A Close-Up Of The Two

Let’s start with the Body Blade. This device has two long, flat, flexible blades extending from either side of a central handle. When shaken, the blades wobble back and forth, providing a to-and-fro kind of resistance that sustains itself for long periods of time. This resistance is what helps even simple exercises seem more challenging.

The Shake Weight, on the other hand, is a dumbbell-shaped device. It has weighted ends that are supported by powerful springs from the central handle. When shaken, the weights shake up and down repeatedly, providing a resistance that reportedly fatigue the muscles 5 times faster than free weights.

For Cardio Exercises

Both devices have their places in cardio (aerobic) exercises, since simply holding either one in your hands during an exercise gives you extra dynamic resistance to work against. That means even simple aerobic exercises (and even Yoga) will feel more intense.

For Muscle Building

When it comes to building muscle, the Body Blade has a slight edge over the Shake Weight. The Body Blade can make your muscles contract up to 270 times a minute, with resistance forces reaching up to a whopping 64 pounds. A few seconds with a good Body Blade and you’ll fatigue your muscles to failure.

The Shake Weight is also useful for muscle-building, as it does have an edge over free weights. But its usefulness can’t quite match up to the flexibility of the Body Blade, so it’s best for individuals who are just starting out.

For Cost

If you’re on a tight budget, we’d suggest you go with the Shake Weight for the meantime. The Shake Weight costs only around $20 to $30, while the Body Blade can cost anywhere between $50 and $160, depending on the type of blade you choose (there are 5 types available).

For Portability

The Shake Weight also wins in the portability category. It’s considerably smaller than the Body Blade, and it weighs a tolerable 2.5kg — around the weight of a large laptop. The Shake Weight is easy to carry around, but it’s best to use it indoors and in private — unless, of course, you don’t mind the naughty stares you might get.

For Rehabilitation

If you’re looking for a lightweight, low-impact exercise tool to help you recover from an injury, then the Body Blade is your best bet. Much has been said about the Body Blade being a useful tool for physical therapy, with relatively few, if any, raves going for the Shake Weight.

Choose Your Weapon

In the end, everything will depend on your specific needs. The Body Blade and the Shake Weight both have their advantages over each other, and they do add a new dimension to your usual workout regimen. So choose carefully!

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What’s The Body Blade?

The Body Blade is a relatively-new exercise tool that’s meant to replace traditional free weights and exercise machines. It’s basically two (very) flexible “blades” extending from a central handle. These blades undulate back-and-forth very quickly, up to hundreds of times per minute, to provide two-directional resistance.

Traditional resistance training utilizes gravity, where the individual resists the pull of gravity by lifting weights or doing exercises that involve one’s own body weight. This resistance helps build muscle and improve cardiovascular condition.

The Body Blade works differently. Instead of using gravity, the Body Blade uses dynamic inertia. Instead of resisting gravity (which only pulls the weight down), the individual will need to resist the dynamic inertia produced by the Body Blade’s two flexible ends.

That means resisting not just one direction (down), but two (back and forth) — and hundreds of times per minute! The motion fatigues muscles to failure very efficiently and with less time, allowing more sets and more muscle groups can be worked in a single workout session.

Exercises With The Body Blade

One of the simplest exercises you can do with the Body Blade is to hold it with both hands vertically in front of you. A few shakes, and the Body Blade will begin to flex back and forth on its own. As the resistance increases, you use your core muscles to hold the Body Blade in place — a workout that’s tougher than it sounds!

Muscle-building exercises, such as dumbbell curls, are easily replicated with the Body Blade, as well. Simply hold the Body Blade in the positive (bicep curled) position, and give it a few shakes. Hold the same position as the resistance increases. At hundreds of contractions per minute, you’ll likely work out your bicep in mere seconds.

There are too many exercises to list down in a single article, and more and more uses for the Body Blade are being invented every single day.

Who The Body Blade Is For

The Body Blade is for everyone! It’s a great tool for anyone who wants to lose weight, or build muscle, or grow stronger, or even simply improve their posture. There are thousands of ways to use the Body Blade, and you’ll only need to discover a few to create a complete workout regimen with it.

It’s also great for the elderly fitness enthusiasts out there, who need lower-impact exercises to stay in shape. Individuals undergoing physical rehabilitation also benefit from the easy, low-impact, adjustable resistance that the Body Blade offers.

