This extension bench is very good in training the lower back and the abs and especially the obliques. Using it gradually and constantly will help you to lose the unwanted belly fat. The results are great although some hard work is demanded.

I always plan the ab-workout towards the end of my training session. For me, it’s the part which drains most of my energy and demands the most effort to accomplish. But if you consider that it helps in toning the waist region and helps at losing belly fight, you might agree that it’s a fair price to pay.

What I want to underline is that training your abdominal muscles, the lower back and in general the muscles from your waist zone, will help you to maintain and improve your silhouette. We all agree that the waist area is very important, especially for women.

45-degree extension bench – Workout Types
I recommend using this bench by performing two simple exercises:
1. The 45 degree hyper extensions for lower back.
These extensions are the classic workout done at the 45 degree extension bench. They build a strong lower back, develop the abs and isolate the glutes and hamstring muscles. I would also add that they provide a great definition to the above mentioned muscle groups.

2. The sideway 45 degree hyper extension for the oblique muscles.
This second exercise is a little bit more difficult. However it is a very good workout for your obliques, which are actually the diagonally arranged abdominal muscles, placed on either side of your torso. Training and strengthening this muscles will effectively make you look slimmer in the torso region.

45-degree extension bench – Explained Workouts

1. The 45 degree hyper extensions.

2. The sideway 45 degree hyper extension.

Note: In order to efficiently lose belly fat using the 45-degree extension bench you need to perform the above presented exercises in heats. Use as many repetitions as possible per each heat. Start with 10 repetitions, and gradually increase to 15, 20, 25 as you gain more experience and strength. Train at least 2 times per week on this bench and try to increase your effort week after week.

Nike Air Zoom Vomero 2+ (men and women)

The famous sports gear manufacturers, Nike, have an extended scale of products when it comes to running shoes. I am presenting you Nike Air Zoom Vomero 2+ men and women running shoes. They where tested by a friend of mine and I can provide a genuine feedback. I also recently ordered the Nike Lunartrainers.. An article covering them will be posted later as I will need to test them first.

The Nike Air Zoom Vomero 2+ shoes are ideal for regular runners. In this case they are ideal for someone that want to jog several times a week and maintain or regain the perfect silhouette. The Vomero’s are ideal for jogging bot on and off road. This Nike shoes are one of the best when it comes to comfort and control.

Nike Air Zoom Vomero 2+ Product Information
Comfort is a key factor when it comes to regular running and long distance jogs. This shoes consist in:
Upper: which is an extremely breathable mesh with overlays. It also has an anatomically shaped heel counter. Ir provides a better fit

Mid sole: uses the Zoom Air in heel and forefoot. Full cushion mid sole for a responsive ride. Natural motion engineered flex grooves.

Out sole: EEVA strobel, Duralon in the forefoot and BRS 1000 in the heel for ultimate fit, feel, and durability.

Nike+ Technology
The Nike+ technology is one of the coolest features provided by the Nike running products. Its similar to hiring a fitness trainer. This technology embeds a sensor in your running shoes. With the help of this sensor and a Nike iPod nano or the Nike+ Sportsband you can track your running performance and get updated with the most important figures for a training session.
You can hear your pace, track the time and distance and see the amount of the calories that you burn during your jogging session. Use the provided information to see how you improve from session to session.

Nike+ technology offers you the advantage to track the pace of your running, when you lowered the rhythm or when you went for the finish. It practically offers you the change to relive your jogging and see what went good and where you need to improve. All this just by wearing the running shoes that have this technology embedded and the wristband or the iPod nano.

As a conclusion with Nike+ you have a new running partner and personal trainer in the same time. Have fun!

Adidas adiStar Control 5 Men

Our series of jogging related articles continues with this presentation of the Adidas adiStar Control 5 running shoes. As everyone knows, Adidas are one of the biggest footwear manufacturers in the world. Advanced technology and researches have allowed them to create jogging shoes that can make the difference.
Running with proper footwear will help you have a more comfortable training session.The Adidas adiStar Control 5 running shoes generation has options for both men and women. You can view the shoes in the above embedded images. Let me share a few words about them.

