Life Fitness 9500HR Elliptical Machine Review

Life Fitness produces some of the best heavy duty fitness equipment in the world. Their elliptical machines deliver extreme results in minimal time and have been able to use this to gain the popularity vote with the biggest commercial gyms and even the armed forces, as being the top elliptical choice.

You will find that Life Fitness 9500HR elliptical machines tend to be on the market as being 'remanufactured', partly due to newer versions having been released with newer features and spec. However, it is due to the popularity of the 9500HR in the commercial market, that remanufacturing of the model has occurred. Not only is the price lower but it makes this quality model, affordable for home use.

There are a few different versions of the 9500HR so it is a must that you know what you are getting for your money. The earlier models experienced faults with the rear drives and hand grip heart rate sensors but this was due to the high use in gyms, etc. This review focuses on the later rear drive model.

An important thing to note is that the stride length is approximately 18" so for anyone taller that 6ft, this may not be the ideal model for you. The dual functioning handles and foot pedals allow front and reverse motion. This is great for targeting a wider variety of muscle groups, perfect for full body toning.

The Life Fitness 9500HR elliptical comes with all the usual features you would expect with commercial grade elliptical machines and is surprisingly quiet. Just a few of the features to list include 9 Pre-programmed Courses for complete workout variety, 20 resistance levels, split level console with integrated reading rack/accessory tray and the exclusive Life-pulse digital heart rate monitoring system which allows users to calculate individual heartbeats nearly as accurate as a clinical EKG machine.

The 9500HR unlike many elliptical machines is very portable. These ellipticals incorporate rear wheels for easy mobility and with being self-powered; there is no need to park near a plug socket. This makes it easier to park your trainer in front of the TV...makes working out so much more enjoyable!

Pro's - Affordable, Quality, Practical, Features, Popularity

Cons's - Warranty

This model can not really be faulted. There is so much to offer with the 9500HR. Its rising popularity dictates this. The only downfall compared to other elliptical machines is the warranty. Having been remanufactured, the warranty cover tends to be less than that of a newer model. It may be best to take out an extended warranty at less than $200 for 2 years but aside that, the Life Fitness 9500HR elliptical is one of the top elliptical machines on the market today.


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Working Out At Home: Running Treadmills and Elliptical Trainers

Treadmills and ellipticals are two popular workout systems that people like using. Go to any gym and you will find that it'll be loaded with these two kinds of equipments. People love them because they're simple to operate and because they're helpful with focusing on fitness objectives. There is no right answer to which machine is better. Knowing which exercise product works on your fitness objectives the best will help you amplify your training sessions. You won't regret doing a little investigation before jumping to a workout regimen.

Using a treadmill machine is a simple thing to do. Just step onto the tread belt, switch the machine on, pick the pace you want to exercise at, and start. Limber up with a quick walk and gradually work your way up to a faster tempo. Take it fast and slow, and take breaks as needed. Many of today's home treadmills come with pre-configured workout apps that can guide you in the direction of customized fitness goals. Pick an app that'll help you lose weight and the machine will steer you through various levels of workout intensities. The faster, harder and longer you go, the more you'll be able to train yourself to a higher measure of fitness. When things are becoming too easy, raise the resistance levels or select a more challenging workout app.

The benefits found in treadmill workouts are numerous. Most people eventually find themselves running at some point in time during their workouts. This activity works the heart and gets it pumping. A treadmill can give you a really intense workout. Many say they're able to burn more calories on a treadmill than on an elliptical. Intense workouts build your endurance. Keep your heart healthy and strong by conditioning and working it out. If you're a fitness enthusiast, you'll love exercising on a treadmill.

There has been a growing number of folks changing over to the elliptical for their workouts. Walk into any gym and you'll see a lot of these machines being used. The design and use of an elliptical is very different than that found in a treadmill. You'll find that you'll need to step onto and move on pedals. These pedals are propelled by the momentum you generate when you step forward. An ellipticals is equipped with a weighted flywheel either in the back or the front. This wheel provides the inertia needed to help keep the elliptical motion fluid. When you're exercising on an elliptical, you'll find your legs gliding through the elliptical motion. Some models have moving handlebars that also move with the elliptical arms.

