Are You Lifting Enough Weight?

We've wrote before about the importance of strength exercises when it comes to losing weight, getting toned and maintaining a healthy body. Strength and fitness training provides fantastic results through a higher metabolism and more toned muscles, but some people do not push themselves hard enough when it comes to lifting. If you find yourself lifting weights at the gym or at home and you are barely breaking a sweat, you are not doing it correctly. When you lift weights, you should feel a lot of strain on your muscles, otherwise there is no point.

Weight lifting should be difficult but not impossible. You should be pushing your muscles close to the point where they can't lift another ounce. In order to do this with free weights, it's often necessary to get a spotter. A spotter is just someone who can monitor your sets and help you out if you are unable to complete a certain lift. If you don't have a friend with you during your workouts, most people at the gym would be happy to help spot in exchange for your help. If there is simply no one available, it's best to just use strength machines in order to stay safe.

The first time you lift the proper amount will inevitably lead to sore muscles. This is the result of a true strength building workout that involves the tearing of muscles so that they can be built bigger in the body's repair process. Don't worry, this is a good sign, and it's not something that will continue through your future workouts. Make sure to drink plenty of water and eat plenty of protein after a workout to make sure that your body rebuilds the muscles to the best of its ability.

The Evolution of Fitness Equipment According to Tom Platz

If you've ever paid attention to the professional world of bodybuilding there's no doubt you've heard the name Tom Platz. Tom gained an interest in the sport from a young age, and by the end of high school had numerous accomplishments at a competitive level. During the 1980's he was a household name when it came to bodybuilding, frequently showing up on the cover of magazines and during high level competitions. Tom isn't a professional bodybuilder anymore, but he's using his knowledge, experience and connections to the sport to help Fit4Sale with its top of the line new and used fitness equipment.

One of the things Tom Platz likes to mention when he talks about fitness equipment is about how much it has evolved over the years. When he first moved to California in the late 1970's to make it big, Gold's Gym at Venice Beach was the mecca of bodybuilding. Back then there weren't any businesses manufacturing fitness equipment. Everything was custom made and designed to help the lifters at the gym achieve maximum results. Instead of ellipticals and stair climbers there were tons of free weights, squat racks, benches and barbells. As the popularity of bodybuilding rose, however, industry began to see the potential of the fitness market and started to manufacture fitness equipment.

According to Tom, a lot of advancements were made during the following decades, both in cardio and strength equipment. New or used treadmills are now in every gym and provide an excellent way to get a great cardio workout indoors. Some people say ellipticals are even better, as they help mimic a running motion with way less impact. The biggest advancements have probably been made in strength machines. It took a long time to convince the public, especially women, of the importance of strength training, but now there are strength circuits, strength machines and free weights in nearly every gym.

The last few years has seen a drastic improvement in the quality of strength training equipment. Tom says that most older strength machines don't account for the importance of strengthening the core. When lifting with free weights, your body needs to keep the weight you're lifting in balance. This works muscles in your core that aren't normally accessible with older strength machines, as the weights are kept in balance by the machine itself. Thankfully, newer strength machines have accounted for this factor. Exercise experts like Tom know that strengthening the core isn't just important for bodybuilders. It's essential for everyone looking to stay fit and healthy.

Burn More Calories with Strength Equipment

Exercising is a great way to burn more calories in a day in order to see better weight loss results. Many people think that the best way to burn calories is to concentrate on cardiovascular workouts on machines like ellipticals and step climbers. While aerobic exercises like these are a great way to burn off calories, weight training and strength resistance can work even better. Strength resistance exercise have the benefit of building muscle along with burning calories during the actual activity. Building muscle is important while losing weight because the more muscle a person has the higher their basal metabolic rate will be. The higher the BMR the more likely the person is to create the calorie deficits they need to lose weight.

Strength resistance exercises can be done in a variety of ways and through many different machines. Body builders and professional athletes love the results they get from free weight sets. Free weights offer a lot of versatility when it comes to strength resistance and they can be used to work almost every muscle group. Free weights aren't the only option. Strength machines that use tension ropes or coils can offer the same type of resistance as weights but in a more structure way. Strength machines are great for people who are not really comfortable with free weights or don't have the room in their home to hold all the different weights and benches required for lifting.

Proper Safety for Cardio and Strength Exercises

Exercising has tremendous health benefits when it’s part of regular routine, but exercising without any precautions or safety equipment can result in serious injury. Nobody should take on any new exercise or fitness machine until they have enough information to partake in that activity safely. For most exercise machines and equipment this can be as simple as reading the instruction manual and following common sense rules. Lifting heavy free weights require a bit more outside knowledge and instruction before the lifts can be performed in an adequately safe manner.

Safety while performing cardiovascular exercise or lifting free weights starts with proper technique. If you’re not sure how to perform a certain activity in a safe way, or have any doubt that your knowledge is adequate, do not hesitate to contact a fitness professional.  Even if you’re sure that your techniques are correct, it’s a good idea to use safety equipment in order to prevent careless errors. Wearing a weight lifting belt while performing leg strength building exercises is important, especially for things like squats and dead lifts that can cause serious injury. Other pieces of safety equipment for your workout can include exercise mats, helmets for sparing and bicycling and kill switches for treadmills and other electronic equipment. There’s no reason not to use safety equipment when doing so is so easy.

Machine Weights vs Free Weights

Many people have long pondered the question of whether working with free weights or using machine weights helps to build muscle faster and more effectively. The main answer is that there is no miracle piece of exercise equipment that works the same for everyone. Both of these strength training choices offer the benefits of higher muscle growth and increased overall fitness.

Free weights are versatile and inexpensive. They also simulate real-life lifting situations and promote whole-body stabilization. Likewise, machine weights also can be effective weight training tools — as long as you use machines that adjust to your body dimensions and allow full range of motion of your joints. Machine weights also help assist you in performing the technique correctly, whereas free weights you have to monitor yourself to make sure the technique is being carried out properly.The easiest answer is for you to choose an exercise that you enjoy and fits your lifestyle.

Fit4sale is a great place to look for these pieces of equipment at great discounts! You can find these used and refurbished items at huge price dicounts, so stop by and see if Fit4sale has the items that are right for you.