Feed: At Home Workout Reviews - AggScore: 80.6

Rhythm Rocker Reviews

Although not a new product this Rhythm Rocker Review has been written because it looks like it’s being relaunched in time for the New Year.

Yes, this is the time of year when we all suddenly decide that enough is enough and that it really is time to lose all the excess fat that just seems to have appeared over the festive season. Fitness professionals all know that January is a bumper month for picking up clients clients, gym membership soars and sales of exercise equipment goes through the roof.

Sadly come March all the new clients have given up, Gym memberships plummet and the new shiny gadget that was going to be your saviour languishes in the corner gathering dust. It was just to damn hard after all to get fat loss results does require effort, discipline and time.

So along comes a new gadget in this case the Rhythm Rocker and we all forget all the other failures we’ve had and wonder if this piece of exercise equipment will be our saviour.

Will it?

With the best will in the world I doubt it it’s a spring loaded seat with handles attached and is touted to be able to tighten your Abs, Obliques, Shoulders and arms and strengthen your back all while performing dance moves!

The idea is that you move your body against resistance created by the springs and therefore over time get stronger and burn calories.

Now I agree that any type of exercise is better than nothing but I like to get the biggest bang for my exercise buck that I can and believe that you could more effectively use your time by just doing body weight exercises on their own.

Why spend over $100 on a gadget when all you need is yourself (some dumb bells would help but aren’t essential), some time and a sensible eating plan (notice I didn’t say diet).

The quicker you accept that there isn’t a magic bullet for fat loss and the only thing you need to be successful is the correct mental attitude the quicker your going to be able to take that first step to a healthier you. The longer you hold on to the “Magic Wand” mindset the longer it’ll take you to take the first step.

However if this device will spur you on to start exercising then as I’ve always said any exercise you do is a great and good luck to you.

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Best Exercise Equipment For 2011
The USA Protege Suspension Trainer – Great Value For Money

Posted by: At Home Workout ReviewsRhythm Rocker Reviews

The Ab Glider Reviews

The Proform Ab Glider is another off the floor Ab machine that does look similar to the Ab Coaster but the manufacturers claim it’s as good as having both the Ab Coaster and the Ab Circle Pro.

The Ab Glider apparently uses two different motion types (what ever that means) which they call the Circular Burn and the Arc Crunch to deliver a great Ab and obliques workout with an innovative training modality which they call Cross Motion Ab Training.

Using these innovations the Ab Glider claims it can double the calorie burn and can achieve 44% more muscle activation.

Jargon aside the real question that needs to be asked is can this machine give you better results in a shorter period of time than traditional floor based Ab Exercises? Because lets face it this machine costs $141.54 and floor based exercises cost you nothing!

I don’t believe you can get better results (flatter Abs) by using any of the machines on the market today including the Ab Glider. If you’re prepared to do a little research and learn to do what would now be called old fashioned Ab exercises correctly and then do them regularly and in good form your results will be as good as or better than if you used this machine.

Where The Ab Glider may have an advantage is for those people who don’t like to exercise! Many people find it challenging to find both the time and inclination to work out regularly and for those people a machine may make it more likely they’ll exercise at all.

The novelty value alone may inspire some to use it and it does look like a lot more fun than exercising on the floor and it will work your Abs and give you a low level cardio workout.

It must be noted that if flat Abs and a six pack is why you may be considering buying this machine then you’re going to have to do a lot more than just exercising. You’re also going to have to look very closely on what you’re eating and switch to a fat burning nutritional plan. This is because to get a visible six pack the layer of fat around your waist is going to have to go and doing this with Ab Exercises alone is almost impossible.

Bottom line:

If you have a spare $150 and don’t like to exercise then the Ab Glider may just motivate you to get off the couch which, lets face it has to be a good thing. If you’re prepared to work a bit harder and don’t mind floor exercises then something like The Truth About Abs may be more up your street.

Customer reviews at Amazon are mixed and out of 28 reviews people either love or absolutely hate this machine.

