Fitzy Bitzy: Fitness Blog - Weight Loss Blog - Trainer Blog

Twitter?

So I got this new Twitter account.  I have to say, I'm not so convinced on it yet, but I keep hearing, "You have to get a Twitter account."

"Twitter rocks!"

"Make sure you sign up for Twitter today."

...

So, I did.

I'm still getting used to this thing, but eventually, I'll probably get it up on this site.

Anybody want to try and explain why Twitter is the new, hot commodity?  I'd really appreciate it ...

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Check out this carb approach

I was reading through some news posts this morning, and this blog post popped up.  It has some great information for all those still wondering about low-carb eating, and it even gives you answers from a nutritionist for msn.  I highly recommend looking at it. 

Check it out!

"Just do it!"

Last weekend, I was at a fitness conference out in New York City ... well actually Stamford, CT, but close enough.  This conference wasn't like the typical fitness conference, though. ... You know, the ones filled with spandex and muscle shirt lovers.  This was all about getting some of the brightest fitness minds into one room and bouncing ideas off of each other.

This conference was absolutely amazing.  The room was filled with visionaries such as multi-million dollar fitness authors, the Yankees strength coach, the Philadelphia 76er's strength coach, celebrity fitness trainers, fitness professionals generating 6 figures in 1 MONTH, etc.  Needless to say, the ideas thrown around the conference room during this weekend were ideas that I feel are going to shake up the fitness industry in the months and years to come. 

As amazing as the success was in this room, the more amazing thing was the people I was able to meet.  Not only did I come away with some amazing fitness-biz ideas, I also came away with another idea.  You want to know what it was?

It was that there were so many fitness ideas.  (Pretty simple, huh?)

What do I mean by that?  I mean there are so many ideas out there on how to stay fit, but nobody had every idea.  Some fitness professionals concentrate on one area of fitness, some concentrate on another.

I say this because it just goes to show that you don't have to like all ideas of fitness; you just need to pick one idea.  Pick one technique that you enjoy doing and build your workouts around it.  If you love to run, then build your workouts around it.  If you love to swim, do the same.  If you love to throw sand bags around, knock yourself out.  Whatever it is, make the idea you enjoy doing your strength, and then add a twist to it.  Maybe you like throwing sand bags around.  How about throwing sand bags around while incorporating jumping jacks in between each throw?

Just be active.  Don't worry about finding the right place, time, or method to get you to your goals; just get out there and do something.  Do something you enjoy because if you enjoy it, you're more likely to stick with it.  And if you stick with it, you're more likely to get the results you want.

As a little company, you might have heard of, called Nike says, "Just do it!" 

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Remember talking about EPOC training?

If you remember me talking about this concept earlier, you remember me saying that studies have found EPOC training to produce the best fat loss results.  EPOC training (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) is a form of training that incorporates high-intensity methods, either through circuit training with weights or interval training with cardio.  I guess you could say any intense lifting is a form of EPOC, but I feel circuit training-type workouts are the best for fat loss. 

The idea that long, boring cardio is ineffective for fat loss has been starting to pick up more steam among fitness circles.  Even though studies show this fact doesn't mean I don't like cardio.  I don't think cardio is boring at all!  I love going outside and running on a beautiful day, but due to knee problems because of my last marathon, I've adapted my workouts to fit me.  I've taken an approach to try and get my cardio fix, while still performing EPOC training.  What have I done?  Like I said a second ago ... well, maybe it took more than a second to read this last paragraph, but interval training with cardio is EPOC training as well.  

When I work out, I take this concept and mold it into what works for me.  Like I said, I love steady cardio/running, but to get the best of both worlds, I incorporate sprinting and resistance training into my "runs".  For example, in one workout I do, I sprint for about 15 seconds, stop and do a bodyweight resistance training exercise, and then do a steady jog for 15-30 seconds.  After that set, I do it all over again for about 10 sets.  