The most appealing aspect of elliptical workouts is the low-impact exercising experience. Ellipticals eliminate the impact on your feet and legs that you would otherwise experience on a treadmill. The pedals move and provide support wherever your feet are as you go through the elliptical motion. This is great for those that are rehabilitating or for those that have fragile bodies. There are many that argue elliptical workouts are more effective at burning calories. When you move more muscles, your body gets a better workout. Find that your lower body, midsection, and upper body are constantly moving.

There's no one right way of exercising. It all depends on your needs and preferences. The argument on whether treadmills or ellipticals are better is really a non-argument. While each is unique in its design, both are effective in what they do.


Fitness treadmills and ellipticals are the trendy products for those interested in exercising at home. Check out some fitness review sites before deciding which one is right for you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brooke_West

Best Superset Exercises To Gain Muscle Weight Fast

I'm a huge believer in supersets. Whether it's for complementary muscles or the same muscle group, supersets allow you to get more done in less time. It develops your strength and enhances the circulation of nutrients so you can recover faster.

Not all superset combos are winners. Here are my top picks for superhuman gains.

1. Squats And Barbell Rows

Your legs and back muscles are the largest in your body. Can you imagine the stimulation you'll get when you superset them together?

It's an insane rush of anabolic hormones.

Ideally, you should do 4 sets of 8-10 reps for each exercise, in superset fashion of course. I suggest starting out with squats as it is more demanding than barbell rows.

Some people have questioned me as to why I chose barbell rows over deadlifts or even bodyweight pull-ups for the back.

For one thing, the deadlift is about 60-70% similar to the squat movement. Doing both will more likely overtrain you.

Even worse than that, the deadlift works more like an 'overall' exercise which stimulates via static contraction. By doing barbell rows, you 'deadlift' the barbell off the floor and contract your back muscles with a full range of motion.

You get all the benefits with barbell rows.

2. Deadlifts And Bench Press

Don't get me wrong, I love deadlifts. But I believe there's a perfect partner for it and it isn't squats.

It's the bench press.

While deadlifts work out almost every muscle group in your body, it fails to stimulate your chest muscles. So it makes perfect sense to superset deadlifts with the king of chest movements.

Again, it's ideal to put in 4 sets of 6-8 reps with this superset. Both exercises are suited for low rep ranges and, in fact, work better with them.

You should always start with deadlifts. By stimulating your entire body, especially the back and shoulder muscles, you'll be primed for your set of bench presses without tiring yourself out.

The deadlift set turns out to be the perfect warm-up to heavy bench presses. I've experimented with various combinations and it is, by far, the ideal stimulant to a huge bench day.

3. Military Press And Upright Rows

This superset combo is actually one of my favorite light day workouts. It stimulates your shoulders, traps, upper chest, and upper back muscles along with some arm work.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of this superset is training your body to handle stress with 2 key movements - lifting a heavy weight from thigh-level to your shoulders (upright rows) and from shoulders all the way overhead (military press).

You get an Olympic-style training effect without the added technical difficulties of a full clean-and-jerk or snatch. And because you do both standing up, you still get to stimulate your leg muscles a whole lot.

So why not just do a clean-and-press movement? Because your aerobic capacity will give out way before your upper body muscles will.

Remember, when gaining muscles fast, your muscles should always be stimulated above everything else for maximum effect.


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Food, Rest, and Exercise - The Best Way to Build Chest Muscle

What do actually expect when you indicate that you'd like to build up your muscles? Is it simply a gorgeous eye-catching chest, some definition between the lower and upper chest, or simply a lean and mean look? What is the best way to build chest muscle? It's important that you decide what you want before you expend the time and energy to alter your look. There are a number of traditional exercises that have proven to be the best way to build chest muscle fast. The best ones are discussed below.

