Over the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to purchase and evaluate several exercise videos.  I love exercise videos.  I’m able to get a really good workout from home when I don’t have time to go to the gym or whenever I travel.  I’ve been able to try Tae-Bo, 6 minute whatevers (arms, abs, etc…), power yogas, and a lot of videos by Beachbody.com.  By far my favorites are the videos from Beachbody.

Most exercise videos that I’ve used follow the same routing.  There’s a person there who welcomes you to the workout, they lead you through a warmup, then there’s a part that is supposed to give you a workout, then there’s the cooldown.  The problem with most of these videos is that the people leading them are quite stodgy and boring.  In addition, the workouts are either too hard and complex or there’s not enough space inside my house to complete all of the moves.  Here’s where Beachbody really shines.

Of the videos that I have and will review in the weeks to come, the leader is Tony Horton.  Tony a very funny instructor yet he is obviously fit and able to do all of the moves while guiding you through certain positions.  I believe that his charisma and sense of humor really make the time fly by whenever I’m doing one of the videos.

In the following week or so, I’ll be reviewing my favorite Beachbody videos.  If any of those look good to you, I encourage to you to head on over to their site and buy the video. You won’t regret it.  While you’re at it, really enhance your weight loss with Proactol.  Proactol can help you lose up to 6 pounds per week when combined with exercise!

This is the fourth in a series entitled “Exercise Band Workouts” which focus on at-home exercises with an exercise resistance band. Make sure that you are familiar with Part I: Bicep Curls, part II: Tricep Extensions, and part III, Side Raises.

This next exercise is for the back muscles.  Specifically, the Latissimus Dorsi, or “Lats”.  This exercise may be done in one of two ways.  The first method required a solid beam or hook of some sort in your house and is the preffered method, as you can create more resistance.  The second, although not quite as effective, will still give you resistance but you may need to do more reps to get the same benefit.

• With the band  wrapped and secured around the hook or beam, sit on the ground with your legs straight ahead and your back straight up, as though you were the letter “L”.
• Grab the handles, one in each hand, and row your arms back while maintaining a straight back and your legs flat on the ground.
• Hold the row for a second and slowly return to the starting position.

Repeat this move 15-20 times and start over on the other side. Once the other side is done, you will complete one set. Try to do 3-4 sets of this exercise. Remember to focus on your form. Don’t jerk your arm or use momentum. Focus on your back muscle and adjust the resistance if it is too easy or too difficult by moving closer or further away from the hook or beam.

If you don’t have a hook or a beam, you can wrap the resistance band around your feet once or twice, depending on your strength and the resistance of the band and follow the same routine as above.  Do as many rows as you can, and focus on form.  You should definitely feel your muscles working when you get done with this exercise!

Don’t forget that in addition to this exercise, I recommend that you take Proactol for weight loss. Proactol is a new doctor approved and clinically proven all natural weight loss supplement that can help you lose up to 6 pounds per week!

This is the third in a series entitled “Exercise Band Workouts” which focus on at-home exercises with an exercise resistance band. Make sure that you are familiar with Part I, Bicep Curls and part II, Tricep Extensions.

Exercise #3: Side Raises

One of the smaller muscle groups in your body is the shoulder. It is possible to get a great shoulder workout in as little as 3 moves, and this is what this and the next two posts will be about.

You can think of your shoulders as having 3 parts: a top part, a front part and a side part. Today we’ll focus on how you can exercise the “side part” of your shoulders at home with resistance bands. This move is simple and should be done in a slow, controlled manner. Never jerk your arms up and down, but always focus on your form. So, put on a tee shirt, a pair of shorts and your athletic shoes and let’s get to work.

1. Stand with your right foot on one end of the resistance band
2. Grab the opposite handle with your right hand and leave your arm straight down your side
3. You may need to give yourself more resistance, depending on your band
4. Now slowly lift your arm away from your body so that at the end, you arm is parallel to the ground
5. Slowly return your arm to the starting position

Repeat this move 15-20 times and start over on the other side. Once the other side is done, you will complete one set. Try to do 3-4 sets of this exercise. Remember to focus on your form. Don’t jerk your arm or use momentum. Focus on your shoulder muscle and adjust the resistance if it is too easy or too difficult.

An alternative move would be to step on the band and grab both handles, one in each hand, and work both shoulders at once. This would look like this:

In addition to this exercise, I recommend that you take Proactol for weight loss. Proactol is a new doctor approved and clinically proven all natural weight loss supplement that can help you lose up to 6 pounds per week!