Fitness is a constantly changing field. There are always new machines, methods, and theories aimed at improving the quality of life. Fitness fads may come and go, but there have been several trends in fitness that have lasted several decades and continue to grow in popularity.

Aerobic exercise has always formed the backbone of the fitness industry. Running, step aerobics, dance-type aerobics, boxing, kickboxing, and spinning, an indoor cycling class set to music, have all emerged as mainstays in health and fitness facilities. Their popularity continues to grow.

Aquatic exercise has also increased in popularity. Water has the unique ability to allow cardiovascular and muscular improvements with little stress on the joints of the body. Aquatic exercise is no longer just swimming laps; almost every class that can be done on land is now being done in the water. Running, spinning, step aerobics, and even strengthening can all be done in the water.

With the improvement of health care and longer life spans, older adult exercise has expanded and has also become a necessity to maintain a positive quality of life. Not only are older adults engaging in exercise to maintain and improve health, they are taking part in competitive road races, cycling races, and bodybuilding competitions. Age barriers no longer exist and because of this, fitness classes geared toward the older population are widespread.

As grandparents and great-grandparents take part in sports and fitness, they set an example for younger generations. These younger generations have the benefit of improved technology and more abundant food, and with these things-and a more sedentary lifestyle-come the increased chance that they will live a less healthy lifestyle than their active older family members. The fitness field combats this possibility of unhealthy living with sports and fitness programs geared toward children and young adults. This fitness trend is now faced with the challenge of improving the heath of future generations and has the opportunity to encourage a lifetime of healthy habits.

But the greatest transformation in the fitness field has been the growth of the mind-and-body exercises. There has been a shift toward gentler, more introspective exercises that also contribute to improving cardiovascular health while increasing flexibility and muscular strength. Yoga and pilates would fall into this category of exercise. Yoga has its roots in ancient India (from around 2800 BCE) and focuses on breathing and mindfulness during a practice of held poses. Pilates, on the other hand, was developed by Joseph H. Pilates (1880-1967) around 1926. Pilates’ method involved a unique series of stretching and strengthening exercises. Both yoga and pilates use an individual’s breath and self-awareness as the focus of exercise. Aside from the obvious strength and flexibility benefits, these mind and body exercises are popular for their stress relieving qualities.

One of the main concerns many people have as they plan to get into an exercise routine is slowing down their progress because they get stuck in a workout rut. They want to prevent becoming bored. Unfortunately, boredom is the number one problem that tends to throw people off their workout game faster than anything else. Chances are, you have experienced this before. One week you are feeling highly motivated to get your workout in, and the next week, you could not be bothered. You just do not feel like it.

What can you do to help combat this? How can you prevent boredom and stay the course? Let us look at three smart ideas to help you say so-long to boredom…

1. Get Outside. Sometimes the best way to combat boredom is to take the workout outside. If you are cooped up inside a gym for too long, this can lead to boredom in and of itself. Instead of running on the treadmill check out a local trail. Or, if you are doing resistance training, you might try out a local boot camp.

There are plenty of ways to get fit outdoors if you put your mind to it, so start thinking about one or two methods you think you will enjoy.

2. Try New Equipment. Another effective way to combat any workout boredom is to try out some new equipment. If you often use barbells or dumbbells, for instance, mix it up. Try resistance bands instead. Or, you might start using the cables for a few of the main exercises you plan to do.

Switching things up can have a profound influence on your interest and also help to keep you from hitting the dreaded progress plateau as well.

3. Periodize Your Program. Last but not least, consider periodizing your program. Periodizing means at particular points during the year; you will work towards a specific goal set. Then at other points, you will switch gears and work towards something else.

By having a slightly different focus as you go about your workout routine, this can liven up your sessions, making you more interested. Plus, it will take some of the stress off of your body; stress that comes with exercise if you are changing up the nature of your workouts every few months.

