Equipment
“What device is more effective at helping to smooth out fascia—a soft ball, a hard foam roller or a soft foam roller with bumps on it?”
This is a great question and one I get all the time. Different parts of the body respond to different degrees of pressure and firmness. Similarly, individuals respond in different ways to the firmness of the self-myofascial-release (SMR) tool they use. No matter whom you are working with, though, it is always a good idea to start them out with a soft ball (e.g., a tennis ball) so they can relax and ease into the new sensations of performing self-massage.
Bring on the ’Bells!
Group fitness instructors are continually trying to spark interest. We try new sequences, different teaching methods and the latest equipment to keep workouts fresh. The rise in popularity of kettlebell…
Foot Type: Choosing Shoes
Want to enjoy a lifetime of exercise? Make sure you wear the shoes that best suit your feet. Shoes are made for all types of feet and actions, and knowing your foot type can aid you in selecting shoes that will help prevent injury.
30 Essential Exercise Equipment for Personal Training
What exercise equipment would you include in your dream studio? Here, we present 30 essential pieces of equipment for a fitness studio.
Treadmill Training: Weighing the Pluses and Minuses
Over 40 million people use treadmills regularly in the United States. Their reasons range from losing weight to improving cardiovascular fitness and on up the spectrum to training for competitive distance running.
Pilates Equipment Teaching Techniques
Pilates, like any fitness discipline, can be challenging to teach—especially for new instructors. After all, there are many aspects of teaching that take time and experience to improve, including motivating students, sequencing exercises and getting clients to follow verbal cues.
Equipment: Which Items Are Favorites?
What piece of Pilates equipment is your favorite, and why? For this issue, we asked instructors to share their equipment preferences, along with teaching tips and equipment mistakes to avoid.
Multitasking on the Chair
Core Strength With Kettlebells
Your program director invested in a set of kettlebells for the group fitness studio, and you’ve attended the introductory workshop on proper form and basic teaching skills. However, you don’t feel confident enough to lead participants through a selection of drills. There’s no need to let the kettlebells rust in the corner of the studio! Use the core section of your next class to teach students three simple and effective moves.
Pilates Equipment Maintenance Tips
What is your maintenance and service plan for caring for your valuable Pilates equipment? As part of our ongoing commitment to serving the Pilates community, IDEA Pilates Today asks you to share your secrets to studio success.
Maximizing Fitness Experiences with Minimal Fitness Equipment
Bands, Body Bars®, dumbbells, balls (of all shapes and sizes), discs and rollers—our equipment lists have grown considerably longer over the past few years. If you think it’s overwhelming for you as the instructor, imagine how students must feel! Have you fallen into the trap of always making class “different and interesting”? If so, is this for your students or for you? The desire to offer variety is one thing, but participants can still be challenged and motivated with only one or two pieces of equipment—or maybe with none at all!
A Pilates Approach to Posture and Alignment
Assessing clients’ posture or alignment can sometimes be overwhelming for both novice and experienced Pilates instructors. Even with all our knowledge of anatomy, kinesiology, movement and injuries, it can be hard to know where to start.
Treadmill Walking Helps Parkinson’s Patients
People with Parkinson’s disease who are experiencing difficulty walking should engage in regular low-intensity practice on a treadmill, suggests a recent study. Sixty-seven participants were split into three groups: high-intensity treadmill (faster pace, shorter duration); low-
intensity treadmill (slower pace, longer duration); and stretching and resistance exercises that included leg presses, leg extensions and leg curls. Various gait and fitness assessments were taken pre- and post-intervention.
Turning Pools Into Profits
Fitness centers invest a significant amount of their budgets in maintaining the pool, but they do not necessarily receive an adequate return on this investment. In some cases, the pool is viewed as merely a value-added amenity to reinforce a positive member experience. Other than for occasional lap swimming and water classes for older adults, most gym pools are not being used to their full potential. It’s time to focus on the profit-generating power of the pool and increase pool usage.
Westin® Hotels to Lend Fitness Gear to Guests
Travelers, take note: if you forget to pack your workout clothes, Westin Hotels & Resorts have got you covered. The high-end hotel chain now offers a fitness gear lending program, according to an article published in the December 14 issue of The Wall Street Journal. Fitness-minded hotel guests may borrow New Balance–brand shoes, as well as apparel such as socks, shorts and shirts, at no cost. Apparel sizes range from small to extra large for women, medium to extra large for men. Shoes sizes are 6–101/2 for women, 81/2–13 for men.
TrekDesk Receives Honors
Each year, the oldest continuously published magazine in the United States, Scientific American, unveils its annual Gadget Guide. Among the less-known gadgets on the 2010 list was the TrekDesk Treadmill Desk. The TrekDesk, which can be affixed to any treadmill, is designed to help eradicate the effects of inactivity due to seated desk work. “Scientific American has been reporting on medical and technological innovations since 1845,” stated TrekDesk CEO Steve Bordley.
Exercising With Kettlebells
Have you heard about kettlebells? Fitness enthusiasts, ranging from young to not so young, nonathletes to superstars, are starting to find use for this cast-iron tool that has its roots in Russia. A kettlebell is a weight shaped like a giant cannonball with a single U-shaped handle. The kettlebell’s unique spherical shape provides the ability to work with curvilinear movements, centrifugal force and momentum.
The Ab Circle Pro®
Achieving six-pack abdominals is a goal for many exercisers. To address this desire, many companies have developed equipment to target this area. One such tool, the Ab Circle Pro, offers…
ROM Machine
In today’s time-strapped society, typical hourlong exercise bouts can be prohibitive to many potential exercisers. Schedule-conscious individuals interested in improving fitness levels with minimal time investment may have a solution. According to manufacturers of the ROM (range-of-motion) machine, 4 minutes is all that’s necessary to get into better shape. The 677-pound machine is equipped with an 85-pound flywheel that automatically adjusts resistance to the individual’s strength (cardiovascular and muscular) level.
The Hawaii Chair
Hula-Hoop enthusiasts take heart—it may now be possible to get
the same gyrational movements while sitting at your desk. The Hawaii Chair of infomercial fame promises users an opportunity to get fit while you work. According to the manufacturer’s website, the Hawaii Chair “combines the ancient art of the Hula of the Hawaiians with an easy-to-use, fun exercise machine.” Users’ hips gyrate as the seat rotates clockwise and counterclockwise at the desired speed.
Shake It Up With Shake Weight
A new device that has exploded onto the market is the Shake Weight™,
a 2.5-pound dumbbell-shaped apparatus that promises “strong, sexy, sculpted arms & shoulders” in just 6 minutes a day. The product was originally designed for arm-conscious women, but a male version has recently entered the market. Users grip the tool in one or two hands and then shake it vigorously back and forth with minimal—if any—changes in range of motion.
The Shake Weight website states
that strength benefits are derived from
a “new” technology dubbed “dynamic
