Category Archives: Gym

I Hate the Gym

I hate the gym. It’s just a necessary evil I cannot stand but go because I know it helps me. I also have the luxury of not having to ‘work’ in the real sense of the word. I set my own hours and can hit the best home gyms between 10am and 2pm. Any visits outside this time-frame and I regret it every time. It just gets too crowded and you have to wait for machines etc. Groan.

My gym is big, and from what I can tell, the clientele is mostly male. I picked this gym because it’s five mins from my home, clean, has a great variety of machines, but mostly? Because my physical therapist recommended it. I’m usually one of the fattest women there but don’t let that bother me. I also don’t dress the part, so it bodes well together. I’m usually in some ratty t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants that are typically covered in some sort of animal hair–dog/cat/rabbit/goat–pick one. and I typically shower after the gym, so usually I’m in some sort of ball cap. Yes, i am quite the dish. Have I got your attention yet?

Anywho, the point I’m trying to make here is that I don’t consider the gym to be anything more than what it is; a large air conditioned torture chamber that I pay to use. Not a social club, not a place to meet and greet. And certainly, not a place where any mirrors are necessary.

So today, I’m on my favorite torture device, the dreaded eliptical machine. There was nothing on television and I find it difficult to read on those things, so I just kind of zone out and watch other people without letting them know i’m watching. (a talent by the way, that I have mastered to an almost science)

I watched this guy walk the length of the room. Much to my chagrin, most of the walls in this place are covered in mirrors. Fifteen feet of mirrored wall, and a doorway to the mens room. Fifteen more feet of mirrored wall and the ladies room. Fifteen more feet of mirrored wall and the sauna or water fountain, whatever. You get the drift here. So I watch this guy walk and he is totally checking himself out in each and every single mirror. Talk about narcissistic! And it’s not like he …

Bigger Muscles

Bigger muscle will happen if you give the body a reason to respond and time for it to grow. The other day I saw a routine for the back that left me scratching my head. Pull ups 4×10, rack pulls 4×5-8, lat pulldowns 3×5-8, bent over rows 3×5-8, seated rows 3×5-8, t bar rows 3×5-8, shrugs 3×12. Wow. How could anyone grow from all that. That is a lot of exercises. That is a huge waste of time. Pull ups and lat pulldowns work the same muscle group on the same plane. The same with the bent over rows, seated rows, and the tbar rows, same exercise plan all training the same muscles. You are doing the same exercise over and over again. Also that is 23 sets, not the back could not handle that, but not every back training day. With that kind of work no wonder this guy is not growing. You want bigger muscles then train for them. Use bigger exercises. You want bigger muscle, then lift like you want bigger muscles. Stopping training with a marathon work routine. Cut back on the sets, add some weight. Cut back on all those exercises, try something bigger. Big muscles call for big exercises. Big exercises call for big weights. Big weights equal bigger muscles. It works every single time.

Using the back as the muscle we want to train lets look at a simple routine. One exercise a day. One muscle group a day. The catch is that most of the big exercises that you will chose form for the chest, back, and the legs are going to involve other muscle groups and exhaust you, so you will not be training often. Giving your body time to grow. The exercises that you would chose from are the deadlift, the power clean, the snatch, the good morning, the bent over row, and the like. All will involve the hamstrings, lower back, traps, biceps, forearms, rear of the shoulders and the abs. That is a lot of muscle to be worked with one exercise. Now the routine itself is rather easy, start with an empty bar. Warm up with an empty bar doing rep after rep of the movement that have chosen. Now after each set add weight, in a basic pyramid. Add weight to each set and doing as many reps as possible. Next add more weight and keep …

How Muscles Grow

You’re running from a lion, fighting the tribe down the river and hauling stones to build your hut. Your body says to itself, “this is really hard work. I could do a little better with more muscle”. The next time you engage in such activities your body has grown a little more muscle to make things easy on you.

Maybe we don’t run from lions, fight and haul things like we used to but we still have the ability to put on muscle. When we stress these muscles and give them time to relax they will continue to grow. Thus the more intensive we work out, the larger the weights we use and the more we get our blood moving the more likely we are going to be able to build these muscles.

The goal is to use the heaviest weights we can to recreate the stress we might experience while doing intensive physical labor or running from a lion. Many people wonder precisely how heavy the weight should be. The answer is so that you can barely stand it without hurting or ripping these muscles.