There you have the key points to keep in mind when looking at combating boredom. Try one of these three tips and see if you manage to you boredom behind you; hopefully forever.

Shoulder day is one of my favorite days to workout and I take shoulder training very seriously. If you want an impressive physique you can train chest, arms and back all you want but it is your shoulders that will tie everything together. What other muscle will make you look as good from any direction – side deltoids will give you width, front deltoids tie in with your chest and rear deltoids tie in with your back giving you thickness and width on your frame.

First thing you want to do is properly warm-up and doing that I like to grab a small weight plate like a 10lb and I warm up my rotator cuffs – by extending your elbow out to the side parallel I hold the plate and just move my forearm straight out in front of me for a light 10 reps for 2 sets each arm – then I hold the 10lb plate and keep my elbow right into the side of my body and just move my forearm from right to left back and forth for 10 reps two sets each side.

After a good warm-up I start with the mass builder exercise the shoulder press. I do one of two different presses – the first would be a front press on the smith machine seated. I start with one 45lb plate on each side and go from my chin to full extension for 12 repetitions. Then the second set I add another 45lb plate to each side for a set of 10 reps, 3rd set I add 25lb plate to each side for 10 reps and the last set I do 3 plates each side and complete 8 reps.

Every other workout I mix up the press with seated dumbbell presses. I start my first set with 80lb dumbbells for 12 reps. The second set I go to 90lb dumbbells for 10 reps, the 3rd set I do 95lb dumbbells for 10 reps and the 4th set I do 100lb dumbbells for 8 reps.

Presses are great and they hit the shoulders completely and are the mass builder but they don’t really pump me up and make me really feel jacked in the gym – it takes the lateral raises to get the blood flowing.

Next exercise is front raises and I have 2 ways of doing this exercise too and I’ll start with the first and that would be dumbbell front raises – I like to start with holding 25lb dumbbells and doing both arms raised from my side of my body and directly out in front of me for 12 slow reps. Second set I grab the 30lb dumbbells and do another 12 slow reps, third set I go up to the 40lb dumbbells and do them one at a time 12 reps with each arm alternating each arm. Last set is 45lb dumbbells one at a time each arm burning it out with another 12 reps. It is very important not to sway your body or get momentum rocking the weights make sure you slow down and let the muscle work so I like to do these seated. .

I also like to do front raises with a small barbell with the same weights and repetitions except when I do this I stand with my back to a wall for support. Again, no momentum or swaying – let the muscle do the work.

Are you ready to look big then you have to hit the side lateral raises. Side laterals can be preformed with either dumbbells or a low cable you can do two arms raised out lateral from the sides of your body from a standing position and I prefer to do this exercise one arm at a time. The majority of the time I use the low cable and I stand with tension from the weight stack at the lower start position with 30lbs on the stack and I raise my arm directly out to my side and back down with the cable very close to the front of my body and my arm stops at the front of my thigh and back up with continuous tension on the pulley. Alternating arms I perform 4 sets 30lbs for 12 reps, 40lbs for 12 reps, 50lbs for 10 reps, and 60lbs for 8 reps.

Bangin’ shoulders take rear delts and I stand inside the cable crossover machine and with each hand holding the bottom pulley handle (right hand holding left pulley handle and left hand holding right pulley handle) I bend over with bent knees and look straight ahead with any luck into a mirror to watch my form. You raise each arm straight out to the side of your body while leaning forward to do this which is called Rear Delt Cable Crossovers. This has to be a slowly performed exercise with no body momentum with a very slight bend at the elbow go out to the side of your body with each pulley handle squeezing your rear delts a the top of the movement keep never-ending tension on the muscle. Do 3 sets of 12 reps and I use 30lbs each arm first set, 40lbs second set, 45lbs third set.