The Ab Glider Amazon Reviews can be found here.

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Why Do Ab Exercises Give Me A Pain In The Neck?
The Step360 Reviews

Posted by: At Home Workout ReviewsThe Ab Glider Reviews

The Step360 One Year Review

I’ve had my Step360 for a year and thought I’d update everyone on how it’s performed in that time. The first and I believe most important point is that I’m still using it Unlike a lot of exercise equipment that I’ve purchased over the years this one is still in use and has a permanent place in my workout room and I use it once or twice a week.

Build Quality

Even after a years abuse there are no obvious signs of damage and trust me its had a hard life! My major concern was always that the inflatable chambers would spring a leak requiring constant pumping up but that hasn’t happened sure it does need topping up every month or so but that’s no big deal. Also the rubber mat on the top is looking a bit worn and tired but it hasn’t come off and anyway would be easy to replace.

Effectiveness

After an initial flurry of activity when I’d use it almost every day I now use it maybe twice a week as part of my regular workouts. I like to use it to warm up and get my major cardio workout with it. In the early days I did use the exercise bands but now prefer to do most of my strength training doing body weight exercises as I believe they’re more effective.

I now choreograph my own step class for myself as after a while you will get bored with the supplied DVD’s and it’s very easy to modify any step class designed for a traditional step into one you can use for the Step360 you just need to shorten them and sometimes use slower music.

Over all I think the Step360 has exceeded my expectations and if you want a great cardio workout that’s a lot of fun you need look no further.

Comments

What suprise me is that the take up for this effective piece of at home exercise equipment is so poor. I live in the UK and I know for a fact it still isn’t available here (which is a pity because all my friends and clients that use mine would love to get there hands on one) and uptake in the US is slow. When you consider some of the trashy / useless pieces of exercise equipment that are selling like hot cakes via the Infomercial channels (you know the ones I mean don’t you?)  I just can’t understand why more people don’t buy it maybe it’s not gimmicky enough and doesn’t promise you’ll lose 40 lbs in 4 weeks!

Bottom Line

If you want a robust and highly effect piece of cardio equipment that takes up little room and does exactly what it says on the tin take a look at the Step360. If you still believe you can get fit without having to do any work just move on as there’s nothing to see here!

Read Customer Reviews Of The Step360 At Amazon

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My Original Step360 Review And Videos

Posted by: At Home Workout ReviewsThe Step360 One Year Review

Rip60 Reviews On The Latest Suspension Trainer

I love the names manufacturers are coming up with these days and Rip 60 is no exception. As always when a new fitness product comes to market Rip60 Reviews (honest ones written by actual users) are rare and those that do exist are written by people who have no fitness qualifications and are only trying to sell you the latest fitness gadget.

So first a disclosure I do not have this product although I’d love to get hold of it but as I’ve said before I live in the UK and currently Rip 360 is unavailable to me however I can give an honest opinion on this equipment and if you have it please consider adding a review in the comments section below.

The Rip60 is a suspension training system that’s endorsed by Georges St Pierre and Jillian Michaels of the biggest loser fame. It claims to be better than the P90X and the Insanity workoutsalthough at $120 + S&H it’s a lot more expensive (if you shop around the P90X can be purchased for under $20).

Suspension training is highly effective and has been available for many years by the manufacturers of the TRX suspension system  and it’s the system that most people will use to compare with the Rip360. The TRX Suspension Training Pro Pack is the closest match and that retails at $189.95 + S&H so the Rip360 does come a little cheaper.

The Rip60 will hook onto any door and will hold a person up to 300lbs and is made with high quality aluminium and has heavy duty nylon straps which are guaranteed for life. It comes with 8 DVD’s one for each of the eight weeks of the program and 4 additional bonus DVD’s including Gillian Michaels and Georges St. Pierre Workout DVD’s.

All in all a great package but much depends on the quality of the equipment and the workouts. Many workouts in this type of package are impossible to follow and consist of elements cut and pasted together in order to bulk out the workouts.

