Friday, March 31, 2006

Treadmill Comparisons

Treadmill Comparisons - If you have been looking at different treadmill comparisons for some time you are already probably away of vast amount of treadmill brands out there. The million dollar question is which brands provide the best treadmill for you. Everyone's needs and budget is different so the key is to find a treadmill with a good rating that meets your budget and workout needs. Most people probably assume that as the price of treadmills increases then so does the quality. This is not always the case. - Read More

Used and Refurbished Treadmills

Used Treadmills - Treadmills can range in prices from the low hundreds of dollars all the way up into the thousands of dollars. If you are on a limited budget and have your eyes on one of the more expensive treadmills, like the Precor models, then you may want to consider a refurbished treadmill. - Read More

Thursday, March 30, 2006

Treadmill Reviews

Most people that have consistently used a treadmill for a period of time can easily give a positive review on why treadmills are such a wonderful addition to any exercise program. The reason why treadmill ratings are so high, as a piece of exercise equipment, is because they are great form of cardiovascular fitness equipment. Treadmills offer aerobic workouts ranging anywhere from low impact exercises, such as Power Walking, to higher impact exercise like running. Although price should always be a consideration, buying the cheapest treadmill available may not always be to your best benefit. Purchasing a treadmill is an investment and as such you should consider the features that are offered in addition to the treadmills quality. - Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Weight loss tips and tricks

There are a variety of tips and tricks that you can use to increase your metabolism and I will cover the ones that I have found the most effective below. However before we begin I would like to point out that most peoples lifestyles and poor exercise habits really contribute to the slowing down of their metabolism. This is not just some wild theory that I am writing about, I'm actually speak from personal experience. I have lived a lifestyle for years that took a skinny kid, who seamed like he couldn't gain any weight, to a fat adult. Even though I consistently worked out with weights, I made bad dieting decisions over the years that added inches to my waistline. - Read More


All the best,
Gerald

Bandflex Gym Reviews

Bandflex Gyms - The Bandflex home gyms are very similar in design to the already well known Bowflex brands. It is no surprise that the Bandflex gyms are marketed as a competing brand to Bowflex since they run around a third of the price and have a few additional features. The additional features and reduced price for these gyms alone make it no surprise why they have received a great amount of positive reviews. - Read More

All the best,

Gerald

Ab Chair and Ab Chair Deluxe Reviews

Ab Chair and Ab Chair Deluxe - With a dizzying amount of abdominal exercise equipment out there, we take a closer look at the Ab Chair and the Ab Chair Deluxe. The key with any purchase for exercise equipment is to find the one that meets your needs. The Ab Chair has been designed to help you tighten your upper abs, obliques and lower abdominal muscles. The Ab Chair also focuses on working your abs out with an abdominal crunch motion while avoiding additional strain on your neck and lower back. The full range of motion of the AbChair not only trains your abdominal muscles but also helps you train and strengthen your lower back. - Read More

Ab Scissor Review

Ab Scissor- Cut the fat and sculpt your abs all in just four minutes a day with the revolutionary new Body by Jake Ab Scissor - the only serious piece of home exercise equipment specifically designed to target and isolate your abdominal muscles! - Read More

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Abtronic Review

AbTronic - The Abtronic Ab Exerciser is yet another Ab machine that promises incredible results with no effort required by you. The Ab Tronic is in the same class of machines as the Velform Sauna belt and the Ab Energizer. These products claim to melt away fat by using a technology called EMS (Electronic Muscle Stimulator). - Read More

Bodybuilding Contest Diets

I have tried a variety of different Bodybuilding contest diets out there so I know the key is to experiment and find one that works with your body. However, no matter what plan you choose it is important, whether you are doing a precontest diet or any diet plan, that you understand your body is going to try and maintain homeostasis (balance). Simply put, if you just lower your calories to lose weight, your body over time will make adjustments to your current caloric intake level. If you are doing a Bodybuilding competition diet or any diet plan and focus solely on the amount of calories you consume, your body will slow down your metabolism to adjust to the current caloric levels. - Read More

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Weigths and Dummbells

One of the most common and necessary accessories for home gyms are free weights and dumbbell systems and sets. Depending on your goals, over time as your strength increases you will most likely want to add some additional weights and dumbbells to your home gym.
Most weights for home gyms are sold separately and can add up quickly in cost (over $1.00 per pound). Also keep in mind that the majority of weight plates are priced and sold individually. However, there are a few sets for weights that you can buy that may give you a break on the overall price. Before you make any major purchases, you will need to understand your workout needs and whether or not the weights and dumbbells that you are researching meets those needs. Read More

