Free Weights Home Gym, on a Budget

If you are planning on weight training at home with free weights, this is really the bare minimum you should obtain:

• A set of free weights:
  • A full length barbell (7 foot)
  • A Combo Bar (tricep and bicep bar combined)
  • Wide selection of discs
• A good quality, solid bench, with incline positions up to vertical (read the Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Bench review)
• A pair of saw horses, ideally adjustable - buy here.

Saw horses are a builders / woodworkers tool. They are lightweight (used to be made from wood, but now plastic/metals) and can support a huge weight. For example, the Stanley 60622 Folding Adjustable Sawhorse can support up to 1000 pounds (450kg) so is plenty for any weight lifter to train with. You can position them for bench press and squats (the two most popular big compound exercises) so that you do not find yourself pinned to a bench or the floor! Saw horses are limited as they are not always height adjustable, and when they are the range is small. But for safety when squatting they are very useful. We recommend a 7 foot bar because these provide much greater stability. You can have the supports (saw horse) set further apart, and there is much less chance of the bar tipping when changing weights over. Also, if you decide to upgrade your home gym and buy a power cage, you will need to the longer bar. But the main reason is safety.

Bruce Lee was a legendary martial artist, both on screen and off. Unlike many martial artists that appear on screen today, his was a trained fighter, not just a choreographer. He believed in removing form from martial arts, and to use any techniques that worked, and this is the basis of his method, Jeet Kune Do. This book covers all aspects of journey, from his martial arts workouts, his complimentary weight training, research, and his philosophy.

The four individual volumes are:

• Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method, Vol. 1: Self-Defense Techniques
• Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method, Vol. 2: Basic Training
• Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method, Vol. 3: Skill in Techniques
• Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method, Vol. 4: Advanced Techniques

One of the best features of this new hardback version is that the photographs have been restored to such a great level of detail. The book looks fresh, as if it was written this year, and not in the late 1970’s. The publishers have created a new layout and positioned illustrations and text in such a way that it is easier to follow Bruce’s line of thought and understand his principals and techniques than it was in the first editions. Although Bruce Lee’s methods have not been changed, the quality of the publishing industry has. This is what makes this new hardback edition such a treat. It is now even easier to learn Bruce Lee’s methods from his writings and illustrations than ever before!

This book is essential in any martial artists collection. Just as Bruce Lee combined the best parts of many different systems to create his own, his methods and understanding of human anatomy and fighting can benefit all martial artists.

Bruce Lee’s Fighting Method: The Complete Edition by Bruce Lee

The Door Gym Chin Up Bar

• Top selling fitness product
• Brand: Creative Fitness

Features

• Pull-up/chin-up bar for tool-free doorway installation
• Fits easily in 24- to 32-inch doorways (extensions available)
• Ideal for pull-ups, push-ups, chin-ups, crunches, and more
• Requires trim up to 3.5 inches wide around door
• Breaks down and stores in case for easy travel

Customer Reviews

Works surprisingly well! - * Recommended Buy *
I was very sceptical of this “cantilevered” doorway chinning bar. I thought it would slide, not really stay up, be unsafe or unstable to use. Well, the thing actually works as advertised!

It’s a pullup bar
This is a pull-up bar. If you want to do pull-ups it is the best solution for your home. Put up and take down in seconds with no tools. Comfy foam padding, sturdy design. Some assembly required.

Click here to order from our Store

There are several respectable brands on the market selling power racks. All racks are built to a very good quality, and all can carry a very heavy weight, certainly more than the average home bodybuilder requires.

The models we shall compare today are:

• TDS Power Rack C-92563-W
• TDS Titan Power C-PRO92580-84-W
• Powerline Power Rack PPR200
• Deltech Fitness Power Rack / Squat Rack DF4500
• Best Fitness BFPR10 Multi Press Rack (not actually a Power Rack)

We have included a press rack, as the Best Fitness BFPR10 is a very solid performer and provides adequate safety for the more casual weight lifter.

