (dumbbells) made of buoyant foam add diversity to a low-impact workout. Webbed Pro Fitness Gloves increase the intensity of upper-body movements. For prices and order information, call 1-800-558-2376

Adults of any age can use hand-held weights (dumbbells) to improve strength, coordination, and balance. Researchers recently reported that even frail elderly participants--most of whom were in wheelchairs--made significant gains in strength and independence after pumping iron for two months. Participants had fewer hospitalizations and deaths during a one-year follow-up period.

Basic leg and arm exercises performed with weights also optimize bone health and help prevent osteoporosis. Dumbbells, available at many retail and sporting-goods stores, may be purchased singly or in sets. Suggested exercise regimens are often included.

Creating a home gym - Body talk: black health and fitness

WHETHER he's pedaling to nowhere on a stationary bike or boxing an imaginary opponent on the heavy bag, Craig Harris gets in a regular workout in the basement gym in his home.

Like Harris, more and more people are trying to stay in shape, and some are among a growing group who are creating space in their homes to work out. Harris renovated his basement by adding walls, allowing him to mount more mirrors and separate the gym from the laundry area. He had new carpeting and sound buffers installed to complete the room that houses a stepper machine, a step-board for aerobics, a treadmill, a weight bench, power rack and a Healthrider.

The actor/personal trainer estimates that his renovations and advanced equipment cost close to $20,000. But, he says, someone just starting out in fitness can create a basic home gym for less than $2,000 that includes a treadmill, mirrors, dumbbells, jump ropes and three resistance stations--such as a weight bench for dumbbell presses and curls, a power rack for squats, chin-ups and pull-ups, and a leg extension and curl machine.

Before investing in equipment, find out what you really like and will actually use. Harris recommends trying out equipment in a fitness club with a free trial membership or as the guest of a gym member. You don't need equipment that will end up in the corner collecting dust or serving as a clothing rack. "Don't buy a treadmill if you don't like to walk, and don't buy a bike if you don't like to cycle," he says.

The best way to get in shape at no cost is doing old-fashioned calisthenics. "Push-ups, sit-ups, deep-knee bends and squats are free and the body provides resistance for itself," says Harris, who gives one-on-one fitness instructions and leads classes in boot camp-like workouts.

Harris enjoys working out in his home gym, but uses one of his several national health club lifetime memberships when he's training a client or pursuing an acting career away from his home in Chicago. A health club or his home gym is good when it's cold and when it gets dark too soon to exercise outside.

The voice-over actor, who is the commanding bass voice of Lt. Jackson (Jax) Briggs on the Mortal Combat video series, says there is no disadvantage to working out indoors. You burn the same number of calories. And you don't have to stop running, walking, biking or roller-blading for other people.

Whether inside or outside, Harris says, "I do different activities to throw curves at my body so that it doesn't acclimate to the same exercises and reach a plateau. Cross-training allows me to work different muscle groups to get different levels of intensity."

His routine includes resistance exercises, that allow him to work his chest muscles. He lifts weights to work his back and leg muscles. "The more muscles you develop," he says, "the more calories you burn. Holding the proper form when lifting weights increases the effectiveness of the exercise."

Harris' interest in fitness started in college in 1987, but he became even more dedicated when his 58-year-old father suddenly died of a massive heart attack in 1991. "He didn't have a good diet or exercise routine," Harris says. "It brought into focus that we should treat our bodies right."

Exercising and eating right are a way of life now for Harris, who has developed his body so he not only looks well-defined, but can bench-press 575 pounds. He tries not to work out more than four days a week so that he doesn't look too bulky. Too many muscles can limit the acting roles that come his way, says Harris, who has a role in an upcoming made-for-TV movie he wrote titled Skin Complex.

Taking a few days off from weight-lifting each week also gives his muscles a chance to rest. "It's like wearing the same pair of pants every day; you'll wear them out," Harris says. "You have to allow the body a chance to rebuild itself."