The three most often recommended exercises are flys, presses, and crossovers. If you're interested in increasing muscle size, flys are the answer. If you intend to work the inner chest muscles, various bench presses are what you'll need to do. If you're interested in creating some definition between the inner and outer chest muscles, low and high cable crossovers are definitely what you should be doing.

Dumbbell flys are also good exercises for developing the inner chest muscle but you must be diligent in how you perform them to get the maximum results. When done properly, they are the best way to build muscle and for developing and shaping the muscle.

Bench presses are the traditional chest muscle building tool. When performing the bench press with a narrow grip, the inner chest, upper chest, and the triceps really get a good workout. You should always do this exercise after you do your crossovers. The triceps benefit greatly when worked after the chest exercises. Using a wide grip with the bench press is a great routine for developing the lower pectorals. Another variation of the bench press, the decline bench press, is superior for working the inner and the lower pectorals.

Don't start any of these exercises in earnest until you have gone through a warm-up exercise. It's important to do a little cardio to get the blood pumping in the chest area to make the chest workout as effective as possible. Try to increase the weights used at each set. It doesn't have to be a significant increase, just enough to keep the muscles reaching and adding mass. This is the best way to build chest muscle fast. In between exercises, make sure you stretch those muscles whenever possible.

If, in your estimation, your chest muscles are your weakest muscles, perform full stretched out and full contraction flyes, decline presses inclined chest presses, and pullovers. Do your chest exercises early and first when your body is full of energy and well rested. Don't focus too much on one particular muscle group. You can overstress the muscle and end up slowing down your training.

Remember that exercise alone is not going to be the best way to build chest muscle. Good nutrition and adequate rest are also important. Your muscles don't grow while you're working out. They grow when you're resting. Make sure that you get enough sleep each night, and take a nap whenever you can. Plan and follow a diet that is rich in high-quality protein like lean meats, eggs, cheese, as well as nuts. Stay well hydrated. Drink lots of water. Don't ignore vegetables, fresh fruits, and whole grains. Complex carbohydrates are a critical part of a good diet.


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Get A Gymnast Body Using Only Bodyweight Exercises

Most guys who are looking to get jacked think that the only way to do so is through weights but if you want to get a gymnast body all you need to do is use the right types of bodyweight exercises.

Why Gymnasts Have Such Appealing Bodies

Ask most guys and girls what they consider to be the most appealing body type. Most of the time you will hear a lean and ripped body is the best looking. A body that is not too big yet not too small. Now ask him or her who looks best, a gymnast or a bodybuilder?

Chances are you will get a reply that a gymnast has the most attractive body type. Gymnasts have a lean and very natural look that makes it easy to wear stylish clothes while still being athletic. It sure beats the puffy, sometimes bloated, bodybuilder look.

The Weight Training Myth

If you hear the word "weight training" you immediately get a mental picture of barbells and dumbbells and seldom think of bodyweight exercises as a great alternative to gaining muscle. Perhaps bodybuilding competitions and fitness magazines have pushed this myth of weights as the only alternative to getting ripped but the reality is you can get in shape without lifting a single dumbbell.

How To Get A Gymnast Body

It is no secret that a gymnast relies only on his body to get a great body. You won't see them spending hours doing bench presses but you will definitely see a killer upper body that would make even the strongest guy at your gym blush.

The first thing you need to do if you want to get a body like a gymnast is focus on the right types of exercises that resemble what they do in competition. For example, when you see a gymnast competing you will notice that they spend much of their time on apparatus like bars, parallel bars, rings and the pommel horse. Ideally you can try to copy these types of exercises in your workouts.

The Right Bodyweight Exercises To Use

The best exercises to use are any that work on the shoulders, back, chest, arms and legs and the core preferably in a compound type movement.

