Month: September 2019

Woman performing the single leg (unilateral) leg press
Garage Gym

To Leg Press or Not To Leg Press?

September 26, 2019 gymadmin Comments Off on To Leg Press or Not To Leg Press?

The Leg Press – evil gym equipment or mis-understood good guy of the gym? The leg press machine gets a lot of hate. And some of it is warranted, because people do a lot of dumb things with the leg press machine. First of all, it’s easy to do a lot of weight in the leg press. Surely you’ve seen the local gym buffoon using every 45lb plate in the area to load up the machine. Why is it so easy? Well, first of all – we’re talking the 45 degree leg machine. That takes a good deal of the load off – it’s not like you are lifting that amount of weight up and down. Secondly, the leg press machine makes it really easy to use a micro range of motion. 1,200lb leg press? Sure – but what’s the range of motion? 2 inches? This is also a problem when it comes time to unload the machine. Or rather, […]

Bench press form
Garage Gym

Ode to the Bench Press

September 22, 2019 gymadmin 1

The Bench Press is a gym legend. But, nowadays it catches a lot of flak. For no good reason, in my opinion. The mighty bench press was the first thing I ever did in the gym (30+ years ago). And, god willing, it’ll be the last thing I do too. Let’s discuss why the bench press rules. First of all – you can build massive pecs. You also get to lay down. In fact, it’s not correct form to do anything other than lay down on the padded bench. Are you seeing the benefits now? It’s the most weight you can move with your upper body. Dips, curls, overhead press – all great. But nobody is every going to overhead press 1,000 lbs. Oh – but that’s wearing an artificial performance device like a bench shirt?

Air Bike or Rower? Which is the best metcon tool for you?
Garage Gym

Rower vs Air Bike – FIGHT!

August 19, 2020 gymadmin 4

What’s the best metcon equipment for a home gym or garage gym? Is it the air bike or the indoor rower? That’s what we’ll discuss here. We’ll be looking at the pros and cons of indoor rowers like the Concept 2 Model D rower and air bikes like the Assault Fitness AirBike. NOTE: We’ve posted an up to date comparison of Rower vs Assault Bike over on our sister site, you may want to get the latest details there. Both are low impact exercise. There’s no jarring impacts to the joints. Can’t run? You may be able to row or bike instead. Back problems? The Air Bike might be the better bet. Your lower back is kept in a relatively static position. The forward lean required for the rower could cause you problems. The air bike seat gets uncomfortable pretty quick. The rower is definitely the better choice for stead state cardio or LSD (Long, Slow, Distance) type training. The […]