What does this mean, well for one, for some odd reason, my knee hurts after 10 minutes of steady running, but I can do an entire workout like the above one, and it's fine.  More importantly, though, I'm still outside doing what I love to do, running.  It may not be a steady-state run, but I've adapted it so that my run now incorporates high-intensity training.  And to be honest, just because high-intensity training is the most effective doesn't mean I never try and do steady-state runs anymore.  Like I said, after 10 minutes, my knee hurts, but because I can get at least 10 minutes in, sometimes I go for a 10-minute run before I do a high-intensity workout.

Here's my point.  Yeah, high-intensity training is the most effective for fat loss, and yeah, it takes less time to do, but the most important thing is to do what you love to do.  If running is your "thing", don't give it up.  If the idea of doing sprints makes you want to never workout, then don't do sprints.  Do what works for you.  Studies have shown how effective high-intensity training is, but the "common sense study" shows being active is the most effective workout of all.  If EPOC training means you'll never workout again, than stay with steady-state cardio.  Some think it's boring, but if you're like me, I think it's such a stress reliever, and I'm so thankful to have the ability to do it.  I love running; I'm not going to give up something I love because of what someone tells me about it.  Whatever method is the one you love and gets you to be active, do that one, but if you're fine with any type of exercise, just realize that from a results standpoint, incorporating high-intensity training is best.  The big idea to take out of this ... find an exercise method that works for you, something you can stay consistently active with.  Maybe it's high-intensity training, maybe it's not, but find something.  

Note: If you want to learn the bodyweight exercises I do and have my clients do, be looking for my Fat Dissolver Program to be coming out in the next week.

Get ready for a smaller waistline with my new Fat Dissolver Program

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I'm going to The Big Apple!

Just wanted to give you an update.  I wrote this post last night and set it to publish this morning because right now, I'm on my way to New York for a conference.  I won't be back until Sunday, so I wanted to give you a heads up that you won't hear anything from me again until next Tuesday.  Until then, have a great weekend and enjoy being active in this great weather we're having. ... at least here in Ohio.

While I'm gone, check out this video; this kid's an unbelievable inspiration to everyone!

My experience of Hurricane Ike

I had a pretty eventful weekend to say the least.  Ike was so big that by the time it got to Columbus, Ohio, we were still getting gusts at 75 mph.  All I can say is after going through a wind storm like this, I can't even imagine what it's like to ride out a hurricane.  We had trees getting ripped up from the ground; pieces and parts of buildings, houses, and roofs being torn off; a small plane flip over on a runway; power lines falling down and starting fires; a porch umbrella flying through the outer wall of a house and into a kitchen; trees falling on houses, it was pretty crazy.  Needless to say, Columbus has been declared a state of emergency.  Close to 350,000 Columbus-area residents were left without power on Sunday, and 200,000+ residents are still without power today.  Most schools are still closed, traffic lights still aren't working, and businesses have been shut down since Sunday.  I was over at a friend's house yesterday helping him clear away parts of a tree that fell on his family's home, and they're still without power too.  

Another buddy and I got the bright idea to try and work out outside during all this on Sunday, so my wife dropped me off at a local high school so my friend and I could do a workout on a track.  That was definitely one of the most interesting workouts I've ever done.  First, we had to move my friend's bike out of the wind because it was lying on it's side, out in the open, and the wind started to slowly pick it up and spin it around on one of its pedals.  Then, we were doing pull-ups on tree branches while the entire tree was moving back and worth.  As we were doing sprints, the stadium lights along the track were swaying so hard, I was just waiting for one to snap in half.  (If I ever have to buy stadium lights, not like I would, but if ... kudos to Musco for building sturdy light poles!)  At some points, while we were attempting to get around the track, we'd be pushed back by the wind.  The most outrageous thing, though, was that there was a softball game going on beside the track.  I have no idea how they were able to see because the dust was being blown around everywhere ... now that's dedication to a sport!