Back Exercises

Pull Ups, Chin Ups, Parallel Chin Ups

Shoulders Exercises

Hand Stand Push Ups, Hand Stands, Dive Bomber Push Ups

Chest Exercises

Push Ups, Incline Push Ups, Decline Push Ups, Triangle Push Ups

Biceps & Triceps Exercises

Parallel Bar Dips (Triceps), Chin Ups (biceps), 1 Arm Chin Up (biceps)

Legs Exercises

Bodyweight Squats, Bodyweight Jump Squats, Pistol Squats,

Abs/ Core Exercises

L- Sit Hold, Lying Leg Raises, Hanging Leg Raises

In order to create the most effective type of workout using these bodyweight exercises make sure you don't do all of these exercises on the same day or on consecutive days. Try to split your workouts in to 3 or 4 sessions per week.

One way you can divide your workouts is by doing upper body focused exercises one day and follow it up with a lower body and core intensive workout the following day, rest for one day and do another upper body day followed by a lower body and core workout the day after that.

You can easily choose 2 exercises per muscle group in order to get the most out of your workouts and avoid overtraining.

For sets I recommend anywhere between 3 and 4. The number of sets can be in the range of 6 and 10 if you want to gain muscle. If you find it difficult to do this many reps simply try to do as many as possible per set. Over time you will be able to do more as your strength increases.

Getting a body that is lean does not require using weights. You learn how to get a gymnast body very easily by training properly and with the right exercises.


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Sam Munoz is a health and fitness aficionado in Los Angeles. He has helped others achieve their fitness goals and gives tips so others may reach their potential.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Munoz

Lean Body Workout - Get Ripped Fast

If you're trying to get ripped fast, you'll need to follow an appropriate lean body workout routine. Simply put, you need to design a workout plan that will produce the specific "lean body results" you desire, in the shortest amount of time possible.

Don't waste your time with cookie-cutter routines that you see other gym-goers doing. Instead, hone in on your ideal body by taking some time to build the most suitable exercise regimen. Here are some tips that will take your workouts from average to top-notch, with the ultimate goal of carving out an impressive lean physique:

Lean Body Workout Tip 1:

Intensity is far superior to duration when it comes to losing fat, building lean muscle and getting ripped fast. Shorten the length of your workouts - both weight training and cardio sessions - and up the effort level to see more immediate and specific changes.

Lean Body Workout Tip 2:

Metabolic weight training sessions are the king of the cage if your number one goal is to boost metabolism, burn through stubborn stomach fat and transform into a hard body. Focus on exercises that involve multiple muscle groups and use heavy weights with low to moderate rep ranges. Stack these exercises back-to-back with no rest to form a highly metabolic circuit workout. This creates a significant "afterburn" effect that burns off additional body fat over the next 12-72 hours.

Lean Body Workout Tip 3:

Perform intense interval cardio sessions on non-weight training days or after your strength training routines. I also recommend getting away from traditional cardio workouts, such as jogging for 45-minutes on a treadmill, and substituting this with weight bearing activities. By working multiple muscle groups in your cardio sessions, this gives us even more mechanisms by which to burn fat and get ripped faster. Remember, muscle repair is a huge contributor to the afterburn effect and more lean muscle results in a higher resting metabolic rate.

Try this sample Lean Body Workout:

---> 5-minute dynamic stretching warm-up to "turn on" muscle fibers

---> Then perform the following weight training exercises back-to-back, without rest, for 9 repetitions:

---> Dumbbell front squats, dumbbell stiff-legged deadlifts, dumbbell bent over rows, dumbbell push-presses, 45-degree alternating lunges holding dumbbells

---> This is one circuit. Rest for 45 seconds and repeat for a total of 4 circuits (or less, depending on your current level of fitness).

---> After finishing all circuits, rest 90 seconds and complete the following metabolism-revving body weight exercises for 20 seconds each (perform one circuit, doing each body weight exercise back-to-back, as explosively as possible):

---> Explosive push-ups, squat jumps, burpees, shadow boxing, split squat jumps

This workout is extremely challenging and is not the typical, generic routine you'd normally see people doing at your local gym. Because it's more tailored to a certain look (the lean body look), the results will be much more prompt and prominent.