A trick that can be use is go get the largest weight that you can only lift with all of your strength. Then drop the about of the weight 10%-20% so that after five repetitions you are shaking to get it up all the way. Complete a few more repetitions and put it down. Give your muscles a little break before you try it again.

It is necessary to isolate each muscle as much as you can in order to get the maximum benefit. However, if you aren’t an expert in weightlifting you might consider starting with basic techniques such as bench press, squats, etc. As your knowledge of your body grows you can add techniques that help isolate individual muscles.

You will also need to give your muscles time to recover. Thus it is necessary to allow for a 48 hour break between weight lifting again. If you like to work out each day they you are going to have to isolate muscles so that you can do so. You switch around your muscles so that you can keep working out by alternating them on certain days.

Eating appropriately is also a benefit. These muscles will have a difficult time growing if they are not fed properly. Instead of becoming stronger you might …

Everlast Home Gym

After having my baby, I couldn’t stand to look at myself in the mirror. I had gotten flabby in areas that didn’t look good in clothes and I just didn’t feel good about what I had become. So I looked online for a home gym that I could afford and that would actually work. It took me about two weeks for me to find something but it finally happened.

Sports Authority had the Everlast home gym for $99 with free shipping. Before I bought the Everlast Home Gym, I did my research and made sure it was the right buy for me. I figured since the Everlast Home Gym had 60 different exercises, why not get it? There had to be something I could get out of the Everlast home gym right?

When I recieved the Everlast home gym in the mail, I was totally excited to open the box and get started. I dreaded having to put it together but realized when I opened the box that it was already assembled!

The Everlast Home Gym came with six different accessories to work out with, along with a total home gym book and dvd. I was a bit overwhelmed with everything I was looking at in the beginning but once I got comfortable I was ready to go.

The thing I liked about the Everlast home gym is that it was portable and didn’t take up much room. It’s an all in one gym. So everything involves the gym and the gym only. The Everlast total gym is capable of working on every part of your body, there is an exercise for any goal you may have, which for $99 isn’t bad.

I personally have intentions on working on my stomach, legs and arms. But if you have the desire to work on your back, shoulders, or calves then you are more than able to do so with the Everlast Home Gym.

The Everlast Home Gym is more like a weight lifting system. It has an adjustable knob that allows you to choose the weight’s tension. It’s been about a month and I can already see results from using the Everlast Home Gym. My abs are becoming less flabby and my legs are becoming a lot tighter.

Since the Everlast Home Gym is a fairly new buy, I will have to keep a sharp eye on my results. But I …

PowerHouse Gyms Opens Its Doors in Joplin, Missouri

Powerhouse Gyms have been in business for 30 years now. Powerhouse Gyms are located in 39 states in America, so it is one of the largest chains in fitness clubs. Joplin, MO was blessed with their Powerhouse Gym a few years back. Located very conveniently at 530 S. NorthPark Lane, Powerhouse Gym is home to people with many different fitness levels and many reasons for carrying memberships. Rather you are a couch potato with inspiration of a healthier life, or the fittest of the fit, Powerhouse has the equipment for you. And, with staff that help with accountability and encouragement, the road to a better you is made a bit smoother.

State of the art work out equipment is what is featuring inside Joplin, Missouri’s Powerhouse. With an educated staff to help introduce you to every machine, you can rest assured that you are getting the most effective workout possible.

Don’t want to make a drive to the gym everyday? Powerhouse has you covered. Sign up for online gym through them, and they will provide you all the necessary tools needed for a successful home-based training. From food and nutrition, to stretches and a workout routine, this online program gives you everything needed for the results requested by you, all the while in the comfort of your own home.

Powerhouse Gym in Joplin, Missouri offers two ways to try out their services. One option consists of a free three day pass to the gym. Check out all the exercise machines and classes available. Then, of course, if you think the Gym is a good fit, simply sign up for a monthly paid membership. If not, then you are free to leave with no obligations for membership. Another option is a great offer as well, a free, two-week trial to the online fitness program. This allows you to create an online account, and log in at your convenience, and browse through all the options listed for your optimum results from diet and exercise. Sign up for both free trials, and see which platform works better in your lifestyle. Find the right fit, sign up, and apply yourself to stick with the program. Motivate yourself, and find extra motivation and see how they are helpful to help hold you accountable for the goals you have set for yourself.

Contact Joplin’s Powerhouse Gym today at 417-624-3224 for more information. Or, feel free to …