My wife tried to go to the library while we were at the track, but she had to turn around because the library didn't have any power.  Driving home was kind of freaky because since the traffic lights didn't work, we were creeping along these streets with massive trees, on each side of them, swaying back and forth in the wind.  The bad part was these streets were in the older sections of town, so these trees were ancient.  Little braches and nuts kept falling off the trees, hitting our car, and then being blown underneath our poor little Honda Civic.  We had just driven by massive trees that had fallen over and missed some houses, the neighbors just running out of their homes to make sure their neighbors in the houses were okay, and having just heard another large tree fall over, the only thing I could think was, "Oh great, we're going to have a tree as wide as a monster truck tire fall on us and crush the car."  Well guess what, I'm here to say that we made it home safely, though some people's cars didn't fare so well. 

Anyway, check these pics out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Does exercise really help headaches?

We’ve just learned how exercise can help reduce and even put an end to low back pain; now we’re going to learn how exercise can get rid of those tension headaches you feel in the back of your neck.  Maybe you don’t get headaches, but do you ever feel there’s a crick in your neck or your upper back and shoulders are sore?  These are all signs of a postural problem.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t think tension headaches in the back of the head, a sore upper back, and sore shoulders sound like much fun.  So what can you do about it?

The number one group of people who develop these problems are those who sit at a computer desk all day long.  Your body starts to adapt to the way you sit at your desk, and if you’re constantly looking down at a computer screen and reaching forward to type, your muscles started to form to this posture.  This is why it’s so important to sit up straight in your chair, sit close enough to your desk so that you don’t have to reach forward to the keyboard (elbows should be at about a 90-degree angle), and keep your computer screen at eye level.  If you have a laptop, as I do, this can be very hard to do since the keyboard is right where the screen is; it’s impossible to keep your computer screen at eye level because if you did, you would be reaching up to type. 

Not too cool. 

What I try and do is sit up straight, keep my stomach tight, and keep my shoulders back.  By doing this, I can help prevent my head from falling forward, as well as rounding my shoulders forward.

Even if you don’t sit at a desk throughout the day, there’s still the possibility of developing these postural problems, especially if your exercise program is top heavy on chest exercises and doesn’t contain many back exercises.  Depending on how bad their posture is, I typically have my clients do 2-3 back exercises for every chest exercise. In today’s society, a lot of times our chest muscles are worked too much, and our back muscles aren’t worked enough.  What does this mean?  It means that typically the postural problems that cause tension headaches in the back of the head, as well has upper back and shoulder soreness, are a result of tight chest muscles and weak back muscles.

Can this problem be fixed?  Yes; it really is quite simple if you’re faithful to regularly doing the right balance of exercises.  Guys, especially, like to lose the gut and build the chest and arms.  The problem with this way of thinking is that when they’re focusing on their chest so much, they tend to neglect working on their back.  When a muscle is stressed through resistance training, it becomes tighter, so when a guy focuses on his chest, his chest becomes tighter.  Try this; go walk around in a public place and look for a guy who’s pretty built.  What do you notice?  Most of the time, he walks with his shoulders rounded and his hands in front of his body.  (Proper posture is hands to the side of the body.)  This, most likely, is because he focuses too much on chest exercises and not enough on back exercises.  His chest is so tight, and his back is comparatively so much weaker, that he has developed this postural problem.

Even though this may be an extreme example of an upper-back postural problem, the same concept still applies to the desk jockey.  By sitting in front of a desk all day, our chest muscles tighten and some of our back muscles weaken or get stretched out; our neck muscles also develop problems by some becoming too tight and some becoming excessively stretched out.  These problems can result in abnormal levels of tension that lead to strain in our neck and back.

So what can you do to fix this problem?  Besides those with problems more severe than what can be corrected through exercise alone, the first step is to focus on your shoulder blades.  I tell people to pretend someone has their fingers in between your shoulder blades.  When you do back exercises, such as a row, concentrate on pinching their fingers with your shoulder blades.  By pinching your shoulder blades together, you’ll start to strengthen the rhomboids, the muscles that are most responsible for keeping your shoulder blades back.  Another very simple exercise is to hold your arms straight out in front of you.  Without any weight, pinch you shoulder blades together while keeping your arms straight.  It’s simple, but yet effective, at getting the process going of “un-rounding” your shoulders. 

