If you’ve been a user of the Hoist v1, this is the time to upgrade to the Hoist v3 Home Gym. The v3 version has a 3D chest press arm that takes the user beyond the chest and back exercise into a whole new ground of exercise that allow more natural exercise movements.

It helps to workout stabilizer muscles while making the muscle mass grow faster and more efficiently than with the Hoist v1. Plus the seat with a 9 position back pad, adding 4 positions to the seat of the previous hoist v1.

Hoist v3 Home Gym Specifications

• Frame- 2’’ x 4’’ steel frame
• Pulleys- Wide groove pulleys on high, mid and low cable stations
• Workstations- 4: Pull up, Dip, Knee Up and Push Up Station
• Weight stack- 155 pounds, optional 205 pounds
• Number of exercises- 20
• Dimensions- 63’’ long x 37’’ wide x 84’’ tall
• Warranty- Lifetime Frame, 5 years Moving Parts, 1 year Cable and Upholstery

Great free weight home gym

Some users do love the feeling of free weights, and the Hoist v3 Home Gym gives you that plus the safety of any other resistance system in home gyms. The design of this home gym and the 3D articulating chest press arm gives you an old school free weight floating feeling while using a single weight stack, plus the advantage of free arm movement to target secondary muscles in your exercises.

Even if it has a small footprint and doesn’t take much space in your house, it will comfortably accommodate big users and has plenty of adjustable features, starting with the 9 positions back pad seat. And you should check these features out before going to look for any other workout equipment: 155 pounds Radial Lock Weight system, 2’’ by 4’’ steel frame, commercial quality rubber grips with aluminum end fittings, the split weight cabling gives 50% resistance to mid and low pulleys, upholstered roller pads with aluminum end fittings and strap handles with revolving grips.

That can make you reach for the wallet, but the price tag may put it back in the pocket. The Hoist v3 Home Gym is an above average quality home gym equipment, but you have to pay for it, while there are some better and less expensive options for the same kind of equipment in the market. And if you have a bit more money to spend, you can buy the leg press option.

Hoist v3 Home Gym at a Glance…

Pros:

1. 3D articulating chest press arm
2. High end system and affordable
3. Easy and practical to use

Cons:

1. Needs gym mat for better usage

There is nothing that we can say better about the Hoist v3 Home Gym than that it is worth every cent you pay for it. It has everything you need, doesn’t take much space and it is affordable considering that it is a high end quality home gym.

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Gold’s Gym Power Tower is a combination of 4 workout stations: pull up, dip, knee up and push up stations, all in one simple and versatile power tower. It works much like a traditional chin and dip assist station in your local gym, with the added power bands that increase 80 pounds resistance, to assist you in your efforts or resists you workout, depending on the exercises.

It doesn’t look like much, but it can take a user of 300 pounds on it, as far as Gold’s Gym says it does. It is sturdy and comfortable, and wide enough for big users. The chin up and dip stations are great, these are the best strength exercises that you can find in any home gym equipment.

Golds Gym Power Tower Specifications

• Workstations- 4: Pull up, Dip, Knee Up and Push Up Station
• Resistance- User weight plus 80 pounds power bands
• User weight- 300 pounds
• Dimensions- 48’’ long x 42’’ wide x 82’’ tall
• Weight- 141 pounds
• Warranty- 90 days warranty

Simple, fun and easy to use

One thing is that this Tower is a bit hard to assemble, but when it is up and in place, you can return you gym card and forget any free weights and benches, with the Golds Gym Power Tower your body weight is all the resistance you need.

The main attraction in the Golds Gym Power Tower is the dip and pull up station, with a foldaway pad, ideal for setting goals in your workout schedule, as it gives you the opportunity to have your dip and pull up exercises assisted until you get enough strength to do them by yourself. The vertical knee raise station is great to lose weight around the waist or sculpt perfect abs. The vertical knee raise arms can be folded to get away from pull ups exercises.

The Golds Gym Power Tower has seats built up of rugged vinyl and extra padding and ergonomically designed for comfortable usage of the tower. It weighs 141 pounds and measures 42’’ width, by 82’’ height, by 48’’ depth. It comes with an exercise chart that will help you starting to get used on how to focus on certain muscles development and how to do efficiently.

If you buy the Golds Gym Power Tower you can use it for dips and pull ups and some cardio exercises during the week and you won’t need anything else in the house, or going out of the house to look for any other options, you have it here everything you need for your workout sessions.

