10 Fitness Props You Definitely Need | Workout & Exercises slideshows | Physical activities center

On the Rebound - Fitness Rebounders Propel You Into Better Health

A fitness rebounder is essentially a miniature trampoline. The benefits it can offer include torching calories - at a rate of up to 1000 an hour - and being simple to use, with the basic movements learnable in just a few minutes. Taking up relatively little storage space, the rebounder also stimulates the lymphatic system, leading to a better immune system and a sleeker looking body as systemic inflammation is reduced. While it's low-impact on the joints, the rebounder is high impact on the muscles, sometimes loading the legs to several times bodyweight in a controlled and safe manner.

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Photo courtesy of Mikefifield by Wikimedia Commons : commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rebounder01.jpg
www.livestrong.com/slideshow/556938-20-fitness-gadgets-that-actually-work/#slide-2

TRX and Other Suspension Systems Have Unique Benefits

TRX, sometimes referred to as 'blast straps,' are becoming a staple in gyms across the world. They're easy to learn how to use - you can do normal bodyweight floor exercises like push-ups on them or hang from them like a bar - but they're highly versatile too. The great advantage they offer is their instability. Try doing a couple of push-ups on them, and feel your arms tremble as the straps try to fly apart. The additional stress on your stabilizers makes you stronger and you can construct a truly challenging bodyweight circuit around flyes, jacknives and other 'basic' exercises done on the TRX or other suspension systems.

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A Heart Rate Monitor Can Help You Push Yourself Accurately

Heart rate monitors allow you to keep track of your heart rate while you're exercising. That offers the advantage that you can learn how to control intensity to get certain effects. For instance, a heart rate between 115 and 145 is typically peak for motor skills, so you'll know just where to warm up to before lifting or doing agility drills. Some advanced trainees may wish to concentrate on conditioning a particular metabolic system - aerobic fitness, for example, requires that the trainee stay within her maximum aerobic function, arrived at by subtracting her age from 180, so for a thirty year old that means a heart rate of between 120 and 150. Anaerobic fitness would require a minimum heart rate of the trainee's maximum aerobic function. A heart rate monitor allows you to track these changes, making training more adaptable.

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Photo courtesy of Colin Harris  ADE by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/classblog/5349637027/

Pull-Up Bars Are Among the Best Training Tools Out There

A pull-up bar is one of the most versatile and efficient pieces of fitness equipment there is. You can use a pull-up bar for pull-ups, obviously, but there's a range of gymnastics-derived bodyweight exercises that can be done on a pull-up bar. One great strategy for using a pull-up bar is to 'pay the toll' - put your pull-up bar in a doorway you use all the time, and do a few pull-ups every time you pass. You'll notice strength gains in no time! Building a simple bodyweight circuit around your pull-up bar is easy too, and if that's not enough for you maybe it's time to start working on your front lever...

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A Foam Roller Will Help You Recover and Perform Better

A foam roller is designed for 'myofascial release.' 'Myo' means 'muscular,' and 'fascial' refers to the fasciae, fibrous sheaths that surround muscles, separating one muscle group from another and attaching them together in some cases too. Fasciae can grow tight and a foam roller can be a great way to relax them - put the roller on the floor, lie on it with the painful part a little above the roller and simply roll your body up and down the roller. The pressure should help release tight, knotted muscles, and it's soft enough to use a lot of weight, hopefully leading to deep pressure. It's like being able to give yourself a deep tissue massage!

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Pilates Balls Offer Support, Extended Range of Motion and More

A Pilates ball is something you'll see over in the corner of any gym you visit. They're popular for a reason - they allow you to have some support when doing simple bodyweight exercises, they can be used to make movements like crunches more effective by extending the range of motion and their original purpose was to teach a greater range of motion in a supported manner. They can be used to extend the spine or to rest the back foot on during Bulgarian squats to increase the range of motion and improve both strength and flexibility at the same time.

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Kangoo Jumps - Spring Into Action With These Futuristic Shoes

Kangoo Jumps are an exercise shoe designed like an ice skate, but with a plastic shock absorber under the sole. These shoes can be used for running, waking and jumping and reduce the stress on the joints during these activities even as they increase the amount of calories burned. The manufacturer claims that their product reduces impact forces by as much as 80%. The manufacturer's website also refers to a study carried out by a chiropodist in Switzerland that found that Kangoo Jumps helped to reduce pronation and depronation conditions during use. Kangoo Jumps can be used outside, for distance running or for jumping. They're a versatile workout tool.

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BOSU Trainers For An Unstable Basis For Training

BOSU stands for 'BOth Sides Up,' and a BOSU ball looks like a stability ball cut in half and attached to a flat, circular plastic base. BOSU balls are used to improve the stability of a single foot by standing on the ball during lunges, for instance. BOSU balls provide two types of surface, depending which way up they're used: When the domed side is up, the BOSU ball provides an unstable surface on a stable base, and when the flat side is up the entire device is extremely unstable, allowing for many challenging applications. Some studies suggest the effects of BOSU balls are highly overrated, but they remain a staple of the fitness training world.

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Elliptigo - A New Concept In Transportation

The Elliptigo offers the movements of an elliptical crosstrainer, attached to the functioning parts of a pushbike, allowing you to 'pedal' the bike with the motions you'd use on the crosstrainer. The Elliptigo is targeted to runners as well as fitness enthusiasts, allowing runners to continue training outside even while their injuries confine them to crosstrainer-type activities. The company's website claims that the Elliptigo burns 30% more calories than a regular bicycle and delivers benefits comparable to running. While many runners won't want to give up running to take up Elliptigoing, the comapny says some fitness enthusiasts could benefit too, and the device can be used to commute or for other travel purposes the way a bike can.

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The Wii - The World's Newest and Most Convenient Fitness System?

The Wii can deliver genuine benefits for many people. According to the Wall Street Journal, some Wii users reported 'aching backs, sore shoulders — even something some have dubbed 'Wii elbow.'' Though they remained in their living rooms, these Wii users were getting as sore as they do when they go to the gym. Although Nintendo spokeswoman Perrin Kaplan says that 'This huge fitness craze was more than we had anticipated,' the Wii now comes with virtual games including tennis, golf and boxing, and the appetite for games on the Wii that involve real-world movements is increasing. Using the Wii to train can help you lose weight and get in shape.