Stair Stepper

By Adam Leave a Comment

One of the most popular and the most used equipment in the gym is the stair stepper. The stair stepper is designed to mimic the act of climbing up a staircase. If you are looking for a fit and a lean body, then the stair stepper could be the training equipment that you are looking for. There is just one thing that you have to consider when using the stair stepper – you have to make sure that you know the perfect form in using this equipment.

To be able to properly gain all the benefits that a stair stepper can possibly give to a human body, learning the right technique is very important. The first step is to perform a five minute low intensity warm up exercise with the stair stepper. Once your muscles are already conditioned, you can then slowly raise the intensity of your exercise.

The proper technique of using the stair stepper is to make sure that your body is in the upright position and centered. You also have to make sure that you don’t lean on the equipment and always keep your back straight. You should also keep your heel over the steps comfortably and try and not to stay on your toes. Doing so will keep the work on the hips area instead of just concentrating on your calf muscles. Always keep a short distance between the steps and avoid pushing it down or up fully.

Changing the intensity of your workout will make it more effective and you can do it by adjusting the program settings of the stair stepper. You can mix all the programs and have a low-high intensity workout session. You can also vary its resistance by making easy and fast or slow and hard workout.

Depending on your fitness level, you can either choose to go up to one hour or just do a 10-15 minutes workout session on the stair stepper. If you want to cool down, you can do so by stretching your glutes, hamstrings, and calf muscles.

There are also two types of these steppers that you can choose from. These are the stepmills and the generic steppers. These two offers a very good cardiovascular workout and the most obvious way to differentiate them is by their own physical features.  The stepmill is like a mini escalator while the generic stepper is more like a stair with two sport pedals that enables the user to work up and down.

If it will be your first time to use a stair stepper, then it is advisable that you go slowly since this machine can be a bit tricky. Make your feet and body comfortable first with your pace before you decide to increase your workout’s intensity.  It is also very important that you check with your physician or doctor first before you decide to do intense workouts.

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Rowing Machine Benefits

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A lot of people are often discouraged to use the rowing machines in the gym because they think that it is not giving them the intensity that they are looking for in a workout. Most people also say that it is not even strengthening their muscles like it is supposed to. But the truth is that most of the times it’s the wrong technique which is the reason and not the machine. Before a person can enjoy the rowing machine benefits, one must really understand how to use it first. Maximizing the benefits of using the rowing machine always comes down to the techniques that are applied by the user on the machine. If the techniques are wrong, then they will not be able to experience any benefits from rowing machines.

However, if used properly, there are actually at least five main rowing machine benefits that one can get from using it. First is that it is non-weight bearing. This means that there is no big impact whatsoever and is very safe to use not unless, people will use their back to pull instead of their legs.

Secondly, the rowing machine can aid in upper body conditioning. If done properly, this could be the answer for all the women out there who want to tone and get rid of those saggy arms.  It is because even though you are only using at least 25 % of your arms’ pull force, you will still need to apply pressure and use strength from your biceps, forearms, shoulders, and back especially when you would have to do that final blow.

The remaining 75% of your pull force should come from your legs and hips. By doing so, you will be able to have solid thighs and toned legs. If know how to use your leg muscles properly in a rowing machine, then for sure, you will be able to get the third rowing machine benefits – lower body conditioning.

Most of the rowing athletes have one thing in common, strong and solid six pack abs. With the help of the rowing machine, the solid six pack abs is easy to achieve. If you can learn the right technique, the rowing machine will give a very intensive workout on your core and this helps in strong inner core muscles and thus, the six pack abs.

One of the rowing machine benefits is that it can improve cardiovascular functions. You can do so by setting the resistance level to your fitness level or slightly higher than that. But there are two things that you have to take into consideration when working on a higher level – your stroke and your resistance. The rowing machine can also effectively burn your calories and will help you lose weight. Machines like Concept 2 rowers can give you a very good overall workout.

Always make sure that to be able to fully maximize the advantage you get from these machines, it is very important that you take time to know the machine and learn the right techniques first. This machine can be very powerful if used properly because of the many benefits that it can give to our body and to us.

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Cross Trainers

By Adam Leave a Comment

Cross trainers or elliptical trainers are stationary exercise machine that enables a person to stand up while working out. It simulates walking, running, or climbing the stairs without adding too much pressure on the joints. It is for this reason that people with injuries can still use this machine to stay fit. It can also be used to perform light or high-intensity based non-impact cardiovascular workout.  Cross trainers are also considered as an example of a weight bearing form of exercise and they also target the person’s upper and lower body

There are a lot of variations of cross trainers nowadays. Some can be self-powered using the user’s motion and some need to be plugged in to adjust motions and/or to supply their electronic consoles and resistance systems. The types of elliptical cross trainers are categorized by their motor or “drive” location. The three types of cross trainers are the “rear drive” type which is also considered as the oldest, the “front drive”, and the latest is the “center drive”.

The parts of the body that cross trainers’ targets are the same with the treadmill- the leg muscles and the heart.  But other than that, there are still a couple of advantages that elliptical cross trainers have compared to other exercise machines. Unlike the other machines which can only target one or two body parts, the cross trainer offers an overall fitness package for the body.

It also maintains bone density through its weight bearing form of exercise and creates a low impact workout by doing continuous elliptical motion. Learning to use this equipment is not hard because its principle is just similar to walking. Performing a whole body workout is also possible because the user can work the upper body muscles holding the handle of the equipment.  Planning and monitoring your cardio workouts is made easy by its onboard computers. The mechanical parts of the equipment are also not that hard to replace because it is simple equipment.

Most of the advanced exercisers think that the cross trainers are less effective compared to doing an aerobic exercises, running, or jogging. They think that since it is so easy and a low impact form of exercise, then it doesn’t give a lot of benefits, but they are wrong. Not because this fitness equipment is so easy and soft, it doesn’t mean that it less effective. Actually, a user who is doing the same intensity workout either by running or by using the cross trainer will feel less fatigue with the cross trainer because it offers a lower rate of perceived exertion. So whether you want to exercise to lose weight or just to increase your fitness level, cross trainers will surely be able to help you achieve your goal.

Filed Under: Ellipticals Tagged With: , , ,
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