Most people wearing weight lifitng belts in the gym think they look more professional wearing one, but are there any other purposes for the average gym goer.  A weightlifitng belt has two main purposes-

It reduces stress on the lower back when the person is lifting in an upright position-  it does this by compressing the contents of the abdominal cavity which will cause the abdominals to exert the pressure outward providing more support infront of the bones of the lower back.

By wearing the belt users become conscious about their lower back and therefore keep their posture in good form.

Weightlifitng belts however are no good for light weight loads and exercises such as the lat pull down, you will only notice the benefits on exercises like heavy squats or deadlifts for example.

There is only one rowing machine that I would ever purchase and that is the Concept II.  Since 14 years of age I have rowed on Concept II’s and back then my rowing coach told me this was the only rower worth purchasing and still today it’s the same.  My current Concept II I own I have had for 10 years and works perfectly as it did the day I bought it.  I have tried many different types of rowers and the Concept II stands out by far as the best.  In second place I would put the water rower, it looks great and feels great and for some people this is the best rower, but having used Concept II’s for years I have grown to only accept one rower.  The fan sound you get from the Concept II and the motion and feel it provides can’t be beat.

I wouldn’t really consider anything other than the Water rower or Concept II, other rowers feel weak and cheap, I have never heard of anyone serious about fitness highly recommending another rower other than these two prime examples.  The Concept II and the Water rower are not cheap but hold value well, you see Concept II’s selling on Ebay 5 years old for only 30% off the original price.

Related articles-

Which is the best elliptical trainer?

Which is the best heart rate monitor?

Which is the best swiss ball?

I have tried many different elliptical trainers over the years in various different countries and gyms, so feel I can give you an accurate review of elliptical trainers.  The main problem a lot of people have with elliptical trainers is that they only suit people of a certain stride length, so if you are a 5 ft woman an elliptical trainer could be very uncomfortable to use.  For this reason I eliminate 99% of elliptical trainers at being a good purchase for gym owners or personal training studio owners.  One that stands out to me is the Octane elliptical trainer which I have put in My Fitness Studio .  The Octane range allows you to adjust the stride length to match your stride length, this feature has made it very popular amongst many of my customers, and is certainly the only elliptical trainer I would purchase.  For many people adjusting the stride length is not really necessary as the majority of elliptical trainers cater for the average person but this tends to be people from roughly 5ft 5in and above.  Tall people don’t tend to suffer if you are 6ft 9in most elliptical trainers should be fine for you, but if you are smaller than average you will most likely struggle.

If you are purchasing an elliptical trainer for yourself and you can’t adjust the stride length on the one you want to buy, but it feels comfortable, then this is not a problem, however, if it is for multiple people it may become a problem.

Related articles-

Which is the best heart rate monitor?

Which is the best swiss ball?

At My Fitness Studio we have had all different types of swiss balls over the years so I can tell you which ones I think you should purchase and which ones you should avoid.  The best swiss balls have got to be the Paul Chek swiss balls.  These swiss balls are hard wearing and have grip on them like no other I have found, certainly my favorite.  I usually pick swiss balls on the durability and the grip.  Avoid swiss balls like a Reebok swiss ball from Argos they are ultra thin very bouncy and pop on anything.  The most expensive swiss ball I ever purchased was the Technogym swiss ball, this ball is ok but again is reasonably thin so you have to be careful with it.  It depends also on what you need it for, if it’s just for you then a lot of swiss balls are fine, as we use it in a studio environment multiple times of day I prefer them to be a bit harder wearing.

Related articles-

Which is the best heart rate monitor?

Polar FS1

This is an entry level heart rate monitor perfect for someone who doesn’t want a heart rate monitor with all the extras but an easy to use heart rate monitor.  Simple easy to use buttons and a nice price.

Polar F6

A medium level heart rate monitor with some extras but not too complicated.  Certainly a step up from the Polar FS1 without becoming too complicated.  The F6 tracks calories in different heart rate zones as well as giving you a weekly summary of your workouts.

Polar FT60

A great heart rate monitor for someone looking to really improve their workouts.  This heart rate monitor allows you to set weekly fitness goals and do fitness tests.  The FT60 easily links up to your computer allowing you to transfer data.  Although this heart rate monitor is not cheap it will certainly give your workouts a real boost.

