How Do I Choose a Good Gym Mat?

Your excitement level is shooting through the roof because finally, you’ll be realizing your goal of losing weight, keeping it off, and staying in shape. You already have the perfect equipment for your home gym and have already installed the perfect flooring to complement your equipment. The only thing missing from your set up is a good gym mat you can use for exercises that will require you to lie on the floor. It’s not even a matter of availability, since there are plenty of stores selling gym mat in Singapore. The issue is finding a good gym mat that will keep up with your demands.

There are different types of mats you can use for your home gym. Even a yoga mat or a Pilates mat will do. However, if you want a gym mat that will stand the rigors of your exercise routines, then a general-purpose exercise mat will have to do. This one is particularly designed to cushion your body throughout your workout session, so you won’t feel uncomfortable doing sit-ups or whatever type of floor exercise you love doing.  If you’re on the lookout for a good gym mat in Singapore, check out these simple tips below:

·         Choose the best size for your needs. A shorter mat is perfect for abdominal exercises or post-workout stretching, but a longer mat is usually best for yoga or longer floor exercises.

·         Choose the right thickness. Mats that are thicker do not only offer more cushion, but they are also more resistant to damage and wear and tear.

·         Choose the best material. As much as possible, choose a gym mat in Singapore with a surface that is easy to clean but offers traction. Moreover, choose one that is non-slip.

These are simple tips to follow when buying a gym mat. Gym mats aren’t too complicated, but choosing well will certainly make your workout sessions more enjoyable.

Build a Strong Upper Body with Chin-Up Bar in Singapore

Installing a chin-up bar in your home is just the beginning of your journey to having a strong upper body. But like all other fitness equipment, your chin-up bar will only do you good if you use it regularly. It can be difficult to do chin-ups—at least on your first few tries. Most people don't have the upper body strength to lift their own weight. Does this sound like you? Don’t worry—you will get better. As you practice, this exercise will become easier and the results will become more visible. So, how do you start building your upper body strength with chin-up workouts if you are a complete beginner?

1.    Strengthen Your Other Muscles First.

Learning how to do chin-ups is not as simple as it looks. If you cannot pull yourself up on the first try, then you might need to start by strengthening the muscles needed to do the job. Look for online workouts that target the back, posterior deltoids, and biceps.

Complete beginners should work on their grip and arms strength. Trainers recommend doing dumbbell holds and timed hangs before trying pull-ups. Aside from these, you can also do scrap-ups and prone bat wings.

2.    Try Assisted Chin-Ups.

Some trainers also use resistance bands to assist beginners in doing pull-ups. The bands are intended to help you pull yourself up. They will pull you up from your knees or feet, allowing you to feel lighter. As a beginner, you would probably start with a thick resistance band. Your band gets thinner and thinner as you progress gradually, until you can do chin-ups without assistance.

To successfully build your upper body strength, you need to invest in a proper chin-up bar. When buying one, always consider the material, the brand, as well as the shop where you are buying from.

Get the Perfect Sports Towel Online in Singapore

Sweating is perfectly normal when you are working out; in fact, it’s an indicator that you are pushing yourself and are burning calories. To stay hygienic, you should only wipe off your sweat with good quality sports towels. Did you know that sports towels can also make your workouts safer? Sweat tends to drip on your eyes or can make your skin slippery, making it hard to perform exercise moves, especially weight lifting.

When it comes to working out, a simple cotton towel won’t do. What you need is a high performance sports towel that is more absorbent and is specifically made to soak up sweat. This type of towel is usually made of microfiber and is available online in Singapore. Aside from being highly absorbent, it also tends to dry up quickly. If you use a regular cotton towel, you will have to squeeze it so that it can absorb again—which can be unhygienic.

A good sports towel is designed with smart features, too, such as sewn-on loops. This way, they can be secured around the neck or simply hung on the locker. This is more hygienic than hanging the cloth part of the towel onto hooks. Some of the latest sports towels even feature zipper pockets for your money, keys, and even your mobile phone. They can truly make working out more convenient.

When you order your sports towels online, why not purchase all your other gym needs, too? You will find gym equipment and accessories like mats and gloves at great prices on the internet. Find a Singaporean sports equipment seller that can offer discounts and free deliveries when you reach a certain amount. Some of the best ones even offer loyalty rewards. When you purchase several accessories of big-ticket gym equipment, you might even be able to get your sports towel for free, thanks to your accumulated loyalty points.

Elliptical Trainer in Singapore: Choose the Best for You

An elliptical trainer is an excellent machine for burning calories as well as building up your endurance and strength. It is an excellent addition to any type of gym, whether commercial or personal. Before you go out to buy one, consider your budget as well as your space. There are Singaporean online gym equipment sellers that you can contact to give you advice. They can tell you which products fit into your space and suit your goals.

