Weightlifting Workout Gear – PowerBlocks

As the winter month’s creep in I would assume that many of you are running back indoors like scaredy cats to start your winter home weightlifting workouts.  If so then I know that your main concern will be to maintain the fine physique that you have built throughout the year.

To do so you will need home gym equipment that will allow you to do that, regardless of the type of exercise that you do.

When I first started to workout in my teen years, I didn’t have much money, along with all my other teenage buddies at the time.  And all of us put money together to build our own home gym, which actually ended up just being in a garage or bedroom.

But there was one issue that always bugged us when it came to building an area that we could actually workout in?

SPACE!

There just wasn’t enough of it, and unless you live in a decent sized house, this will be an issue for quite a few of you reading this too. There are various types of equipment that will take up space in your home weights room more than others, but apart from the weights bench (Which is more of a necessary fixture) One of the pieces of equipment that takes up the most space are dumbbells, barbells and weights racks.

For a while I pretty much just got used to that, but when I flew overseas and stayed in a friends (spacious) apartment, I noticed this tiny radiator/ power bomb looking thing over in the corner of the room.  And I later found out that it was a set of,

Powerblocks

So not only did the thing look cool, I also found out that it can stack a massive 90lbs of weight (on each hand) all within its compact size!

What! Are you serious! How does that work?

Yea, I’m serious. I won’t bother go  into a deep level of detail of how I started to use them just yet, but these are the essentials of how the Powerblocks work.

It is made up of 3 parts

The core -- The PowerBlock handle

This fits inside the first weight. The first weight fits inside the second weight, the second weight fits inside the third weight and so on.

The weight selector pin

This slides into the sides of the PowerBlock just like the pin on a weight stack. When you lift the weight, all of the weights above the selector pin are lifted at the same time. When you are done with the exercise, you place the block back in the middle of the unused weights.

All quite simple, as all good things should be.

Now I am not going to get overly happy and start telling you that you should sell your iron free weights and persuade the bosses of your local gyms to do the same and replace them with Powerblocks. That’s a bit extreme. But what I will tell you to do is to replace or sell your dumbbells for the Powerblocks. As I am going to be bold enough to say that it is that good of a solution for your home gym workouts and will allow you to perform all of those exercises that you do in the gym, but with some added benefits.

Check the stats

• Saves space
• Eliminates the time delay of changing weights caused by using ordinary dumbbells
• Is safe and secure to use (Which was a main concern)
• Has a magnet in place to prevent the weights slipping (A never ending problem with ordinary dumbbells)
• Provides wrist support

(As most of you may have experienced, when you lift dumbbells and if you are a natural skinny guy, it sometimes feels like your wrists are going to snap. This solves that problem)

Don’t be cheap

It is a true saying that saving money is a smart man’s move, regardless of who you are. But being cheap will only hurt you in the long run because,

1) You can’t visualise the goal of increasing the weight   (Which we know you will want to do) as the max weight won’t be present.

2) You will actually end up wasting more time and possibly money, buying additional weights.

3) Will have a non-efficient workout routine and goal from the off.

The weights coming in 5 sizes

* 3-24 lbs
* 5-50 lbs
* 2.5-55 lbs
* 2.5-90 lbs
* 2.5-130 lbs

And you can buy a 50lb set for around $250. But you are better off going for the full set which I found on Amazon.com for $687.00. You can check that out here.

PowerBlock Elite 90 Adjustable 5 to 90-Pounds per Dumbbell Set

If you do so then you know that set will be an asset for years to come, and when it comes to your yearly winter home workout, you won’t think twice about what you need to prepare for when it comes to dumbbell exercises.

You’ve seen the pictures and you’ve read about me babbling on about the Powerblocks, now here’s a video of them in action.

And the promised ‘dumbbell only’ weightlifting routine.

Have you used any dumbbell alternatives?

Have you already used the Powerblocks?

Got Questions, comments or even feedback? Hit me down in the comments section.