Currently, there are 5 types of Body Blades to choose from. From the one that provides the least resistance to the most, they are: Body Blade Lite (for rehab), Body Blade CXT and Body Blade Cardio (for aerobics), Body Blade Classic, and Body Blade Pro (for serious workouts). Be sure to choose one that’s right for your body type and fitness level!

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What Balance Boards Are

Balance boards are basically boards or small platforms with a cylindrical or half-spherical fulcrum at its middle. Most boards are used by standing with the feet on both ends of the board, balancing on the fulcrum, and making sure none of the edges of the board touch the floor.

Some balance boards even have fulcrums that move around — cylinders that move from one end to the other, or spheres that act like ball bearings. These are obviously for more advanced exercises, particularly those that only extreme athletes need to master.

A popular variety of the balance board happens to be the “wobble board.” These boards are disc-shaped and have a half-spherical fulcrum at their middles. Wobble boards are more difficult to use because you don’t only have to focus on keeping two opposite sides off the ground, but ALL sides.

How Balance Boards Work

Balance boards are meant to train the body to stay in balance no matter what position it’s in. The act of balancing also strengthens the core, improves flexibility, and boosts your motor skills. It also helps individuals coming off ankle injuries to build strength in their ankles without any risk of sudden impacts.

As mentioned before, extreme athletes such as skateboarders, surfers, and snowboarders also use balance boards extensively — after all, their lives DO depend on their ability to keep their balance. Gymnasts also use balance boards extensively, for practice and exercise outside the gym.

Balance Board Exercises

Simple bodyweight exercises get a new dimension to them when done with a balance board. For instance, try doing pushups with your hands on a balance board — aside from resisting your own body weight, you also need to compensate for the wobbling, which means the secondary muscle groups in your back and core also gets a workout.

The same thing goes with squats. When your regular squats get too easy, try doing them on a balance board — now you have to work much harder to keep your balance.

If you’re a practitioner of Yoga, then a balance board might also make your routines more interesting. Many Yoga positions can be done on a balance board — now, aside from improving your flexibility and cleansing your soul, you also build your core strength all at the same time.

Is The Balance Board For You?

The balance board is definitely a versatile exercise tool, and it complements any exercise regimen, no matter how simple or complicated. It’s compact and lightweight enough to take anywhere you go, and it can be used for a growing number of exercises.

But if you’re just coming off an injury, ask your doctor and fitness trainer for their opinion on the tool. Just, you know, to keep things in the balance.

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Exercising For Fitness?

Some individuals are lucky enough to not be grossly overweight or underweight, and would like to exercise simply to maintain their good health. If that sounds like you, then you’ll need exercises that will keep your body limber, strong, and flexible.

The first kind of exercise you’d want to have on your regimen are the cardiovascular exercises. Jogging, biking, and swimming are examples of common cardio exercises — they get the blood running and your lungs breathing. Cardio boosts the metabolism and promotes circulation.

For flexibility and strength, you may want to try exercises such as Yoga and Pilates. Yoga is serene and flowing, while Pilates is tough and tense — a great Yin-Yang of exercises. These exercises aren’t only good for the body — they’re also good for the mind, and can be a relaxing way to pace yourself through a busy week.

Exercises For Weight Loss?

If you want to exercise to lose weight, then here’s a tip — don’t rely on just cardio. Some people make the mistake of jogging for hours, or spending all their gym time on the treadmill. Cardio does boost the metabolism, but not enough to encourage fat burn on its own.

When you rely on just cardio to lose weight, what happens is that your efforts tend to plateau. Your body gets used to the routine, and your weight loss slows down and stops. What’s worse, long and slow cardio can put you at risk of repetitive stress injury!

Don’t just rely on cardio. Instead, focus on more intense interval training. If you like jogging, learn sprinting. If you like biking, learn spinning. By hitting maximum effort in short bursts, you’ll be encouraging more fat burn — and you’ll be building some calorie-burning muscle, too.

Exercises For Muscle Growth?

It’s a no-brainer, but if you want muscle growth, you’ll need to focus on resistance training. The idea is to work your muscles to failure, so that the body repairs and grows them during your rest days.

