Posted on June 30, 2008 by Gerald Pugliese
The Detroit Free Press tips us off to some nifty exercise equipment. Take a look:
Resistance Bands
"The most beneficial equipment would be a set of resistance bands," says Ali Witherspoon, owner of A.L.I. Bootcamp in Hollywood, Fla. "They come in different strengths -- light, medium and heavy resistance -- to work your upper and lower body."
Ankle Weights
"With ankle weights, you can do a whole body workout, and ladies can do all leg exercises," says Natalie Brabner, owner of Florida Fitness Trainers in Aventura. You can tone your muscles and burn more calories just by wearing them throughout the day, and "while watching TV, you can do hip extensions and build your glutes."
Calisthenics
"There's nothing better than old-fashioned body-weight exercises," Thomas says. "They worked for Jack LaLanne and they will do the same for you." Calisthenics also have "what I call a survival slimming effect. Since you are lifting your own body weight, the body is forced to adapt. In other words, if you are heavy, this type of exercise will encourage weight loss out of the sheer will to survive."
Swiss ball
In addition to core training, such as sit-ups, which can be done on the Swiss ball, you can perform stretches and explosive athletic exercises, Thomas says. "This makes the ball the Swiss Army knife of fitness."
I haven’t done jumping-jacks since high school.
