Fitness: The Most Bang for Your Buck

The Beach Season is here! This is a questionable time in the fitness industry – people made their New Year’s Resolutions, which commonly included getting in better shape, exercising more, etc. Gyms and health clubs love this time because memberships spike up. However, the gyms count on the fact that they can oversell memberships because the actual use of the facility may only stay busy until the Spring when all those well-intended resolutions start to fizzle.

In a three year study, economists at the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University combed through 8,000 gym-membership records in the Boston area and found that about 80 percent of the members with a monthly contract were paying significantly more than they would have if they had gone on a pay-per-use basis. That’s because the members had overestimated their gym usage and went fewer than five times a month, on average — far less than they had initially projected.

The result: an average user paid $17 per workout, even when a $10 pay-per-use option existed. And that added up. Members were losing on average $700 over the life of their monthly or annual gym contracts.

Now that warm weather is upon us, and given the current economic situation, people are re-examining how they spend their money. While there are the people who actually use their memberships, and people who will continue to waste their money on memberships (even the cheaper memberships that are available), many others are tightening their finances and dropping that monthly or annual fee.

At the same time, many gyms – both large and small – are at risk of going out of business. The problem is that most people still need to exercise, and do have the desire to do so, but don’t know where to go.

Here are my recommendations of how to save your gym fee best by creating your own gym at home. The numbers are estimations, but should be pretty close and will save you money and time (the two most precious commodities these days) in the long, and possibly short, run. So, depending on what your gym costs would be for you/your family/etc., here we go:

The free to $25/year membership

This is for all you college students who are used to having access to a gym at school and then you graduate and find out that now you have to pay for things. It is also for those people who have belonged to certain gyms forever and are paying a minimal fee at this point. One of the best pieces of equipment anyone can use is completely free: your own body. It is amazing to me how many strong looking people who lift a lot of weight cannot even handle their own body weight. Just for fun one day (and because I’m kind of a geek), I spent 10 minutes thinking of as many different types of pushups, pull-ups, and squat variations that I could. In the 10 minutes, I came up with 21 different pushups, 11 different pull-ups, and 19 different squats. Over the course of my fitness career, I have done countless other variations of those, as well as other types of exercises. The point is that bodyweight training is one of the most useful, functional, and simple fitness training you can do. It involves minimal space and equipment, and can be done anywhere at anytime.

Depending on where you live, work, or choose to train, you can perform bodyweight exercises using whatever is found in your environment – stair climbing, jumping over furniture, pull-ups from I-beams in a basement, etc. These are all great options and don’t cost a thing. If you have a few extra dollars to spend, I suggest a jump rope ($5-$10) found in any sporting goods store, and a flexband (~$20) such as one found through Jumpstretch, Inc. (www.jumpstretch.com). Additionally, no matter what type of exercise you are doing, everyone should own a foam roller to promote the recovery process (see Health and Leisure December 2007) – $10-$20 at Perform Better (www.performbetter.com).

$10/month ($120/year)

Many gyms are now offering these greatly reduced membership prices compared to some of the other “Globo-Gyms” out there. While these certainly offer people the opportunity to waste less money, $120 per year is still a big waste if unused. For the money you save, I would recommend purchasing the items stated above (jump rope and flexband) – $25, and a kettlebell – found nowadays in various places. The kettlebell is one of the most well-rounded and versatile pieces of equipment you will find, that also conveniently fits in a closet, under a bed, etc; and requires minimal space to use. The other benefit of the kettlebell is that amazing fitness results can be achieved in a relatively small amount of time (< 30 minutes per day).

$20/month ($240/year)

Now you have an extra $120 (remember, you are buying all the things listed above for $120) to use to add something unique to your home gym. The TRX Suspension Trainer from Fitness Anywhere (www.fitnessanywhere.com) is basically two adjustable nylon straps with handles/loops on the ends. It can be hung from a door (great tool if traveling) or ceiling support, and can be used to complement all bodyweight exercises for any part of the body. While similar items exist that cost less, the TRX was developed by a Navy SEAL and has been around long enough to set the standard by which the other competitors continue to chase after, but have yet to catch up with. I told you that you have an extra $120 but the TRX retails for about $150 – do yourself a favor and spend the extra 30 bucks.