Author Marsha Gilbert COPYRIGHT Johnson Publishing Co.& Gale Group

The Aquatrend Water Workout Station [TM ]is a ideal fitness equipment for building strength,

increasing flexibility and providing a cardiovascular workout. It is the centerpiece of an exercise program that gives every muscle group in your body a complete workout in less time and with less stress on your joints than most land-based exercise equipment. Aquatic Trends, Inc. www.aquatictrends.com

Body Fat Monitor and Scale

A new digital bathroom scale measures body weight and calculates body fat. "The Ultimate Scales" by Tanita Corporation determine body fat by sending a safe, low-level electrical signal throughout the body. The signal passes more quickly through water than fat. The product's software uses the reading--along with information about an individual's height, weight, and body type--to calculate body-fat percentage. The Ultimate Scale 2000 and the 2001 models have settings for male and female adults and children; they retail at $59.99. Call 1-800-9-TANITA or visit the company's Web site, www.tanita.com, for more information.

Inflatable Wraps

Inflatable wraps from Sunbeam help relieve back, shoulder, knee, and ankle pain caused by increased physical activity and chronic conditions. Each wrap comes with two sets of interchangeable and removable cold and hot gel packs. A squeeze action pump inflates the wrap and provides constant, gentle compression. Two-year warranty. Suggested retail price: knee and ankle wraps $34.99 each, back wrap $39.99, shoulder wrap $54.99.

Treadmill vs. elliptical trainer

The treadmill gives you a slightly better workout than the elliptical trainer does. "You get more bang for your buck on a treadmill, but not very much more," says exercise physiologist Thomas Altena, Ed.D., of the University of Missouri-Columbia. His study didn't directly measure calorie burn, but it concluded that to burn the same number of calories, you'd probably have to work slightly harder on the elliptical than on the treadmill. People also reported a slightly higher perceived-exertion rating on the elliptical trainer; in other words, it seemed like harder work. Even so, Altena says, "If you enjoy the treadmill but have knee or lower-back problems due to the impact, the elliptical may be a fabulous alternative."

Get lean fast: use this 30-minute elliptical/jump-rope routine to blast calories

Burn fat and improve coordination by alternating elliptical training with rope jumping. On the elliptical, you'll keep your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) at a moderate 5-6 (out of 10), aiming to take 120 strides or more per minute. Between elliptical bouts, you'll jump-rope, switching between two-footed and one-footed jumps at an RPE of 7. Aim for 75 jumps per minute, or challenge yourself to 100 jumps per minute. If you get winded, switch to a boxer's shuffle, alternating feet and keeping close to the ground.

workout intensity moderate

equipment elliptical trainer and jump-rope

total time 30 minutes calories burned 200-250

(Calorie burn is based on a 145-pound woman.)

Trainer's Tip

The 2-minute jump-rope periods are not a rest, it's your push! Work hard enough to challenge yourself--you should feel out of breath and sweaty.

LOAD THIS MUSIC INTO YOUR MP3 PLAYER

"Lose Yourself"

Eminem (5:20)

"Good Vibrations"

Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch (4:25)

"Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing"

Chris Isaak (2:54)

"Just a Lil Bit"

50 Cant (3:57)

"Headsprung"

LL Cool J (4:27)

"Since U Been Gone"

Kelly Clarkson (3:09)

"Sweet Child O' Mine"

Guns-N-Roses (5:56)

If you only have time for one strength exercise, try this MUST-DO MOVE

Step-up with shoulder press

* Stand facing an 8- to 12-inch bench or step with feet hip-width apart, abs tight, hands holding dumbbells on shoulders, elbows close to sides, palms facing in. Place left foot on bench, left knee aligned over ankle, then push off with right leg and straighten left leg, keeping right leg extended over edge [A]. Press both arms straight overhead [B]. Lower dumbbells back to shoulder level, then bring right foot back to floor, heel lifted, keeping left foot on bench. Repeat for reps on left leg, then switch legs to complete 1 set.

* Reps 15

* Weight 5- to 8-pound dumbbells

* Targets quadriceps, calves, buttocks, hamstrings, upper back and shoulders; spine extensors, abdominals, upper hips and inner thighs stabilize.