If the equipment is of good quality and the DVD’s well put together and deliver a balanced program I’m sure this system will deliver great results. I love body weight training because it’s so effective and by adding an instability element by doing exercises suspended will deliver great results.

However I don’t like the training schedule as much  as the equipment because for the first three weeks you train every day for 5 days and rest on day 6 and 7 then for the next 5 weeks the rest periods are a little more mixed but still only allow 2 / 3 rest days.

I’d prefer to see workouts alternated with a rest day with no more than 3-4 hours of work per week.

Bottom line: As a training system suspension training works powerfully well as long as the equipment is of good quality, is safe and the workouts are challenging but balanced.

If you have first hand experience with the Rip60 please consider leaving a comment / review and help everyone make an informed decision on whether to purchase.

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Posted by: At Home Workout ReviewsRip60 Reviews On The Latest Suspension Trainer

Fat Loss – Do You Really Need To Lose Weight?

Most people at some point in their lives want to lose weight or more accurately fat and many will battle with the problem for many years until they are successful or they give up. In my experience as a Personal Trainer and Pilates Instructor most go about it the wrong way and have a poor knowledge of what’s really required.

The following points are what I believe to be the most important when it comes to fat loss and I hope they help you as much as they’ve helped me and my clients.

Do you really need to lose weight?

Here you need to be honest with yourself and decide whether you really need to lose any weight. There are three main body types:

• Ectomorph – These are the thin skinny people with a light bone structure who we all hate They never put on any excess weight even though they eat like a horse.
• Mesomorph – Medium build and usually of average height these people are well muscled and and are the ones who look like Greek gods.
• Endomorph – Large framed with a hefty build they are very strong but tend to gain weight the easiest.

If you’re an Endomorph you are never going to look like the models in the magazines (God forbid anyway) you’re naturally large and no amount of dieting or exercise is going to make you look waif like so it’s a waste of time and effort to try. If you’re at a healthy weight and not carrying a lot of excess fat then it’s just something you’re going to have to live with.

Fat and healthy vs Thin and unhealthy

Don’t forget you can be fat and fit and from my own point of view I’d rather see someone carrying some extra weight (I’m not talking about obese or morbidly obese here) than someone who is to thin.

Peer pressure and the media can sometimes give us an unrealistic idea of what an ideal body shape is I suggest if you’re close to your ideal weight and BMI struggling to squeeze into a size zero set of jeans isn’t a good idea be happy you’re fit and healthy and just accept that you can’t change the laws of physics

On the other hand if you’re well over weight and want to successfully get down to your ideal size and shape safely then see part II of this article.

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Posted by: At Home Workout ReviewsFat Loss – Do You Really Need To Lose Weight?

5 Things To Check Before Buying Exercise Equipment

Before buying any piece of exercise equipment it’s worth spending a few minutes to research any claims made by the manufacturer. We’d all like to believe that there is a piece of exercise equipment that is going to magically help us lose the extra fat we’re carrying but before getting out your wallet does your latest gadget fall into any of the following categories?

1. Obvious but missed by a lot of people is the old adage “If it sounds to good to be true it probably is to good to be true”. The piece of exercise equipment that will help you lose 40lbs of flab in 30 days just doesn’t exist. We all wish it did but it doesn’t we need to get over it and implement a proper workout regime and eat more healthily.
2. Is the inventor of this exercise gadget a health and fitness professional? Does he have any recognized fitness qualifications? If not you might as well get exercise advice from your Grandma.
3. Has this gadget got good reviews on-line? If all the reviews are negative or there aren’t any yet that’s usually a red flag either wait until there are some or move on.
4. Don’t get suckered in by the testimonials for the product because in many cases they’re from paid actors. Also the results achieved are usually not gained by just using the exercise equipment being promoted.
5. Doe the product specifically mention eating and lifestyle changes you’ll need to make. I’m not talking about the tiny disclaimer shown on the TV advert but do they actually talk about healthy eating and calorie reduction in the Informercial?

