Best Home Gym For Easy Senior Fitness

What Is The Best Home Gym For Seniors?

You want to stay healthy, and fit, but most of us as we age have downsized, scaled back, and don't have the room to accommodate a room full of home gym equipment. It really is crazy how much room a single piece of exercise equipment can take up in your house, and the apparatuses are really not that attractive. Who wants to walk into their living room and be greeted by a big ugly treadmill, or body building machine? Not too many people. Most people want to hide their gym stuff out of public eye dragging it out only when it's necessary.

Senior Fitness

Senior fitness is a very important part of staying healthy and vital in today's youth based society. Aging may not be optional, but there are some ways that you can slow down how fast your muscles are shrinking, and losing their strength. Many new studies have discovered that our physical decline associated with aging could have more to do with our inactivity as we age than the actual aging process itself. In addition, maintaining a regular exercise program can actually setback and reduce the effects of aging.

There are many forms of exercise that should be performed by both the young and the old and the main 3 are Cardio, Stretching, Flexibility & Balance, and Strength Training. You should pick at least one activity from each category and perform it 3-5 times a week for 20-40 minutes.

Exercises For Seniors

o Cardio exercise can include: Cycling, Walking, Swimming, Water Aerobics, Jogging

o Strength Training can include the use of: resistance bands (Flex Bands, Resistance Tube Bands); Dumbbells, Weights, Nautilus Machines And Or Using Your Own Body Weight for Resistance Training (Push-Ups- Pull-Ups).

o Stretching, Flexibility & Balance: Resistance bands (flex bands, resistance tube bands), Yoga, Pilates, basic stretching exercises, Tai Chi, Tai Chi Ball& Balance: Resistance bands (flex bands, resistance tube bands), Yoga, Pilates, basic stretching exercises, Tai Chi, Tai Chi Ball

Home Gym Exercise Equipment

The best home gym equipment for senior fitness is hands down resistance bands. Resistance bands can be used by any fitness level, and take up a small drawer or basket in any room of your house, or apartment. They are small enough to fit in a suitcase when traveling, so there is never an excuse to not take your home gym on the road with you when you visit the kids. There a multitude of Resistance Band DVD's For Seniors, and Resistance Band Exercise Guide Books for sale that can guide you through simple, but effective exercises to keep you toned, fit, flexible, and your balance strong. Aging may not be completely optional, but with resistance bands the simple and effective home gym equipment you can remain active and young, and watch your friends get "old" as their enormous and unused personal home gym equipment gathers dust, and discarded clothing.

Give these small but mighty pieces of flexible rubber a try, and you'll be wondering why anyone needs all the bulky stuff taking up room in their home in the first place.

Denise Newman is an RN who has personally uses Resistance Band Exercise Guide Book as her personal home gym to maintain her strength, balance and flexibility after suffering with severe back problems. Through physical therapy she learned the importance of maintaining her your body through the use of a home gym fitness equipment to support the body keeping it healthy and strong. Resistance Bands are Effective and safe for all fitness levels, Resistance Band Exercise Guide Book, and DVD's are for sale online for every level: senior fitness, new mothers, bodybuilders, women, men, and anyone else who wants to remain healthy, vital, and young.

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Weighted Bench Dip

1. For this exercise you will need to place a bench behind your back and another one in front of you. With the benches perpendicular to your body, hold on to one bench on its edge with the hands close to your body, separated at shoulder width. Your arms should be fully extended.


2. The legs will be extended forward on top of the other bench. Your legs should be parallel to the floor while your torso is to be perpendicular to the floor. Have your partner place the dumbbell on your lap. Note: This exercise is best performed with a partner as placing the weight on your lap can be challenging and cause injury without assistance. This will be your starting position.


3. Slowly lower your body as you inhale by bending at the elbows until you lower yourself far enough to where there is an angle slightly smaller than 90 degrees between the upper arm and the forearm. Tip: Keep the elbows as close as possible throughout the movement. Forearms should always be pointing down.