The next exercise you can do is to practice pulling your head back.  It may look funny, but by staring straight ahead and pulling your head back so that your ears are directly over top of your shoulders, you can start to correct your neck from causing your head to lean out over your body too much.  (One technique that may help you with this exercise is to slightly tuck your chin in when you pull your head back.) 

The average weight of an adult brain is 3 lbs.¹, and not to sound like a freak show, but I’ve heard it said that the average adult head weighs approximately 8-12 lbs.  Can you imagine how much stress is on your neck and the back of your head when your head hangs out over your body?  It’s like holding onto a weight.  If you hold it straight over your head, it’s not too bad, but as soon as you move it slightly out in front of your body, the weight feels heavier and heavier.  This is why it’s so important to correct this postural problem because now you understand that if you don’t, the tension headaches will keep coming.     

The next thing to do to get your posture in line is to stretch your chest.  Making a 90-degree angle at your elbow and armpit, stand with your arm against a wall.  Your fingers should point straight up toward the ceiling, and your arm should be parallel alongside your body.  (Don’t let it fall in front of your body.)  The foot that is closest to the wall should be in front of you.  Slowly rotate out from the wall while maintaining the positioning of your arm.  As you do, you should feel a slight stretch in your chest.  When you feel this stretch, hold for 30 seconds and repeat it 2-3 times.  After you finish with the one side, switch to the other side.  By performing simple chest stretches, such as this one, you can start to lengthen out your chest muscles, which will help decrease those rounded shoulders.

That’s it!  Remember to perform 2-3 back exercises (while pinching your shoulder blades together) for every chest exercise you do.  By doing so, you’ll strengthen those back muscles so that they can bring your shoulders back where they should be, and being stronger, they’ll be more resistant to becoming rounded again.  Follow these exercise recommendations, perform the simple exercises and stretches talked about, and sit up straight.  Doing so could be all it takes to help you put a stop to those nasty tension headaches and unpleasant shoulder and neck pain.

References:

¹ Martini, F., Timmons, M., & Tallitsch, R. (2003). Human Anatomy. (4^th ed). London, UK: Pearson Education.

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Elliptical trainer, treadmill, or bike ... which is the most effective?

A cardio question that has to be the number one question I get is which is the best machine to exercise on?  There really is no definitive answer to this question because in any good program, you should vary the exercises you do for your workout.  Can you remember why?  It's because the body has a good memory, and it adapts to exercises that you do over and over again.  I already told that story of the lady I talked to at the gym who had been running on the treadmill for ages but wasn't even tired after an hour and a half of running and still was overweight.  In a case like this, the treadmill was obviously not the most effective cardio machine for her at that stage in her program.  It may have been when she first started her program, but it sure wasn't the right one a year or so later.

So before I get into this topic, realize that variety is the most effective approach to take when choosing which piece of cardio equipment to use.  Don't get caught up in the results you’re getting while using a certain piece of cardio equipment.  I guarantee that if you continue to exercise on the same machine, the results will slowly start to dwindle down to nothing.

In the simplest explanation of which is best out of the elliptical, treadmill, and stationary bike, in my opinion it goes the bike, the elliptical, and then the treadmill as the most effective for weight loss and improved cardiovascular strength.  Now, before you go and jump on a treadmill, hear me out on this.  There’s no real solid answer to which machine is best for you because the way the effectiveness of each machine is measured is about as exact as trying to fit everybody into the same shoe and size.  Just as everybody has a different foot, everybody also has a different conditioning level.  For me, running on a treadmill is no big deal, but hopping into a pool and swimming laps, right now, would cause me to really have to push myself.  Lance Armstrong was a master at road racing on a bike, but after his first marathon, he said it was the hardest thing he had ever done.¹  For most marathoners, getting on a bike and competing in the Tour de France would be the hardest thing they’ve ever done.  Modes of exercise affect people differently, so it must be taken into consideration when deciding which exercise method is best for you. 