Last exercise of the workout and my shoulders are boomin’ I like to do upright rows. On my upright rows I prefer to use a barbell and a close grip. The grip I use is measured by sticking out my thumbs and touching them together so it is about 6 inches each grip on the barbell. Standing up I have two 25lb plates on the 45lb barbell and I have the barbell in front of my body below my waist and I lift the bar up the front of my body extending my elbows out to the side bringing the barbell up close to my chin for the first set of 12 reps. Second set I add a 10lbs each side for 10 reps and the last set is 45lbs each side for 8-10 reps.

Workout

Shoulder Press – 4 sets – reps 12, 10, 10, 8

Front Raises – 4 sets – reps 12, 12, 12, 12

Lateral Raises – 4 sets – reps 12, 12, 10, 8

Rear Delt Cable Crossovers 3 sets – reps 12, 12, 12

Up Right Rows 3 sets – reps 12, 10, 8

In this article I’d like to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the P90X workout system. Hopefully this will help you decide if its the right program for you. In case you do decide to buy it, I’m also adding a little explanation on how to get a P90X discount online.

You’ve probably seen the P90X commercial on television, the one that claims to get you ripped in 90 days. Or perhaps you have seen the P90X reviews online. This program does work as described. However, there are pros and cons to anything, including the P90X.

By examining both sides, you can adequately make a decision on whether or not the program is for you and your fitness goals.

The Advantages:

The advantages of following the P90X program should be obvious from the commercials. You’ll eat healthier, get stronger and leaner, and you’ll be able to do a hundred or more pushups and/or pull ups in one workout. You’ll be healthier than you’ve ever been and you’ll do it all in 90 days.

The Disadvantages:

The disadvantages of following the P90X program is that it must be followed every day, six days per week. This is essential to seeing the results described in the fitness guide as well as in the commercials. After the program, however, most people go right back to their old bad habits. And in that aspect, the P90X program may send the wrong message to those who aren’t used to working out and want results too quickly.

Its really up to you to decide whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. If you do decide to get the program, do follow it as described, and try not to revert to your old habits when you are done.

Where to Get a Discount:

If you decided in favor of getting the program, you might be on the lookout for a P90X discount.

In order to do that, just go to the various online authorized sellers and see who is offering the best price on the P90X. Cheap price points are not so common, but take into consideration that some places offer free shipping as well.

If you want to be successful in life improve your health and if you want to be happy in life then too improve your health. Unless a person is healthy he is neither able to remain happy nor successful in life. You should take care of your health to enjoy the pleasures of life.

The top priority of a person should always be health. If you are fit and healthy then only can you think of moving ahead in life and maintaining relationships and taking responsibilities.

It is very important for a person to assess his or her physical health. You can see the external problems but you should also know your body from within. If you have some external problem you always go to the doctor to have it checked. But at times when you do not feel good from within and find no symptoms of ill health you do not make an effort to go for a check up. It is here when we create problems for us. Whenever you feel weak or low visit your doctor. You could be facing some health problems which could be tackled easily rather than delaying and making it worse. Your body starts showing symptoms if it is unwell. The symptom could be physical as well as emotional. Never ignore the symptoms your body gives such as falling of the hair, often feeling weak and lethargic and getting irritated fast. These could be indications of serious problems.

Give time to yourself and improve healthcare. There are different ways of improving your health and it only requires a little of your time. You have to learn to be cautious towards your health.

How to improve health?

It is not very difficult. You have to see to what you are eating. Are you eating healthy food or only junk food? Do you take juices, fruits and vegetables in your diet? Is your diet balanced with all the vitamins, minerals and proteins? These are the questions you should often ask yourself and include that food which you do not have at all. You should avoid any kind of deficiency. At times you avoid certain food out of lack of interest and as a result facing health problems.

Overeating is also a factor responsible for an unhealthy body. Obesity is one of the main problems today. To avoid obesity you have to have a controlled diet. Avoid too much of fatty food. Again include juices in your diet. Vegetables juices give you a lot of energy as and at the same time they contain fewer calories. You should include fruits and vegetables in your food.