Iron Gym Xtreme Chin Pull Up Bar Review

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend wherever you are, but today will be the last of the products that will be of use to you for your bodyweight workouts. After that, no more talk of bodyweight exercises until the e-book.

Now I’m a bit of a traditional exercise guy at heart, as that is how I started off in the fitness and weightlifting world. When I attended university and worked part-time, I would workout during my breaks and after work, doing only bodyweight workouts with exercises including:

• Dips
• Chin ups
• Pull-ups
• Sit-ups
• Press-ups

In the very beginning I had no money to go to the gym and I would perform all of these exercises on a recreation sports ground that had a high chin up pull up bar and two parallel bars for dips exercises.

As with most things, the way in which you learn something in the beginning is how you’ll probably do them for the present and future (all a part of muscle memory). So that is where my traditional bodyweight training mind set comes from and why I tend to make bodyweight exercises compulsory in all of my workout routines.

However, as time goes on and we learn about new ways of doing things for fitness, new products will inevitably be created that will allow for easier execution of exercises and some times enhance performance. The P90x workout programme is a great example of that.

Although traditional ways of working out is embedded into my workout roots, I am definitely a fan of change and trying new things, especially in the fitness world. That is the reason why I am now here talking about the Iron Gym Xtreme chin pull up bar.

First impressions of this bar may throw you off a little, but the pictures I have added should give you some idea of what you can do with it. Just know that change is good, and that this change is fairly new compared to a normal door chin up bar.

First impressions

Yes! I was initially unsure about this bar. I mean… you’ve got a door chin up bar that is not fixed to the door! What sort of chin up bar is that? So that started ringing some bells in my mind. You’ll look at the pictures and know that you can perform some great bodyweight exercises all with one tool (and which inspired me to share with you all)!

• Back dips
• All types of chin up and pull exercise
• Sit-ups
• Press-ups

Impressive yes! But it is still a chin up bar that is not fixed to a door.

After a few times of using the bar, I started to see that our ingenious ergonomic fitness product-building friends were onto something, and that it works very well and that it does exactly what it says on the tin. I then found myself slowly saying,

‘ I CAN WORKOUT ON THE MOVE’

That is,

- All doors of my house (no more screwing up the wood work)

- In the hotel (the bathroom door way)

- Girl friends place (more time -- some one’s happy now)

Leaving me feeling genuinely happy. I’m usually an early bird with new products, but I was late in adapting to this one. But that should not be you, and you should add this to your arsenal of homegym fitness equipment. And I’ll be sure to include it in future workout routines. I’ll leave you with a video.

The Ontel Iron Gym Xtreme

See you in the comments.

Xercise Ball Pack from SPRI

SPRI Xercise Ball Package With DVD And Pump, 65 Cm Xercise Ball Pack

It’s time for another addition to your arsenal of home gym equipment. In previous posts (namely unique bodyweight exercises part 2) you would have seen the exercise ball being used a few times for exercises such as crunches. There are other exercises you will be using this ball for such as side bends and leg presses, but the abdominals will be the key body part that you will work on the most with the exercise ball.

Since this site has been up, it has been made aware to me that the abs are the no.1 area that most of you want to train, whether you are trying to lose fat to get it to show, or are simply trying to get the the ripped ‘ I’ve eaten a radiator’ look.

Some of you have complained about lower back problems too, from doing normal floor sit ups. Using the Xercise ball will solve that problem as performing the same or similar exercises with the ball will give you a greater range of motion (how far you can stretch). If you are lost when it comes to knowing how to perform the exercises you have seen so far, then hold tight, that will be included in the ebook as well.

So for those who don’t yet have one of these, or are intending to get one since viewing the bodyweight exercises posts, this is the one I’ve been using.

(Note: If you are a pretty big guy, say 5′10″ plus, you’ll want to go for the biggest ball at 75cm)

Only a couple of more bodyweight exercise accessories to go, but for now, go and have a ball.