Body Solid Home Gym

Body Solid EXM3000LPS - If maximum strength and a weight room full of workout options is what you want in a minimum amount of space, then try the Body Solid EXM3000LPS on for size. This multi-station workhorse provides health club quality strength training for up to three people simultaneously. The Body Solid EXM3000LPS features a multi-function Press Arm Station for bench press, incline press, shoulder press and chest supported mid-row exercises. The fully-adjustable Perfect Pec™ Station with range limiters allows users to achieve deeper muscle penetration for faster, more defined results. Priced a little over $2000 - Read More

BodyCraft Galena Home Gym

BodyCraft Galena Strength Training System - The BodyCraft Galena is built to fit into any corner of a room, requiring less space than traditional gyms. It is a nice Home Gym with a starting price a little over $1000.

Featuring a Chest Press, Dual-Function Pec Dec, Leg Extension, Leg Curl, Lat Pull, Low Pulley Station, Abdominal Crunch and Leg Press (optional), every major muscle group can be strengthened in a minimum amount of space and time. No other gym is more complete and offers more quality and value than the BodyCraft Galena.- Read More

Condor and Body Craft PL Home Gym System

Condor Home Gym System - The smooth free weight action is unmatched as the weight slider glides effortlessly through each routine providing a fantastic workout at an unbelievable price of under $500. Note that weights are not included so additional cost will be incurred. - Read More

Body Craft PL1000 Lever Gym - Priced a little over $500 the Body Craft PL1000 Lever gym offers freedom to control the weights precisely. Individual plate loading gives the advantage of smaller incremental increases and higher total weight capacity compared to a weight stack. - Read More

Bowflex gym reviews

Bowflex Gyms - If you have ever watched an exercise equipment infomercial then you are probably already familiar with the Bowflex revolution. Bowflex home gyms have been around for some time now and are a good piece of exercise equipment but they are not for everyone. Instead of using free weights like the traditional home gyms, Bowflex uses a power rod technology for resistance. You can increase the weight in your workout by adding more rods to the exercise. - Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Easier Navigation Options

I've added a "complete review list" page to the One4Fitness site so that everyone can find a one stop place for all the reviews. It's kind of like a site map except only for the reviews instead of the whole site. The reviews are broken down alphabetically by the product name.

You can check out the new page at the bottom of the Product Reviews menu on www.one4fitness.com or click the link below:

Exercise equipment review list

All the best,

Gerald

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Yoga Video and DVD Reviews

Yoga Videos and DVD's - If you plan to do your Yoga exercises at home, versus going to a health club or yoga studio, then you are more than likely going to want an pick up a good Yoga video for your workouts. Yoga videos are not only a good idea but really are necessary for those of you that are just starting out. It is important to correctly learn the basics to Yoga so that you do not risk yourself of injury. - Read More

All the best,

Gerald

Blood Pressure Monitor Reviews

Blood Pressure Monitor Reviews - If you have high or even borderline high blood pressure then purchasing a blood pressure monitor would be a wise investment. A benefit of having your own monitor is that you can periodically take readings to get a better understanding for where your blood pressure levels really are. One of the problems with only having your readings taken at a doctors office is that sometimes stress can elevate the results. If you are consistent with monitoring your readings at home you can then take those results to your doctor for a more accurate exam. - Read More

All the best,

Gerald

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Why the Scale is a Bad Indicator of Dieting Success

When people begin a program to start loosing weight they usually do not think about the different tools that are available to help them make an accurate judgment on their weight loss progress. Most people’s decision on whether or not their diet program is successful is solely based on the readings from the scale. Now don’t get me wrong, the scale will give you an accurate reading on how much “weight” you have loss but it does not accurately tell you how much body fat you have lost. For example, what if most of the weight you lost was water weight? Your water weight can easily fluctuate within a few pounds every day depending on your activity levels, water consumption and diet. Even worse, what if you have lost muscle weight? If you eat too few of calories on your diet or exercise improperly you do stand a chance of burning up muscle.