When it comes to resistance training, you’re often faced with two choices at any gym — machines, and free weights. It’s a good idea to utilize ALL the tools your gym offers, so that you get to work out ALL your muscle groups. But if you had to choose, choose free weights. They’re better for muscle growth.

No time or money for the gym? Then use body weight exercises instead. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and horizontal bar pull-ups are all great body weight exercises, and you don’t need a gym to do them. Just remember to do sets that work your muscles to failure, and you’ll be seeing bigger muscles in the near future.

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About Special K

Special K is a range of food products created by the Kellogg company. Its cereals, protein bars, cereal bars, crackers, protein water mixes, protein shakes, and fruit crisps are low-calorie, low-fat alternatives to similar products — all forming a large part of the modern Western diet.

The great thing about the Special K Challenge is that aside from taking in less fat and less calories, the food you’ll eat will still be quite tasty. Familiar flavors such as chocolate, peanut butter, caramel, french vanilla, and oats & honey can be tried. It’s not hard to get into such a diet at all, even if you’ve never tried dieting before.

How The Special K Challenge Works

The Special K challenge involves replacing two of your three big daily meals. You’ll replace your first meal with a serving of Special K Cereal (any flavor you want) plus 2/3 cup of skim milk, plus fruit to fill you up. The second meal can be the same as the first, or you can also try either a Special K Protein Meal Bar or a Special K Protein Shake.

During the Challenge, you’ll also be having two snacks, such as one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Your snacks may consist of Special K Protein Snack Bars, Special K Cereal Bars, Special K Fruit Crisps, Special K Crackers, or Special K20 Protein Water Mixes. And if you’re still hungry, you can keep eating fruits and vegetables and drink more water.

You’ll be following this new diet every day for two weeks, after which you’ll lose up to 6 pounds. After the Challenge, you can revert to your old diet if you wish.

Are You Sure This Isn’t Just A Marketing Ploy?

Sure, some might see the Special K Challenge as a marketing ploy to make people buy more cereal. But despite the criticism, there have been a good number of success stories coming from individuals who have tried the Special K Challenge and achieved the 6-pound weight loss target!

Granted, without the proper lifestyle, there’s a chance those six pounds will come back with a vengeance once the dieter resumes an unhealthy lifestyle. That’s why it’s a good idea to combine the Special K Challenge with the other “legs” of the “healthy lifestyle stool” — plenty of exercise, and an aggressive multivitamin and antioxidant regimen.

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The Diet

The diet is fairly simple — you’ll just have to remember the numbers 4-3-2-1. This stands for 4 servings of fruits and vegetables, 3 servings of lean protein, 2 servings of whole grains, and 1 “extra” serving of your choice — alcohol, sweets, oils, or healthy fats, all under 200 calories. This is the amount of food you’re allowed to take in every day.

Basically, you divide your 4-3-2-1 servings across five meals during the day — breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner. You’ll notice that these meals are quite small, which is okay — they’re packed with protein and fiber, making you feel fuller with less calories. And if you still find yourself hungry, no problem — you can eat more than your allotted 4 servings of fruits and vegetables!

And finally, you’ll need to drink water. For good health reasons, you’ll want to drink around 8 glasses of pure water every day — more if you exercise a lot. And speaking of exercise…

The Exercise

No matter how popular the diet is, it’s no good without exercise! The Biggest Loser diet involves plenty of exercise. You’ll start with 30 minutes a day, and as your strength and stamina improves, you’ll work your way up to 90 minutes a day — very doable!

But that doesn’t mean you’ll be jogging on the treadmill for an hour and a half. You’ll need to diversify your training between cardio exercises to burn fat, resistance exercises to build muscle, and interval training to build even MORE muscle.

Why the need for muscle? Simple — every pound of muscle you put on will burn through 10-50 calories of fat per day, even when you’re just resting! That’s 1-5 pounds of fat burned in a year per pound of muscle. And on this diet, you’ll be putting on at least a few dozen pounds of muscle!

The great thing about muscle is that it’s more dense than fat. You might weigh the same, but you’ll look smaller, leaner, and healthier. After all, it’s not just the bright numbers on the weighing scale — it’s also about how you look and feel about yourself!