Exercises are a good way of health care. Exercises keep you physically fit and active. The muscles are strengthened when you exercise and there is proper circulation of blood. You could do any type of exercise such as aerobics, yoga exercise or just do some basic exercises. They not only keep you physically fit but also relieve you from stress.

To improve your health it is very important to improve your lifestyle. What you eat? How you eat? When do you eat? How much do you sleep? These questions tell you much about your lifestyle. When people do not eat healthy, that is they take too much of fatty food, they skip meals, do not have proper timings to eat, do not take much of vegetables and fruits and they do not take proper sleep then we can say that their way of lifestyle is unhealthy. They are the people who often face health problems.

So for a healthy living eat well, sleep well and exercise well.

Find more information visit: How to improve your health [http://www.keepcondom.com/articles/health-nutrition/improve-your-health.htm]

Skinny legs are shared by both men and women, fitness buffs and slouchers, weight lifters and runners. And regardless of what many people do to try and improve their chicken-like leg appearance, it can still be hard to build attractive leg muscle. Now, through modern research, several old and new fitness approaches have been shown to help grow skinny gams into muscular masterpieces. It really comes down to both diet and exercise.

Weightlifting is a great way to improve overall appearance; and when it comes to improving leg size, some bodybuilders get it right. Unfortunately some don’t. And all the squats in the world won’t make a difference if there isn’t a targeted diet to go along with exercise. That’s why many bodybuilders fail to build their skinny legs into powerhouses to match their mammoth bodies. The diet part of their exercise equation is missing.

As for runners, they often see worse gains than their bodybuilder buddies. In fact, runners are often notorious for having skinny legs — even men and women who once had impressive drumsticks end up with skinny runner legs.

It’s important for runners to include some resistance-based exercises (like weightlifting) into their routine, especially with their legs. Not only can this shave a few seconds off their overall time, but it can help runners maintain or even build full, attractive legs.

For anybody with skinny legs, the following tips should build some muscle when followed for 6 months to a year. As for muscle tone, most people see gains within a couple weeks.

FUEL YOUR MUSCLE GROWTH

To make a long story short, protein builds muscle — even leg muscle. But not all protein is equal. Some foods are better than others at providing adequate protein to fuel muscle growth. To build leg muscle, start with the foods listed below:

* eggs

* liver

* kidneys

* beef

* fish

* chicken and turkey

* milk, yogurt, and cheese

* nuts

* beans

* peas

* some grains (especially barley)

Don’t overcook meats. Overcooking your food can actually breakdown and damage protein and other nutrients your body needs to build muscle. Try baking meats instead of frying, it’s easier to control the temperature. Steaming vegetables instead of boiling also keeps more nutrients in your foods.

Most nutritionist advise 1 1/2 grams of protein for every pound of body weight each day, for maximum muscle growth. With this type of diet, it’s easy to fuel the muscles in your legs for proper growth.

DRINK, DRINK, DRINK

You’ve probably read it before, but it’s got to be said again. Drink plenty of water. I personally try to make 8 glasses of 12 ounce water per day part of my diet. And all that water doesn’t need to be from the tap. Include fruits and vegetables as part of your daily amount. Melon (like watermelon and honeydew) are a huge source of water. They’re really flavorful too.

LEG PRESSES

Exercise is the most important thing you can do to build leg muscles. By focusing on just your legs and making most of your workouts push those muscles to their limits, you’ll definitely build more attractive legs.

Perform the leg press at the gym using a machine by the same name.

* Sit on machine with back on padded support. Place your feet on platform and grasp handles to sides.

* Push the platform away by extending your knees and hips. Return and repeat.

LUNGES

This is one of the best overall exercises for your legs and butt muscles:

* Stand with feet 3 to 4 inches apart, with hands on hips. Starting with your right leg, take a giant step forward. Your toes and knee are pointed directly in front of your body.

