Cost: $49.99
Accessories needed: Dance Dance Revolution Pad Controller, Wii Balance Board

Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) swept the video game nation years ago, bringing exercise to the ever-lanky computer and fantasy world lovers; but the latest incarnation of the wildly popular game actually intentionally incorporates workouts into the dance mix.

In workout mode you have three options: standard, hypermove, and balance board. Standard is the traditional DDR action, hypermove builds on standard mode by adding the Wii remote and nunchucks, and balance board mode requires you to move your hips with the game almost like hula hopping while using the Wii remote and nunchuk for punching.

EA Sports Active: More Workouts

Cost: $39.99
Accessories needed: Wii Sports Active leg strap for the nunchuck and resistance band

As an upgrade to the EA Sports Active, the More Workouts addition not only gives you more variety, but offers the perfect blend of fun and fitness to get even the laziest couch potato up and moving. Take on the six-week challenge, chart your progress in the virtual diary, and select from three levels of difficulty (easy, medium, and hard) to design a personalized regimen. This version of the game reportedly allows you to focus on certain muscle groups more intensively and do so while actually having fun; the workouts include water skiing, paddle surfing, cardio boxing, step aerobics, squash, and an obstacle course.

Wii Fit Plus

Cost: $19.99
Accessories needed: none, balance board comes with Wii Fit game

Much like EA Sports Active: More Workouts, Wii Fit Plus builds on the exercises you learn in the Wii Fit original program. But instead of selecting a type of exercise (strength training, yoga, etc.) you select a workout that incorporates multiple exercises or you create your own. The Rhythm Kung-Fu game pairs simple Kung-Fu moves and rhythm for a fun activity that just so happens to double as a great cardio exercise. Feel like a real-life Mario in the Obstacle Course workout as you move your character through a series of balance and agility challenges.

Wii Sports Boxing

Cost: Free with Wii console
Accessories needed: none

The great thing about Wii Sports Boxing is if you have a Wii already and are hoping to use it for exercise you’ve already got one of the top-rated games for fitness on hand.
Wii boxing, if played with exaggerated movements for a half hour a day, actually caused one player to lose nine pounds and two-percent body fat after six weeks. Wii Boxing can burn up to 125 calories/half hour, plus it helps release some of the tension that accumulates during a work or school day.

The Biggest Loser

Cost: $39.99
Accessories needed: Wii Fit Balance Board

Pick and choose from this game’s extensive offering of callisthenic exercises to create and recreate great workouts. Work your way up from light to hard challenge grades and vary the intensity of your workouts by following the color-coded intensity icons and properly pair your muscle groupings together by following the body diagrams and instructions.

Wii Tennis

Cost: Free with Wii console
Accessories needed: none

Not only is Wii Tennis arguably one of the most fun Wii Sports games to play against friends, when played with intensity can burn up to 92 calories/half hour. Play on your own against the machine or set up a tournament with you friends and you can easily work in an hour of decent cardiovascular work into your day.  Plus you can work on your best Venus or McEnroe impersonations.

Active Life Outdoor Challenge – Mole Stomper

Cost: $49.99
Accessories needed: Wii Fit Balance Board

The most fun and beneficial mini-game in the Active Life Outdoor Challenge game is Mole Stomper. Get the whole family together for this fitness/mind-game challenge. Stomp out the moles with your feet that pop out of six holes in the ground. Once you work your way up in difficulty you’ll quickly get your heart pumping and your legs racing.

Walk it Out

Cost: $29.99
Accessories needed: Wii Fit balance board or Dance Dance Revolution Dance Pad

Live in a city with unbearable summer heat or paralyzing winter storms? Walk it Out is the perfect way to get your body moving and feel like you’re actually enjoying a stroll with nature by your side. Studies show that just 30 minutes of walking can cause vast health improvements. Walk in synch with lively music to earn points, then use your points to create or build on your own virtual worlds. And use your Wii remote and nunchuck to get your arms moving.

Wii Fit Lunges

Cost: $99.99
Accessories needed: none, balance board comes with Wii Fit game

Although newer, more strenuous fitness workout games have been released for the Wii balance board, the lunges portion of the strength-training exercises in the original Wii Fit game are killer because of how controlled you have to make your movements. Add a weighted belt or chest strap to the workout and you’ll be building some serious muscle.

1. Wall Push-Ups

   Target muscle group: chest/biceps
   8-12 reps/3 sets

   

   Find a blank space on your wall. Place your hands on the wall at about armpits distance.  Plant your feet firmly far away from the wall so that your body is comfortably angled away from the wall. Lower your body toward the wall until you’re just a few inches away. As you get stronger switch to a table and then chair.

2. Wall Sit

   Target muscle group: quads/hamstrings
   1 minute/3 sets

   

   Place your feet shoulder width apart and place your back flat up against the wall. Slide your body down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Hold that position one minute. Increase your held position 20 seconds with each set.  For a greater challenge hold a weighted object or a dumbbell or try lifting one leg parallel to ground. Stability ball can also be used as in the photo.

