A barbell is important piece of weight equipment and there are many different exercises that you can do with just a barbell and nothing else. They are:
Variety of deadlifts including the stiffed legged deadlift, the Romanian deadlift, the one arm deadlift, and sumo deadlift. A deadlift is defined as a loaded barbell being lifted directly off the ground.
The overall press
Power Clean for those that are looking for speed strength
Clean and Jerk
Bent Roll
Pulls including the Snatch pull and the High pull
Shrug
Floor press
Curl
These are just some of the exercises you can do. As you learn to do these you can add more to your repertoire as needed.
This video will give you ideas how to burn fat while lifting with your barbell. Watch this short clip and take note as to the different ways to stand and lift the bar using the appropriate muscles.
If you are into fitness and/or muscle building, you have probably heard about creatine. Creatine is naturally produced by the body with the majority of it being stored in the muscles (approximately 93%). Because it is in the muscles, it helps your body provide an extra boost or strength required when doing anything more strenuous than normal. It is, therefore, a fact that creatine helps build muscle, However, if you already have it being produced naturally in your body, the question is whether you should add a creatine supplement to help build muscle faster or easier and will it help or harm your body. Below we look at the pro and cons.
The benefits of creatine supplementation include:
A natural side effect of creatine includes larger muscles and increased production of muscle tissue
Studies have shown that additional supplemental creatine decreases muscle soreness and recovery time after working out
Supplementation lets you know how much you are actually getting as when eating foods that helps supplement this naturally such as beef, pork, tuna, and salmon, only tells you that you are getting some amounts. It is not known how much each of these foods helps enhance the natural production.
The cons of creatine supplementation include:
You can become more dehydrated while working out as extra supplemental creatine creates more water retention. Be sure to drink adequate water amounts before, during, and after working out
Creatine is extracted through your kidneys so it could cause your kidneys to wok harder and put undue pressure on them
When you first start to supplement it you will gain more weight (mostly water weight)
You could think you can work out more than what you should be based on taking it so be careful to pace yourself and not stress the joint or muscles just as if you were not taking any extra.
You could take too much for your body as every body is made differently and responds to supplements differently. It is always important to consult with a specialist including your doctor before adding this to your work out routine
Armed with the pros and cons of creatine, you can now weigh out what is best for you and whether you want to add this to your workout or not. If you are not lifting and just doing cardio, it is recommended that you do not as results are minimal compared to the potential cons. If you are weight lifting results vary but can be quite significant. There may seem to be more cons but the importance of each pro and con should be taken into account before making such a decision.
You have probably heard of water aerobics and of course there is no denying that swimming laps is great aerobic exercise, but have you thought about getting some aqua weights and work out in the water? If not you should. The benefits of water workouts allow you to have fun in the sun while knowing you are helping your body.
They include being cooler as you work out in the refreshing cool pool water, putting less pressure on your muscles and preventing any harsh wear and tear especially if you are just staring to lift or workout, and being able to work out longer based on the resistance being not as hard on your body. So if you do not have aqua bells and other water fitness equipment, you can get some through our site as we offer some great deals, or any local sporting store. Jump in and have fun while you workout.
Do you get tired of the drive to the local gym or waiting for the weight equipment you want to use become available? Do you have an extra room or reasonable space in the house or even in garage? If the answer to both of these questions is yes, than you should set up a home gym.
When setting up a home gym, you basically need a few necessary pieces of equipment to make sure you are meeting the same criteria that you would at the local 24 Hour Fitness. They are :
a weight lifting benchfor the use of barbells and the pushing and pulling of the arm, shoulder and chest area- adjustable is usually best
stacked weights with pins to load the barbell in order to start slowly and build up to appropriate weight for your body and workout
some form of aerobic equipment such as a treadmill, a stairmaster, a stationary bike, or a rower
leg curl system for excercising the lower leg muscles such as the hamstring and located at the back of the thigh
leg extension system
seated cable row system for the back and arms
pull down bars for the back muscles
Now that you know the basic equipment, you can decide to piece it together or go with a complete gym system that has different stations to meet all the requirements. Complete or total gym systems tend to use pins where you can choose the weight you want to lift and the body part you want to work out. With the weights on come sort of pulley system it also creates the tension that is needed and each station can be used for multiple exercises.
If you piece the gym together you want to get equipment that meets the needs highlighted above direction. Some example of pieced equipment includes exercise ball, adjustable weight bench, dumbbells, mats, bands, free weights, and barbells.
If you are on a budget you can find used equipmentthat probably will work just as well as anything new based on exercise equipment tends to last longer than most exercises routines. Look online as we provide some good deals on used equipment or your local swap paper and you will be sure to save money over the long run from membership fees and gas getting to the local gym. A home gym is a good investment in so many ways.
One question that comes up a lot is what is better to use while working out: barbells or dumbbells. The answer is not that easy as each person has individual lifting goals, however, we are going to do our best to give you some pros and cons of what we think are the advantages and disadvantages of both.
When it comes to barbells, they provide the ability to have more control while bench pressingand are also less prone to cause injury especially when you have a spotter. They lock you into one position and are less flexible but again that provides more control. You can also press up to the amount you want to and there is little limitations on how much weight you can add, as with dumbbells there is a max weight adjustment. If you are not looking to do more than a little toning and muscle building than this probably will not matter to you, but if you are looking to go all out than it will. Barbells are also more popular for doing deads and squats.
Dumbbells allow for better range of motion (ROM) and a much more natural one. In actuallity it is not as much weight as the bar on the barbell is not on a dumbbell and thus weighs less and is less stressful on the joints and shoulders. They allow for more flexibility as you do not need a bench and you can move them around with you if you travel frequently. There are also more areas of the body you can work with the dumbbells.
Overall it comes down to preference and as stated earlier your personal fitness goals. Actually it might be best to use both and that way your muscles get a complete workout challenging some that the other would not. By using both, you can also work towards the advantages of each.