* Bend your right knee slightly, with your whole foot on the floor. Your left heel lifts up.

* Lower your body straight down from this position. Your front knee must lower down over your ankle, or behind your shoelaces.

* Raise your body and bring your left leg in to return to the standing position.

* Repeat with your left leg. Alternate right and left each time.

CALF RAISES

* Grasp a dumbbell in one hand to side.

* Position toes and balls of feet on calf block with arches and heels extending off.

* Place hand on support for balance. Lift other leg to rear by bending knee.

* Raise heels by extending ankles as high as possible. Lower heels by bending ankles until calves are stretched. Repeat. Continue with opposite leg.

Fuel your workouts, drink plenty of water, and perform exercises that really hit those leg muscles. Before you know it, you’ll turn your skinny poles into shapely legs you’ll be excited to show off in shorts.

An old adage tells us that we won’t see fitness gains without some pain. Yet the recent trend seems to favor making exercise as painless as possible.

There are modernized and modified versions of all the old moves. Innovators claim the new exercises are as good as – or better than – the originals.

But it turns out that the older generation had the right idea. Sure, their exercises left them red-faced and groaning, but they worked!

If you want to make the most of your physique, you might want to try sweating like the oldies. Here are five of the most effective and least loved exercises of all time:

Pull-Ups

Pull-ups often remind us of dreaded fitness tests in gym class, when we embarrassed ourselves by dangling pitifully from the chin-up bar.

If you don’t have that particular traumatic memory, consider yourself lucky! For the rest of us, pull-ups are a harsh reminder of how weak we are.

Pull-ups are also one of the most effective ways to strengthen and tone your arms, shoulders, and back.

If you can overcome your distaste and just do them, pull-ups will greatly increase your upper body strength.

If you can’t do a regular pull-up, work up to it by anchoring a chin-up bar to your wall and just hanging there for a while.

Next, move on to chair-assisted pull-ups, and finally to the regular old kind we love to hate.

Push-Ups

Push-ups are used as punishment in schools and military camps the world over. It’s too bad they have such a negative association for so many people, because they are an excellent exercise for strengthening the arms and chest.

If you’re not able to do a regular pushup, don’t get discouraged. Just start pushing yourself up from the wall, then from a kitchen counter.

Next, do a pushup from your knees. Keep this up, and it won’t be long until you’re strong enough to push your body from the floor using only your arms.

You can even get fancy with wide-armed and one-armed push-ups, but you’d better leave those until you’ve mastered the others.

Sit-Ups

Rounding out the trio of dreaded exercises with “ups” in their name, sit-ups are widely regarded as repetitive torture for the spine and tailbone.

But if they’re done right (and on a slightly cushioned surface) sit-ups will provide you with a strong core and ripped abs.

If you can’t do a proper sit-up, strengthen your core with abdominal crunches. After a few weeks, sit down on an exercise mat and try to do a full sit-up.

If you find yourself losing your balance at first, get a friend to hold your feet and anchor you.

Be sure to use your abdominals, not your legs or arms, to pull you into a sitting position.

Leg Lifts

There are a wide variety of leg lift exercises to choose from, and none of them are very fun.

They do all have one thing in common though: they will give you the toned thighs and firm lower abs you’ve been wanting.

To start doing leg lifts, lie on your back and extend your legs at a 45 degree angle from your body. Slowly lower them until they are just 6 inches off the ground.

You will feel the burn in your thighs and abs, and this is a good thing.

Flutter kicks are another variation on the basic leg lift. While lying down, bend your knees to your chest. Then extend your legs at a 45 degree angle.

Bring your right leg close to the ground, followed by your left leg. Repeat without letting your feet touch the ground.

Wall Sits

The looming threat of wall sits kept a lot of us obedient during gym class.

Another punitive exercise with an unfortunate reputation, the wall sit is a highly effective way to tone your legs, thighs, glutes, and core.

