This product is making quite a splash online and through TV infomercials. Core training, once discussed only among athletes, has become a hot trend for home gym users and fitness clubbers. The core includes the body’s midsection from sternum to pelvis, and the important muscles along the lower spine. Strengthening the muscles deep within your center creates a “corset effect”, pulling everything in tight.
The Core Sculptor will deliver results in 4 to 15 minutes per day by working the upper and lower abs, obliques, upper and lower back muscles, and the gluteus maximus (glutes). You can also use the Curl Bar to enhance resistance and effectively sculpt your upper body.
The Core Sculptor is designed for eight unique exercises: 1) Ab Glide – Forward 2) Ab Glide – Reverse 3) Side Glide 4) Ab Curl 5) Bun Toner 6) Ab Challenge 7) Circle Row and 8 ) The Boat.
Click here to see photos of each exercise in action (on the How It Works page).
The complete package includes the Core 4 workout video, two additional Core Sculptor workout videos for intermediate and advanced users, the Core Sculptor Total Body Cardio video, Slim from Within eating plan featuring a complete 4 week menu planner, Slim from Within Recipe Book with more than 40 recipes plus a 30 day money back guarantee and lifetime warranty.
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The XPress Pro Strength Training System from BodyCraft offers a wide array of features that may seem a bit overwhelming at first. The price is higher than some competing home gyms but this system packs in all the options you’ll appreciate in the long run.
The BodyCraft X-Press utilizes pulleys and cables for unrestricted, completely natural, and biomechanical correct movements. It includes a bench press station, cable station, ab crunch station, low and high pulley stations, leg extension station, curl station, and an optional leg press station.
The Bench Press Station features an adjustable starting point that allows for different size users and a variety of upper body workouts including Bench Press, Incline Press, Shoulder Press and Mid Row. The functional training/cable arms support more than 100 exercises for functional core training, sports-specific workouts, and rehabilitation exercises.
In addition to the many workout options, BodyCraft values visual appeal and user comfort. The heavy frame has a Silver Vein finish and double-stitched vinyl upholstery with added lumbar support. The perforated steel weight stack enclosure is noise dampening while being more aesthetically pleasing than most home gyms.
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The Reebok Fitwatch 10S, designed specifically for women, is the smallest strapless heart rate monitor on the market. But the lightweight, slender design houses a powerful multi function device with the fastest readings available — it displays heart rate and calories burned within 4 seconds of touching the sensors. Reebok’s “pulse technology” has put an end to the cumbersome chest straps of the past.
The Reebok Fitwatch 10S has a programmable target heart rate zone with audible and visual alarms that trigger when you’ve moved out of your target zone or exceeded your maximum heart rate. It also features standard watch functions plus a 100-hour stopwatch and 100-hour countdown timer. The fully water-resistant device includes a backlight for easy low-light viewing and comes with a complete walking and exercise guide.
Reebok Fitwatch 10S Strapless Heart Rate Monitor Watch Product Details
- Strapless, slender and contoured for a perfect fit
- Pulse technology measures heart rate and calories burned by finger touch
- Programmable Target Zone Indicator with audible and visual alarms
- 100-hour stopwatch
- 100-hour countdown timer
- Clear and easy to read backlit LCD display
- Time of day, calendar, daily alarm
- Water resistant to 50 meters
- Walking and exercise guide
- Available in Blue or Pink
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If you’ve shied away from Bowflex home gyms because of the high priced club-quality models, the Bowflex Blaze may be worth a look. The Blaze is essentially the same as the discontinued Sport model with a few cosmetic upgrades. This stripped down base model is the most economical home gym Bowlex has to offer.
At under $900 we consider this a good value as it includes all the basics needed for an effective full body workout. While featuring less bells and whistles than top-of-the-line models it utilizes the standard 210lbs of Power Rod resistance and allows you to do over 60 exercises. The Bowflex Blaze includes a lat tower, squat station, leg extension attachment, and aerobic rowing station.
Bowflex Blaze Product Details
- Most affordable Bowflex Home Gym available
- 210 lbs of Power Rod Resistance upgradeable up to 310 lbs or 410 lbs
- Lat Tower with Angled Lat Bar for back and shoulder exercises
- Lower Pulley/Squat Station to build glutes, hamstrings and quads
- Leg Extension/Leg Curl attachment to develop strong, muscular legs
- Sliding Seat Rail for Rowing and Aerobic, calorie burning cario workouts
- 5-Way Hand-Grip/Ankle Cuffs
- Workout Placard displays exercise descriptions for easy reference
- Folds and rolls on wheels for easy storage
- Owner’s Manual/Fitness Guide with detailed instructions for each exercise
If you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford one of the high end Bowflex gyms, the Bowflex Blaze may be for you. For a step up in features (and price) consider the Xtreme XTLU and Ultimate 2.
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The ingredients in Hydroxycut Hardcore have been clinically proven to decrease body fat by 7.9% and increase norepinephrine (NE), the body’s key fat-burning hormone, by up to 40%. Ten years of research went into Hydroxycut Hardcore’s formulation. Add that to clinical studies backing the ingredients, and you’ve got what MuscleTech calls the world’s most powerful fat burner.
We don’t know if that claim holds up but this product provides a very strong burst of energy and is great for cardio, endurance, and appetite suppression. It allows you to eat only when hungry and gives the energy and results you need at the gym.
Among the hundreds of thousands of loyal users are pros such as Jay Cutler, Darrem Charles, David Henry, Gustavo Badell and Johnnie Jackson.
