Finding the Right Gym in Long Beach pt. 2
Posted by on December 9, 2008 under fitness gyms, personal training, weight training | 
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The next part of this series of finding your new fitness gym in Long Beach deals with the nuts and bolts of things. The equipment and services to help you achieve your fitness goals!
Equipment! More or Less?
Cable Machines, Freeweights and stability balls
A well stocked gym with good equipment can help you keep on track. Truth be told, most people with basic gym experience feel better about having more equipment. Here is why: equipment is labeled as to what it does and seems relatively fool proof to use. If you have minimal knowledge and haven’t worked with a personal trainer, you will at least feel semi confident about hopping on a piece of equipment that lets you set the weight and go to town.
A solid “freeweight” section is important too. Free weights are dumbbells and barbells, kettlebells etc. The benefit to using them is that you require more of your body, its stabilizers and your core…and that translates into more calories burned and more work done at the end of the day. Don’t avoid this section if you are serious about getting to your fitness goal fast.
Some extras that are nice
Medicine balls, resistance bands, stability balls, balance boards and other apparatus are great extras for your workout and if you want to keep things fresh, a well stocked gym with these goodies will do the trick for you. Having different TYPES of resistance can shake up your routine immensely. So using a balance of machines, freeweights, bodyweight and other types of resistance will challenge your body constantly and keep you improving.
Cardio equipment: keeping the heart healthy and helping you melt fat!
Whether you are looking for a big chain type gym or a small exclusive studio, make sure they have ample cardio equipment. These can help you get your heart healthy and burn extra calories. Some staple equipment to have are treadmills and either upright or recumbent bikes. Newer pieces of equipment such as eliptical trainers and stair steppers are great and can give you a great workout that is low impact (vs. running).
Personal Training Services
I add this in shamelessly but truly feel that if you are new to working out, you owe it to yourself to learn how to do things the right way. Machines seem self explanatory but you would be surprised how many times people ask me if they are using correct form. When training a client i ALWAYS teach them the correct form with free weightsfirst, then show how it can carry over to machines later. Some trainers do this backwards, which can actually be a disservice to their clients. Showing how to use equipment is not being a personal trainer, thats tech support and a tour guide combined. Learning how an exercise is done correctly is way more important than learning what height to put the seat on a machine. I teach a trainee how to work out in ANY gym with the correct form so that whatever the equipment available they can have a great workout. More on selecting the best personal trainer in Long Beach for you in another article.
If you are looking for a gym to work out in and are new to exercise, make sure your gym is well stocked with equipment, has good personal trainers to help you get a strong start. You’ll progress faster, feel more confident about going to the gym and reach your goals faster.