Trainer JOHN DAMON owns Active Fitness in Santa Monica, Calif.

your cardio plan

RPE*
activity min. (1-10) machine level
warm-up on 3 3 3
elliptical
elliptical 3 5 5
jump-rope 2 7
elliptica 3 5 5
jump-rope 2 7
elliptica 3 6 6
(backward strides)
jump-rope 2 7
elliptical 3 6 6
jump-rope 2 7
elliptical 3 5 5
jump-rope 1 7
cool-down on 3 2-3 3
elliptical

Author John Damon

Maximize your workout: how to burn the most calories on the bike, treadmill, elliptical and stair climber

April's showers may prompt you to move your workout routine indoors, but that shouldn't dampen your fitness progress. Whether you prefer the stationary bike, treadmill, elliptical trainer or stair climber, the trick to burning more calories is avoiding common mistakes involving form, speed and resistance, says Jay Blahnik, a certified fitness professional in Laguna Beach, Calif., and a spokesman for the Nautilus health and fitness group. Here are the top nine cardio-machine blunders, plus simple strategies for working out smarter.

* stationary bike

DON'T: Pedal like a maniac.

DO: Add resistance and slow your speed, shooting to keep your cadence at 70-80 revolutions per minute (RPMs). "Once you hit 100 RPMs, caloric expenditure goes down," Blahnik says. "When you're pedaling that fast, you're probably not using enough resistance to challenge yourself."

DON'T: Let discomfort cut your workout short.

DO: Be sure to get the seat position right. Whether you're on an upright or recumbent bike, adjust the seat so your knees have a slight bend when your leg is fully extended (on the recumbent, sit with your lower back against the seat when checking knee position). Also, on an upright, resist sitting up tall and holding the front of the handlebars. Instead, round over the handlebars to take the pressure off your lower back and increase circulation in your legs, says Bryan Green, president of Advantage Fitness Products in Los Angeles. If the seat has you wriggling because it's too hard or narrow, invest in a pair of padded cycling shorts or get a good gel seat cover.

* treadmill

DON'T: Run at a walking pace.

DO: Walk taking quick steps, driving your elbows back as you move. If you run at less than 4.5 mph, you'll burn fewer calories than walking at that pace.

DON'T: Run with short steps.

DO: Lengthen your stride and speed up slightly. Once you hit your running speed, anywhere from 4.7-8.0 mph, don't cheat by taking short steps--a frequent mistake when runners move indoors. "Short steps slow you down," Blahnik says, "so you're burning fewer calories."

DON'T: Keep it flat.

DO: Add a 4 percent incline. You may not feel much of a difference, but you'll see an increase in calories expended on the display, especially if you're walking. "Because most walkers have a tough time going faster, they can work harder by using the incline feature," Blahnik says.

* elliptical trainer

DON'T: Monitor intensity by how fast you're going.

DO: Gauge exertion by your breathing. "Because they're moving so much, most people think they're working much harder on an elliptical than they actually are," Blahnik says. During a vigorous workout, your breathing should be labored.

DON'T: Up the speed to push yourself harder.

DO: Add resistance and/or change the ramp position. Speed will help you burn calories, but only to a point. Once you begin moving out of control, you're unable to work harder and you end up sapping fewer calories. Resistance does the job better, while various ramp settings allow you to challenge different muscles for more of an overall workout, Green says.

* stair climber

DON'T: Sacrifice your form.

DO: Keep your body upright with your hands lightly touching the machine. Leaning heavily on the handlebars so you can go faster only decreases how hard your legs must work, cutting the calories expended. For a greater challenge, don't touch the supports at all, and pump your arms. If this is too difficult, alternate between holding on for a minute and letting go for a minute.

DON'T: Take shallow steps.

DO: Deepen your step, even if that means slowing down. Taking fast, shallow steps might seem like you're racking up the number of calories you're expending, but these machines figure on an 8- to 10-inch-deep step each time. Do less than that and you'll fire fewer muscles, cheating the calorie burn.

Karen Asp is a health and fitness writer whose favorite cardio machines are the treadmill and Nordic Track.

All article above COPYRIGHT Weider Publications & Gale Group

equipment dealers, exercise equipment for the disabled, exercise equipment retailers, exercise equipment ski, exercise mats, exercise weight vest, fit ice skates, fitness body pump.

Breathe! Vibrate! Lift! Three more pieces of fun, functional, if unusual fitness equipment - Gung-Ho Gear, Part II
Men's Fitness, Feb, 2003 by Roy M. Wallack
Last month, we gave you five takes on the way fitness equipment is staying functional while pushing the edges of traditional gear design and application. Here's another handful of seemingly questionable goods that deliver unquestionable results.