TDS Power Rack C-92563-W

The TDS Power Rack is certainly a solid cage. It comes with an Olympic Plate Holder which provides extra stability, and keeps the weight discs tidy. It also has a chinning bar, which is standard on most power racks. The TDS is a light rack, so does actually need those disc holders. Light racks are good for gome gyms if you need to move them before working out, however, it does mean that it is not as stable as some of the heavier racks. Also, the knurled grip chin up bar is not to everyones liking. However, it is a budge rack and is great value for money, usually retailing at about $300.

TDS Titan Power C-PRO92580-84-W

The Titan is the big brother of the TDS Power Rack. It is more than double the price, but over double the weight, which means that it provides much great security, even for the most serious power lifters. It comes wit hthe standard chinning bar (similar knurled grip as with the TDS Power Rack). The Titans Self Locking Jumbo “J” Hooks allow for quicker set up, and also allow for a greater range of motion than its little brother. If your budget stretches to $700, then this is certainly a solid performer that will stand its ground in busy lifting gyms as well as at home.

Powerline Power Rack PPR200 – *** BEST VALUE POWER RACK ***

The Powerline PPR200 is in many ways similar to the TDS Power Rack. It has 18 positions and is built from heat tempered steel, making it very tough indeed. The Powerline has lateral pull down attachments, plus saber-style safety rods which allow for easy position changes. For its sturdy build and great value, this model is granted “best value pwoer rack”.

Deltech Fitness Power Rack / Squat Rack DF4500 – *** RECOMMENDED BUY ***

The Deltech DF4500 another beast of a rack, strdier than the Powerline and TDS Power Rack, but not quite so heavy duty as the TDS Titan. It is constructed from Heavy Gage Steel Tubing which provides excellent support, the mandatory Chin-Up Bar. The spotter arms can be easily adjusted using spring loaded pins. For its combination of high quality support and at a reasonable price tag, this is certainly a serious contender for any home gym.

Best Fitness BFPR10 Multi Press Rack

As mentioned the Best Fitness BFPR10 Multi Press Rack is not a Power Rack, but does provide good safety for bench pressing and squats, plus aiding bent over rows. Obviously extra care does need to be taken, and it does not provide a safety net if you actually pass out while lifting, unlike the Power Racks. But is it currently retail at around $130, so is certainly an essential addition to a home gym if you chose not to purchase a rack.

Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbell Features

• Each dumbbell can be adjusted from 5.0 to 52.5 pounds
• Adjustments in 2.5-pound intervals for the first 25 pounds
• Quick and simple mechanisms eliminates workout time wasted on setting up traditional free weights
• Combines 15 sets of weights into one, using a unique dial system
• Eliminates the need for multiple dumbbells taking up your home gym
• Five-year Bowflex warranty on weight plates, two-year warranty on parts
• Recommended to be used with the Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbell Stand and Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Bench

The SelectTech 552 dumbbells adjust from 5 pounds all the way up to 52.5 pounds of weight.

Customer Reviews:

“I was surprised how well-designed they actually are. These guys look and feel like a pretty stunning example of modern technology; sleek and slick despite their size, you will likely not mind that they get looks.”

“AWESOME! The dials, in my opinion, are ten times easier than the magnetic pins of PowerBlocks, and these Bowflex dumbells look ten times more fashionable.”

Read more Bowflex 552 reviews here.

Although this bench is very similar to the Bowflex SelecTech 3.1 the extra positions do provide a much wider range of movement for more varied lifting. These extra positions also help if you are carry any small injuries or strains, as you can work around problems easier.

