Precautions to be Followed while Using Treadmill

A lot of people think that treadmill safety is just about common sense. This is true to a certain degree, but since treadmills have moving belts, it is still critical that you learn about some safety tips before you start working out on this equipment. Here are some precautions that you need to follow when using a treadmill: 

1. Before you begin with your exercise, stand with each of your foot on the sides of the rails and straddle the deck. Carefully step onto the moving belt. Steady your balance first by keeping hold of one of the rails before you begin putting in the settings and program that you desire. 

2. Press the emergency stop button in order to stop or pause the machine. This will immediately halt the operation of the treadmill if you ever feel that the belt is moving too fast for your ability, or for any other reason.

3. Do not just jump off the machine if you want to do short tasks such as changing the channel or answering the phone. This will compromise your safety. Instead of doing this and leaving the belt running, just press the pause button and continue with your workout once you are ready. 

4. Just look straight or keep your eyes on the console display while using the treadmill. Avoid watching your feet because it may cause you to lose your sense of position. 

5. It’s alright to hold on to the side or the front of the handrails if you need to catch your balance. But as much as possible, freely swing your arms. If the reason why you hold on to the rails is that you are scared of falling off due to the fast movement of the belt, then perhaps you should decrease the speed.

6. Wear running shoes when working out on a treadmill. Don’t do it barefoot or wearing slippers. 

Different Kinds of Gym Flooring

Gym flooring comes in various kinds, each of them with their own benefits. If you are planning to build a commercial gym or even a home gym, here are the best types of flooring that you can choose from:

1. Carpet Tiles

Carpet is relatively inexpensive, all-purpose, and pretty easy to maintain and clean. It’s also an excellent flooring solution for gyms. Low pile carpet, which is a bit coarser in texture, is best utilized in exercise areas. Interlocking carpet tiles are also great options as they can be easily installed by a single person. 

2. Rubber Flooring

Rubber flooring can be bought in tiles or rolls, and they can be found in a wide range of color options and thicknesses. Their pricing also varies greatly. Note that this type of flooring can be heavy, so if you’re planning to use it for your home gym and you’re going to install it on our own, it’s advisable that you go for rubber tile flooring instead of the rolled version.

3. Foam Flooring

Most foam flooring solutions are available in the form of mats and interlocking tiles usually referred to as foam tiles, soft tiles, or puzzle lock tiles. Installation often takes just a few minutes. Foam is inexpensive, easy to maintain and clean, and provides a soft and comfortable flooring solution. It’s ideal for your home gym if you do a lot of stretching and sit-ups. 

4. Vinyl Tiles

Vinyl tiles are durable and flexible—characteristics that make them versatile as flooring solutions. Vinyl floor tiles also interlock together, which means that they are easy to install. They’re available in various colors and actually feel like rubber. Cleaning these tiles is fairly easy; mopping or sweeping will do. It’s also resistant to the growth of mildew and mold.

When buying gym flooring, it is recommended that you check samples first before you make your purchase. 

3 Reasons Why You Need a Smith Machine in Your Home Gym

Gyms and gym equipment have evolved significantly over the last couple of decades, but some of the most well-designed systems have remained the same for the simple reason that they work—period. Take the Smith Machine, for instance. This weight training machine has been proven effective and valuable in terms of helping individuals get full-body workouts and gain muscle. Apart from building muscles, a Smith Machine can also help you tone up, burn fat, build strength, and workout your entire body. Here are the top reasons why you should consider buying a Smith machine for your home gym:

1. You’ll get full-body workouts

A smith machine is essentially an all-in-one machine that lets you do military presses to work out your shoulders, squats to tone your legs, drag curls to define your biceps, bench presses for your chest, and many other exercises. This type of equipment is especially ideal if you don’t have that much space for a home gym since you can do various workouts with it. 

2. It’s excellent for strength-building

Another great thing about Smith machines is that they are designed to help balance out the weight. This allows you to conserve energy and hence generate all of your power through training the muscles. A Smith machine will let you overload the bar and push heavy weight in a controlled and safe environment. 

3. It will give you peace of mind

A Smith machine will help you focus on working out, and it will also ensure you that your workouts are productive and effective. With a Smith machine, you’ll no longer need a spotter to help you during lifting because it’s enough to prevent the bar from dropping on you. If you find it hard to completely lock your elbows as you bench press, for instance, you just have to rack the bar and lock it into place.

GUIDE ON CHOOSING A PUNCHING BAG

If you are a boxer or you just want to get fit, a punching bag can be an excellent outlet to vent out all that extra energy. However, there is a number of factors that you need to consider while choosing a punching bag. Here’s your guide to choosing a punching bag.

Quality vs Price

Budget plays a major role in choosing a punching bag. Though you may be tempted to opt for less expensive options, they may end up feeling like hitting a toy bag. By investing a little bit more money you can buy a bag that will give you quality and the feel of the real thing.

Filled vs. Unfilled Bags

The next thing that you need to consider is whether a punching bag is filled or not. A majority of punching bags come filled, however, a few of the premium bags are unfilled and require you to fill them. The best of the punching bags are the ones that you can fill yourself, as you will have the choice of the material to fill in to have the perfect firmness.