Golds Gym Power Tower at a Glance…

Pros:

1. Space saver and easy to use
2. 4 great workout stations
3. Affordable and practical to use

Cons:

1. Needs gym mat for better usage
2. Buy some gloves to use with the handles

It won’t impress you by looking at it, until you try it and discover the workout wonders behind this simple Golds Gym Power Tower. It is affordable and great for any family.

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The Powertec Leverage System offers over 20 free weight exercises in leverage, all just like using free weight machines, but with the safety of the leverage system. The seat on this workbench has numerous positions and the adjustment is easy to be done, it is mounted on an axis allowing it to get out of the way to open space for power movements like rows and squats.

There is also a high and low cable system, leg extension and leg curl with a new side handle grip access, the arm curl machine is optional and recommended that you buy it to complement the rest of the Powertec Leverage System.

Powertec Leverage System Specifications

• 

  Frame- 3’’ heavy gauge tubular steel

• Bench- Fully adjustable flat, incline or decline, swivels to side for squats
• Workstations- 4: Press Arm, Lat Machine, Leg Lift, Squat Bar and Arm Curl
• Number of exercises- 20
• Dimensions- 101’’ long x 56’’ wide x 82’’ tall
• Weight- 290 pounds

One of the best free weight in leverage machines

It is kind of hard to put everything that this machine can do into an area of 101’’ by 56’’, but the Powertec Leverage System does it and surprises with how many exercises you can do to build up some muscles. It doesn’t stay behind any of the competition and it has some unique features that will make you want to try it and buy it.

The Powertec Leverage System steps aside from the traditional look of home gyms, it doesn’t have a weight stack and the lever arms look kind of strange if you have spent some time in gyms and got used to these types of machines around you. Well, the design is the plus on this home gym equipment and it brings with it some great options when it comes to actually exercising on it.

To replace the use of barbells you have an adjustable height lever arm, making the workout safe and effective when it comes to free weight training exercises, great for someone who usually trains in the house alone and doesn’t have someone to help with the weights. Then the list of exercises goes above 20, from full squats to rows, bench presses to dead lifts, and much more.

3 accessory lat bars and a lever arm are standard accessories, while the arm curl attachment is only optional. It doesn’t come with weights, so you will have to buy them yourself and it only works with Olympic weights. The frame is built with 3’’ heavy gauge tubular steel and the seat has super dense foam padding, just like normal machines in your local gym.

Powertec Leverage System at a Glance…

Pros:

1. Quality materials and construction
2. Safe free weight exercises
3. Wide range of exercises
4. Compact for the exercises it allows to be done

Cons:

1. Needs to buy Olympic weights
2. There are better and less expensive options

Look at it, seat down for a few tries and be surprised with what the Powertec Leverage System can do and will do for you in your house. Explore it and go for some muscle building exercises.

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The Total Trainer 4000XL only has one thing against it, it can’t be used by people weighing more than 385 pounds or with a height over 6 feet 7, that isn’t much of a downside, but really it is hard to find anything to say against it.

It is great workout machine that will arrive in your house fully assembled, it doesn’t take much space and can be folded and rolls nicely under the bed or inside your closet. It has a 14’’ by 46’’ glide board with the new Speed Tuff Roller System that is smooth and quiet when in use.

Total Trainer 4000XL Specifications

• Resistance- 4% to 69% of user body weight
• Cushion- 2’’ thick high density foam
• Warranty- Lifetime for rollers, ropes and pulleys and 1 year for frames and parts
• Dimensions- 94’’ length x 20’’ width x 48’’ height
• Max user weight- 385 pounds
• Max user height- 6’ 7’’ height

It is simply great

On this kind of equipment a bit of extra attention is need for the glide board, it is where you spend most of the time while you workout and the center of the majority of exercises on the Total Trainer 4000XL. The glide board on the 4000XL is a Deluxe 2’’ Double stitched Box Cushion, upgraded with a high density foam, with 14’’ by 46’’.

The sit up cuff strap was lengthened to accommodate larger shoe sizes. A heavy duty leg press board is included to allow you to do leg squats, calf raises and other exercises. It has a pull up push up bar that can be used for pull ups, chin ups, shoulder presses, behind neck presses and pushups. More, with the dual leg cuffs that will allow to shape and define hips, thighs and buttocks.

