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Weight Loss Exercise

5 Signs of Weak Core Muscles

If your core is weak, your balance is poor. This leads to an unstable body, increasing the possibility that you could suffer a fall. A week core also makes you feel physically weak.

You can support more physical effort when your core is strong. Most people think of core muscles as your abs. But your core is actually composed of 6 groups of 29 muscles located in your upper thigh, lower back, and the sides and front of your stomach.

How Do You Know If Your Core Is Weak?

Core MusclesYou may have an extremely strong core that is located beneath several layers of fat. This means you can actually look overweight and still have a very healthy core.

So how can you tell if your core is weak or strong? A poor core and chronic lower back pain often accompany each other.

If you experience frequent tightness and pain in your lower back, a weak core could be a part of the problem. Since core muscles also protect your spine, poor posture is sometimes a sign of a weak core.

Do you slouch when you stand or sit? This might be because your core muscles are weak, and cannot support your upper body for extended periods of time.

How is your balance? A weak core leads to poor balance. Try this. Stand with your feet 6 to 8 inches apart and start a timer. Close your eyes and lift one of your feet up off of the floor.

Balance as long as you can, keeping your eyes closed. You should be able to stay in this position for a minimum of 10 seconds. If not, you need to work on your core muscles. Try this with each of your legs.

You can also take a simple breathing test to see how strong your core is. While standing, take a deep breath. Hold for a second and then exhale.

When you begin exhaling, compress your stomach back towards your spine as far as you can possibly go. If you cannot hold this pose for at least 10 seconds, your core definitely needs some work.

You can also test your core by holding the plank position. Lie face down on the floor. Supporting yourself on your forearms, with your elbows at a 90 degree angle, straighten your spine from your neck to your ankles.

If you cannot hold this position for at least 50 or 60 seconds before you crash to the floor, your core needs some help.

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Weight Loss Exercise

Bowflex Blaze Home Gym

The Bowflex Blaze Home Gym with Power Rod Technology is a serious piece of fitness equipment.

If you’re searching for a way to look and feel better, the Blaze will give you fast results, with just 20 minutes a day, three times a week.

The Blaze offers over 60 gym-quality exercises that work all your muscle groups, and with 210 pounds of Power Rod resistance (upgradable to 310 or 410 pounds) this device offers plenty of room for strength-training growth.
The Blaze allows for more than 60 exercises and offers 210 pounds of Power Rod resistance.

Feature Details Bowflex Blaze

Number of Exercises: 60

Power Rod Technology Resistance: 210 pounds (upgradable to 310 or 410 pounds)

Lat tower with angled lat bar helps build back and shoulder muscles quickly

Lower pulley/squat station enables you to do squats and build your glutes, hamstrings, and quads Leg Extension/leg curl attachment helps develop strong, muscular legs

Sliding seat rail allows you to perform aerobic rowing and leg (more…)

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Weight Loss Exercise

Ways to Get Elliptical Trainers for Cheap

If you thought you could never buy a high quality elliptical trainer, there is good news for you. There are many people who cannot afford a brand new elliptical trainer, and so, an array of fitness equipment manufacturers have come up with remanufactured, refurbished and used models of elliptical trainers to serve these people.

If these terms confuse you, read on to find out the difference between the three models. You would then find it easier to decide on which one to pick up for yourself.

Who Buys Used Elliptical Trainers

elliptical trainerHealth clubs are probably the most frequent buyers of refurbished and remanufactured fitness equipment, whether they are elliptical trainers or treadmills. And why not – after all, these are refurbished models of an advanced level of equipment.

If you are out to buy some high end equipment and find the $3k price tag a bit too high for your pocket, you could save big by purchasing its refurbished or remanufactured version. To give you an idea, if you buy a refurbished version of a $3000 elliptical trainer, you could easily get it at a cheap $2,000 or even less.

To give you an idea, if you buy a refurbished version of a $3000 elliptical trainer, you could easily get it at a cheap $2,000 or even less.

It is important to keep in mind that the words “refurbished”, “remanufactured” and “used” are NOT synonyms; rather, they mean different things. Unless you know how to differentiate between the three models, you might end up getting a raw deal. At the end of the day, you would need to do as much research for a refurbished treadmill as you would before buying a brand new model; after all, you won’t want to invest in a crap equipment that barely lasts a few months.

Unless you know how to differentiate between the three models, you might end up getting a raw deal.

At the end of the day, you would need to do as much research for a refurbished treadmill as you would before buying a brand new model; after all, you won’t want to invest in a crap equipment that barely lasts a few months.

Remanufactured Elliptical Trainers

When an elliptical trainer becomes more than two years old, it is usually taken back to its original manufacturer for repair and maintenance.

Once there, it is “remanufactured” or rebuilt by adding new spare parts, coating and other stuff, thereby making it as good as a brand new machine.

In my opinion, if you are going to buy a second-hand elliptical trainer, purchasing a remanufactured equipment would probably be your best bet, because they are being rebuilt by the original equipment manufacturer instead of private individuals.

Do note that remanufactured fitness equipment usually come with a very short warranty period. Be sure to check the warranty details about the elliptical trainer you are going to invest in.

Refurbished Elliptical Trainers

Unlike remanufactured ellipticals which are almost always rebuilt by the original manufactured and then offered for sale at a deep discount.

Refurbished ellipticals can either be rebuilt by the manufacturing company or individual fitness equipment dealers.

As such, the process of maintenance is not as rigorous and thorough as the remanufactured models. Overall, this is the second best choice you have in the area of used elliptical trainers.

On the plus side, if the equipment is rebuilt by a fitness equipment dealer, it would usually come with a longer warranty than the equipment remanufactured by the manufacturing company.

Used Elliptical Trainers

Just in case you don’t know, half of those who buy fitness equipment never actually use them, and eventually sell them after a few years. There is another group of people who sell a fitness equipment that has become old and useless.

More often than not, you won’t get any warranty with a used elliptical trainer, meaning that if you get stuck with post-purchase problems, you would be basically on your own with no one to indemnify you.

This is probably the riskiest transaction for a customer and you should consider this option only as a last resort.

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