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What's the Best Fitness Gym Equipment?
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Dear Raphael:What's the best fitness gym equipment to use for strengthening and toning the body? I've changed my routine to decrease the amount of exercises that I perform due to time constraints so need to make the most of efficient use of my time.
In your case, if you're decreasing exercises, then I recommend mostly fitness gym equipment that uses compound movements. Compound exercises work multiple muscle groups while isolation exercises focus on one muscle group. The compound exercises burn more calories and provide more overload on the muscles. For example, walking lunges are more effective for the butt than the Butt Blaster machine because the lunges burn more calories and also work the hips, quadriceps and hamstrings.
Here are the fitness gym equipment exercises I recommend:
Chest:
Dumbbell incline press
Dumbbell chest press
Machine chest press
Back:
Dumbbell rows
Barbell rows
Lat pull-down machine
Seated cable or machine row (use various grip handles)
Shoulders:
Seated or standing overhead dumbbell press
Standing dumbbell lateral raises
Bent over dumbbell rear raises
Biceps:
Dumbbell curls (with variation in seat setting)
Barbell curls
Machine curls
Triceps:
Lying EZ Curl Bar extensions
Decline dumbbell extensions (palms face the body)
Machine press down
Standing one arm dumbbell extensions (dumbbell lowered behind the head, to upper back with elbow stationary and pointed towards ceiling)
Legs and Butt:
Barbell squats
Dumbbell squats
Plie squats with dumbbell or barbell (much better than the adductor machine)
Leg press with feet high (gets the glutes)
Stationary lunges
Walking lunges
Extension step ups on 12" step lifting leg high
Semi stiff legged dumbbell deadlift
Calves:
Seated calf raise
Standing calf raise
Abs:
Fit ball crunch
Roman chair leg lifts
Bicycle maneuver
If I didn't place an exercise or a machine on this list it doesn't necessarily mean I don't like it. I'm just trying to show an example of good compound multi-joint movements.
Looking for more workout tips? Check out these favorites:-- 2 Minutes to Tight Abs
-- 20-Minute Home Fitness Workout
-- The Better Butt Diet: Super 6-Week Plan
A drug-free competitive bodybuilder and winner of the prestigious WNBF (World Natural Bodybuilding Federation) Pro Card, Raphael Calzadilla is a veteran of the health-and-fitness industry. He specializes in a holistic approach to body transformation, nutrition programs and personal training. He earned his B.A. in communications from Southern Connecticut State University and is certified as a personal trainer with ACE and APEX. In addition, he successfully completed the RTS1 program based on biomechanics.
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