4. Using your triceps to bring your torso up again, lift yourself back to the starting position while exhaling.


5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: By placing your legs on top of another flat bench in front of you, the exercise becomes more challenging. It is best to attempt this exercise without any weights at first in order to get used to the movements required for good form. If that variation also becomes easy, then you can have a partner place plates on top of your lap. Make sure that in this case the partner ensures that the weights stay there throughout the movement.

Bent Over Triceps Extension

1. With a dumbbell in one hand and the palm facing your torso, bend your knees slightly and bring your torso forward, by bending at the waist, while keeping the back straight until it is almost parallel to the floor. Make sure that you keep the head up.


2. The upper arm should be close to the torso and parallel to the floor while the forearm is pointing towards the floor as the hand holds the weight. Tip: There should be a 90-degree angle between the forearm and the upper arm. This is your starting position.


3. Keeping the upper arms stationary, use the triceps to lift the weights as you exhale until the forearms are parallel to the floor and the whole arm is extended. Like many other arm exercises, only the forearm moves.


4. After a second contraction at the top, slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position as you inhale.


5. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.


6. Switch arms and repeat the exercise.



Lying Triceps Press

1. Lie on a flat bench with either an e-z bar (my preference) or a straight bar placed on the floor behind your head and your feet on the floor.


2. Grab the bar behind you, using a medium overhand (pronated) grip, and raise the bar in front of you at arms length. Tip: The arms should be perpendicular to the torso and the floor. The elbows should be tucked in. This is the starting position.


3. As you breathe in, slowly lower the weight until the bar lightly touches your forehead while keeping the upper arms and elbows stationary.


4. At that point, use the triceps to bring the weight back up to the starting position as you breathe out.


5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: This is an exercise that you need to be very careful with when selecting the weight. Also, if you suffer from elbow problems this exercise might be too harsh on your elbows, so you may need to look for a substitute.

Variations:

• There are a few variations of this exercise. You can perform it on a decline bench as opposed to a flat bench.


• You can also perform it using dumbbells in which case the palms of the hands will be facing each other as opposed to facing forward.


• Also, you can try to do it using a revere grip (palms facing you) but this variation seems to strain my wrists.

Seated Triceps Press

1. Sit down on a bench with back support and grasp a dumbbell with both hands and hold it overhead at arm's length. Tip: a better way is to have somebody hand it to you especially if it is very heavy. The resistance should be resting in the palms of your hands with your thumbs around it. The palm of the hand should be facing inward. This will be your starting position.


2. Keeping your upper arms close to your head (elbows in) and perpendicular to the floor, lower the resistance in a semi-circular motion behind your head until your forearms touch your biceps. Tip: The upper arms should remain stationary and only the forearms should move. Breathe in as you perform this step.


3. Go back to the starting position by using the triceps to raise the dumbbell. Breathe out as you perform this step.


4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations:

• You can perform this exercise standing as well but this puts strain on your back especially if you are using heavy dumbbells like 95 lbs or so.


• Another variation is to use an EZ or straight bar instead in which case you will be holding the bar from the inside (around 5 inches between both hands) with the palms facing forward (pronated grip).


• There is also a bar that has parallel bars inside (often referred to as a triceps blaster) and this can also be used for this exercise.


• Finally, a low pulley cable with a rope attachment or bar (straight or EZ) attachment at the end can be used for variety purposes as well.

Incline Barbell Triceps Extension

1. Hold a barbell with an overhand grip (palms down) that is a little closer together than shoulder width.


2. Lie back on an incline bench set at any angle between 45-75-degrees.


3. Bring the bar overhead with your arms extended and elbows in. The arms should be in line with the torso above the head. This will be your starting position.


4. Now lower the bar in a semicircular motion behind your head until your forearms touch your biceps. Inhale as you perform this movement. Tip: Keep your upper arms stationary and close to your head at all times. Only the forearms should move.