$30/month ($360/year)

This one is very simple, now that you bought all the stuff above, use the extra $120 and hire a personal trainer who can teach you how to use all your new toys. Just make sure that the trainer is actually knowledgeable about all this equipment. As this article is about getting away from the gyms, most gym-based trainers do not use this equipment and therefore are not necessarily experts on training people with it. The $120 will generally get you 1-3 sessions with a trainer – a good start to get you going safely in the right direction.

$50/month ($600/year)

One of my favorite pieces of equipment is something that most clients think I am crazy for having. A Battling Rope is a large diameter (1.5-2 inches) rope ranging in length from 30-100 feet. The downfall of this equipment for a home gym is that you need enough space for at least half of its length to be laid out without obstructions, and if you choose the manila rope (the more common type) it can tend to “shed” and requires vacuuming after each use. The benefits however, are AWESOME! Endurance and strength are challenged like no other when performed appropriately. Ropes generally range from $100 to $250 for 30-50 foot ropes depending on where they are purchased (www.immortalusa.com or www.artofstrength.com are two recommended sites). Depending on which you choose, you may have some money left over (you had $240) – use it for another personal training session or at least a DVD on the ropes.

$100/month ($1200/year)

An extra $600 goes a long way. This is where more of the “typical” home gym items should be purchased if you feel it is necessary: Dumbells/barbells with plates, medicine balls, stability balls, etc; or additional pieces of the previously mentioned equipment can help fill any voids in your exercise program. Another option is additional training sessions to help show how to fill those voids without additional equipment being purchased.

While many people picture home gyms including items such as treadmills, bikes, stair masters, or large “Universal” pieces of resistance equipment – I personally don’t initially recommend them for home gyms for a few reasons: they are big, expensive, and cannot be used for multiple functions. This article is about getting the most bang for your buck, therefore equipment should be more reasonably priced, not take up a lot of space, and every piece I mentioned buying serves multiple fitness purposes, including strength, endurance (cardiovascular and muscular), flexibility, balance, speed and agility, and last but not least – weight loss. If you want the other stuff, that’s up to you; I would recommend waiting until the following year to buy it if you really feel the need.

Additional resources that provide most of this equipment are:

1. Wateman Fitness Equipment – located in Livonia, MI which will give you further savings on shipping (www.wateman.com)

2. Power Systems (www.power-systems.com)

Good luck, and have fun.

For more information on home gym setup, or personal training utilizing all the equipment mentioned, email Bob at bob@functional-strength-training.com, or visit his website at www.functional-strength-training.com.

Gadgets & Gear: Personal Trainer in Your Pocket

Happy New Year! I hope you’ve been having fun playing with all the cool toys you received for the holidays (which if your loved ones were reading this magazine last month you should have gotten some very cool gear)!

January not only ushers in a whole new year, but for many of us it also brings several New Year’s resolutions. If one of your resolutions is to get in shape, and if you happen to have gotten a new iPod (or even have an old one for that matter), this article is about how you can use your iPod to get better results with your resolution.

iPods and MP3 players in general are a great tool to help you stay motivated to do that extra mile on the treadmill or that extra rep on the weight bench. At the very least they provide music to help take your mind off of just how much your muscles hurt or how much you really don’t want to be there. Perhaps you didn’t know this, but that little iPod can be more than just a distraction. It can be a tool to help take your workout to the next level and help you see some serious gains, or losses, depending on your goal.

There are two things for your iPod that I would like to highlight in this article that I really think can turn that fun little gadget into a virtual trainer. The first item is the iPod + Nike system and the second is a whole group of websites that provide workout Podcasts for you to download.

iPod + Nike

Now this system has been around for some time but with the new generation of iPod Nanos and some new Nike shoes that support the system, I think it has finally hit the tipping point and the system is starting to take off. Unfortunately, this system is designed to be used with the Nano and not the iPod Classic, Touch, or Shuffle, but it does work with all generations of Nanos. The latest generation of Nanos with its phenomenal screen and diminutive size is what really made me stand up and take notice of the iPod + Nike system.