I understand that in our culture we associate ones weight with their overall health but the real goal should be fat reduction not just weight reduction. Lets use an example of someone that has lost 10 pounds in one week to get a better understanding of why weight loss alone is not a good method for tracking fat reduction. In our example, lets assume that our imaginary person is on a 1500 calorie a day diet. So in one weeks time our imaginary friend has consumed 10500 calories (1500 calories x 7 days in the week). It takes around 3500 calories to burn one pound of body fat, so for our imaginary friend to lose one pound of fat a week he would need to burn an additional 500 calories a day. Now if we assume that our friend lost 10 pounds then that means he had burned an additional 35000 calories that week (or 5000 calories a day). It is unrealistic to assume that the person in our examples weight loss is from fat loss alone. In our example our friend must have also lost additional weight to either water loss or possibly even loss of muscle. Now a lot of people will lose water weight when they start a new diet program and change the way they eat but loosing muscle weight should always be avoided. The more muscle you have the more calories your body is going to burn so we definitely want to maintain the muscle that we currently have.

So, if the scale alone is a bad idea for judging fat lost then what should we use? There are a variety of different types of body fat monitors that will help you make a better judgment on your actual fat loss. There are body fat scales that not only track your body weight but can also be used to track your estimated body fat percentage. If you are not interested in replacing your scale, you could also use a handheld body fat analyzer or calipers to calculate your body fat percentage. The body fat scales and analyzers are easy to use but considerations need to be taken on when you do your readings. Since a persons body weight and temperature changes throughout the day you will want to be consistent on when and where you take your readings. Also, calipers provide good results too but do require an additional person to get all of the readings.

Now keep in mind that all the body fat monitors provide and estimated calculation on where your body fat percentage is. None of them are 100% accurate but they will give you a good indication on how much body fat you really are loosing. The key point is that for a relatively inexpensive price you can quit guessing and start getting a better understanding for your fat reduction success.

Additional information and reviews can be read at www.one4fitness.com

All the best,
Gerald

Monday, March 20, 2006

Yoga Reviews

Yoga - Yoga is a rewarding exercise that not only has physical benefits but also benefits the mind and spiritual as well. Although Yoga may appear to be a recent phenomenon, it was actually developed in India over 5000 years ago. Over thousands of years Yoga has evolved into the great rewarding exercise that we know it as today. - Read More

Yoga Exercise Mats - There are a variety of different Yoga mats that come in all kinds of sizes, styles and shapes. Ideally when looking for a Yoga mat you want to find one that will not slide against the floor. To avoid sliding and slipping during the exercises most Yoga exercise mats have a sticky surface that helps it adhere to the floor. The length of the mat should be considered depending on your height and the type of exercises you perform. Yoga mats come in a variety of lengths so if you plan to do exercises where you lay on the floor you may want to consider purchasing a longer mat. - Read More

Yoga Kits - If you have recently discovered Yoga and plan to add it to you weekly exercise routine then you may want to consider purchasing a Yoga Starter Kit. Yoga kits are great for those that do not have any equipment because they usually come with a mat, strap, a block, and relaxation videos. Purchasing kits are usually more economical then purchasing each item individually. However, the upside to purchasing items individually is that you have more control since you can purchase the specific mat and videos that your prefer. - Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Excercise Bike reviews

Exercise bikes - Stationary exercise bikes have been an icon in the Health & Fitness industry for a long time running. There are a variety of bikes that will meet your needs whether you are looking for a reconditioned exercise bike, refurbished exercise bike, or anywhere from the inexpensive to the high end exercise bikes. They not only provide you with a great cardio workout, they do so while allowing you to dive into your favorite book or TV show. There are a large variety of bikes available that have all kinds of wonderful features. You can change your workout mode (interval, manual, etc..), track your heart rate, increase and decrease your resistance with a simple tap of a button and much more. - Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Rowing Machine Reviews

Rowing Machines - Unlike the majority of cardio machines available, rowing machines workout both the upper and lower body. Although the execution of the exercise drastically differs from the elliptical trainers, rowing machines are similar in the sense that they offer a great full body workout while putting little strain on the weight bearing joints. Rowing machines are designed to mimic the experience of rowing in a scull in the open water. As you push with your legs and "row" on the exercise equipment, the seat slides backwards allowing you to workout the lower body. Once you have reached the peak of the exercise movement, you will pull your body forward to begin the movement again. This back and forth rhythmic movement creates a great cardio workout for the entire body.. Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Ab Energizer Review

Ab Energizer - If you have read our review on Fast Abs, the Ab Energizer is pretty much the same type of product. Just like the Fast Abs belt, the Ab Energizer is a belt that uses Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS). EMS sends out electrical currents into the body that causes the muscles to contract. The problem with many of these types of ab belt manufactures is that they claim their product will help you lose inches of fat around your waist in a short amount of time with very little involvement from you. - Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Billy Blanks Tae Bo

Billy Blanks Tae Bo - Starting from humbling beginnings, Billy Blanks and the Tae Bo phenomenon took off like wildfire in the 1990's. Tae Bo, which is a mixture of martial arts and dance moves has revolutionized the way people workout. How good is Tae Bo? Well, it is so good that many gyms and fitness centers across the nation have incorporated Tae Bo workouts into their cardio workout scheduled programs. - Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Friday, March 17, 2006

Does Winsor Pilates Work?

