Fitness Equipment Minimalism

 

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STRENGTH TRAINING WORKOUTS NEED NOT BE LONG OR REQUIRE MUCH EQUIPMENT. Whether you exercise at home, at work or on-the-go, short workouts with minimal equipment are your best friend. No more excuses. In the next few weeks i plan to demonstrate a few simple routines. It’s important to note that equipment is not actually necessary for resistance training. It is 💯 % possible to work the entire body using only your body weight, for FREE. With that said, equipment can be very useful and help make things more interesting. My top 3 equipment recommendations are: 1) Resistance Bands 2) a single Kettlebell 3) a single Dumbbell. Resistance Bands are typically inexpensive and kettlebells or dumbbells can often be found used (and you really only need ONE of either). Last week I talked about the essential exercises for a short total body workout. Next week I will demonstrate an example. #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #resistancetraining #strengthtrainingathome #dumbbellworkout #kettlebellworkout #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Oct 15, 2019 at 7:28am PDT

Books on Injuries, Prevention of Injuries

 

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The body has an amazing ability to heal…if/when we let it. Ultimately, the responsibility rests in our own hands. There is an abundance of information out there dedicated to improving health. Much of it is free. I like books. I own many. These are a few that I own that have helped my own movement and body work. Knowledge is key. I was told a long time ago: ask better questions and you’ll find better answers. When it comes to health and quality of life, being lazy should never be an option. Seek help when needed. #bssbbooks #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Sep 5, 2019 at 7:30am PDT

The Best Affordable piece of Exercise Equipment

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For those that prefer to exercise at home or while traveling, the best and most affordable option for strength-training equipment (besides your own body-weight) are Resistance Bands, aka Exercise Bands, Tubing Bands, etc. Basically, they’re nothing more than big strong rubber bands with handles on each end. Prices, brands, sizes and what they call them will vary greatly. My favorite are the “First Place Travel Bands” from the online company @perform_better. They include a door hanger, come in a Light, Medium or Heavy thickness, and currently cost $18.95 usd (I make no money telling you this.) They are superb for working the Upper Body. There are many exercises you can do with them. I recommend starting with the two exercises I demonstrate in the video above, which is a Horizontal Press and a Horizontal Row. Just make sure to attach them somewhere safely and correctly. Start slow, perfect your form, build strong. From time to time, inspect each band for any cuts or worn-out areas that may tear while using. Replace as needed. The thickness is important, because this determines how difficult they will be when stretched during use. Typically they range in thickness by colors. Different companies use different colors to represent how difficult they are. Some may be too easy, some may be too difficult. You will need to experiment. You should be able to do a minimum of 5-10 perfect reps with whatever size you choose. I do use these regularly myself and in fact used them exclusively for an entire year to train my upper body when I was age 31. Combined with a complimentary diet (and complimentary sleep), I became the leanest and most muscular I’ve ever been. I weighed almost 15 pounds heavier than I do now, mostly lean muscle (I did also squat heavy often using barbells, etc which made my hips and legs grow more muscular but also heavier). However, it did prove to be much more work than I would ever want to do again, especially eating enough healthy calories to support more muscle mass. My point though, Resistance Bands are a great option for doing upper body strength work. I’m always here if you have any questions! #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Sep 24, 2018 at 9:54am PDT

New Weekly Tipz! This week’s video is for all those out there that truly hate to exercise (which is probably 99% of most people)…but you also understand that you should do a “little” of something. How does ONE exercise a day sound? No, this is not a gimmick. This also isn’t to help you lose weight. One exercise a day won’t help much with that, sorry. This is to help you with the many other aspects of your general health. At the very least, do 1 upper-body push, 1 upper-body pull & 1 lower body/(leg or hip) exercise each week. Surely you have 5 minutes a day. (I did include 5 sample exercises for your convenience :)

New Weekly Tipz! This is a longer video (15 min or so) but a good video for anyone thinking about exercising while at work or while traveling. I go over some basics of what you need to know, things to consider, basic equipment and how to organize quick workouts that are very effective. Just so you know, you don’t have to watch the whole thing in one sitting. It’s ok to break it up. And by all means, feel free to recommend it to anyone you think might benefit from it.

New Weekly Tipz! This week i want to try and simplify exercise or how you may look at it. When you see a “new” or an “old” exercise, you must learn to see what the body is actually doing, NOT what equipment is being used or anything else ab out it. There is nothing that special about any equipment or mode of training. It’s all about what the body is doing and how it is moving. Pay close attention to that, and in time you will see that most exercises fit into just a few categories. Today i will show you some simple examples…

New Weekly Tipz Show! This week is Part 2 from last week. Last week demonstrated a few full body exercises so that’d you’d have an idea of what i mean when i say “never sit down to exercise”. This week i show a few more examples. But just know that there are many. This is only intended to simply give you a few ideas. Next week i will demonstrate a sample workout, done in real time. This week just focus on the idea of “variety”. Get up. Stand up. Move.

Carlton Cullins’ Weekly Life Fitness & Nutrition Tipz: Christmas 2009

Carlton’s Weekly Life Fitness & Nutrition Tipz: Nov 30 2009

6. BSSB eXercises – "Bicep Curl & Tricep Press SUPERSET Variationz"