So go ahead — look for good fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and whole grains you can include in your new Biggest Loser, home edition diet! Also, get advice on which cardio, resistance, and interval training routines you can try.

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The Pros And Cons Of Free Weights

Free weights such as dumbbells and barbells use gravity to produce resistance to movement. Free weights have been the staple gym equipment for a long time, and it looks to stay that way for a while.

The advantages of free weights is that they’re effective — more effective than exercise machines, in fact — in building muscle. And since these weights are adjustable, you can progress to heavier weights to keep building muscle as you get stronger. Progress is, therefore, relatively fast.

On the other hand, free weights can injure you if you do the exercises incorrectly, or with improper posture. Free weights are also more expensive than resistance bands, and you can’t really take them with you when you go into town or travel.

The Pros And Cons Of Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are different from free weights in the sense that it provides resistance through tension, not the use of gravity. It combines the tension in the bands with your own body weight to create the resistance you’ll be working through in your routines.

Resistance bands give you a staggering number of exercises you can try, working out all the muscle groups in your body. One of the main advantages resistance bands have over free weights is that they’re inexpensive and lightweight, letting you take them with you wherever you go. All you need is an overhead support (such as a horizontal bar, a closed door, or a ceiling hook) that can carry your weight, and you’re ready to go.

The main disadvantage of resistance bands is that they’re not adjustable, unlike free weights. You’ll need to get creative with your routines and find newer, tougher exercises if you want to keep building muscle with resistance bands.

The Pros And Cons Of Body Weight Exercises

Body weight exercises don’t require the use of any gym equipment — all you need is your own body’s weight to provide the resistance you need. Examples of common yet effective body weight exercises include push-ups, horizontal bar pull-ups, squats, and sit-ups.

The advantages of body weight exercises are obvious — it’s free! You can do them anytime, anywhere, and it won’t cost you a thing. And when you constantly work your muscles to failure every single set, it can mean substantial muscle growth.

The disadvantages? There are only so many body weight exercises you can try, so you’ll need a bit of creativity to make sure all your muscle groups are being worked out. Also, as you get stronger, you might find body weight exercises less effective, and maybe even boring!

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The 10-Minute Trainer fitness program is also great for people who aren’t particularly busy, but simply don’t have the patience for hour-long workout sessions. Even individuals who dislike dieting and exercise altogether can get into shape in 10-minute spurts. Does that sound like you?

How Tony Horton created 10-Minute trainer

Tony Horton is a personal fitness trainer and the creator of the 10-Minute Trainer fitness program. For the past several years, Tony has developed (or helped develop) dozens of successful, effective fitness programs. One of his more well-known programs is the P90X home exercise system, but that’s for another article…

Anyway, Tony developed the 10-Minute Trainer to help even busy individuals tone and sculpt their bodies, burning fat and improving muscle conditioning, 10 minutes at a time. And as simple as the program is, it’s gaining a fast-growing following in the health-and-fitness world.

The 10-Minute Trainer for toning and sculpting

The 10-Minute Trainer fitness program focuses on toning and sculpting the entire body, and burning fat through cardiovascular exercises. With the use of resistance bands, it also helps condition your muscle groups, although muscle-building is not the 10-Minute Trainer’s main focus.

A typical 10-minute routine includes warm-ups, stretches, ab exercises, a little Yoga, and a good amount of cardiovascular exercise. Your first few tries may surprise you — after 10 minutes, you’ll feel as though you’ve been through a full hour of exercise!

Is The 10-Minute Trainer Program For You?

Due to its compact, “anytime-anywhere” nature, the 10-Minute Trainer fitness program is extremely popular with work-at-home professionals, full-time moms and homemakers, students, executives who travel a lot, and other individuals who simply don’t have the luxury of time to devote to exercise. If that sounds like you, then yes, the 10-Minute Trainer is definitely worth a try!

As mentioned before, the 10-Minute Trainer program doesn’t focus on building muscle. But it does burn fat and increase strength and stamina, and done over an extended period of time, considerable muscle growth will be evident!

Most beginners do three 10-minute workouts — one in the morning, one during the lunch hour, and one in the evening. That totals 30 minutes of rigorous workout, which is enough to put you on the road to good health. Of course, as you get stronger, you’ll want to do more.