Adidas adiStar Control 5 Review and Description
This Adidas footwear edition obtains high appreciations on almost all the comparison levels. The adiStar Control 5 running shoe is rated with 9 out of 10 for performance, comfort and overall experience both the men and women editions.

They protect your legs from harmful impacts with the help of the adiPrene insert.
This feature is very important from my point of view. I am running around 2-3 miles per session, twice a week. Before I used professional running shoes, after each session my legs and especially the tibiae section, where hurting. It was not an unbearable pain and I was feeling it only when I had bigger impacts during the day. But getting rid of this problem was a great thing for me. That’s why I want to introduce you a few professional running shoes.

The Control 5 does a wonderful job when it comes to stability and smoothness of the ride. It has a broader mid-foot section and you will find that your foot will fit-in almost perfectly.

The weight of this shoes is at around 12.9 oz for the mens edition and 11.2 oz for the womens edition. Although you might think that they are heavy, they don’t feel heavy at all during a jogging session.

Adidas adiStar Control and ForMotion technology – Video
This video explains the advantages that the new Adidas Control and ForMotion technologies provide. Got the video from Youtube and it’s a Spanish edition. But you will get the point from the images.

Jump Ropes are easy and efficient fitness trainers

One simple but yet very efficient fitness exercise is the ‘Jumping Rope’ move. In order to be able to perform this fitness routine you just need a skipping rope. I think everyone knows what a jump rope is. You can view a few models in the above embedded photo. This exercise was one of our favorite attractions during our childhood. Girls, of course, where more interested in rope jumping as the boys did.

Who can practice jumping rope?
I have some great news for you. Jumping rope can still remain your daily habit although you are not a child anymore. Yes, everyone can jump the rope as long as you follow the basic steps in order to prevent any injuries and to be as efficient as possible.

Why is jumping rope burning calories?
If you ever jumped the rope, you surely have observed that it’s a fitness exercise that requires stamina. Almost all the body muscles are used when performing a rope jump and this increases the energy consumption of our body. The more we jump the more we force our body to burn fuel in order to keep the pace. Well the fuel in this case is represented by the calories. An average prediction estimates that 15 minutes of rope skipping burns around 200 calories.

Efficient jumping rope schedule!
I will borrow you now, my jumping rope schedule.
First of all make sure that you chose an open place or a large room where you can perform your jumps easily without the pressure of hitting something.

Secondly dress yourself in your fitness equipment. It is very important that you haven’t eaten or drunk foods and liquids at least 1 hour before exercising. If you did, wait a little longer until that hour expires.

The warm-up follows. The jump rope can wait a little longer. Warm-up your body now. Start with the neck and softly progress downwards, warming-up all the important body parts: shoulders, arms, hips, knees, ankles and joints. Use circular motions. The warm-up should last around 10 minutes.

The actual rope jumping session can start now. I usually jump between 20-30 minutes around 3-4 times per week. I split a training session into 3-4 smaller sessions. In order to not overexert yourself, schedule 3 minute breaks between the training sessions. During the 3 minutes rest time, you can drink a little water and stretch your legs. I always stick with the basic jump, where both feet are slightly apart and jump in the same time over the rope. This is the easiest jump and the best for endurance practicing.

Other skipping rope jumps!
Among the other skipping techniques I mention here the: speed step, double under, criss-cross, leg under and so on.
The speed step is the jump where you alternate your feet while jumping. This speeds up the exercise and doubles the jumps in a minute.
For performing a double under skip you need to jump higher as you do with a basic jump, because this time you need to swing the rope twice under your feet.
The criss-cross jump is a derivation from the basic jumps. The hands path changes though. The right hand moves towards the left body part while the left hand moves to the right body part.
The leg under skip is a difficult move. The performer puts his left hand under the right leg and so on. It’s a a move that I still can’t master yet. As mentioned above, the basic jump would be enough for an average rope jumper that has the primary goal of burning calories.

The jump rope
It’s a simple fitness gear made with a rope and two handles. The rope can be made from different materials like leather.

Important Note!
- The skipping surface should not be to hard. You should avoid concrete and asphalt. Choose something softer in order to protect your ankles.
- Jump in your own rhythm. Start with smaller numbers and gradually increase them as you progress.
- Go for a shower after your training is over.