So what is involved with the iPod + Nike system you ask? As I stated earlier, you need an iPod Nano. You then need to go to the Apple store or to a local sporting goods store to pick up the iPod + Nike Sport Kit which has the transmitter and receiver set you need. This costs about $29.00. Finally, you need to go to your favorite shoe store and look for a set of Nike + shoes. These shoes are just like any other set of Nikes but these have a small space under the arch of your left insole where the transmitter goes. You then plug the receiver into the dock connector of your Nano, and you now have a state-of-the-art training tool.

Now, what does the whole system do? Well that transmitter in your shoe is a very cool little pedometer that transmits all its data to your iPod, which then can display all kinds of information about your workout such as your pace, how many calories you have burned, how far you have run, and how long you have been going. Don’t feel like fidgeting with an iPod while you are running? Don’t worry, the iPod not only displays all this information on the screen but will also talk to you through the headphones (adjusting the volume of your music when it does). It will even congratulate you when you have achieved a personal best time or pace.

The thing I think is one of its coolest features though is the PowerSong feature. What this lets you do is select one song that really gets you pumped, and when you press and hold the center button on the Nano, it will interrupt your playlist with this song. When the song is finished, the Nano will go back to your previous music. This is great when you need that last little kick to really pour it on and finish hard.

Even if that is all the iPod + Nike system did, it would still be a great tool for your cardio workout, but it gets even better with its synch capability. Once you get home from your run or walk, you can plug your Nano into your computer and synch it with iTunes and the www.nikeplus.com website to keep track of your progress. It can track everything from your total time out, total miles ran, and total calories burned, and can even break it down by day, week, month, or year. It uses a very straight forward graphical system that readily shows you where you stand and how far you have to reach your goals. If you are the really competitive type, you can even challenge your friend on the other side of the country to a virtual race and upload your data to see who wins!

So if you have an iPod Nano, and you are in the market for a new pair of running shoes, pick up a set of the Nike + shoes and the Sport Kit and start putting that Nano to really good use!

Podcasts

Now this “tool” is very straight forward. There are several websites out there that provide instructional video or audio Podcasts that you can use to help make your workouts either more productive, fun, or hopefully both. This truly is like having a personal trainer in your pocket except you don’t have to worry about running into him on the street with that disapproving look when he sees you with that triple scoop of Baskin-Robbins in your hand. Here is a list of several sites that you may want to check out. Two of these sites charge per Podcast, and the other is subscription-based. There are a few other sites that provide some free audio podcasts though their quality is commensurate with what they charge.

www.fitwisetraining.com

This site has video Podcasts on everything from strength training to yoga. Each video is $1.99 for a certain exercise/posture or they have packages that provide a complete workout for $9.99. It is very easy and straight forward and the only one on this list that is video-based.

www.podfitness.com

Now this really is having a personal trainer on your iPod or MP3 player because once you sign up with this subscription-based service, you put together a plan with a real life trainer who then develops a program for you. This program is downloaded either through the free iTunes or Zune software and then uses the music that you pick to create a whole workout session. The subscription rate for podfitness.com is $59.85 every thirteen weeks. It may sound like a lot, but you can’t even get one session with a personal trainer for that in most gyms.

www.itrain.com

Here they offer a bunch of different audio Podcasts with music for a variety of different workouts. The trainers can offer some pretty cheesy “motivation” at times, and the music is from their own collection of generic high energy music, but I really could imagine that I was in a studio with a trainer with their Podcasts. Prices vary, but each Podcast is a full 15 minutes to one hour workout for anything from $4 to $10.

Well, that’s it for this month. I hope this article has helped give you some ideas on putting that iPod to good use and that it helps you reach your fitness goals this year. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at jeff@healthandleisureonline.com.