Let’s say you know that running on a treadmill doesn’t seem too hard for you, but you’re not quite sure.  How can you figure out if what you’re doing is helping you burn the most calories off and improve your cardiovascular strength?  There are three simple and common ways to help you determine how intensely you’re exercising.  The first method is through what’s called the RPE scale; the RPE scale measures your Rating of Perceived Exertion.  The typical RPE scale goes from 6-20, and how it’s supposed to work is you determine which number corresponds to how much effort you feel you’re putting into a workout.  A 6 would mean that you feel you aren’t exerting yourself at all, and a 20 would mean you’re maximally exerting yourself.  Now if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering why in the world the scale is from 6-20.  I don’t think it makes sense to anyone.  Because of this, I like to modify the concept a bit and use a scale of 1-10.  With this scale, I tell clients that a 1 feels like no work (sitting in a chair), and a 10 feels like you’re going all out.  I typically tell my clients to try and exercise around an 8 … . Now, I said typically.  If you’re a beginner exerciser, have a heart condition, etc., there’s no way you should exercise at an 8, but for my clients who have been working out for some time and can handle exercising at this level, it’s best for them to keep the intensity up there.  The RPE scale is a great start for many people to use in order to measure their intensity level because it all has to do with how you feel; there are no readings or sensors to utilize.  It may seem too simple, but in actuality, it has been shown to be very accurate.² 

The next two methods for determining intensity are the two I like the most.  The first method is called the MET.  A MET stands for a metabolic equivalent, and one MET is equal to your body using 3.5 ml of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute; it’s basically a rating for how hard a certain level of exercise is.  The harder you’re working, the more METs the exercise is rated.  The American College of Sports Medicine has published values for how many METs certain exercises are.  For example, running at a pace of 6-minute miles has a MET rating of 16.3.  Riding a bike at 10 mph (6-minute miles) has a MET rating of 7.0.³  From this alone, you can see that running on a treadmill uses more oxygen and burns off more calories than riding a bike.  As far as the elliptical goes, there aren’t any published MET values for exercising on one, but it’s typically placed in between riding a bike and running on a treadmill.  I like it better than a bike because you’re standing on an elliptical, whereas on a bike, you’re seated.  Performing exercises that require standing generally challenge your core more than seated exercises.  Plus, an elliptical has the ability to get your entire body working, not just your lower body as the bike does. 

Now we have an idea of which method of exercise is harder than another, but remember what I said earlier, it depends on the person.  The MET values above are based on a certain type of individual, so for example, an exercise for someone who’s 30 years old would probably be more intense to someone who is 70, and an exercise for someone who weighs 180 lbs. would most likely be less intense than for someone who weighs 280 lbs.  Also, running a 6-minute mile for a poorly conditioned person would be extremely more intense than compared to a person who’s very fit, and someone who runs every day might adapt too much to running to the point where biking challenges them more because their body isn’t used to this form of exercising.   Also, intensity levels vary between male and female.  The point is, MET values are all relative to the individual, but at least they give you an idea of how much more effective a certain exercise is over another.

Another cool thing about finding out the estimated MET value for your workout is that you can then determine how long you need to exercise at that level to burn off a certain number of calories.  Use the following equation to determine this number:³

(METs x 3.5 x body weight in lbs. x 0.454)/200 = calories/minute

So for example, a 160-pound person, who exercises at 8 METs, would have an equation that looks like this: (8 METs x 3.5 x 160 lbs. x 0.454)/200 = 10 calories/minute

This means that if this person were to exercise for 30 minutes at this level, they would burn off 300 calories.  (Even though a steady-state exercise, such as this one, would burn off 300 calories in 30 minutes, if that person were to do the interval training I talked about earlier, they would be able to burn off even more calories in the long run.  Remember, from How to stay fit with a busy lifestyle, interval training produces faster fat loss results and cardiovascular improvements.  With that said, you can still use METs to figure out how many calories you would burn off, even if you do intervals that may be 16 METs one minute and 8 METs the next.)

