Weight Training Blog

Core strength is something that’s generally over-looked within the gym. Sure, guys do countless crunches and sit ups to get great looking abs, but what they forget as those exercises that really work the inner core, the ones that really make a difference when it comes to real life applications like helping a friend move or push a broken down car.

As of late I have been putting in several core muscle work outs into my routine since I too was guilty of over-looking hitting my core muscle group. Medicine balls, cables, and classics such as the squat and power clean are great for working out the core. If you’re lucky enough and your gym has Hammer Strength equipment (Sadly, most don’t), they may have what’s called a Jammer – quite possibly the best piece of equipment out there for core strength. If so, I suggest you use that to work on your core strength – You will not be disappointed.

I noticed that bodybuilding.com has an article outlining and explaining the importance of working out your forearms and they’re right.

You need forearms to fill out your arms. Guys always hit the gym wanting to do a million bicep curls in order to look jacked, but they forget two muscle groups: Triceps and forearms. In fact, the bicep isn’t even the biggest muscle in your arms, it’s actually the tricep so it would naturally make sense to focus more of your effort on your triceps rather than your biceps, but that isn’t always the case.

The point of this post isn’t to bash frat boy lifters (Again) it’s to add on to bodybuilding.com’s article about building huge forearms. They only mention doing seated dumbbell wrist curls to build your forearms. I actually don’t prefer this method for building my forearms. I prefer a behind the back standing wrist curl using a traditional barbell. Here’s an example of this being performed:

If you’re serious about really building up your grip strength, I recommend you go over to EliteFTS and pick yourself up some Fat Gripz to really work your forearms with each end every rep you do in the gym. In a month’s time you’ll notice that your grip has gotten almost twice as strong as a result of using them constantly.

I read this article on the Trying Fitness Blog and found myself browsing through Craigslist to see what good deals were around in my area. As you would expect, I found some pretty good deals on fitness equipment in my area. Most of the items listed for sale were machines that were pin-loaded. Not really my cup of tea, but for the average Joe they would do just fine. Now that I think about it, Ebay might be a good place to look for used gym equipment as well.

Just which option is better? Is working out at home better or is it better to have a membership at a local fitness center?

To truthfully answer this, it depends on the type of person you are.

Think of it like taking an online course through a college. Sure, the course counts the same towards your degree, but the difference is there is no one there pushing you or lecturing you on what the important topics are in the chapter. If you don’t make time in your schedule while at home for the online course work, then there’s no way it’s going to get done. Discipline is the name of the game when it comes to lifting and actually making progress towards your goal whether it be weight loss, strength gains, or muscle tone.

The same thing applies to having your own gym equipment in your house. If you have the discipline to use it on a regular basis then great. It’ll save you money in the long run. If on the other hand you might need a swift kick in the ass by someone at the gym asking you “What the hell are you doing?” when you perform a lift incorrectly, then having a membership at a local gym is probably best.

I must warn you that if you’re serious about lifting and really want to make significant strength increases, then home gym equipment will only get you so far before you find yourself spending thousands of dollars to keep up with your demands. Keep in mind that weights are generally a dollar per pound. You might be able to find weight sets on Craigslist for a lot less, but act fast because they tend to go quick.