In our heart of hearts we know when we’re being scammed but hope springs eternal and that nagging voice in the back of our heads whispering that maybe this time we’ll get lucky and this will ll be be the piece of kit that will help us realize our weight loss dreams.

Well I’ll wager it won’t. The only way to be permanently successful at weight loss is through correct nutrition and regular effective exercise.

No ifs, buts or maybe

Exercise equipment that does work:

KettleWorx Reviews
Step360 Reviews

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews5 Things To Check Before Buying Exercise Equipment

Why Do Ab Exercises Give Me A Pain In The Neck?

A question that’s often asked is why do Ab Exercises give me a pain in the neck?

Firstly when exercising you should experience no pain at all. If you’re working hard you may feel some discomfort but never any pain. If you’re working out and it’s painful you should stop and get it checked out and not work through the pain in an effort to make it go away. Working through pain is stupid and can be down right dangerous so please don’t do it.

Pain when performing Ab Exercises (or any exercise)  is a sign that either:

• You have a structural problem
• You’ve pulled a muscle
• You have a muscle imbalance
• You’re not doing the exercise correctly

The first two points mean you need to see a Physician / Physiotherapist and follow any advice and exercise prescription they give and the last two mean you need proper instruction so that you can perform the exercise correctly and address the imbalances.

Purchasing a device that claims to eliminate pain while you’re exercising is pointless as it doesn’t address or correct any of the above points and just masks the original problem.

So if you’re getting a pain in the neck and you’re confident it isn’t physical damage consider employing a Personal Trainer who can correct your form and help you correct any imbalance you may have developed.

Another great option is Pilates which is fantastic for correcting muscular imbalances and will work your Abs pretty well to boot not just the six pack muscles but also the deep stability muscles which are so important for spinal and pelvic stability.

Bottom line:

If you have pain when exercising STOP and get it checked out otherwise learn how to do the exercise correctly and work on correcting any muscular imbalances you may have.

It’s possible that a Physiotherapist may recommend you use a machine to help you rehabilitate and in general that’s the only time I’d recommend machines over a functional workout. Unless that is the machine in question makes an exercise more challenging and doesn’t isolate muscle groups.

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Posted by: At Home Workout ReviewsWhy Do Ab Exercises Give Me A Pain In The Neck?

A New Use For Getting Sweaty!

Lets face it working out means getting hot and sweaty or at least it should if you want to get decent fat burning results.  At Home Exercise is tough because it’s just so easy to put it off.

Another great reason to go to the gym comes in strange guise energy generation. Some gyms are now installing exercise machines like bikes, cross trainers and treadmills that actually convert all your sweat and hard work into electricity.

The modified equipment have inbuilt generators that produce electricity as you use them and this can then then be put back into the grid to help reduce their overall power requirements.

The only downside is that the power produced is small about 50 Watts of power per hour of use by the average individual so one person isn’t going to power a kettle (2,000 Watts) for that you’d need at least 40 people puffing and panting like crazy.

However when you consider the price of one of these machines is about $1,200 they’re no more expensive than traditional gym quality equipment and they will help to lower a gyms carbon footprint and help to pay the electricity bills.

With the cost of energy spiraling out of control anything that helps reduce our consumption has got to be a good idea. Oil is at $120 a barrel at the moment and there seems no end in sight in energy costs. Sooner or later even the small amount of power generated by these exercise machines is going to be worthwhile.

Now I just need to persuade my husband to part with $1,200 and I can use it to power my IPod

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The Perfect Situp
Tummy Workouts And Ab Exercises

Posted by: At Home Workout ReviewsA New Use For Getting Sweaty!

Tummy Workouts And Ab Exercise Program Reviews

When it comes to Tummy Workouts we need to define our goal is it:

1. Toning and getting a flatter stomach
2. Getting ripped Abs

Although both are similar goals the effort involved changes dramatically if we go for option 2. Toning and strengthening in an effort to get a flatter more toned stomach is just a question of sensible eating, regular workouts and a little discipline.