Buy one and start training!

One of the best fitness machines for burning fats and losing the extra kilograms is the stationary bicycle. It’s a wide spread exercise machine as it can be used by every individual, no matter of age, sex or location. This fitness bicycles can be used Indoor and Outdoor and don’t need any special maintenance as an usual household gear.

As you can observe in the above picture, usually a weight loss bicycle looks similar to a normal bicycle. The major difference is that it doesn’t have wheels, so you won’t move while pedaling. This modern fitness equipments have multiple functions, the advanced ones have pulse readers and an internal mini-computer that records the exercise time, displays your pulse, the actual and the average speed, calculates the virtual distance covered and the amount burned calories. Because of this they are also called cycloergometers.

The seat and the handle can be adjusted as you do it with a normal bike. In fact, a normal street bike can be also transformed in a stationary fitness bike if you place on them bicycle rollers or a trainer.

The pedaling resistance mechanism is the most important point of a weight loss bike. For the modern ones the resistance level can be easily adjusted so that you will need more energy to ride at the same speed. This will lead to an increased number of calories burned and to a lighter body. The resistance mechanism can be based on friction and magnets.

Weight Loss Tip !
My advice is that everyone seeking for losing weight should have a stationary bike in his or hers room. The best times to use it from my own experience is in the morning and during the evening. For example I recommend you to bike on your exercise machine each morning after you wake up. Very important, do this before you eat your breakfast. Why? The explanation is simple. When you wake up, your stomach is empty and the body will need to get it’s energy levels from it’s own resources. Your organism will start burning fats if it finds no other source of energy. It’s important not to overexert yourself. Keep in mind that in the morning you are also vulnerable, because you haven’t eaten yet. Don’t go for marathon training sessions that might bring you unwanted secondary effects. I would suggest 20-30 minutes of moderate training. It’s enough if you are sweating at the end of it.

Take a shower and go for the breakfast and your normal daily routine. Depending on your goals, you can also add another biking session in the evening before the dinner. If you choose two sessions of ridding your stationary bicycle it’s best to make them moderate training sessions. If you go for an afternoon ride, you might go for a full throttle one, but don’t do it daily.

Note !
This stationary exercise bicycles are also called: cycle ergometers, cycloergometers or simple bicycle ergometer!

More about fitness equipments can be found here.

Do you have a treadmill in your living room?

Now with almost everyone owning a car or another form of transport, we just waste energy on pushing the gas pedal. This is one of the main reasons for the massive growth of overweight population.

Daily fitness has become a necessity for people that want to stay in shape. After a busy day at the office, everyone feels the need for at least of a half an hour of physical training, in order to bring that circulation flowing in a higher rhythm and ask out system to wake up after a stressful day. With fitness being in the spotlights the fitness gear also became something often searched for. It is true that good fitness equipment and the gym equipment in general helps you out to obtain higher training performances.I remind here several already well known training equipments like: treadmills, elliptical trainers, exercise bikes, multi-gyms and so on.

The first ones mentioned are pure weight loss machines. They are also called cardio trainers and basically they help you sweat the weight out of your body. The multi-gyms are usually used by people that want to give a better shape of their body. I mean people that don’t intend just to avoid overweight and also want to build up muscles. Weights are the proper solution for this type of individuals. I am also among the people that spend some time on the weights bench regularly. I recommend you to start with this kind of a fitness training only after you got rid of your overweight problems. If not just stick with the cardio-exercises.Let me get a little in the details of this cardio fitness machines.

The treadmills help you simulate walking or running in various conditions and with the help of multiple pre-made programs. This way you can jog while watching TV or listening to music, or even speaking with your friends and family. The elliptical cross trainers are an advanced form of treadmills that basically make you sweat even harder while moving your hands and foots in a regular motion. I think that everyone already knows what an exercise bike is or what it is used for.

In my point of view any of the above mentioned fitness machines is very helpful. I usually prefer the treadmill as it offers a nice variety and it also makes my shirt completely wet in 25-30 minutes of rigorous training.Will get back to you soon with more in depth details about the fitness world. Thanks for reading the article!