Main Features

• Provide solid support for working out with free weights
• 6 positions; 17-degree decline to 90-degree incline
• Provide extra decline position supports than many other free weights benches
• Corrects posture and stabilizes positioning for a safe, muscle-building free-weight workout
• Bowflex provide a 30-year warranty on frame; one-year warranty on upholstery

Specifications:

• Dimensions: 56″ L x 26″ W x 20″ H (142.25 L x 66 W x 51 H cm)
• 6 different positions with a 17° decline to 90° incline
• Constructed of heavy-duty commercial quality steel
• Corrects posture and stabilizes positioning for a safe, muscle-building free weight workout
• Can be used with more than 30 exercises
• Comes standard with a removable leg hold-down brace for added decline position support
• Wheels away for easy storage

If you are building a home gym based on free weights then a good bench is one of your most important investments. To safely use this bench for bench pressing and seated shoulder presses, you should also invest in a power rack (a.k.a. a cage).  This bench works very well with a set of dumbbells also though, and Bowflex also sell adjustable dumbbells which are great for saving both gym space and time when working out.

Bowflex SelectTech 552 Dumbbells (2009 Model)

Austin is a firm believer in natural health and fitness. She believes that you only need to exercise for 30 minutes a day, and should eat 3 meals a day. She also uses of sugar and butter instead artificial sweeteners and margarine, as controlling portion size is the key to maintaining a healthy weight.

Austin advocates fitness for all ages, and collaborates with researchers in nutrition, to emphasize realistic, real-life solutions to weight control and fitness. Austin supports a balanced program of exercise and proper diet, and encourages people to stay away from fad diets or “crazy claims” for quick fixes. Her exercise programs often integrate a variety of methods including yoga, Pilates, cross training, and aerobic exercise.

Denise Austin’s approach to fitness and weight loss really matches MotelyHealth’s philosophy, in that everyone can attain a healthy weight and a good level of fitness with just some basic advice on exercise and eating. Weight loss is not rocket science. 30 minutes exercise and 3 meals a day and you can be thin!

Top 5 Denise Austin DVD Workouts

1. Denise Austin: Get Fit Daily Dozen
2. Denise Austin: Hit the Spot – 10 Five Minute Target Toners
3. Denise Austin: Best Belly Fat-Blasters
4. Denise Austin: Boot Camp – Total Body Blast
5. Shrink Your Female Fat Zones

Top 5 Denise Austin Books

1. Denise’s Daily Dozen: The Easy, Every Day Program to Lose Up to 12 Pounds in 2 Weeks by Denise Austin
2. Fit and Fabulous After 40: A 5-Part Program for Turning Back the Clock by Denise Austin
3. Pilates for Every Body: Strengthen, Lengthen, and Tone– With This Complete 3-Week Body Makeover by Denise Austin
4. Tone Your Tummy Type: Flatten Your Belly and Shrink Your Waist in 4 Weeks by Denise Austin
5. Shrink Your Female Fat Zones: Lose Pounds and Inches–Fast!–From Your Belly, Hips, Thighs, and More by Denise Austin

In the beginning

Joe Weider was born in Montreal, Quebec in 1922. He grew up in a rough neighborhood where walking home from school was a dangerous activity for a thin young boy. Joe and his brother Ben started to look for ways to build up strength and increase their body size to be able to defend themselves against the neighborhood bullies. They turned to fitness magazines of the time and tried several of the programs to no avail.

One day they happened to be in a scrap yard and noticed some old axles and wheels that they quickly converted into barbells. Joe and Ben Weider decided to start using these weights to train to increase their strength. Joe soon noticed that he did begin to feel physically stronger when working out with the home-made barbells. His arms and legs became larger and more powerful and along with them, his self-confidence.

Weider Publishing Industry

Joe Weider believed that there were others out there like him who wanted to feel good about their bodies and were willing to work to get there. In 1939 the age of seventeen he took his last seven dollars and started a small magazine called “Your Physique”. This twelve-page publication discussed weightlifting, bodybuilding and nutritional issues and sold for two dollars for a yearly subscription. It became a hit with fitness enthusiasts and weightlifters alike and was soon sold across Canada. The magazine, and the Weider brothers, never looked back.