To do a wall sit, start by leaning your upper back against a wall. Then slowly slide down into a sitting position.

Your knees should be at a 90 degree angle from your body, just as if you were sitting in a chair.

Contract your abs and hold the position for 20 to 60 seconds. If it hurts, it’s working!

Our ancestors knew a few things about effective exercises. If you can toughen up and add these moves to your workout routine, you’ll be rewarded with stronger, leaner, better-looking muscles. Isn’t that worth a little pain?

Stop! Check this out before you make any more goals!

Don’t be like everyone else; most people make their goals incorrectly. You know, like the guy down the street with the brand new jogging shoes and suit. You want to bet he doesn’t make it from January to March?

The one goal that many people make is to get into shape. (A friend of mine told me, I’m always in shape, sometimes apple shaped, and sometimes pear shaped) Now be honest. How many years have you made that resolution?

With goals in hand, it’s off to the gym we go!

You know it’s one of those moments where you feel like you’ve been here before. It’s time to clear the mind and hit the weights. You have a lot of toning-up to do so you walk over to the weights. And start your journey to body perfection. And by mid January you’re so sore and tired you’re ready to give up.

It’s really bad when you start looking for excuses not to go to the gym. But hang on; a good excuse will be coming just around the corner! It doesn’t matter what it is, like the man said “any old excuse will do.” So yours comes and you stop going to the gym.

There’s a better way than quitting!

The secret to success is not to set those big goals.

I know… everyone… and I mean everyone will tell you to write down your goals, that one big goal so you can keep it in front of you. You know the drill, put it on the refrigerator, bathroom mirror, beside you bed so it’s the first and last thing you see every day.

Tell me the truth. Do you really look at those big goals once you start falling behind? After a few weeks of getting further behind don’t you just avoid them like the strange people that live next door?

Are you ready for a better way?

You are!

Great!

Set small, achievable goals!

Don’t do like they tell you; set a goal something like “I will lose 40 pounds in three months.”

The problem here my friend is when you miss the mark on the goal, you get discouraged and quit. And this is not good. If you aren’t careful you will create a habit of quitting. And a habit that is let go for too long is hard to break.

For a goal to be achievable it has to become part of your routine. And to be part of your routine, you must rewire your brain.

So we set small goals, get some victories and start reprogramming the mind.

Start with something like “I will exercise for 10 minutes three days a week.”

After you get your brain reprogrammed to the exercise routine, then you make incremental increases to your workout set.

You will add one more rep to a work set, or another exercise routine. A simple progression with proper performance of the exercise and persistence wins in the long run.

Then one day you will look back and be amazed at where you came from… and you will know where you’re going.

Just to condense it, start small, then do incremental increases to your workout set that you properly do, and be persistent. Don’t give up.

When it comes to fitness and health, it is important to remember you do not have to be in the gym to stay in shape. Sometimes the best workouts happen outside of the gym. Not to mention, by adding more overall activity to your day, you can dramatically improve your well-being.

One thing many people do not take the time to realize, however, is how much is enough. What are the signs you are getting enough activity – or more importantly, too little?

Let us look at five signs signifying you may need a bit more activity built into your day…

1. You Are Tired And Sluggish. Most people would think too little exercise would equate to having stacks of energy, but often this is not the case. If you are not moving enough, you may find yourself feeling sluggish, and when you do attempt to exercise, it seems to take a colossal amount of effort.

As the saying goes: “a body in motion stays in motion.” If you can focus on moving more, you will find exercise after that becomes easier.

2. You Are Making Little Gym Progress. Another sign you are not getting enough exercise is if you are not making progress at the gym. When was the last time you became stronger? If it has been a while, consider you may need to hit the gym more frequently.

For best results with your strength training program, you need to do at least three workouts each week, if not four or five.

3. You Ache All Over. Do you have tight and stiff muscles? Does it hurt to bend over? Are you constantly dreaming of having a massage?

