Health & Fitness

There is a reason the squat has become one of the most popular exercises in the fitness community. More than any other motion, squats are good for the entirety of your legs and glutes, giving them a full workout via a compact and safe range of motion. No wonder so many videos rely heavily on the squat as the sine qua non of butt-toning workouts.

Of course you can easily plateau with squats if you are merely relying on your own body weight to provide resistance. Thats why you see so many people at the gym using squat machines that offer smooth and steady resistance throughout the full motion, usually through shoulder cushions attached to weight stacks. If youve ever taken a closer look at these dedicated fitness enthusiasts, you may have noticed how much strength and definition they had.

Squats at Home
One of the chief problems with most home gyms is that they dont offer the same kinds of cleverly designed exercises as gyms do. With few exceptions, most home gyms tend to concentrate on the chest, arms and legs and forego the larger motions that are essential to well-rounded bodybuilding. If you are in the market for this kind of equipment, you may want to make a priority out of finding good squat extensions on whatever you get.

Good squat equipment provides sufficient padding to protect your back and shoulders and enough weight to grow with you as your physique improves. Squats are recommended for strength training and core strength as well, so a little looking may turn up ways to get a full body workout inexpensively. All you need is a sound resource to point you toward some of the best-regarded products in the field.

Good strength training systems tend to have a few things in common. Generally they include enough weight to provide resistance at any level, enough extensions to cover each of the major exercises and some specialty versions as well, and high enough quality components that they will reliably last for years to come. Skimp on any one of these features, and you could be in for a short love affair with that new equipment.

Strength training takes discipline, patience and determination. Few people ever stop to consider how the machine can influence these factors, but the truth is that speedy setup time and painless exercise can be key elements in developing a successful exercise routine. When you work with a machine you already consider safe, you can supplant those concerns with nothing but drive and motivation.

Strength for Life
Getting stronger means more than just attracting a mate. Increasingly, physicians are coming to recommend strength training at all stages of life as a bulwark against the kind if injuries that can sideline us for months. When your body is accustomed to working hard, the little things simply dont stand a chance of damaging it through athletics or regular activity.

Not all strength training systems are created equal. If you are looking for a home gym that offers you the full breadth of muscle-building exercises, you may want to stick with the companies that know your body best. Often, the major manufacturers have more to offer than those inexpensive knock-offs you see so often on late night television.

One of the key components of any serious exercise regimen is the bench. Although few bodybuilders ever stop to think about such basic equipment, the truth is that proper choices can save you time, money and hassle down the road. All it takes is a little bit of substantive research to find a machine that will likely stay with you for years.

First things first. The bench you get must be the right height, meaning you can plant your feet firmly on the ground while youre doing butterflies or a bench press. Too low, however, and you could find yourself scraping floor when you perform some of the side lifts bodybuilders favor. Although most workout benches are made to standard heights, you may occasionally find one that violates these widely accepted specs.

Better Materials
The other chief concern of purchasing a workout bench is the upholstery. Anyone who has ever tried those unforgiving flat cotton versions in school gyms knows a firmer cushion can make a world of difference. Add in moisture- and odor-resistant synthetic coverings, and you begin to get closer to the kind of bench that can withstand years of heavy use.

Finally, you may want to watch out for materials that cannot withstand this kind of punishment. Although many of the major benches are made with steel architecture, you can sometimes find cheap knock-offs made of reinforced plastic. Needless to say, the last thing you want is for a poorly designed bench to collapse under you as you hoist the heaviest free weights in your arsenal.

There is a substantial difference between adjustable benches that move to suit your needs and those that simply, well, move. The truth is that everyones body is slightly different, and the last thing you want when you are working out is to exert yourself in the model of another physique. Thats why the best adjustable benches actually accommodate a wide range of parameters.

Why get an adjustable bench at all? If you like free weights and dont have the space for a full circuit of dedicated stations, you will generally find you do most of your training in the same place. Although a conventional bench works fine for bench presses and other traditional exercises, a variety of collateral motions require some level of incline. With the right equipment, you can do the recommended motion without alteration or danger, every time.

Benches 101
Probably the most important thing to consider when you get an adjustable bench is the quality of its construction. Steel tends to work better than fiberglass and other synthetics, for the simple reason that some lighter materials tend to be more brittle. Reinforced seams, capped legs and more protect you and your home from the undue damage that can come with regular exercise.

If you want a full station that can accommodate all the exercises you require, you simply cannot do better than a fully adjustable bench. Get it right and you could find yourself finding more discipline every day, propelled in part by the pleasure of working with better tools. A little research on the Web will usually turn up the names that most serious bodybuilders have come to trust and respect.

NordicTrack has long been the gold standard in treadmills and cardio equipment, and with good reason. Few other companies boast so many years of experience in automated and manual exercise machines, and even fewer have earned so many converts over the years. The good news is that this august company continues to innovate at the forefront of the pack.

Probably their best treadmills these days are the ones that incline, offer full-body workouts with cardio straps and other upper body tools, and provide fans for your comfort. The X10 has grown increasingly popular in recent years because it is one of the most feature-packed treadmills that still comes in a reasonable price range. No wonder the company reports the X10 is one of their best sellers every year.

Incline Matters
There are two ways to make your body work harder than it otherwise might. You can graduate from walking to running and push yourself with speed alone, or you can maintain a slow pace but head uphill instead. Needless to say, incline treadmills are widely recommended for people who want to elevate their heart rates without doing undo damage to knees and joints.

The X10 distinguishes itself in a competitive field by offering inclines that go as high as 50 percent. At that height, just a few steps can make you winded, meaning you will never run out of viable ways to push your body safely on such a machine. If you are interested in pursuing greater cardiac health, you may want to check out the best entries from top companies such as NordicTrack.