Please consult a professional if you are unsure as to the proper form for any of these advanced exercises.


Dr. Brad Campbell PharmD, CFT, is an International Fat Loss Coach who's helped thousands of people around the world to sculpt a lean body. He recommends using the following resources to get ripped fast:

---> Lean Body Nutrition Program: Xtreme Fat Loss Diet [http://www.topfatlosstrainer.com/2010/03/10/xtreme-fat-loss-diet/]

---> Get Shredded Fast: Workouts to Get Ripped [http://workoutstogetripped.com/]

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Top Get Ripped Without Weights - Tacfit Commando Workout

The general consensus is that it's simply not possible to get ripped without weights. Most people believe that bodyweight-only workouts will not be intense enough to cause significant muscle tissue microtrauma.

For this reason, it would theoretically make sense that this assumption holds true. However, the fact of the matter is that any workout can cause muscle tissue damage and therefore, spark new gains in lean muscle mass-so long as the stimulus is great enough.

Granted, it may take some out-of-the-box thinking to achieve this using strictly bodyweight exercises, but there are certainly some thinkers (translation: maniacs) in the world of health and fitness.

One such person is none other than Scott Sonnon, co-creator of the Tacfit Commando bodyweight workout program. Scott is actually an accomplished fighter who trains true-life bad boys (and girls) like Navy SEALs, secret service agents, MMA fighters and elite bodyguards-all who demand nothing short of superior athleticism, conditioning and mental fortitude.

Heck, their lives depend upon it.

So it's no surprise that with his cutting-edge Tacfit workout system, Sonnon was able to create a severe-enough training modality that would allow users to shed body fat, build lean muscle and get a ripped body-all without using weights or other expensive gym equipment.

Now, I've always been a huge fan of bodyweight training. I think knowing how to take your body through an effective strength training or fat loss workout, using only bodyweight as a resistance, is an invaluable skill to possess.

Those who rely primarily on weights and other fitness equipment are really going to struggle when access to these resources becomes limited. For example, traveling for business, vacationing, visiting family and friends-all of these things used to completely throw my fitness routine off track.

Then, I discovered bodyweight workouts. I was a bit of a "hater" at first as well, and didn't think it was possible to achieve fat loss or muscle building while using only bodyweight as a tool.

But I started getting more creative and my thinking was forced to change. In fact, I starting kicking my own butt so severely that I was actually getting nervous for the whacky workouts I'd created and scheduled for a given day.

After a few weeks of using my own hardcore bodyweight workout program, I saw a much improved, leaner and more ripped version of myself starring back at me in the mirror.

Plus, I was saving time and money by working out from home and doing away with my gym membership. As an added bonus, traveling was no longer an excuse to get lazy and go backwards.

Now, I'm a believer in bodyweight training.

I look completely shredded, but the really cool thing is that I'm performing so much better. I've always been a huge fan of MMA and now I've got the added athleticism, explosiveness, recovery ability and stamina to "hold my own" should things get dangerous.

What does all of this have to do with Tacfit Commando, you ask? Everything...

As a fitness professional, I'm always trying out new workout programs to see what I like, what I dislike and what new things I can learn from other top notch trainers and coaches. After downloading Tacfit and trying out the first week's worth of workouts, I was quickly humbled.

This training system even made my bodyweight workouts look weak. I'm now several weeks into team Tacfit's master plan and loving (and hating) every minute of it. The workouts continue to kick my butt and take my mind and body to new levels.

Confidence is soaring and ripped muscles are becoming even harder and defined. I wanted to provide this review of Tacfit Commando to let others know it truly IS possible to get ripped without weights, gadgets or other expensive and inconvenient gym equipment.

Give it a shot and enjoy the results, but only if you're willing to work hard. If not, there are plenty of other low intensity, cookie-cutter fitness programs to choose from.


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