Getting ripped Abs however is a different issue because to be able to see them we need to reduce our body fat percentage significantly which in turn means what we eat and don’t eat becomes more critical.

The following exercise programs / equipment will help you with getting a great tummy workout but probably won’t get you ripped abs.

The Step360

A great piece of exercise equipment that looks like a circular step. You can use it for great cardio and fat burning exercises and by attaching exercise bands you can also get a fairly decent strength training component.

Because the step comprises two inflatable chambers it provides an unstable surface to step on forcing more muscles to engage. I really like this piece of equipment and am surprised it isn’t more popular.

The Firm Wave

A bit long in the tooth now but the Wave is a great piece of exercise equipment to have at home. It’s a curved piece of high density plastic that looks like an upside down humped back bridge.

You place your feet on the ends and rock from side to side. It sounds easy but trust me it isn’t and will provide all the fat burning cardio you’ll ever need. Attach bands and basic muscle building can also be performed. Click the link above for my reviews and videos.

The Truth About Abs

This is an Ebook which fits in both camps. It will educate you in all aspects of diet, exercise, mind set and all aspects of losing fat and keeping fit but will also if you desire provide all the nutritional and exercise tips and tricks to help you get a six pack. If you’re disciplined and can work from a book this would be a great choice.

The following products claim to be able to get you a six pack in between 60 and 90 days:

P90X

This is the Father of all the get ripped abs programs. The P90X comes with 12 DVD’s that cover everything you need to get that perfect body. Created by Tony Horton it is a fantastic set of workouts that if followed will undoubtedly get you a honed body in 90 days but it is extreme. Extremely challenging to do and to stick to but if you like a challenge and can complete this program you won’t be disappointed in the results.

Supreme 90 Day Workout

Some would say a P90X ripoff but people who’ve done both say they are different. This workout comes with 10 DVD’s and the usual free stuff. Although inexpensive (less than half the price of P90X) the people who have left reviews rate it highly and say it will get the job done if you can stick to it.

If I had to pick my favorite from the products I own I’d have to say The Step360 For Fat Burning cardio and fun combined with The Truth About Abs for rock solid no BS information on exercise and nutrition.

Posted by: At Home Workout ReviewsTummy Workouts And Ab Exercise Program Reviews

Insanity 60 Day Workout Reviews

Another workout claiming to give you great results in just 60 days. It isn’t a new one I think but is being promoted at the moment as the workout of the day.

Hot on the heels of the Supreme 90 Day Workout this one also comes with 10 DVD’s which include:

1. Dig Deeper (Testing Phase)
2. Plyometric Cardio (Fat burning)
3. Power & Resistance (Muscle building)
4. Cardio Recovery
5. Cardio & Abs
6. Cardio Abs (Interval Training)
7. Core Cardio & Balance
8. Max Interval Circuit
9. Max Interval Plyometrics
10. Max Cardio Conditioning & Abs

Each workout varies from 20 mins to 80 mins with the average being about 45 mins and if the sales page is to be believed you’ll burn up to 1,000 an hour (although that seems like an awful lot and I doubt most people would be able to achieve that).

It comes supplied with the usual free stuff like an Elite Nutrition Plan, Fitness Guide, Calendar and on-line support.

This looks like a great program from Shaun T and I’d be interested in anyone who’s used it posting a review. As usual living in the UK I can’t get hold of it so I’m relying on you.

Compared to the Supreme 90 Day Workout it’s a lot more expensive weighing in at $119.95 + $24.95 S&H (don’t you just hate that $25 for shipping) compared to $19.99 + $6.99 S&H (better). For an extra $110 it needs to be a lot better than the Supreme 90 Day Workout and personally although I’m interested even if it was available I’m not sure I could justify forking out that kind of money.

You however may know different so if you have any comments please leave them below. You never know I might be persuaded to purchase it if and when it ever comes over to the UK

Take A Look At The Insane 60 Day Workout Here

Posted by: At Home Workout ReviewsInsanity 60 Day Workout Reviews