Winsor Pilates - The Winsor Pilates programs, developed by Mari Winsor, have established themselves as one of the leading Pilates training videos on the market and with good reason too. The Winsor program is designed to help you tone and sculpt your body while losing weight at the same time. Whether your are new to Pilates or a seasoned veteran the Winsor training videos and DVD's are equipped to meet your needs. - Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Denise Austin Workout Videos and DVD's

Denise Austin Workout Videos - If you have ever watched any type of fitness programming, videos or fitness anything then you are already probably familiar with Denise Austin. Denise Austin has established herself as one of the leading fitness experts in America. She has a variety of different workout videos and DVD's that are encouraging, motivating and will help you reach your goals. Denise has maintained a great physique over the years and has proven that she really does practice what she preaches. - Read More

All the best,

Gerald

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Fast Abs Review

Fast Abs - Fast Abs is an abdominal belt that uses a technology called Electronic Muscle Stimulation (EMS). EMS uses a microprocessor to send out electrical impulses that cause the muscles to contract. The strategy behind using EMS for different types of exercises is that it is believed to help you tone and build muscle. - Read More
All the best,

Gerald

6 Second Abs Review

6 Second Abs - The 6 Second Abs machine works out the abdominal muscles by having you you sit in a chair while placing the base of the machine on your thighs as your hands grip the handles located at the top of the machine. As you pull, or crunch, your chest to your thighs the 6 Seconds Abs machine provides resistance to the abdominal muscles. During the movement, you will hear audible clicks that last over a 6 second period insuring that you get the maximum benefit from the workout. - Read More

All the best,

Gerald

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Ab King Pro Review

Ab King Pro - Unlike traditional ab workout machines the Ab King Pro executes a 200 degree range of motion. Most traditional abdominal workout machines will allow you to use around a 90 degree range of motion. The extra 20 degrees range of motion offered by this machine allows you to stretch the upper abdominal muscles and fully workout the upper, middle, lower abdominal muscles and outer obliques at one setting. - Read More

Monday, March 13, 2006

8 Minute Abs Review

8 Minute Abs - The reviews are out and 8 Minute Abs is a winner. 8 Minute Abs video gives an intense abdominal workout in a very short amount of time. The 8 Minute Abs training videos and DVD have been around since the 90's and the series has grown with workouts for the arms, buns and legs. Whether you are just starting out or a veteran the 8 minute ab videos are a great resource for all levels of experience. -Read More

All the best,

Gerald

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Fanny Lifter Review

The Fanny Lifter - the name is so funny that we could not pass up doing a review on this product. To our surprise it is actually a well respected product. Just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover!

Firm Body Sculpting System - The reviews for the Firm Body Sculpting System and Fanny Lifter are pretty good. Most of the reviews that we have seen emphasize that the workout videos are the real gem with the system. The workouts are tough but provide good results for those willing to stick with them and a good diet program. - Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Lateral Thigh Trainer Review

Lateral Thigh Trainer - The Lateral Thigh Trainer, a product similar to the Cory Everson Bilateral Stepper, gives you the ability to workout your thighs and glutes in a unique fashion. Unlike traditional steppers, the Lateral Thigh Trainer not only moves up and down but it also gives the operator the ability to move their legs in and out at the same time. As you workout your legs move in a bi-directional skating type of motion. As your legs move up and down and side to side your workout targets the glutes and the inner and outer thighs. The unique range of motion gives you the ability to put a greater emphasis on muscles that would not get as good of a workout on a traditional stepper machine.- Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Bun and Thigh Roller review

Bun and Thigh Roller - If you are not familiar with the Bun and Thigh roller it is an exercise machine designed by former Mr. America Dean Tornabene that focuses on working out the lower back, glutes (buns) and the thigh muscles. Before Dean would start his workouts, he use to warm-up on an exercise ball to stretch out his lower back, thighs and glutes. Dean came up with the idea that if he could ad resistance to his pre-workout warm-ups that he could really sculpt his lower body. - Read More

Sauna Pro Review

If you have read our Velform Sauna Belt you already know that we are not a big fan of it. We have come across a similar product, called the Sauna Pro, and felt it was important to review it as well.