Altus Deluxe Door Chin Up Bar

Altus Deluxe Chin Up Bar, 1 BarAltus Deluxe Chin Up Bar, 1 Bar The Ultimate Upper Body And Abdominal Workout!

Some of you may still be buzzing from the unique bodyweight exercises. But before i give you the Ebook lowdown on that, i would like to prepare you for those bodyweight workouts that I’m sure you’ll be doing as we lead up to the festive season in these sure to be cold winter months.

The door chin up bar

If you haven’t already got one of these, then this should be the first piece of home gym equipment that you should get. I’m now onto my 2nd chin up bar that I’ve put onto a 2nd door in my home.

Why?

Well, The chin up bar allows you to perform some of the best bodyweight exercises there are that will give you the best strength gains.

• Chin ups
• Pull ups (Wide grip, close grip, both with a dipping belt)
• Hanging Leg raises

And when you are just relaxing in your home, or feeling energetic after a good meal, you can just easily jump on to the bar and max out on a few sets of the above bodyweight exercises. No real preparation, just spontaneous muscle action.

There are many chin up bars you can buy out there, but this was the 2nd one I bought earlier this year. It’s been pretty sturdy since putting it up and hasn’t given me any problems (such as falling down scares when in use!). This one is better than my all steel chin up bar as it has rubber handles that don’t slip, which also absorbs sweat from your hands. The grips are actually a vital accessory for any chin up bar, and if you have performed chin ups on a groove-less steel bar, then you’ll know how frustrating slipping across the bar can be during a workout. If you truly are heavy handed then you can always use a paper towel for extra grip, although i don’t think it will be necessary. (see picture)

So if you haven’t yet got one, be sure to get it, as the Ebook won’t be to far off, and i definitely want you to be ready in time for that. I’ll be updating you on a few other must-have bodyweight exercise accessories, until then, get pulling.

But wait…

Whether you have been hit by the recession or not, one can always save money… right? Any how, I’ll leave you with these coupons for you bodyweight enthusiasts.

Take $5.00 Off Your $100 Order! Use coupon code 5off100.

Take $10.00 Off Your $200 Order! Use coupon code 10off200.

TRX Door Anchor

TRX Door Anchor

In a previous post (Hotel Workout) I talked about the importance of keeping fit while on vacation, without letting your workout routine disrupt your ‘holiday time’. For my home workouts, i use a chin up bar placed between a door frame. This allows me to maintain my muscle mass while I’m not at the gym. But while I’m away i use a door anchor instead, as i know most hotels don’t build there rooms around fitness and workout needs. My first reaction when i first got introduced to this tool was, ‘Is this thing even safe…what if it slips off the top when I’m using it?’. You are probably thinking that right now, but rest assured, it really is safe to use. I personally use it for building and maintaining my triceps, forearms and back shoulders. But the versatility of this thing is great so you can use it in a variety of ways for different muscle groups and it will work those muscles you may usually miss doing normal exercises. If you:

1. Workout at home
2. Travel a lot
3. Have no time for the gym

Then add this to your collection of home gym accessories if you haven’t already done so.

Progryp 100% Leather dipping belt

Progryp 100% Leather Dipping Belt, One Size Fits All, Black A Durable And Comfortable Way To Increase The Safety Of Each Lift!

I can’t actually believe i have left it so late to share my favorite toy with you all. For those who don’t know what this is, a dipping belt is something you wear to add extra weight to your body while doing bodyweight exercises such as chin ups and pull ups (see ‘ How to build lats (wings) like these‘ ). This is what you need to have when certain exercises become very easy, which means you have gained strength and have gotten used to lifting your own body weight. exercises such as

• Chin ups
• Pull ups
• Dips

The reason I recommend the leather one is because it is more durable than material belts (lasts longer). if this product looks alien to you it could be becasue you don’t see many guys doing chin ups/ pull ups in the gym. If that is so, i can tell you this…. they do not know the secret to build functional raw strength! But if you have seen people using this and you have wondered what it is… now you know! For more understanding on how it works,

And again, read that post to get an idea of how i used it.