When it comes to choosing an elliptical trainer, here are some factors you need to consider:

• Size. Aside from checking your floor space, check the height of your ceiling, too. Elliptical machines will lift you off the ground up to 3 inches, depending on the machine. Consider the length of the stride, too.
• Adjustability. Check if the elliptical machine can suit different types of exercise levels and regimes.
• Assembly. An elliptical machine will not come to your gym assembled. Not to worry—some of the best exercise equipment suppliers in Singaporean can offer assembly services for a small fee. This is a better option to assembling the product yourself. When you the professional set up your equipment, you don’t risk injuring yourself. Faulty assembly might also cancel out the warranty.
• Special features. Modern elliptical machines these days can check your heart rate or create a full-body workout depending on your weight and age as well as your goal. Newer ones come with color LCD screens for ease of use while others even have Bluetooth connectivity.
• Extra features. Some of the best elliptical trainers now have slots for water bottles. To keep yourself entertained, you can opt for an elliptical machine with a dock and charging station for your gadgets.

Elliptical machines can get pricey, so make sure that the seller offers a warranty for them. There are online sellers who can offer discounts and even loyalty points for your purchase. It’s best to find a seller who can offer free delivery around Singapore.

How to Use Chin Up Bar in Singapore

Do you have a pull-up or chin up bar? Then you already have everything you will need for a great workout! Use the bar and your bodyweight to work all the muscles in your body by doing push-ups, lunges, squats, and all the other "push" exercises that can help you sculpt chest, tricep, shoulder, and leg muscles. Your pull-up bar also allows you to give your "pull" muscles—namely your back and biceps—a full workout. You can even do all sorts of abs exercises with your chin up bar. Here are just some ideas: 

 
Here are five awesome exercises to do on the pull-up bar, whether you are working out in a gym or at your home in Singapore:

·         Pull-Ups -Grip the chin bar with hands. Note that your palms should be facing away and your hands spread shoulder width apart. Pull yourself up so that your chin touches the bar. Lower. Repeat.

·         Chin-Ups –Focusing on your biceps, this move involvesgriping the he bar with your hands, your palms facing towards you. Pull upward and feel your biceps curl. This exercise also works out your anterior deltoids.

·         Toes Above Bar - Do this of your want to tone your core. Hang from the bar. Bring your legs up and touch the bar with your feet while keeping your legs perfectly straight. Slowly lower and then repeat.

·         Knee Raises -If toes above the bar is too hard for you, start with this exercise. Hang from the chin up bar and let both legs hang down. Then, engage your abdominals to bring your knees up to your chest. Slowly lower your knees until your legs are hanging down once again.

·         The Climber Pull-Up – This is the exercise for those looking to go hardcore.Start with a regular pull-up. Before you lower yourself, try to shift your weight to left, and then to the right. This move is incredibly difficult to do, but it's perfect for building strong arm, back, and shoulder muscles.

3 Things to keep In Mind While Using Workout Bench

A workout bench can aid you when doing certain types of exercises. Workout benches are typically classified as home grade (for your home gym) or commercial grade, and they are typically adjustable to ensure a perfect fit or position. High-quality workout benches are designed to be comfortable for weightlifting. Their solid and sturdy feel will provide ample support for your back and for your entire body during free weight training in any type of position. To make the most of your workout bench, here are three things to remember while using it:

1. You can do a wide range of exercises with it – A workout bench can dramatically enhance the results of your workout because it can let you do different sets of exercises like the shoulder press, dumbbell bench press, pull overs, dumbbell rows, chest flys, tricep dips, concentration curls, and lying tricep extensions. Consider investing in a bench that can decline and incline, so that you can do more exercises like an upper or lower chest workout, incline bench bicep curls and one-arm lateral raises, and rear deltoid exercises.
   
   
2. Use the ankle blockers – Some workout benches come with ankle blockers, which usually look like pads. They serve to block the feet to keep you in place while doing sit ups and decline bench exercises. This way, you do not have to worry about sliding down, and you do not have to exert more effort in trying to keep your body in place, and you can concentrate more on the exercise.
   
   
3. Do not raise your feet up in the air while using a workout bench – This is especially advised to beginners. Doing so will put you in an unstable position and may cause you to lose your balance. Make sure your feet are firmly on the floor.

Exercise Gloves Online: Choose the Best Pair for You

Exercise gloves are used for support and protection during rigorous fitness workouts and weightlifting. They prevent calluses and blisters, and that can result from repeated griping and grabbing pull up bars, dumbbells, and other exercise equipment. They also provide cushioning for the palms and protect your wrists from strain. When choosing the perfect pair of exercise gloves, you need to think about what type of exercise activities you do most often.

Getting the proper fit is critical. Exercise gloves come in a wide range of sizes for men and women, plus varying degrees ofbreathability and coverage. Your exercise gloves should fit your hands snugly so that they don’t shift around while you perform lifting and pulling exercises.

A new pair of gloves might feel stiff at first, but it will eventually soften and conform to your hands with use. They should not cause any pain or discomfort; if they do, they might be the wrong size. Look for a pair that matches your hand measurements. Gloves that are too big or too small can interfere with your movements and render you unable to properly execute an exercise.

Fitness and weightlifting gloves also come in different degrees of coverage. Most pairs are fingerless; the cover only the bottom of your fingers, your palms, and your wrists. Some exercise gloves are cushioned and designed to make it a little bit more comfortable to hold and grip a free weight bar, for example, or an exercise machine.

Because they should be able to stand up to repeated and prolonged use, the best workout gloves are typically made of hard-wearing fabrics such as nylon, neoprene, or leather. High-quality gloves can withstand strenuous workout without tearing or developing holes. Be sure to choose gloves that are washable as they will likely soak up sweat during your workouts.