1 POWER LUNG

$50-$104; 800-903-3087; www.powerlung.com

The lowdown: Resistance training for your lungs. Resembling a six-inch bicycle pump attached to a snorkel mouthpiece, the device is designed to create resistance (and thereby strengthen) your breathing muscles, expanding the oxygen-gathering capacity of your lungs.

The mechanics: Vigorously inhale and exhale through the device--not easy because your breath must pass through an adjustable "load cell" each way.

As you inhale and exhale, the cell's action applies resistance to the many muscles of the upper torso that play a role in breathing--including the diaphragm, intercostals, transverse abs, pecs, and assorted assistor muscles. Perform three sets of 10 reps. Increase resistance to the load cell as your lung muscles strengthen,

The payoff: Because strength-trained lungs suck in more oxygen with each breath, and thus oxygenate a greater number of muscle fibers, the PowerLung claims to reduce fatigue, increase endurance and lower heart rate. (Most people use less than half of their lung capacity--and that falls over time as lung muscles, like all muscles in the body, weaken 1 percent a year after age 35. Also, while cardio training increases oxygen uptake and lowers heart rate, it doesn't make the lung muscles significantly stronger. You would need weights--call it resistance breathing--for that.)

Body parts worked: All respiratory-related muscles. No other breath trainer works the exhalation muscles.

Time needed for a workout: Ten minutes, twice a day.

2 BODY BLADE PRO

$199; 800-772-5233; www.bodyblade.com

The lowdown: Held in one or both hands, a five-foot-long, ski-like beam with a rubber grip in the middle that oscillates at both ends. Video workout included.

The mechanics: A slight gyration causes the Body Blade's arms to vibrate like a tuning fork and generate 270 contractions per minute. By tightening the arms, shoulders and core muscles, which involves isometric exercise, you can stabilize the vibrations.

The payoff: Provides a deceptively sweaty workout that produces a certain amount of toning. The inertia-based short-range movements will increase upper-body strength, from muscle to connective tissues. Advertising claims to the contrary, the Blade will probably not build substantial muscle, making it ideal for those whose goals are based in cardio-endurance needs.

Two minutes of vibrating in a given position (there are numerous possible positions) can be taxing on the muscles being worked; a 20- to 30-minute workout is difficult to complete, and can lead to a degree of muscular soreness the next day that will have you thinking you lifted weights. Just be careful if you blade while watching TV; one slip and you could wreck the furniture.

Body parts worked: Forearms, triceps, biceps, delts, rotator cuff, shoulders, pecs, abs, and assorted upper-body connective tissues.

Time needed for a workout: Twenty to 30 minutes (possible to generate effects faster).

3 THE YANCY CLAW

$60; 323-896-2792

The lowdown: A device that instantly gives dumbbells two handles.

The mechanics: Simply snap oyster-shell loop around dumbbell handle and secure with latch.

The payoff: Allows you to do close-hands, middle-of-body chest- and back-sculpting exercises (such as front-arm lifts, bent-over rows, deadlifts), that are difficult to perform with dumbbells.

Body parts worked: Chest and back.

Time needed for a workout: Varies.



Gung-ho gear: the latest in fun, functional but unusual fitness equipment - Fit Gear

It's no secret, even to those of us weaned on the puerile hijinks of Three's Company, that the world of exercise often dispenses widely circulated and wholly illegitimate products to the unsuspecting masses. Separating the real deals from the newfangled mutations is a daunting task. In this two-part take (look for Part 2 next month) on what's wacky and what's just wack, we charged Roy Wallack, weather-beaten and loaded for bear, with the task of separating the weak and the unworthy from the formidable and legitimate. This is what he found.

1. HEAVY AIR POWER SHOES

The lowdown: Athletic shoes with 1-, 1 1/2- and 2-pound zinc/steel weights attached to the heels. Weights snap on and off in seconds with a simple one-finger latching mechanism.

The mechanics: Like swinging two bats while you're in the on-deck circle, wearing weights provides increased resistance for your muscles, connective tissue and cardiovascular system during training. Take them off after lugging them around a while, and you suddenly feel supercharged, light on your leer. (Note: Similar to ankle weights, the Power Shoe is said to aid strength by placing the weight on the heels, which purportedly maximizes the physical challenge and minimizes ankle and knee strain.)

The payoff: Improved jumping ability, speed and endurance. Plus, meatier calves.

Body parts worked: Thighs, calves and cardiovascular system.