The final form of measurement I like to use to determine intensity is exercise heart rate.  Exercise heart rate shows how hard your body is working to supply oxygen to it.  For example, exercising at a level where your pulse is 150 bpm is a lot more intense than exercising at a level of 100 bpm.  An easy way to determine what your pulse is is to take your index and middle fingers of your right hand and place them on your left wrist.  You should place your fingers about an inch below where your thumb and wrist meet on the outside edge of your wrist.  Once your fingers are positioned, slowly slide them back toward the two tendons (hard bands) in the middle of your wrist.  Just before you get to the first tendon, you should feel your pulse beating.  Once you feel your pulse, count how many times you can feel it beat for 15 seconds.  Once you get that number, multiply it by 4, and you’ll have your heart rate.  By stopping in the middle of your exercise and determining your pulse, you can figure out what your exercise heart rate is and how intensely you’re exercising.  I typically tell the clients who have been working out for some time and don’t have any limiting factors like a heart condition that exercising around 70% of their maximum heart rate (MHR) and higher is best:

220 - Age = MHR – RHR x .70 + RHR = 70% of your maximum heart rate.  For this example, let’s take a 35 year-old person with a resting heart rate (RHR) of 65.  220 - (35 years old) = 185.  For this person, they shouldn’t exercise over their MHR of 185.  Take 185 - a RHR of 65 = 120.  Take 120 and multiply that by .70 (.70 represents 70% of MHR).  This will give you 84.  Add the RHR of 65 back into 84 to get 149.  149 is considered 70% of the MHR for this person.

Note: Resting heart rate can be found by taking your pulse when you first wake up.

From this example, if that person were to stop and check for their exercise heart rate during their workout, if it isn’t 149, then they wouldn’t be exercising at 70% of their maximum heart rate; it’s that simple.  

By knowing how to use METs and EHR (exercise heart rate) to determine how hard you’re exercising, you can figure out which piece of cardio equipment produces the best results for you.  The good news about today’s technology is that most cardio machines have sensors and equations programmed into them that enable them to estimate the MET level you’re working out at and your heart rate while exercising.  My suggestion is before you start your workout, make sure you enter in your weight, age, height, whatever the machine asks for because this is what it uses to determine the METs.  Also, if the machine has heart rate sensors to hold onto, do so from time to time.  By using these two methods, along with the RPE scale, you can get a general idea of what piece of cardio equipment is getting you results fastest, and never again will you wonder which is best.  Don’t forget, though, just because one machine is best doesn’t mean that’s all you should use.  The best program is a program that varies its methods of exercising. 

References:

¹ Lewis, B. (2006, November 6). Lance: I Thought It Would Be Easier. New York Post. Retrieved September 8, 2008, from http://www.nypost.com/seven/11062006/sports/lance__i_thought_it_would_be_easier_sports_brian_lewis.htm

² Wilmore, J., & Costill, D. (2004). Physiology of sport and exercise, (3^rd ed). Champaign, Il.: Human Kinetics.

³ American Council on Exercise (2003). ACE personal trainer manual: The ultimate resource for fitness professionals, (3^rd ed). San Diego, Ca.: American Council on Exercise.

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Why we train the way we train

Just the other day, I ran into a woman who started asking me about Your Live Trainers.  I always love talking to people about Your Live Trainers because almost every person I talk to has never heard of a concept even similar to how we help people become more fit.  The funniest part to the whole conversation has to be when they ask me what equipment they need, and I tell them just their bodyweight and some exercise tubes we ship to them.  I would have to say that over 75% percent of the time, they have a very surprised look on their face.  So many people think that in order to get fit or lose some weight, it either takes expensive weight equipment, cardio equipment, or a gym membership.  What a lot of people don’t realize is that everybody already has all the equipment they need to lose the weight; they just don’t know how to use it.

