Tag Archives: fitness

Running Tips: Warm Up And Cool Down

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If you are thinking that now is the time to get up off the couch and get some exercise, then you’re right! But there are some important things you need to consider before heading out the door. Let’s start with two basic running tips for beginners: the Warm Up and the Cool Down

Warm Up

The main thing you want to accomplish is to get your body ready for the physical activity to follow. You are preparing it for action by getting your blood circulating. For those of you with poor circulation, taking a hot shower first will help the blood to get moving. Light walking or a few calisthenics will also be effective warm up actions.

I just saw an article that said you need less of a warm up for running shorter distances. This is only true up to a point. Thirty seconds of warm up is not sufficient for even a short workout. A minimum period of five minutes is required to warm up for any run. Later, when your workouts become longer or more intense, you will be warming up for 15 minutes or more. Even an hour is recommended before a really long race, but that is beyond the scope of what beginning runners will need for now.

Cool down

This is like a warm up in reverse, except that now you stretch to keep the muscles from tightening up. You want to allow your body to return to a resting heart rate very gradually. The longer you work out, the longer your cool down will take. Again, five minutes is the very minimum amount of time to allow for your cool down.

These tips are only two out of many that you should consider when starting a running program. You can find many more useful running tips at a website like Running Tips 4 All. The most challenging steps are the ones that get you off the couch and out the door. The rest is easier! Just remember to “always put one foot in front of the other”.

Advantages of the Powerblocks Adjustable Dumbbells

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If you are looking for the best dumbbell set in the world, then you simply need to look only at the powerblock adjustable dumbbells. These dumbbells are by far the best, most reliable dumbbells on the market today, and can save you money, space, and help you get the best home workout possible.

There are several reasons why the powerblocks are the best money can buy when it comes to dumbbells. These reasons include:

1 – They are extremely compact, and smaller than even their adjustable dumbbell competitors
2 – They do not have moving parts and are build more sturdily than others
3 – You can purchase them with up to 90 lbs of weight, which is 40 lbs more than most other competing sets
4 – They are backed by a lifetime (yes, lifetime) warranty

Given that most people buy adjustable dumbbell sets to save space, it’s obviously an advantage to have the most compact set of dumbbells. Not only can you get rid (or not buy in the first place) all those traditional dumbbells, but with the Powerblocks you even save space versus the adjustable competition. However, this is not the main reason to purchase them.

The biggest reason why the Powerblock adjustable dumbbells are the most highly recommended on the market is because of the ability of the dumbbells. Being able to lift up to 90 pounds on each arm is a very big advantage for those wanting a complete workout. And while such a set is not cheap (they cost around $600) that is much cheaper than if you purchsed comparable weights individually, and it is well worth it if you are a serious lifter.

Finally, there isn’t enough that can be said about the quality of construction with the Powerblocks. Simply put, nothing else even holds a candle. As such, given that you can 1) get more weight, and 2) have those weights last forever, there really isn’t a good reason to NOT purchase the Powerblocks set.

The Healthrider Elliptical Machine

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If you are in the market for a good elliptical machine, then you should consider looking at the different models provided by Healthrider.  Healthrider is one of the very many quality brands that are made by ICON, meaning that you have the support of a great company behind some very good elliptical models.

One of the popular models is the Healthrider H70e Elliptical. This is their basic model, and as such you will not find all the bells and whistles of more expensive trainers, but you will find decent quality at under $400. If you are looking for such a discount elliptical, then you should most definitely consider this model over other cheap models on the market today. It may not hold up to very serious training (every day for 60 minutes or more), but will be a good quality machine for mild/average use.

Another model which targets the mid-range consumer is the Healthrider H90e elliptical machine. This model give you some great features at a very reasonable price of just under $1,000: 20 different personal training programs (enough to keep you from getting board), a good heart rate monitor, and a quality power ramp. This model is good enough for fairly serious people who would like to use the machine every day, and as such is a much better choice than the cheaper H70e for such people.

Perhaps the most popular Healthrider Elliptical would be the Heathrider H140e elliptical machine. This machine is a very good machine for the money (it costs around $1300), and is worth saving up for especially for heavy users. There are 15 different personal training programs, the heart rate monitor, and a more sturdy build that also includes and excellent glide track. Furthermore, most people love the fact that this elliptical also is very eco friendly–you generate the power to run the computer while working out on the machine. Overall, this is the machine that is most popular and most recommended from the Healthrider machines made by ICON.