Time needed for a workout: 20 to 30 minutes.

$159; www.heavyair.com

2. TRIKKE

Advertisement
The lowdown: Maybe the Next Big Thing. Maybe not. Looking like two fused Razor scooters, this sleek, self-propelled triwheeler goes up to 15 mph. It's stable and safe on hills (thanks to the brakes), and folds up small enough to fit in your trunk.

The mechanics: Rock it and roll it. Standing upright, yank the handlebar side to side, dip the hip, and carve S-turns as if you're skating or skiing. Patented swivel axle keeps all three wheels on the ground even on sharp turns.

The payoff: A superb full-body-toning (not muscle-building) and fat-shedding workout.

Body parts worked: Shoulders, arms, abs, glutes, thighs, calves.

Time needed for a workout: 15 to 30 minutes (but so much fun you'll go an hour).

$299; www.trikke.com

3. FREEMOTION CABLE COLUMN

The lowdown: The epitome of the three-dimensional functional-fitness trend. The seven-foot-tall tower uses a 200-pound weight stack with cables and handle-equipped straps rather than a fixed-path bar. Includes ankle cuffs, short and long straps, and wheels.

The mechanics: The pulley, priced anywhere from one to seven feet high, is said to offer unlimited exercise variation. You can do standard movements like low rows, hip adductors and lat pulls, plus funky moves such as the one-arm press-to-lunge, wood-chop twists, and the squat-to-shoulder press.

The payoff: Challenging, functional, sport-specific movements that, like dumbbell exercises, require self-stabilization from assistor muscles (working muscles surrounding the target) and the all-important core.

Body parts worked: All.

Time needed for a workout: Varies.

$1,200; 877-363-8449; www.freemotionfitness.com

4. JAM GYM

The lowdown: Not a gimmick. This dirt-cheap, 10-ounce, pocket-sized "gym" provides mostly basic toning or maintenance exercises for home of on the road.

The mechanics: Two-handled straps, sewn together at the ends, thread through a doorjamb and stay in place via a plastic stopper when the door is closed. The gear, because it's made of nylon, does not rely on the type of resistance offered by elastic bands. Grab handles, lean forward or backward (the more you lean, the greater the resistance), and do bodyweight rows, chest presses and other upper-body movements.

The payoff: A solid toning or maintenance workout, though limited in scope.

Body parts worked: Primary emphasis is on back and chest muscles; secondary emphasis is on arms.

Time needed for a workout: Varies.

$19.95; 800-823-6273; www.jamgym.com

5. BOSU BALANCE TRAINER

The lowdown: The new group-exercise sensation: an inflatable Swiss ball that's sliced in half, with a plastic bottom--BOSU means "Both Sides Up." Includes a 40-minute home video.

The mechanics: While standing, walking in place (tough to do), and doing ab crunches or assorted dumbbell exercises on the bouncy, unstable surface, you recruit most muscles in your body that affect balance, particularly the core and lower-body groups.

The payoff: Buckets of sweat, a blasted core, increased bodily awareness, and lots of laughs as you struggle not to fall off.

Body parts worked: Core muscles (abs and lower back), legs, ankles, feet. Internal and external physiological mechanisms that aid balance are also trained.

Time needed for a workout: 10 to 45 minutes.

$129.95; 800-321-9236; www.bosu.com

Pocket-sized fitness equipment gym

SOLDIERS can flex their muscles anytime, anywhere with a strand of elastic resistance tubing in a pocket-sized package dubbed "Army Fitness Deployed."

The kit, which includes the Thera-Band system of progressive resistance, was recently developed at the Army Community and Family Support Center in Alexandria, Va.

"The adage 'use it or lose it' applies to muscular strength and endurance," said Janet MacKinnon, CFSC fitness-program manager. "Muscular strength relates to the maximum force a muscle can generate in a single contraction, while muscular endurance relates to the ability of a muscle to generate force repeatedly. This kit benefits users at every level of conditioning."

The kit comes with a guide to help Soldiers maintain their muscular fitness while they're in the field. It features illustrations and written instructions on everything from warm-up and stretching to a 33-exercise regimen.

To get your kit, e-mail janet.mackinnon@cfsc.army.mil.--Author Tim Hipps, ACFSC COPYRIGHT Weider Publications & COPYRIGHT Gale Group