MAKE YOUR OWN GYMNASIUM

TIME - This is something that one is always short off. Many people give this excuse that they dont find sufficient time to go to gym, or they have to wait too long waiting for their turn to use the equipment. So lets dedicate this post to them and how they can overcome their excuse. Setting a small personal gymnasium at home can solve all the above issues. You can exercise at any time you are free, be it a little late at night or finishing your workout before newspaper arrives at your doorstep.

However few points need to be taken care before setting up your own gymnasium.

1. Evaluate your goals: Fitness equipments dont come cheap. So it's important to invest properly aiming specifically at the target that you want to achieve. e.g: If you are looking to shred some kilos, then buying a cardio machine along with a multi gym might solve your purpose. If you can bench close to 150lbs, then buying 1000lbs of weights might only waste money.

2. Proper research of equipment: Do a proper research of the equipment you are inclined to purchase before zeroing onto it. Don't go by someone's else words. At the end of the day, you have to workout and if you are not satisfied with the equipment, it's money down the drain.

3. Pick the right equipment: Pick the equipment as per personal needs only. Commercial equipments are more sturdy. However sturdiness is associated with cost. If you or your family members are only going to use, then go for lighter personal versions instead of commercial ones.

4. Begin Slowly: Do not set up the whole gym at once. Start with one thing at a time, and if you are able to maintain a regular regime, then slowly start increasing the variety that you use. For someone who is looking for muscle building, it is a good idea to start with a set of dumbells, an olympic rod and some basic weights.
This will avoid spending on equipment that one rarely or never uses.

5. Have ample space: Lastly and most importantly, make space for your equipment before setting out on a shopping spree.Measure the dimensions of the space where you want to keep your gym stuff, and purchase equipment as per that. The space should have good ventialtion system. Install a music system or a tv in your workout area. This way you wont miss onto your favourite program while you are attending to your fitness needs.


HAVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE!!!!

SUPPLEMENT

Often many people are confused as to whether to go for supplements in their diet. My take on this topic follows a very simple principle: As the name is supplement, they should only be taken to supplement your daily nutritional needs if they can't be fulfilled through natural diet. One should use dietary supplements to supplement his/her diet with essential nutrients that may not be available in sufficient quantity through daily food intake. Complete reliance on dietary supplements without having natural foods in your diet is not a good idea.

For muscle building, atleast 1 gm of protein per 1kg of body weight is needed per day. For athletes and pro's this ratio is even higher. With the lifestyle that most of the people nowadays have, it is difficult to fulfill all your nutritional demands through natural food. So supplements come handy in that picture. But at the same time, where on one side, usage of supplements can be beneficial,improper dosage can cause serious health problems.

Before zeroing on to a particular supplement, one should consult a doctor/physician to ensure that you do not have any physical condition that opposes use of that particular supplement. e.g: People having a history of thyroid in their family are generally advised to stay away from fat burners. Doing a thorough self-research of the product is always a good idea. Try to find some reviews of the product before actually opting for it. Googling helps in this to a large extent.

Go for tried and tested formulas and don't fall for the new dashy and attractive ads.Also. the dosage should be strictly followed. Immediately discontinue the supplement if you experience something unusual with your body. Different body types react differently to similar products. Your body type might be very different from your friend's for whom the supplement worked wonders. Hence blindly starting with that supplement might actually produce counterproductive results.

Lifting Belts - The Support System

Watching people use lifting belts in gym is a common sight. Infact many of them are so obsessed that they keep the belt on throughout the entire workout(whatever the muscle group might be). This is one of the hotly contested topics if belts serve any purpose or not, so lets evaluate if belts are indeed helpful.
There are two schools of thought, one which favors the use of lifting belts arguing they protect lumbar spine from injuries and the other which counters it by saying that belts provide only a false sense of security.






To start with, having a good technique for performing lifts is a must. If the technique is not proper and you are transferring the load from the muscle intended to somewhere else, you might get injured anyway. The belt is only a support system which is intended to share certain amount of load when going for huge poundages of weight. Having a belt for low or medium weight sets is totally uncalled for.

Using belts creates a false sense of security in the mind, and people often start cheating on their sets being assured that counter affects of any wrong movements will be taken care of by the lifting belt. This not only spoils your technique for ever, but also does not allow lower back muscles to develop to share some load when subjected to.

Also, there is a misconception i found among many of my fellow gymers that wearing the belt all the time helps in getting a flat abdominal section. This is absolutely incorrect. Infact wearing the belt all the time, may actually weaken the abdominal muscles in the long run.


Having said all that, I use the belt myself while working out. However i use it only when i am going for heavy poundages for exercises such as squats, dead lifts, and overhead presses. Warming up the body with light and medium weight before moving onto heavy weights is a must even if u plan to use a belt. Don't jump onto heavy weights directly, believe me you can get the same results or even better ones if you go easy on weights but with the correct technique.
Still, if you have to use lifting belts, crank it tight enough to feel it pressed against your lumbar section while you bend backwards.