For anybody that has gone through an up-paced bodyweight workout, you know that after you’re done, you feel just as worn out as if you worked out with some high-priced gym equipment.  The key to getting results isn’t about what fancy equipment you have; it’s about maintaining an intensity level that will challenge you.  Intensity is dependent on a number of different variables; the amount of resistance is just one of those variables.  Think of a runner; could you go out right now and run a mile in under 6 minutes?  A lot of people couldn’t, you may be one of them, but whether you could or not, most people would be sucking wind after finishing that mile.  Were any weight machines, barbells, or dumbbells used during that mile run?  Obviously not, but that’s not to say the body wasn’t being challenged. 

Here’s another example; let’s look at the way the Navy SEALs used to work out when they were on missions.  They used to use parachute webbing to create a harness that would allow them to use their bodyweight as resistance.  Today, those same bodyweight methods are being marketed as the TRX Suspension Training system.¹

Bodyweight training has another enormous benefit over expensive machines; you aren’t limited to the design of the machine.  If you want to do a push-up, followed by a row, you can because you can be as creative as you want with bodyweight training.  Plus, with bodyweight training, you have the ability to challenge your core on a whole new level.  There are so many stability and balance exercises you can do with bodyweight workouts.

Now I’m not saying weight machines and free weights are a bad thing.  I think they’re a great resource to utilize, but just be aware that they aren’t a necessity for improved fitness and weight loss, and because of that, your places to work out are unlimited.  If you want to work out at home, work out at home.  If you want to work out in your office, then do it.  If you want to work out in a park, the sky is the limit.  Please realize that using the excuse of not being able to afford a gym membership or exercise equipment isn't a valid excuse for not staying fit. 

OK, so what if you feel your bodyweight isn’t sufficient enough for an exercise?  For example, what if you want to do a row?  Well, unless you’re doing something like a pull-up on a tree in a park, it might be kind of hard to figure out how to be challenged by a row-type movement.  Here’s where the second neatest exercise resource enters in.  It’s called an exercise tube.

Other than your bodyweight, exercise tubes are one of the most effective cost-efficient workout tools on the market.  Why is that?  It’s because not only are they dirt cheap, they also can provide resistance levels similar to dumbbells.  In sessions with our clients, we use a light tube, a medium tube, and a heavy tube; these tubes can have a resistance level that produces anywhere from around 5 lbs. all the way up to 20+ lbs., and when combined together, the resistance level can start to get up there.  Besides the low cost, with tubes starting as low as under $5, they’re also very versatile; there are so many exercises you can do with a stretchy band and two handles.  Plus, even though they produce resistance levels of 20+ lbs., they only weigh a pound or less, so that means you can take them anywhere with you.  I’ve taken tubes to work out at places like on a tennis court, in a hotel room, on vacation, and in a college weight room.

Exercise tubes can add so much to a workout because not only do you have all kinds of bodyweight exercises to choose from, you can also have even more exercises to choose from when using exercise tubes too.  And if you recall from when talking about maximizing your calorie burn, you remember that the more muscles you can work with one exercise, the better.  Instead of just doing a squat with clients, I might have them do a shoulder press with an exercise tube … while doing a bodyweight squat. 

I may sound overly excited about bodyweight and exercise tubing workouts, but it’s just because I know that there are many people out there that think they need to empty their pockets on a gym membership or a home gym, you may be one of them, but that’s what I’m so excited about.  I’m so excited because that’s simply a complete myth!  If you truly want to be healthier, money doesn’t have to stand in the way.  Using your own bodyweight and some $5 exercise tubes will give you such a good workout that you’ll never think about needing money for a gym membership or a home gym again.   
        
References:

¹ “TRX Company Information”, provided by the company website, http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/company/about.php, accessed September 5, 2008. 

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