The last time I meant to set out and achieve physical fitness, I wrote one big snapshot of a post at the time. Since I’m doing it incrementally, this post is going to focus on the tools I have at my disposal. Since then, I’ve added to my arsenal of workout equipment and tools, and since I’m going to be using them regularly, I figured I should write about them in depth.
Then : Now
Iron Gym Pull-up Bar
This was an awesome gift from my friend Justin, and I hate to admit its use has been minimal. One of my big goals is to build big arms: I constantly wish that I had biceps that were as impressive as my calf muscles. Out of all of the pieces of equipment I own, this is the one I dread the most. I have relatively no upper body strength, since I never work out my arms and always do cardio at the gym. My calves are in great shape considering how they are constantly support my corpulence when I move anywhere, but I don’t have any normal activity that targets my arms. Factor in that a pull-up is lifting your body mass (which I have a lot of) using your arm strength (which I have little of), and it’s easy to see why I’m not too crazy at the prospect of having to use this thing. I recently acquired a set of the ab-strabs to go with it, so now suspended abdominal work can be done in conjunction with the pull-up and tricep dips you can use this thing for right out the box.
Gold’s Gym Resistance Tube Set & Jump Rope
I bought this a few months ago as a supplement to the arm strength building I never got around to. It came with an instructional work-out DVD that I’ve never done, and will finally be getting to very soon. Long tubes, short tubes, a hook to anchor into a door frame, and a small circular band which I’ve yet how to properly use. I look forward to being able to say that they’re not enough one day.
Exercise Ball
This thing is so useful, both as a workout tool and a chair to use for “active sitting”, which I do at the office. The blue one I originally bought I found to be too big to use for working out, so I bought a smaller one that I’ve yet to give a go for push-ups and crunches. It came with a resistance band and a DVD, which just like the resistance tube one, I have yet to go through. I think that’ll be another thing I get to at the beginning of next week.
Perfect Push-Up
Another piece of equipment I picked up back in the day and hardly used. Since one of my main goals is arm strength, it’s going to be put into the active rotation too.
Ab Roller Wheel
I got this when a friend was staying with me and left it behind. I’ve attempted to use it a few times, and to be frank, it fucks my shit up. Therefore, I really like it and will be using it a lot in the coming days.
Gold’s Gym 8lb Medicine Ball
Got this as a gift from my uncle. Nifty, but I feel that the ways in which I use it aren’t really maximizing it’s potential. I need to do some more reading on how to properly integrate it into a workout.
iPod Nano & iPod Nano Exercise Arm Band
This has been a very useful piece of equipment, as I pretty much need music to maintain interest in physical activity when I engage in it. I bought this with the iPod nano itself for exercising purposes, since I’ve always had an aversion to risk sweat damaging my iPhone and have used my iPod on my runs & workouts instead. However, this may see a decline in use since I recently purchased…
iPhone 4 & Marware Sportshell for iPhone 4
I splurged on this since about three weeks prior I invested in an Uncommon case for my iPhone with custom art. However, I’ve come to realize that there are a variety of apps for the iPhone that make it an extremely valuable workout tool (which means I’ll also be writing reviews of the different apps I use). I was sold on it when I read the product description, and saw that it’s essentially a hardshell case that clips onto an armband, meaning that it’s kept away from the body while secured in place, thus eliminating the risk of sweating all over it and making it quick and easy to clip onto the armband, versus having to squeeze it into a holding pocket like I have to do with my iPod nano.
Sportline Heart Rate Monitor
I plan on regularly engaging on the activity that allowed me to ditch a load of my excess weight back in the old days: running. Thing is, I’m not a runner. My endurance is crap and it’s not exactly my favorite thing to do. As such, I want to maximize the efficiency I get out of doing it, and there’s no better way to ensure that than by having a watch and a matching chest strap that constantly monitors my heart rate and tells me when I need to push a little harder to get into my target zones. I also see myself using this at the gym, since the heart rate monitoring functions built into equipment such as cross trainers and treadmills have proven to be less than reliable.
40 lb Vinyl Dumbell Set
I forgot to include these in the new photo, but they exist. Did I mention building arm strength & muscle is a big goal for me now? These should serve as a nice interim until I can afford a nice metal weight set and a weight bench.
Gym Membership
24 Hour Fitness. I like having constant access to a gym, and the closest one is little over a mile away, easily accessible by foot and by bike (which I plan to buy in the near future). I go there for cardio on cross trainers, but will also be using it for access to heavy weights, along with the classes. I recently went to my first one since Chris has fallen in love with spin class. Also, my local one has a pool, and learning to swim is something I really want to do as well. No, I can’t swim; stay afloat and not drown, yes. Actively move through water with speed and direction? Not at all.
IN CONCLUSION
I’ve been an expert procrastinator, one of those people that buys workout equipment and never uses it. With all the goodies I have, there’s no reason for me to stay fat, is there? Nope!
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