The resistance rail is 48’’ high, gives you full 11 levels of resistance, and at the 11th you can count on pushing 69% of your body weight, and that is before adding any extra weights to the Power bar. It has 3 and 4 pulley point pulley system that allows even more exercises.

The oversized castors will make it easy to transport the Total Trainer 4000XL and it can be folded in a few seconds and stored under a bed or inside a closet. It has 14 custom programs that can be developed using exercise cards that come with the Total Trainer 4000XL.

For what you pay for the Total Trainer 4000XL it is worth every cent. It doesn’t hide behind any of the other equipments that use board gliders systems for exercises. It has great materials and is sturdy and easy to use and fold.

Total Trainer 4000XL at a Glance…

Pros:

• No assembly needed
• 11 levels of elevation
• 385 pound user capacity
• Folds and rolls for easy storage

Cons:

• Nothing I can think of

If ever you are looking for a home gym equipment that is budget friendly and has all the features that all those gigantic home gyms can offer. Buy it without any regrets, and if you have within 30 days the manufacturer will take it back with a full refund… less shipping, insurance of $54 and in its original condition and package.

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If you love to workout at home and you’re always looking for the latest and greatest in home fitness trends or, if you’re frustrated because you’ve spent money on home fitness equipment that didn’t deliver the results it advertised – read on…this article’s for you!

The fitness market is a multi-billion dollar industry.  Anyone who’s ever had a sleepless night and turned on the television set knows that there’s a fitness infomercial on just about every other channel.  Every one of them promising that with this contraption or that gizmo you can lose weight and get in the best shape of your life in just minutes a day – right?

Wrong!

Let me emphasize a point here - if it promises something for nothing, don’t waste your money.  I promise you, that when it comes to fitness, you only get out of it what you put into it.

That being said, something is always better than nothing, just don’t expect miracles on minutes a day.

So, listed below are a few of the most recent trends in home fitness and my personal feelings on each.  Please, don’t just take my word on these products – maybe use it as a starting point and then do your own research, after all, it is your time, your money and most importantly, your health and wellness.

P90X

P90X is a full home fitness regiment that provides a variety of different workout DVDs accompanied by a healthy eating program.  I am always skeptical about “boxed fitness programs”, so I tried this one, sure it would be as cheezey as many of the others I’ve tried.  Wow, I was surprised!  This is one of the best home fitness video series that I’ve ever tried out.

The foundation of P90X is the concept of “muscle confusion”.  The program provides a ton of variety in order to keep your muscles guessing.  Hmm, I think I’ve heard about that somewhere before.  Anyway, each workout provides a different focus on training.  They have strength and endurance videos focused on each major muscle group; a plyometric training video; a yoga video – they even have a Kenpo Karate video.  With a total of 12 workout videos in all, you won’t have a problem with boredom anytime soon.

The best part of this program is that it’s very intense.  You won’t walk away from a P90X workout wondering if you just wasted your time.  In fact, one of the greatest aspect of this program is that it guides you through timed intervals instead of counting out a specific number of repetitions per exercise.  The program encourages you to push yourself to your own limits during the allotted time frame.  In my humble opinion, it is one of the best home fitness programs available today.

Hip Hop Abs

I’m not quite as enthusiastic about this program, but it still has some appeal to me.  I think the best thing about Hip Hop Abs is that it combines aerobic fitness with abdominal training.  This is an exremely effective way to train since half the battle of getting a tight mid-section is diet and cardio; which brings me to my next point.

Hip Hop Abs also provides a nutrition guide to help you learn to make healthier food choices – even when you’re on the go.  Any program making claims to slim and trim is just 30 days or less better give some nutritional guidance to follow

This program is great for people who are easily bored with traditional workout methods and for anyone who likes to dance.  Hip Hop Abs combines funky dance routines with core-centric movements.  This lets you have fun while you’re burning calories and tonign your mid-section.

Slim in 6

Slim in 6 is a good home fitness package for beginning fitness enthusiasts. It provides three primary workouts that increase in difficulty as your fitness level increases. It also provides a nutrition guide and some motivational materials as well as online support.

All of this put together is excellent for those who are just starting out since, if you want to see results, you’ll need to have a good balance of diet and exercise.

If you’ve been training for a long time or you’re already in exceptional shape, but you’re looking for something different, you’ll probably find that Slim in 6 is a little too easy for what you’re looking for.