In 1968 “Your Physique” was renamed “Muscle Builder” magazine. It again changed names in 1982 to the current “Muscle and Fitness”. In addition to this magazine the Weider publishing empire includes several magazines and other periodicals. These include:

• Flex
• Shape
• Men’s Fitness
• Living Fit
• Prime Health and Fitness
• Fit Pregnancy
• Cooks
• Senior Golfer

The Periodical and Book Association in 1983, as tribute to his work in the area of fitness publications, named Joe Weider Publisher of the Year.

Weider Achievements

In 1945 Ben and Joe Weider began a mail order fitness equipment business called Weider Sports Equipment Limited and Weider Health and Fitness in both Canada and the United States. They quickly found that there was genuine interest in weightlifting and bodybuilding although many people did not yet see it as a sport. Joe and Ben Weider began to establish reputable competitions for body builders and other fitness conscious people to compete. They used a panel of judges to decide not only strength but also overall muscle development and conformation. The Weiders continued on with this tradition fostering the following competitions and organizations:

• 1946 – Started the International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IBFF). Currently there are 176 member countries.
• 1946 – Organized the first Mr. Canada
• 1949 – Ben Weider travels to Europe to promote bodybuilding
• 1965 – Organized the first Mr. Olympia contest
• 1980 – Facilitated the first Ms. Olympia contest

The Weider’s are some of the first fitness trainers and event promoters to work with females and minorities in competitions. They truly did and still do encourage all people to incorporate fitness and weightlifting as part of an overall approach to a healthy lifestyle.

Weider Exercise Equipment

One of the cornerstones in the Weider empire is their development and promotion of professional quality training equipment for the home. Weider currently makes home training and fitness equipment designed for any type of weight training. The Weider equipment line features the Platinum series that provides over 75 different exercises all in one machine. The Max and the Advantage series are excellent machines that can be used to complete the workout available on more than 60 different club-quality machines.

Weider also makes a series of specialized equipment for the home fitness enthusiast. The Weider Crossbow is designed to allow a maximum range of motion as well as providing maximum levels of resistance. Additional bows can be added to increase resistance and to increase your workout level. The Weidner Crossbar is a great machine for giving a complete body workout. Enthusiasts of either the Weider Crossbow or Crossbar like the range of motion and the multiple gym type exercises that can be achieved on one machine in the comfort of your own home.

In addition to the complete workout machines mentioned above Weider has a product line for many other types of fitness. The Weider fitness equipment includes:

• Weight benches
• Jump ropes
• Bands
• Mats
• Sit-up bars
• Free weights
• Strength training machines
• Boxing gyms
• Weight stations

Weider fitness equipment is rated consistently as some of the best home fitness equipment on the market. The Weider Crossbow and Crossbar are comparable to a Bowflex system and are less costly. Most users report that the Weider products have a greater range of motion and are easier to assemble, an important point to consider when purchasing a home gym.

Joe and Ben Weider did not just stop at promoting the sport and producing equipment, they also worked towards having bodybuilding recognized as a sport. They finally accomplished that in 1998 when the International Olympic Committee officially recognized the IBFF, fifty-two years after it was founded.

The Weider Principles

One of the focal points of the Weider training system is to help people understand the link between athletics and nutrition. As early as the 1930’s Joe Weider was warning of the dangers of smoking and consuming alcohol. The Weider principles were developed to provide “education of the whole person: body, mind and spirit” and to provide a set of training and lifestyle guidelines that were research based and tested. Joe Weider is not only an entrepreneur; he is also an active body builder and fitness enthusiast. He truly does practice the principles that he is credited with developing. Joe himself does not claim to have invented the principles; rather that he honed them into the standards they are now. His greatest accomplishment with the Weider Principles was to bring the research of nutrition in to the realm of bodybuilding and provide scientifically proven guidelines to help others achieve their fitness goals.

There are three large overlaying Weider principles that are then split down even further into sub principles. The three categories, with a very brief example of the subcategories of each are:

Principles to help plan your training cycle.

