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Due to the ever growing demand for quality remanufactured fitness equipment overseas, Fitness Equipment Depot Worldwide is proud to announce the formation of our International Sales Dept. The Department will be headed by Jose Talledo, an industry professional with over 24 years of experience in the Health and Fitness World. Jose has operated as well as owned Health and Fitness Centers in New York and Texas. He has worked with the top equipment manufacturers in the industry. He currently also consults for clubs in the areas of operations, efficiency and profitability.

Our International Sales Dept has the capability to assist clients with any and all fitness needs to make their project a success.

For more information Please call 516 346 4370 ext 109 or Email: IncaJoe@FitnessPlus.com

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Fitness Equipment Depot Worldwide buys used commercial strength and cardio equipment. Whether you are an individual, leasing company or a health club facility that is downsizing, or simply upgrading your equipment, contact our procurement department at Procurement@FitnessPlus.com or Call 516 346 4370 ext 107. We offer competitive pricing as well as trade in credit. We will pick up the equipment or arrange all freight.

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"We all reach that stage in our exercise lives at some stage. It just seems that nothing much extra happens -- no more fat loss or muscle gain. For some it seems like endless progress because of a low fitness starting level; others reach this progress plateau quickly. Here are some practical tips to kick-start a stalled fitness engine.

Set reasonable goals and expectations. This may seem obvious, but not to everyone. Girls, you can't get rippled abs within a few months of giving birth; and guys, ten years of booze does not a quick six-pack make. Get real, get to work, learn to love small gains and log, log, log.

Make a note of your progress so that you know exactly when your weight loss, muscle enhancement or waist size reduction starts to plateau. This is important because unless you note it or chart it, it's easy to imagine things are better or worse than they are.

Use a decent set of scales with the ability to measure body fat. So that you can really tell how much progress you are making in losing fat and building muscle, get access to a set of electronic scales that show you body weight plus fat mass. Often, your total weight will not change but your muscle will increase and your fat mass will decrease. Scales made by Omron and Tanita are good quality and select models include this functionality. If you can't afford such a scale, try to find a gym, health club, medical institution or public place that provides such a service.

Watch your diet and nutrition. Keep the saturated fat and refined carbohydrates DOWN! I want no more than 25 percent total fat, and no flaky, flimsy, fatty pastries, refined sugars, colas, biscuits, cakes, sweets and junk like that. Just get rid of it, period. None.

For weight gainers, I want low-fat protein, mainly poultry meats, non-fat dairy, fish like tuna and salmon, and beans and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. Make sure you eat enough. The most fundamental error that hopeful weight and muscle gainers make is not eating enough quality food, and I don't necessarily mean protein.

Load up those muscles. To put on muscle and lose fat you need to overload the muscles sufficiently to promote muscle growth. This means exercising all muscle groups at least twice each week and preferably three times a week.

Now if you find yourself at a plateau after several months of this program, try to squeeze in another session, making it 3 or 4 sessions each week if you feel your constitution can take the extra training. Bear in mind that at this point you should still be exercising to failure or thereabouts, at 12 repetitions for 3 sets for the set number of exercises in the program. You may have adjusted the weight load upward to account for strength gains.

Eat and drink according to your workout. Meal timing according to exercise intensity and workout duration is one of the most crucial aspects of any exercise regimen, and weight training is no exception.

• Take a pre-exercise protein 'shooter' with about 20 grams of protein. Skim milk will do.
• Take some sports drink with carbohydrate if you exercise for more than an hour at high intensity. Protein is not necessary at this time.
• Within 30 minutes of a solid workout, eat or drink 20 grams of protein with at least the same amount of carbohydrate and more if the workout has been of long duration and high in intensity and includes cardio.
• Don't skimp on carbohydrate if you train hard for 4 or more days each week. You need it to protect your muscle protein from breakdown and to replace glycogen stores.

Rest and recover. Every 4 to 6 weeks take an easy week where you do about half your normal training, or full training at half the intensity. This provides a 'window' in which the body can replenish itself and build even stronger. The principle of weight training and muscle building is progressive overload, muscle damage, repair and new growth. Give this process a chance to occur.

Do some cardio. Some weight trainers and bodybuilders live in fear that aerobic exercise will delay or even inhibit muscle growth. Aerobic exercise is good for your health, burns calories and fat and can even assist in muscle growth. Keep it to less than 50 minutes a session at low to moderate intensity and it won't cause a problem for muscle growth. In fact, a good cardio session can help exhaust the muscles of glycogen (glucose) and give you an even greater anabolic 'rush' when insulin, a muscle building hormone, is called upon to rebuild tissue with new growth factors, protein and glucose.

