Aerobic Benefit
Of Fitness Equipment
We can thank the world of Physical Therapy for helping bring affordable fitness to the home.
Most people were used to buying a set of barbells and a bench and then found it rather annoying sitting in their living room, or taking up space in a bedroom. Let's face it. One of the most popular items you see at a yard sale is a set of barbells and a bench.
There are also various machines you can buy, but you still deal with space confinements and cost.
There are simple, inexpensive items that you can buy that are used in hospitals and therapists offices.
One of the best are exercise bands.
Exercise bands are like giant rubber bands, but super sturdy. They're about 6 ft. long and 4 inches wide, and look like long strands of lasagna.
The secret behind their strength is when you fold them over to get four times the regular thickness. Now when you try to stretch them you can feel the resistance.
They come in about 6 different thicknesses from very light to super heavy. They also have accessories like handle grips, door mounts, and a foot sling.
You can get the bands and accessories for about $40 and store them in a drawer.
A six foot band sounds rather long, but once you are done securing them to the handles and door mount you've got a compact workout gem.
You don't have to worry about screwing in the door mount either. You simply open your door and hang the rubber "anchor" over the top of the door. Close the door and the handles hang in front of you.
Now you can either sit in a chair, or kneel, and do lateral pull-downs. Stand and you can do tricep pull-downs. Utilize the foot sling and you can stand with your foot as the anchor and do curls.
It may not sound like much, but professional athletes actually use these exact same bands.
The key is to incorporate these bands into your routine of sit-ups, push-ups, squats, etc.. and get an even more well-rounded workout.
You can buy these bands online, at sporting goods stores, or at medical supply stores.
One thing to be careful about is when you first start using them make sure to follow the instructions and tie the bands properly. At a full stretch you don't want the band to come loose.
The added benefit is these bands are portable so you can take them with you if you travel a lot.
Probably the most popular benefit of these bands is they are easy on the joints.
Lifting traditional weights eventually creates wear and tear on the joints and that's one reason why people stop working out.
It's very important to maintain your joints because as you get older your joints will be the first to let you know just how old you are.
Many people have joint problems and mentally it prevents them from continuing an exercise program. Let's take a look at how to get by these .