• Double or triple split training principle – breaking your workout into two or three shorter but more intense training sessions per day.
• Principles to help arrange the exercises in each workout.
• Descending sets principle – start with the heaviest weights use lighter weights each sets as the muscles tire. This is also called “stripping”.
• Principles to help perform each exercise.
• Quality training principle – gradually reducing the rest time between sets while maintaining or increasing the number of reps per set.

Each of the three categories of principles contains between three and thirteen principles designed to provide the best training strategies possible.

Weider Nutrition

Weider produces an extensive line of nutritional supplements for athletes. These supplements focus on healthy nutrition and balancing carbohydrates and protein for optimum performance and development. Weider nutrition focuses on supplementing the body with vitamins, nutritional supplements and herbal products designed to maximize lean muscle mass and increase strength and performance. Weider Nutrition also markets protein shakes and a herbal green tea supplement that are extremely beneficial to decreasing body fat and helping the body maximize the effectiveness of exercise to lose weight.

Further Accomplishments

Joe Weider continues to work tirelessly to promote healthy nutrition and fitness. He has received awards from many different groups and agencies.

• In 1992 he received the Dwight D. Eisenhower Fitness Award form the United States Sports Academy
• 1991 the Boy Scouts of America presented him a Distinguished Citizen Award naming Joe Weider as the “Father of Fitness”.
• 1995 the Governor of California, Pete Wilson, presented Joe Weider with the Lifetime Achievement aware for the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

Joe Weider has always been and will continue to be a moving force and a strong influence in bodybuilding and sports nutrition. He continues to promote the sport of bodybuilding and to incorporate the principles that he is credited with developing. The Weider name is in the forefront of both the home fitness equipment and sports nutrition markets with new innovations and training equipment help amateur and professional bodybuilders and athletes to achieve their best.

About the Author: John Phung is certified personal trainer and successful writer providing easy to understand information about home exercise machines at www.HomeGymsOnline.info

Top Selling Jillian Michaels Workout DVDs

• Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism – 40-minute circuit workout focussing on abs and strength. Some say that it is better than the 30 Day Shred
• Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred – 3-2-1 method: 3 mins strength, 2 mins cardio, 1 min abs. Excellent home circuit workouts that are simple to follow
• Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones – Lose saddlebags, muffin tops and wobbly arms with this workout which focusses on stubborn fat.
• The Biggest Loser Workout: Power Sculpt – The exercises from the TV series are developed here. Another excellent fat busting workout DVD.
• The Biggest Loser Workout: Cardio Max – Jillian’s 10 minute, high intensity level 2 cardio workout is enough to make Usain Bolt sweat!

Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones

Jillian Michaels Mini Bio

Jillian Michaels became interested in exercise and fitness after enrolling in a martial arts class as teenager. She had weight problems as a child and her mother encouraged her to start martial arts as a means to get fit. This led to her developing a career in fitness, becoming a personal fitness instructor, and then a TV fitness instructor on the weight loss show The Biggest Loser. She still uses elements from her martial arts training in her fitness routines, plus bodyweight strength training, yoga, Pilates, plyometrics, and weight training.

One of the best dance fitness DVD’s on the market at the moment is Vanessa Isaac’s Brazilian Dance Workout. This dance workout is a mixture of the most popular dances in Brazil at the moment, namely the Samba, Samba Reggae, African, Axé and Frevo.

• Shape Magazine described it as “An exhilarating total body workout.“
• Fit Magazine said “What a joyous, fun workout Vanessa Isaac has put together-you can feel her passion for dance…“
• Weight Watchers Magazine gave it the thumbs up too: “ideal for those who like to shake it while burning major calories.“

Other Top Brazilian Samba, Reggae and Dance Workouts include:

Samba Party Workout 1: Brazilian Rhythm Celebration
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The Samba Reggae Workout
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Dance Today! Samba – Active Lifestyle Makeover
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