Try an intensity change. If you're not getting any further after many months, try a change. The body responds to variation in intensity and program. If weight loss is your goal, try a circuit program. If muscle building and fitness is your goal and you're a bit stale, then switch from 3 sets of 12 reps to 4 sets of eight reps, or try pyramid or drop sets where you alter the weights and reps up or down for each set.

Switch the time of workout. I can't guarantee success with this one, but it's worth a try. Bio-rhythms can be different for people and this may affect the way you train and your results. For example, cortisol, a natural muscle-breaking hormone, is highest in the early morning for most people. These patterns can vary from person to person, so perhaps you could get better results from finding the best training time for you -- morning or afternoon.

Get plenty of rest, relaxation and sleep and don't overtrain. Again, this may not sound critical but it is. Stress hormones like adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol can play havoc with muscle development and fat loss. Being stressed produces a catabolic or 'breaking down' internal body environment which leads to muscle degradation, in some cases fat accumulation, and susceptibility to infection. Overtraining can create a similar internal environment. Rest and grow strong.

That's it. Practical tips you can use."

-Paul Rogers (http://weighttraining.about.com/od/succeedingwithweights/qt/success_tips.htm)

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8.30.2010: Article: Treadmill Vs Elliptical Which is better for you?

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Treadmills and elliptical trainers are two of the most popular pieces of exercise equipment and are excellent tools for getting an aerobic workout indoors. When you compare treadmills vs elliptical trainers, you will quickly realize that ellipticals have only come to the party fairly recently, whereas treadmills have been around much longer. Consequently, treadmills are more well-known and more commonplace. However, before you go and buy that treadmill, you may want to give elliptical trainers a second glance.

A quick comparison:

When you compare treadmills to elliptical trainers, you can't help but notice that the elliptical trainer offers an impact-free workout. With the elliptical, there is no impact on the ground, which may appeal to people who need a gentler workout because of joint problems or pain. The treadmill offers more impact, which helps strengthen the bones.

One obvious point that is in favor of treadmills is that it provides a better training experience for a dedicated runner/jogger than an elliptical trainer. If you are training for a marathon or even a 10k, and you don't want to go outdoors too often during the colder months, you are certainly better off with a quality treadmill.

That being said, if you are looking for a quality cardiovascular workout with the maximum amount of efficiency, the elliptical is an excellent choice. Most elliptical trainers give you a total body workout if you have dual action handlebars for your arms and foot pedals for your legs, whereas treadmills focus more on your lower body as they simulate the jogging experience. What is even more interesting, according to recent studies, is that the lack of impact on the joints allows the user to burn roughly the same amount of calories as treadmills with the impression of putting less effort.

Therefore, it is no wonder that ellipticals have been the machine of choice for seniors exercisers with knee problems, as well as physical trainers who are involved in rehabilitating their clients.

This is what Thomas Altena, an exercise physiologist at the University of Missouri-Columbia, had to say: "The physiological responses associated with elliptical exercises were nearly identical to treadmill exercises." He went on to conclude that "both exercise machines are effective for increasing the amount of calories burned and for producing cardio respiratory health and training benefits..."

Finally, one feature which is often overlooked about elliptical trainers is the ability to add variety to your aerobic workout. Whenever anyone is on an exercise plan, one of the biggest challenges he faces is to stay motivated and interested in his workouts. With the treadmill, the ability to change the incline, as well as the intensity are big pluses, which has contributed to its popularity over the last decade. The elliptical trainer matches these features and has a few additional ones of its own.

In addition to changing the cross ramp incline (which is available in Precor models) as well as varying the intensity, you also have the option to not use the handlebar and focus on your lower body. Although this option is not used often, it does add variety to your workout.

However, the most critical feature, and what separates the elliptical trainer from many other exercise machines when it comes to variety, is the forward and reversible feature on the foot pedals. When you are going forward, you feel like a cross country skier hitting the long slopes. However, when you reverse your pedal motion, you can target your lower body in a completely different way. Without question, you are targeting your quadriceps muscles and will soon feel them burn after a few minutes.

Ray Hudson ( http://exercise.about.com/cs/exercisegear/a/treadelliptical.htm )