With so many fitness fads and gimmicks available today, it’s hard to know which ones really work and which are just hype. Doing some basc research and making sure you read fine print about returns and guarantees can save you a lot of time and money if you end up with a product that doesn’t really deliver all that it promises.

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I could give you the short answer and tell you neither, but that wouldn’t be much of a read now would it?  So, let me explain to you why neither is better by giving you a few details about the benefits and drawbacks of each.

Benefits of Free Weights

Free Weights offer flexibility in movement that machines do not. In other words, free weights allow you to dictate your range of motion so you can make adjustments according to your abilities.  Most machines have established the path of motion you will follow during a repetition whereas using free weights puts you in control.

With added control comes increased demands on your muscles.  In order to keep the free weights moving along the path that you want them to follow, you have to engage your stabilizer muscles.  That is, all of the smaller, often neglected muscles that work in support of the major muscle groups.  By engaging these muscles, you get a more thorough workout.

Free Weights are versatile.  You can get a pretty decent workout with just a few sets of dumbbells and a weight bench.  You don’t need a separate machine for legs and chest and back etc.  This is especially beneficial for home gym junkies who have restricted space to devote to equipment storage.

Finally, free weights are typically less expensivethan machines.  For a few hundred dollars you can put together a rudimentary “free weight gym” that will allow you to train with the same efficiency as machines that could cost you thousands of dollars.

Benefits of Machines:

Machines provide a level of stability that free weights lack.  They are usually preferred by beginners and for people recovering from injury or illness.  The designated path of movement allows you to focus on the major muscles being worked without worrying as much about simply stabilizing the weight.  This increased stability reduces the risk of injury when working out with machines.

Machines may also allow you to lift heavier loads since you don’t have to expend extra energy using stabilizer muscles.  If you want to lift heavy – particularly if you’re a home gym junkie without a workout partner, you’ll be much safer using a machine when you first increase your load.

Drawbacks of Both:

Where one option has a strength, the other typically has a weakness.  Free weights are versatile, inexpensive and take up less space; where as machines offer less versatility, they cost more and they can be pretty bulky.  On the other hand, machines reduce the risk of injury and can allow you to lift heavier, especially if you workout alone, whereas free weights force you to use stabilizer muscles, which usually reduces the amount of weight that you can lift, and they aren’t as safe as machines.

When you’re debating between buying a machine or free weights, you should have a good idea of what you want from your home gym equipment and how much space and money you have to devote to your gym.  Ideally, you can have the best of both worlds and buy one multi-station machine, an adjustable bench and a few free weights.

If you don’t have that luxury – free weights will probably offer you more for less in the end.

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An important part of any workout is to work on your core muscles. A strong core is the foundation for a strong body. Without that strong core, any other workouts you do will be less effective, too.

A few times a week, everyone should hit the abs hard.

Avoiding this core component can leave you, well, a little soft in the middle. I don’t want any spare tire other than the one in the trunk of my car. So, I make sure that I hit the abs during most of my workouts.

Unfortunately, I find that it can be difficult to always have proper form when doing abdominal workouts. It is so easy to get sloppy, and then, really, what’s the point of the workout? Nobody wants to waste their time. So, I was recently looking for a little refresher and came across this great video.

Some great reminders about keeping your core aligned to really target those abdominal muscles properly.

Some of the more helpful tips to remember include supporting your head properly, keeping your neck aligned, tilting your pelvis, tightening the lower abdominal muscles, using proper breathing techniques, and making slow, deliberate movements rather than quick, jerky ones.

The video shows several different ways that you can effectively target the different muscles in your abdominal region.

It just doesn’t make sense to spend time working out the wrong way. Occasionally, little reminders and refreshers can keep us all on the way to staying in great shape!

Hello Six-Pack!

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As I’ve gotten older and wiser, I have been trying to pay more attention to proper workout form. I have learned that it’s not just getting to the gym and working out that counts, how you workout really makes a difference, too, if you want to see good results.

Since I have been working out at home more and more, I have less access to the trainers and support that I found at the gym. I always found myself asking lots of questions and trying to get helpful tips. Thankfully I learned a lot from them, and that knowledge carries over. But a little boost or a refresher now and then doesn’t hurt!

I found this video that shows a bunch of pushup variations...

Not only does this guy demonstrate proper technique, but he shows several different ways to do pushups to target different muscles.