Overall, the 10-Minute Trainer fitness program is a great way to jump-start the exercise habit, and it’s safe enough for anyone to try. Once it gets too easy for you, then you can “graduate” to more intensive, more rigorous training regimens.

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Two ways of Muscle Building in Fitness Training

Today, there are two popular ways of building muscle — exercise machines, and free weights. Both methods provide resistance to movement, forcing the body’s muscle groups to work harder. As the body repairs the muscle tissue, it grows bigger and stronger.

Among the two methods, most fitness experts agree that free weights are the better method, since machines absorb a good amount of the resistance that would have otherwise helped in the muscle building effort. With free weights, you work out more muscles, including secondary muscles that help you keep your posture while doing the motions.

But many experts also agree that there’s something even better than free weights — bodyweight training. Bodyweight exercises are simple exercises that don’t use any weights or machines — just the weight of your own body. And done correctly, it can match the results of free weight and machine-assisted exercises easily.

Bodyweight Exercises — A Little Fitness History

Over history, athletes, warriors, and Olympians relied on bodyweight exercises to build strength and muscle for their livelihoods. It’s how Mother Nature designed us to work out, after all, which is why our bodies respond best to bodyweight exercises.

Examples of simple bodyweight exercises include push-ups, sit-ups, horizontal bar pull-ups, and squats. By themselves, these bodyweight exercises can work your muscles to failure (a good thing), and generate substantial muscle growth during your rest days.

The TRX suspension training system takes the elements of bodyweight exercises a step further. By utilizing a simple ropes and grips system, you can greatly increase the number and the complexity of your bodyweight exercises — enough to replace your need to pay for a costly gym subscription!

The TRX Suspension Training System

The TRX suspension training system involves attaching its patented ropes-and-grips system to an above-head support that can carry your weight, such as a ceiling hook, a horizontal bar, or a simple closed door. You can then position your hands or feet on the grips and do various exercises, using your own body’s weight as resistance.

Randy Hetrick’s company, Fitness Anywhere, Inc., can teach you up to 300 different exercises you can do anytime, anywhere, with the TRX suspension training system.

It doesn’t matter what your fitness goals are — for general health, for muscle building, or to improve your performance at your sport — the TRX suspension training can help you reach your peak the way Mother Nature intended you to.

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How The P90X System Works

The P90X home exercise system involves 90 days of rigorous training, consisting of various intense exercises you’ll be doing six days a week. No two exercise days are exactly the same, since the entire point of the P90X system is to “confuse” the body’s muscle groups.

“Muscle confusion” is the technique used by many fitness enthusiasts to prevent the body from getting used to daily exercise routines. When the body is forced to adapt to constantly-changing kinds of physical stress, it works at peak capacity, and muscle growth continues past the usual plateaus.

The P90X home exercise isn’t just about exercise, either — it also has a detailed diet in place. Following the diet will teach new P90X diets the delicate relationship between protein and carbohydrates in the diet.

The Face Of P90X

Tony Horton, one of the creators of the P90X home exercise system and its most visual and vocal

promoter, has worked on personal fitness programs for several years. He was approached to produce a fitness program for people who already had some knowledge of health and fitness, but were unable to continue their progress due to the “plateaus” they encounter.

After two years of development, consultation, and experimentation, Tony introduced the P90X system, with its revolutionary “muscle confusion” approach to quickly, steadily, and effectively build muscle and burn fat.

Tony doesn’t do much of the promotion — actually, most P90X ads you’ll see on TV and on the Internet are about testimonials from people who tried the P90X system themselves. And if you’ve seen some of the ads, you’ve likely also seen some impressive changes in the P90X graduates’ bodies from Day 1 to Day 90!

Is P90X For You?

Make no mistake, though — the P90X home exercise system will be one of the most rigorous exercise-and-diet systems you’re going to undergo. If you’re not 100% serious about committing to the 90-day plan, then don’t try it until you are!

You’ll also need certain pieces of gym equipment in your home, such as push-up bars and handles, dumbbells, yoga mats and blocks, gloves, chairs, etc. The detailed program will let you know what else you’ll need for your new workout regimen.

Ready for extreme workouts? Ready for extreme results? Then the P90X home exercise system may be for you. Follow the schedule religiously, and you just might become one of the toned, cut, sexy graduates on P90X’s promotional ads.

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