5. Return to the starting position as you breathe out and you contract the triceps. Hold the contraction for a second.


6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: Can also be done with an e-z bar, with two dumbbells (using a pronated or supinated grip), seated or standing or with two dumbbells and your palms facing in.

Dumbbell One-Arm Triceps Extension

1. Grab a dumbbell and either sit on a military press bench or a utility bench that has a back support on it as you place the dumbbells upright on top of your thighs or stand up straight.


2. Clean the dumbbell up to bring it to shoulder height and then extend the arm over your head so that the whole arm is perpendicular to the floor and next to your head. The dumbbell should be on top of you. The other hand can be kept fully extended to the side, by the waist, supporting the upper arm that has the dumbbell or grabbing a fixed surface.


3. Rotate the wrist so that the palm of your hand is facing forward and the pinkie is facing the ceiling. This will be your starting position.


4. Slowly lower the dumbbell behind your head as you hold the upper arm stationary. Inhale as you perform this movement and pause when your triceps are fully stretched.


5. Return to the starting position by flexing your triceps as you breathe out. Tip: It is imperative that only the forearm moves. The upper arm should remain at all times stationary next to your head.


6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions and switch arms.

Variations: You can also do this using a rope instead of a dumbbell.

Cable Rope Overhead Triceps Extension

1. Attach a rope to the bottom pulley of the pulley machine.


2. Grasping the rope with both hands, extend your arms with your hands directly above your head using a neutral grip (palms facing each other). Your elbows should be in close to your head and the arms should be perpendicular to the floor with the knuckles aimed at the ceiling. This will be your starting position.


3. Slowly lower the rope behind your head as you hold the upper arms stationary. Inhale as you perform this movement and pause when your triceps are fully stretched.


4. Return to the starting position by flexing your triceps as you breathe out.


5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can also do this seated with a bench that has back support, or you can use a dumbbell instead of the rope.

Cable Incline Triceps Extension

1. Lie on incline an bench facing away from a high pulley machine that has a straight bar attachment on it.


2. Grasp the straight bar attachment overhead with a pronated (overhand; palms down) narrow grip (less than shoulder width) and keep your elbows tucked in to your sides. Your upper arms should create around a 25 degree angle when measured from the floor.


3. Keeping the upper arms stationary, extend the arms as you flex the triceps. Breathe out during this portion of the movement and hold the contraction for a second.


4. Slowly go back to the starting position.


5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can also use an angled attachment or a rope attachment as well. Finally, you can perform one arm at a time by using a single handle attachment.

Kneeling Cable Triceps Extension

1. Place a bench sideways in front of a high pulley machine.


2. Hold a straight bar attachment above your head with your hands about 6 inches apart with your palms facing down.


3. Face away from the machine and kneel.


4. Place your head and the back of your upper arms on the bench. Your elbows should be bent with the forearms pointing towards the high pulley. This will be your starting position.


5. While keeping your upper arms close to your head at all times with the elbows in, press the bar out in a semicircular motion until the elbows are locked and your arms are parallel to the floor. Contract the triceps hard and keep this position for a second. Exhale as you perform this movement.


6. Slowly return to the starting position as you breathe in.


7. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variation: You can also perform this exercise with exercise bands.

Decline Dumbbell Triceps Extension

1. Secure your legs at the end of the decline bench and lie down with a dumbbell on each hand on top of your thighs. The palms of your hand will be facing each other.


2. Once you are laying down, move the dumbbells in front of you at shoulder width. The palms of the hands should be facing each other and the arms should be perpendicular to the floor and fully extended. This will be your starting position.


3. As you breathe in and you keep the upper arms stationary (and elbows in), bring the dumbbells down slowly by moving your forearms in a semicircular motion towards you until your thumbs are next to your ears. Breathe in as you perform this portion of the movement.


4. Lift the dumbbells back to the starting position by contracting the triceps and exhaling.


5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can use an e-z bar or barbell to perform this movement. You can also perform it on a flat bench as well.