I know that I definitely felt it after trying this workout!

I love that “good sore” feeling after you really workout muscles that may have been ignored for a while!

I’m always looking for ways to shake things up for my workouts.

Squeezing in pushups a few times a day is one way that I know I can see quick results in my upper body strength and shape.

Plus, trying to challenge myself and see how many I can do keeps me motivated.

Can you do all of these variations? Some of them are a little tricky, took me some practicing to get them all figured out….

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Getting some gear so that you can workout at home doesn’t need to be a difficult or terribly expensive process. I, for one, am tired of paying high membership fees at the gym, I’m tired of fighting the crowds in the weight room, tired of the “meat-market” approach to working out, etc. I could go on and on. So, I decided that I was ready to set up shop at home and save a lot of aggravation.

When I considered how much money I would save in gym membership fees and gas prices to drive there several times a week, it gave me a decent budget to work with to set up my home gym. I tried to think clearly about my goals for fitness, and what equipment I would need. Here’s what I came up with, so far it’s working out great (pun intended):

1. Simple set of free weights. I bought a set with bars, clips, and a variety of sizes so that I could have a number of different combinations
2. A bench with a leg lift apparatus and an incline/decline feature.
3. An exercise ball, an exercise band, and a mat for the floor.
4. A large mirror.
5. A treadmill for cardio work (take your pick, I’m a runner by nature, others may prefer an elliptical machine or stair machine).

It’s that simple. With the exception of the treadmill, all of these items were very inexpensive. According to my calculations, it will take just over one year for me to break even on cost. Not only will it be convenient to workout at home, I no longer have to listen to that big sweaty guy grunting the entire time I’m working out.

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Having a home gym makes getting in shape a little more convenient.  With a home gym you no longer have to pack your gym bag before work and then drive to the gym only to have to change into your workout clothes in a locker room with a bunch of strangers.

You don’t have to wait in line for cardio equipment and you don’t have to wipe someone elses sweat off the bench before you use it.

As wonderful as this all sounds, many people worry that they simply won’t be inspired to really workout hard in a home gym.  If you’re picturing your home gym as a stationary bike in your living room or a few sets of dumbbells in your bedroom, then I understand your concerns, but home fitness doesn’t have to be like that.

Home gyms can actually be even more inspirational and motivating than public gyms because they can be personalized.  There are several steps you can take to ensure that your home gym is one that you’ll look forward to spending time in.

Home Gym Design – Simple Steps You Should Take

The first thing you should do is create a designated space for your exercise equipment.  If you have enough room, try to use a spare bedroom,the den or even the garage.  Don’t fret though, even if you don’t have lots of extra space, you can still make your workout area a desirable place to train.

Next, if you have the budget to do so, buy some mats to put on the floor under your weights and cardio equipment.  If your workout area is in the living room, try to cover one area of the floor with mats as a way of sectioning it off from the rest of the room.  This also keeps you from ruining your floors with scratches and stains.

Once you have your flooring picked out, select some paint that you love and get to painting!  By surrounding your workout space with colors that make you feel good, you’ll be more inclined to spend time there.  Some people even paint murals of the outdoors (or hire someone else to do it) on the walls in front of their cardio equipment to make them feel like they’re training outside.

Again, depending on what your budget looks like, the more you can personalize you space, the the better off you’ll be.

On the walls in front of your weight training equipment buy some full length mirrors and hang them where you’ll be able to see yourself training.  This is a good thing to do so you can watch yourself to make sure you have proper form and because most people push themselves a little harder when they can see what they’re doing in a mirror.

When you start buying equipment, try to buy the best quality that you can afford.  You may even be better off buying one quality piece at a time rather than trying to buy all of your equipment at once and having to downgrade the quality to afford all that you want.  In the end, no matter how nice you home gym space is, if your equipment isn’t good, you won’t want to use it.

Finally, if you like to listen to music when you workout, make sure you’re in an area where you can play the stereo.  If you want to watch television while you do your cardio, make sure your cardio is set up in a place where you can see the TV.  If you get overheated easily when you workout, make sure you have a fan that you can run.  Just make sure that you don’t give yourself any excuses not to use you home gym.

If you take the time to really plan out your home fitness space, you’ll be surprised at just how motivated you’ll be to use your gym each day.  So, say good-bye to wiping up other peoples’ sweat and say hello to comfort and convenience – you’ll be happy you did!

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