Optimize Your Workout With A Heart Rate Monitors & Body Fat Guages

You could do photography with just a bare camera. But to get the most out of it you need accessories. The same idea applies to fitness equipment. You could get by with the bare minimum. But having a few accessories raises the value of your equipment manyfold. Some of these are often built into or come with fitness equipment like treadmills or elliptical trainers. But often those types raise the price... [Read more]

Elliptical Exercise Equipment Must-Have Features

Elliptical trainers are fast becoming serious competition for the traditional treadmill. Part of the reason is the boredom factor. It can be hard to get enthused about a workout day after day using only a treadmill. But the other aspect is that ellipticals simply provide a great range of motion for a great workout. They challenge endurance and coordination and really help keep you sharp. An elliptical... [Read more]

Resistance Bands vs Weights

From the standpoint of basic exercise physics weights and resistance bands have a lot in common. Both provide something for the muscle to work against beyond gravity. But the detailed differences allow them both to serve different goals. A weight, whether in the form of a free weight or a stack on a machine gives you the opportunity to exert a varying degree of force. That makes it possible to tailor... [Read more]

Dumbbell Sets, Pros and Cons

Dumbbells or free weights offer a number of advantages over weight machines. But the latter are not without benefits, either. In the end, the decision of which to choose or use will come down to cost, space and the type of workout you're after. Dumbbells typically come in the form of a short bar with a weight on each end. Some are one-piece molded plastic (usuallly neoprene). Others have discs that... [Read more]

Low-Impact Fitness Equipment

Basketball, tennis, soccer and more are all great ways to exercise. They require only inexpensive equipment, get you out in the fresh air and provide a full body workout with huge cardiovascular benefits. But sports like these can be very hard on the joints. They stress the knees and ankles and may be inappropriate for older people or those who've recently had surgery or given birth. Low-impact fitness... [Read more]