Materials Used

Another thing you should look for in a punching bag are the materials used in the bag. Bags made from genuine leather are the most expensive, but they are the most comfortable and durable as well. Synthetic leather is another popular material used on the outer shell of a punching bag. It is a little cheaper than genuine leather. Canvas punching bags are the cheapest, however, the material does not feel good against the skin when you punch or kick it.

Size

Size is yet another factor that you need to consider. It affects the weight of the bag. Bigger bags will be heavier while smaller bags will be lighter.

Shape

One more factor, probably the most important one, is the shape. Different shapes of punching bags are used for different types of training.

This information should help you out while buying your first punching bag.

4 MISTAKES TO AVOID WHILE BUYING A TREADMILL

Treadmill is the most popular gym fitness machine, loved by people all over the world. One can walk, jog, and run in the privacy of one’s home or in gyms. It is the best cardiovascular exercise for burning maximum calories and for overall fitness.  In the inbuilt monitors, the heartbeat, pulse rate, calories burnt can be tracked. In this blog, we will see the mistakes people make while buying a treadmill. This will be helpful to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

4 mistakes to avoid before buying a treadmill:

• Buying off-the-catalogue: Putting blind faith in quality and performance of a machine can cost you heavily. Instead, read consumer reports of the equipment first. The consumer reports give a clear picture of the products. Compare the prices, when making big investments to make informed decisions.

• Not preparing yourself and your home/space for the equipment: Your treadmill purchase should not be based on a whim. Prepare a space in your home to house the equipment first, and prepare yourself to use it regularly. Also keep in mind that you will have to deal with whatever repairs and maintenance the machine demands.

• “One size fits all” approach: Nothing can be more disastrous while purchasing a treadmill than this. It is important to check the motor (2.25-4.25 CHP), belt, and electronic setup before buying a treadmill. A 22″ wide belt and 60” length is recommended for tall runners with a long stride and 20″ width and 50” length for walkers. Track cushioning protects the joints from the impact of the exercise.

• Overlooking or forgoing seller and manufacturer responsibilities: Many of us, in a rush to own discounted and/or cheap treadmills, decide to give up on after-sale services. This is a big mistake. You must ask for onsite, after sales service for repairs and maintenance. Every treadmill model should offer a motor warranty of at least one to three years.

HOW TO PROPERLY USE A FITNESS BALL FOR YOUR EXERCISES?

For those who haven’t seen this “equipment” at someone’s place or at a gym, a fitness ball is a huge ball (about 14 to 34 inches in diameter) made of soft elastic. Also known as Swiss ball, it is helpful for those who wish to strengthen their spine. You may also use it for general exercise. In this blog, you will learn how to properly use a fitness ball for your exercise, because there are so many exercises that can be done with this one equipment.

Exercise use #1: Squats

For the legs and back, to be repeated 8-15 times.

• Find a wall.

• Stand with your back to the wall, and with the ball in between, in contact with your lumber (lower back).

• Start to get in a sitting position with knees bent at a right angle, and with the ball still between your back and the wall.

• Get back in standing position, trying not to let the ball fall.

Exercise use #2: Push-ups

For the arms and abdomen, to be repeated 8-10 times.

• Lie face-down with the ball under your belly, legs out straight, and palms flat on the floor.

• Use your palms to pull yourself ahead, rolling the ball underneath. Get into plank position, with the ball placed anywhere between ankles and hips. Keep your spine aligned – your ears, shoulders and hips should be in the same line.

• Do push-ups.

Exercise use #3: Balance

For overall balance, to be repeated 8 times.

• Sit on the Swiss ball. Place your hands on your hips.

• Place your feet on the floor, close together.

• Lift one foot off and hold position for 5 seconds.

• Repeat with the other foot.

There are many more exercises that can be performed using a Swiss ball. One just has to get creative with their fitness trainers and device a routine that suits one’s fitness needs.

Gym Equipment - How to choose perfect Exercise Bike

Exercise bikes are iconic representations of fitness. The idea of opting for home gym equipment will unmistakably include an exercise bike. This is mainly because of the benefits of training and working out with an exercise bike. With benefits that stretch from endurance to cardio workouts to fast calorie burns, it is important to get yourself one and clock adequate time on the seats. However, getting one actually involves understanding more about the bike before choosing one. Here is your ultimate guide that will help you to park the best one in your home.

Must have features versus frills

Ideally, you should first look for the must have features in an exercise bike. Only after you have the mandatory features covered should you look for or get interested in the frills that you may or may not use. What is important to bear in mind, is the fact that your exercise bike needs to meet your objectives of working out. Your fitness program has a goal, and the exercise bike should be geared towards meeting those objectives. The most important feature, is undoubtedly variable resistance. Choose a bike that offers variable resistance, so that you can adjust and improve as you progress.

Space constraints

Regardless of the size of homes, the exercise bike needs to be compact. This makes it easier to position and to shift within the premises whenever required. Consider the space available in your home and the amount of space that you are willing to allocate for the bike before choosing one. It does not pay to procure one and let it lie in your attic or garage for want of adequate space.  You also need to consider that you may wish to include other workout equipment at a later stage as you find benefits from your fitness program.

Covered movable components

It is important to choose a bike that comes with covered movable components. For instance, the chain and the flywheel needs to be covered in some kind of a compartment so as to prevent accidents. It is possible that an exposed chain or flywheel can cause injury when kids inadvertently handle the moving parts. The whole exercise bike should ideally come in a compact enclosed model for better safety and aesthetics.