Sauna Pro - The Sauna Pro belt is unfortunately basically the same type of product as the Velform Sauna Belt. If you have missed our review for the Velform Sauna Belt then be forewarned that there was nothing positive about it. To be blunt, these products are really nothing but a scam. Applying heat to one body part is not going to melt the fat away. Yes, at first you may lose a little weight and size on your midsection but that is because you have sweated water, not fat, out of your system. - Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Contour Back Max Review

One of our latest reviews isn't actually a piece of exercise equipment but we feel it is such a great product, and can be used for ab crunches, that we have added it to our site.

Contour Back Max - The Contour Back Max system is an orthopedic wedge cushion that supports your body in eight different positions. Whether you are reading, exercising your abs or just relaxing, the Contour Back Max will help you relieve stress in your upper, middle and lower back. - Read More

All the best,
Gerald

New RRS Weigth Loss feed into One4Fitness site

We have added a new feed into the One4Fitness website where we pull weight loss articles from Ezine Articles. Anyone looking for a good source of frequently updated articles can view a link to them at the bottom of our homepage www.one4fitness.com or view them directly by clicking here.

*Note: That we did not write or have read all of the articles so some of the information may conflict with our beliefs around dieting and fitness. However, we feel that there are still a great number of good articles out there that should be made easily available to the public.

All the best,
Gerald

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Ab Dolly Review

The Ab Dolly is yet another line of abdominal exercise machines that has the same basic functionality as the Ab Wheel, Ab Slider, Torso Tiger, Torso Track, and more. Basically the way that these types of abdominal exercise machines work is that you sit on your knees and grab a handle that allows you to roll or slide your torso forward and backwards (the type of handle you grab and how you move backwards and forwards differs from equipment to equipment but the basic functionality is the same). As you roll forward and back you stretch and contract your abdominal muscles during the movement. Another plus is that your arms, chest and back also benefit from the exercise. Read More

All the best,

Gerald

Ab Doer Pro Review

The Ab Doer Pro exercise machine allows you to comfortably workout your abdominal muscles while sitting in an upright position. One of the nice features about this machine is that it allows you to do multi-dimensional abdominal workout. You can workout the abs in a forward crunching motion or side-to-side, the choice is really up to you. Another great feature for the Ab Doer is that it includes rollers that massage the back as you workout. Read More

All the best,

Gerald

Ab Away Pro

The Ab Away Pro is a pretty popular abdominal exerciser and for good reasons. One of the key advantages for the Ab Away Pro is that the back support not only supports your body but it also helps you maintain perfect form during the workout. Abdominal machines with this type of design, that do not include a back support, usually put an additional strain on the users back and neck. The additional support makes the exercise more comfortable and increases your chances for continuing to use it. Read More

All the best,

Gerald

Body Fat Monitor Reviews

My latest review for One4Fitness is over the different types of body fat monitors, anlayzers and calipers that are available. You can view the Body Fat Monitors home by clicking here.

Body fat scales - Body fat monitoring scales are very popular because they can easily calculate your weight and your body fat in one setting. Most body fat monitor scales work by sending a safe electrical current through your body. The electrical current is able to pass easier through lean muscle than body fat, so the amount of resistance the current faces is used to calculate the body density. This is important because your body density, not your body fat, is actually what is being measured. Read More

Body fat analyzers - Body fat analyzers are very similar to the body fat monitor scales. A lot of the body fat analyzers are also categorized as body fat scales but there are also handheld analyzers out there too. For example the Omron Body Fat Analyzer, is a handheld device that calculates your estimated bodyfat percentage in just seven seconds flat! Read More

Calipers - Calipers are a great way to measure your body fat but unless your a contortionist it takes two people to get all of the measurements. Using the skin fold test you are going to take measurements from a variety of different body parts including the front and back of your body. Although not 100% accurate the skin fold test can give you a verify good idea of where your body fat levels are at. Read More

All the best,
Gerald

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Torso Track 2 Review

Well, while I was writing the review for the Torso Tiger I felt that I should also include a review for the Torso Track 2. the Torso Track is very similar to the Torso Tiger in the overall movement and functionality of the exercise machine. However one big key difference between the two machines is the price and durability of the Torso Track. The Torso Track is a good machine but the million dollar question is whether or not it is worth the price. Well, you can find out more by visiting the review here.

All the best,
Gerald