3. Jumping Lunges

   Target muscle group: quads/hamstrings/gluts
   10 reps each leg/2-3 sets

   

   Start in a lunge position with one leg forward, the thigh parallel to the ground and the knee even with the ankle. The back leg should be a few feet behind with just the ball of the foot on the ground. Lower your back leg almost to the floor, keeping your front knee parallel to the ankle, and thrust your arms up (bent at the elbows) to propel yourself up. Switch your legs in the air and land with the other foot forward in a lunge position.

4. Frog Leaps

   Target muscle group: quads/calves
   5 leaps/3 sets

   

   Find a space in your house with a long corridor; a hallway usually works well. Start with your feet shoulder width apart. Squat down and thrust your arms back with the squat and leap forward 3-4 feet, landing with both feet at the same time, same distance apart.

5. Kick Backs

   Target muscle group: hamstrings/gluts
   10 lifts each leg/3 sets

   

   Get down on all fours with your arms shoulder-width apart and your legs about hip-width apart. Lift one leg back and up keeping the same position with the knee bent. Lift slowly and repeat on both legs.

6. Push-Up Hold

   Target muscle group: abdominals
   Repeat intermittently throughout the work out

   

   Get in a push-up position but lower down to the elbows instead of the hands. Hold this position for one minute.  To increase the intensity rock forward with shoulders moving past the line of elbows and back throughout the hold.

7. Squats with Arm Raises

   Target muscle group: quads and gluts/shoulders
   10-12 reps/3 sets

   

   Place feet a little more than shoulder-width apart with feet slightly turned out. Hold a light-weight dumbbell or other equally heavy object (a large can of beans or large book) to your chest. As you lower your bottom toward the floor (keeping your knees parallel with your ankles) also lower the heavy object. When you raise your legs back up to a full upright position, raise the object above your head.

8. Leg Raises and Extension

   Target muscle group: abdominals
   20 sets

   

   Lay down on the ground with feet on the ground and knees up. Extend your legs straight up toward the ceiling. Raise your bottom off the ground contracting your abs. Lower your bottom back down, bend your knees to your chest and extend your legs straight out just slightly above the ground. This is one set.

9. Stair Climbers

   Target muscle group: hamstrings/calves
   3-minute intervals

   

   Find a ledge, a set of stairs or a sturdy chair and climb for two minutes straight, alternating legs. To work a different muscle group try stepping sideways.

10. Chair Dips

    Target muscle group: triceps
    10-12 reps/3 sets

    

    Find a sturdy chair with a flat chair bottom. Place our hands on the edge of the chair facing the same way as the chair. Place your legs shoulder-width apart, knees bent, quads parallel to the floor. Lower your body down so your triceps are parallel with the ground. Raise back up.

11. Jump Rope

    Target muscle group: calves/quads and hamstrings
    100 jumps/3 sets

    

    Even if you don’t have an actual rope you can repeat the motions as fast as you can.

12. Shadow Boxing

    Target muscle group: complete arm
    3-minute intervals

    

    Pick a focal point on the wall. Make a fist and bend both arms so that your fists are close together in and in front of your face. Stand lightly on the balls of your feet hopping from one foot to the next jabbing quickly in two-punch sets (alternating arms) toward the visual focal point. Rotate around the focal point as you hop.

13. Pilates 100

    Target muscle group: abdominals

    

    Lay on the floor on your back. Extend your legs out to a 45-degree angle. Hold there and raise your head and arms up straight about four inches above the ground. Start pumping your arms in short rapid pumps 100 times.

And the winners are….

1st Prize, E30 Tunturi Recumbent Bike (Retails for $1,399):

Amy S. from Webster City, Iowa

2nd Prize, E30 Upright Bike (Retails for $1,299):

James E. from Dripping Springs, Texas

3rd Prize, Power Blocks Classic 5-45lbs Adjustable Dumbbell Set (Retails for $379):

Miles D. from Smyrna Georgia

Congratulations on getting a perfect score on our quiz and winning amazing exercise equipment from eFITology!

We’ve created an “Exercise Mythbusters” Quiz in hopes of debunking some of the most popular exercise myths – are you an exercise genius? Take our quiz to find out!