Garmin Forerunner 305

This is the top of the range when it comes to heart rate monitors.  This heart rate monitor comes with GPS tracking and the ability to create your own workouts as well as analyzing your pace, distance and calories burned.  The only downside is it doesn’t have a clock and its a bit bulky.  This heart rate monitor has great reviews and comes highly recommended by many athletes.

Related articles-

What is a healthy blood pressure?

Lower your salt intake

Athletes are now using a five toed sock that is similar to the sensation from running barefoot and could be better for you than wearing trainers.  The sock acts like a second skin so you run on the foot as it is designed not like modern trainers that promote running on the middle of the foot.

Craig Richards a designer of ultra light shoes commented that “There’s no evidence that any shoe is better than running in bare feet.”  Daniel Lieberman a professor of human biology at Harvard university also agrees with Craig Richards that until any research is found to suggest trainers support the foot from injuries better than barefoot he believes barefoot is just as good as trainers for running.  Will this be the next gimmick or will this change the look of running shoes forever, only time will tell.

Related articles-

Push up counter

• Pull up bar- Great piece of equipment if installed correctly.   The most common cheap pull up bar is the one that expands to fit the top of your door frame.  Warning – If this is not installed correctly you will fall off and really hurt yourself.  As long as it is durable so doesn’t bend or shake when you use it this is a great bit of equipment to build strong large bicep and back muscles.

• Swiss ball- As long as the ball has been properly tested with people lifting weights on it this is a great bit of exercise equipment to use at home.  A swiss ball can also be used as an office chair strengthening your core muscles day to day.

• Thera bands – great bit of resistance equipment for men and women.  They come in different strength bands so even the strongest men can get muscular results using them.  Warning- make sure they are officially tested bands so they don’t snap and cause injury.

             Related article- What personal trainers think about Thera bands

• Wrist weights- Great for toning the arms and shoulders whilst running.  Ankle weights can also be purchased for toning the hip flexors and legs.  Helps to burn calories faster whilst jogging due to the extra weight on the body. Warning – don’t wear for periods over 2  hours as you are likely to suffer ligament and tendon damage, so wearing them all day at the office is not a good idea.

I am very pessimistic when it comes to modern fitness inventions, most of them tend to be geared towards people who want results from putting in no work, and getting a good body doesn’t happen that way.  One bit of modern equipment I was initially not mad on was the power-plate however now I have understood its benefits and accept it as a good piece of equipment in modern gyms.  However there is one bit of equipment that has come along that has shocked me that anyone would buy it and that is the Ijoy ride.  The Ijoy ride is similar to a bucking bronco using this motion to strengthen the buttocks and the core.  I don’t disagree that it works and I certainly think it would be good for horse riders but its appeal to the rest of the world is limited.  After watching this ijoy ride commercial I think you would find very few men purchasing this piece of fitness equipment for the obvious reasons.   You would also not find many people using this in the gym as they would be too embarrassed to use it.  I could only see this appealing to women at home as the muscles it works are muscle groups women tend to focus on more than men also many men would be too ashamed to own this bit of gym equipment.

Free weights have always been my favourite and I have stuck to using them for years however both have their pros and cons and should be used in conjunction with one another.

Free weights like the name suggests are free, you need to control them they are not fixed on one dimension of movement so when doing a shoulder press for example the weight can not only go up and down like on a shoulder press machine but can go left and right up and down, backwards and forwards. Due to free weights being so free we have to use many small muscles to support them across their plane of movement and it is this what creates a muscular strength and shape you can’t develop from plate loaded resistance machines. The other reason I personally prefer free weights is I like the clunky sound they make between reps when being lifted on and off the floor this is the noise I can remember when looking at gyms as a child but not being allowed in as I was too small. I remember hearing the owner of muscle beach in Venice beach California say he never purchased rubber weights for muscle beach as he loved the sound of metal weights and that is what bodybuilding was about for him.

The main benefit of plate loaded resistance machines is how they isolate muscles. When we lift weights one of the most important things is to isolate the muscle. If we are doing a bicep curl for example we want to do it with perfect technique so we isolate the bicep properly working it to full capacity. If we cheat and swing our body to raise the weight you will end up working other muscles such as the shoulders, which we are not trying to focus on. Machines isolate the muscles holding our arms or legs in a particular position and direction that isolates the muscle that machine is intended to work. Machines are also a lot easier and time effective to use over free weights. With machines there is no need to load heavy plates on and off a bar just a slip of the pin from one plate to the next makes a change in weight and now modern machines by the touch of a digital button increase and decrease the weight load.

Related articles-

Isolating muscle groups