As with any diet pill there is the risk of side effects, which include headaches and restlessness. This is not a magic pill. It should be taken as part of a healthy program of eating right and proper exercise.
Rowing is one of the most effective total body workouts, strengthening all muscle groups and providing a great cardio workout. It works your legs, arms and shoulders and isolates abs on every row. The rowing machine movement is smooth and natural, with no impact. In addition to building strength, burning calories and improving stamina, rowing machines are used for rehabilitating muscles, ligaments and joints after an injury.
The Kettler Kadett rowing machine’s outrigger design allows a natural circular movement, closely simulating the actual process of rowing on water. The two hydraulic cylinders can be set to resistance levels between 1 and 12. The comfortable ergonomic seat runs smoothly on rollers mounted on rails, the moving foot plates have adjustable straps and an anti-slip base protects flooring. When your training session is over the outriggers can be easily folded inwards to save storage space.
The Kadett also features an advanced training computer that displays time measurement, number of oar strokes, speed of strokes, distance covered during training session, total distance, energy consumption, and pulse rate. Visual and audio signals alert you when you’ve reached goals for distance covered and stroke speed.
Assembly is a bit complicated and time consuming but once you’re up and rowing expect one the most complete workouts you’ve ever had.
iTRAIN allows you to download personalized workouts with voice and music to any portable MP3 player, including an iPod or iPhone. You’ll be coached by Hollwood fitness trainers while participating in exercises of your choice like running, walking, cycling, rowing, climbing, sculpting, stretching, swimming, boxing, pilates and yoga.
Celebrity endorsements include Courtney Cox, Sarah Silverman and Olympic Gold medalist Natalie Coughlin.
If you’re easily bored by an exercise routine, iTRAIN’s ever-changing menu of workouts will keep things new and fresh. iTRAIN impressively combines versatility, accessibility and portability.
iTRAIN offers three purchase options:
- The Monthly Motivator plan allows you to download three workouts programs each month. You can mix and match any program or choose to design custom fitness routines.
- The Resolution Package lets you make a year-round commitment to fitness. You’ll get the same three downloads of any workout program each month but at a lower cost than if paying monthly for a year.
- The A La Carte plan gives you the freedom to pay per download for as low as $0.99.
We view iTRAIN as part of a new wave in personalized conditioning and recommend it for those who can’t afford a personal trainer.
Why not get the most out of your SelectTech dumbbell routine? The Bowflex 5.1 Series adjustable exercise bench will add spice to your workouts and help you focus on isolating the correct muscles, while maintaining optimal form.
The Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Bench Series 5.1 adds a vast range of variety to your lifting routine by adjusting to 6 different comfortable positions — from a 17 degree decline to 90 degree incline. It corrects posture and stabilizes positioning for a safe, muscle-building free weight workout.
From this single utility bench up to 30 strength building exercises can be performed.
It’s built with heavy-duty commercial quality steel and the comfortable bench paddding will hold up for the long haul. It comes standard with a removable leg hold-down brace for added decline position support and wheels away for easy storage. Clear diagrams allow for painless assembly.
This bench is a perfect companion to the Bowflex SelectTech Dumbells and Bowflex SelectTech Dumbell Stand.
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Inverting your body using a table of this nature has been proven to alleviate back pain, stress and stiff joints. This is not a new age, eccentric idea. The use and benefits of this simple, natural form of physical therapy date back to 400 BC. It represents the often overlooked “quiet side” of fitness which can assist your body in recovery from the compressive effects of gravity and daily activities.
The Teeter Hang Ups F5000 is innovatively designed to provide a comfortable and secure inversion experience. The table easily rotates on a pivot device at your direction as you shift the weight in your arms and upper body. Three pre-select levels allow you to control the aggressiveness of the rotation and comfortable ankle clamps keep you safe and secure during inversion. When locked in a full 90-degree angle you can perform inverted exercises including crunches, situps and squats.
The F5500 is durable and features heat-treated, high quality carbon steel and triple-plated chrome. All Teeter Hang Ups F-series inversion tables are classified in accordance with UL 2601-1 (medical equipment in a clinical setting), which assures the structural integrity of the equipment.
The nylon mat can be removed for washing and the table can be easily folded for storage. Includes an instructional DVD and laminated owner’s manual.
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Like all Schwinn Elliptical trainers, the 418 provides a great cardiovascular workout using an impact-free motion, easing the stress on your joints and knees.
This model includes an articulating footplate following the natural flow of your leg and supports your foot and heel through the entire duration of each stride.
The Schwinn 418 Elliptical Trainer also features an oversized silky smooth flywheel, a quite magnetic resistance brake system and a grip heart rate monitor. There are over ten workout programs and an LCD to monitor all important aspects of your training — speed, time, distance, revolutions per minute, load, resistance level, calories, calories per hour, heart rate and course profile.
This model has just enough bells and whistles for the moderate home user, is steady and sturdy and provides an effective cardio workout. For a step up in the Schwinn line, check out the 430 model.
Schwinn 418 Elliptical Trainer Product Details
- Eight levels of resistance
- Smooth magnetic resistance Eddy Current Brake system
- Grip heart rate monitoring
- High-inertia drive system with oversized flywheel and Poly V-belt
- Variety of workout programs including rolling, valley, fat burn, ramp, random, plateau, intervals, mountain, two heart rate programs, fitness test, and manual mode
- LCD displays time, speed, distance, revolutions per minute, resistance level, calories, calories per hour, load, heart rate, and course profile
- Dimensions: 66 inches long by 25 inches wide by 66 inches tall (168 by 63.5 by 168 centimeters)