We will give these awesome prizes to 3 winners:

1st prize
E30R Tunturi Recumbent Bike (Retails for $1,399):
http://www.efitology.com/bikes/tunturi-e30r-exercise-bike.html

2nd prize
E30 Upright Bike (Retails for $1,299):
http://www.efitology.com/bikes/tunturi-e30-exercise-bike.html

3rd prize
Power Blocks Classic 5-45lbs Adjustable Dumbbell Set (Retails for $379):
http://www.efitology.com/strength/power-block-classic-personal-5-45lb-set-dumbells.html

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WebMD put together an excellent slide show showing some common mistakes that can prevent results and even cause injury. A must watch, so we thought we would share with you:

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/slideshow-9-least-effective-exercises

A common and highly effective fitness tip is to take stairs and avoid escalator/elevators where you can – however for most people taking the elevator/escalator is the norm. Here is a great video on piano stairs that make it fun to take the stairs. As you see in the video, there was a sharp increase in the number of people  taking the stairs, once taking the stairs was made fun. It highlights the principle that any workout once made fun can become a lot easier to be regular with. Next time you are not feeling inclined to do your usual workout routine, think of bringing in an element of fun to it – like bringing along a friend to the gym.

Giuliano Stroe has six-pack abs before turning six years old. And he’s also in the Guinness Book of World Records before he can probably even read it.

Though it’s highly unusual (and possibly unhealthy) for a child to start weight training at such a young age, the pre-schooler entered the record books earlier this year after completing the fastest ever 10-meter walk with a weight ball between the legs, which is both both highly impressive and highly specific. Since then, a four-minute video of Stroe has hit the Internet and made him a viral sensation.

1. Do not wait or procrastinate – do not leave your workout until after work or plan your schedule too far in advance. By starting the day with some exercise, you are waking up your body in the best possible way. By warming up properly and spending twenty minutes on the treadmill, cycle or elliptical you can plan your day and give your metabolism a kick start before breakfast. If you do not manage to exercise again after work, you have done half a workout for the day. Postponing the workout leaves you dreading exercise the entire day and you will feel guilty if the evening workout is missed and you do exercise for the day.
2. Exercise twice a day for shorter duration – by breaking up the workout into two shorter sessions, you are able to speed up metabolism and start and end the day with a good workout that will be manageable and not too tiring. The muscles will not be too fatigued from being exhausted so early in the day as the workout is shorter, yet still quite intense. After a hard day at work, the energy levels will be replenished after a post-work workout and lead to a good sleep.
3. Always warm up – warming up prepares the body for exercise and will prevent injury. Skipping the warm up and going directly into a run or intense session will shock the body and cause damage. Warming up is an opportunity to plan the workout ahead and get the working muscles used to the movement before being stressed.
4. Exercise in intervals – instead of staying at the same pace and resistance, vary the speed and intervals of the cardio activity as this will keep the body and mid challenged and prevent boredom. Vary the pace and workout every time to prevent your body getting used to the exercise.
5. End on a high – for the last few minutes of exercise it is important to challenge yourself by sprinting or applying extra resistance to work up a sweat and increase heart rate. By pushing yourself, you are making the most of your workout and adding to the sense of accomplishment.

From the warm up to the final sprint and stretch, every second of a workout should be made to count for the exerciser. Home exercise equipment has been designed for the amateur and professional athlete and each person can use it accordingly. By starting at a slower pace, the final sprint can be a strong finish to each workout. Remember to leave time for stretching at the end of the workout.

Benefits of Weight Benches

1. Support For Heavy Lifters
   When using heavy weights, it is not practical to use a stability ball for exercises  like bench press. The heavy weights could throw the user off balance and everything would be on the floor along with the ego of the lifter. Gym benches provide the support needed to lift heavy weights and will not break or buckle under strain. It also gives the user more confidence to focus on the muscle without having to stress about losing balance or control during the movement.

   Support For Heavy Lifters – When using heavy weights, it is not practical to use a stability ball for exercises  like bench press. The heavy weights could throw the user off balance and everything would be on the floor along with the ego of the lifter. Gym benches provide the support needed to lift heavy weights and will not break or buckle under strain. It also gives the user more confidence to focus on the muscle without having to stress about losing balance or control during the movement.

2. Targeting Different Angles Of The Muscle – Hyperextension is a difficult movement and the gym benches aid this movement. This helps strengthen the lower back muscles that improve core stability and posture.
3. Targeting Different Parts Of the Exercise That Are Hard To Reach – By performing rear deltoid dumbbell row, it is easier to target the rear deltoid muscle than when standing. The stability created by sitting will target the muscles.
4. Using Weight Benches For Multiple Purposes In One Workout – The weight bench does not only have to be used for exercises using a bar or dumbbell. It can also be used as a step for step ups or as a platform for pushups or as a mat for abdominal exercises. Gym benches can even be used for basic cardio exercises such as burpees.
5. Beginner Benefits – New weight trainers will struggle to remember proper posture, technique and breathing guidelines and using a bench will help to teach the basic principles without worrying about falling over or using momentum of the body when performing an exercise such as a bicep curl.
6. Saves Space – Many gym benches can be easily stored and will not take up too much floor space, which is an important consideration if you have limited space in a home gym or school. Equipment such as the Best Fitness BFAB10 Ab Folding Board can be made smaller when not in use which makes the area look bigger.

These bench benefits will clarify any doubt about the importance of benches in a resistance training routine and hopefully supply some training tips!