If your muscles are constantly tight and tense, a little activity can help loosen them as it improves blood flow to the impacted areas. Try for ten minutes a day at the minimum and see what a difference it makes.

While too much exercise can cause you to ache all over; too little exercise can do the same.

4. You Are Not Sleeping Well. Sleep can also be influenced by your exercise schedule. If you are not sleeping well at night, consider adding more workouts. Moving more will help you not only to fall asleep faster but to sleep deeper.

Do note though you do not want to exercise too close to bedtime. Working out close to when you plan to sleep can have the opposite effect and make you feel wide awake and restless. Schedule your workout sessions at least three to four hours before bedtime.

5. You Are Not Controlling Your Body Weight. Finally, physical activity and diet go hand in hand regarding controlling body weight. If you are not getting enough sleep, your daily calorie burn may be exceptionally small, which makes it tough to manage your body weight.

The more you move, the more you burn calories. It is that simple, so focus on exercising more, and you will see better results.

There you have five signs showing you may need more exercise. Are you demonstrating any of these?

The history of exercise equipment dates back to the time of early civilization. Before that, the need for survival kept people in pretty good shape regardless of whether they were hunters, gatherers, or farmers. When they started living in large groups and specializing, their day-to-day workload changed and for many, the need for exercise was born. Fitness training began with the early Greeks when Hippocrates wrote “that which is used develops, and that which is not used wastes away.” In other words, use it or lose it.

Physical training was introduced by way of two kinds of competition that arose between groups of people — games and war. Military conflict and athletic competition between city-states created the need for gymnasiums, calisthenics, strength training and exercise equipment.

Early exercise equipment consisted primarily of weights and tools for gymnastic training. Stones, sandbags, water jars, various yokes and bars made up the components of early weight training equipment. Early gymnastic tools were precursors of modern equipment consisting of swings with bars, ropes and rings. A variety of solid balls were used for coordination and strength training as well. Running and calisthenics were commonly used to develop coordination and stamina. Extra power and speed was developed by running up and down hills and mountains.

Much later, the Greek physician Galen described strength training using an early type of dumbbell. But the history of exercise equipment doesn’t really begin until the late 19th century with the appearance of the barbell. Early barbells were made with hollow globes filled with water or sand. About the same time, modern gymnastic training equipment came into being in Germany with Friedrich Jahn’s equipment that included wooden horses, balance beams and parallel bars.

Serious exercise equipment started appearing in the late 18th and 19th centuries. The first stationary bicycle was produced in the 18th century and was a large machine that worked both the arms and the legs. The first rowing machine appeared in the mid 19th century, and looked like the midsection of a boat.

Later in the early 20th century came machines to improve physical fitness. Many of the machines were adapted from earlier applications. The treadmill, for example, was initially invented with industrial applications in mind, during a time when steam engines were not practical and before electric motors were in widespread use. Later it and other weight and pulley systems were adapted for use in gymnasiums as exercise equipment and as features to improve safety for strength training. By 1933 the treadmill was in widespread use and in 1952 was being used in medical applications.

Also in the 1950s, Jack LaLanne created several new exercise machines including the cable pulley machine, the Smith machine, used in weight training, and the leg extension machine.

The step treadmill hit the market in 1983. It was a revolving staircase, similar to an escalator and called the stairmaster. Modern step machines with individual foot platforms came shortly afterward with the development of the stairmaster 4000 in 1986. These machines provided an excellent cardio workout along with lower body strength training.

Finally, the history of exercise equipment comes to the development of modern home gym equipment including universal machines like the Solo-flex and Bowflex, along with devices like the mini-stairstepper. The mini-stairstepper is a device that provides all the advantages of the step treadmill in a small portable device that can be easily moved and stored.

After the Bowflex and the mini-stairstepper, what new wonders will be added to the history of exercise equipment? No doubt, there is a cadre of inventors all working diligently to show us, and to take their place in history.