Functional Trainers are a specific style of weight stack home gym that have continued to increase in popularity over recent years. The more traditional home gym includes one or two weight stacks with fixed arms and hand grips. Functional trainers have weight stacks on their base as well, but the main difference is in the cable systems that come with different shaped handles.

These types of handles provide more options for working out, and because the cable does not have to follow a fixed plane more sports specific routines can be implemented. For instance, a golfer can hold the cable handle and simulate his or her swing. A baseball or softball player can grip the cable handle and mimic a throwing motion.

In older adults who are trying to stay active and continue to live independently, this type of functional training gym can help simulate activities of daily living such as lifting, bending over, pulling, etc. The multiple planes engage and strengthen the core muscles of the abdomen and thereby strengthen those muscles, which help keep the back and spine healthy and uninjured. There are, quite simply, hundreds of different movement possibilities for a functional trainer.

One drawback of a functional training gym is that it can be harder to use initially until the user is familiar with the variety of exercises that can be done  It is important that the shopper ask questions when contemplating buying a functional trainer, and have a fitness associate who is familiar with and can demonstrate how to use them. Once purchased, it is important that there will be continuing expertise available via the phone or in person to answer questions regarding exercises as well as proper form. A training session from a personal trainer may be time and money well spent to make the most of your versatile purchase. The exciting thing about a functional trainer is the incredible versatility that is has. How you use it and the exercises that you do can change as your needs and interests change throughout the years.

HealthStyles Exercise Equipment features a variety of functional training gyms in a variety of price points. The two most popular functional trainers with our customers are the Life Fitness G7 Functional Trainer and the Hoist V6 Functional Trainer.

Take a look at the attached videos to get an idea f how functional trainers are used and to view for yourself the differences between these home gyms.

Stop by your local HealthStyles Exercise Equipment store today to try out the variety of functional trainers or traditional home gyms that we have available!

Life Fitness is the manufacturer of the #1 brand of fitness equipment in health clubs worldwide. So you know you’re getting a high-quality product designed by the same engineers and biomechanics experts that produce our industry-leading commercial strength equipment.

It Feels Right
Some things just “feel” right. Shifting through the gears of a fine sports car. Hitting a 200-yard drive down the middle of the fairway. That’s the feeling you get with every rep on a Life Fitness G7 Home Gym. Smooth resistance, ergonomically-enhanced design, and the integrity of the components all add up to a strength workout that’s appealing, if not addictive. And because the transition between exercises is quick and easy, a Life Fitness G7 Home Gym is a real time-saver as well.

The Perfect Fit in any Space
When it comes to home gyms, space is a premium. So you look for quality equipment that offers the most exercise variety in the least amount of space. That’s exactly what you get with Life Fitness Home Gyms —a compact footprint with all the variety of a full circuit, total-body workout. Plus, with all the optional features available, you can even add more exercise variety without having to sacrifice space for additional equipment. You get it all in one multi-functional strength machine.

The unique and stylish HOIST V6 is a personal pulley gym that is engineered with the innovative excellence that the fitness industry has come to expect from HOIST. This gym provides a complete range of functional training exercises designed to obtain maximum results and achieve a strong and versatile body. The V6 is engineered to build multiple muscle groups through smooth, rhythmic, and continuous movements that support the body as it moves through life.

Functional strength training means structuring your workouts around the type of movements used for sports specific, task specific and workout related activities. By exercising the muscles used during the activities of everyday living, you actually improve strength, coordination, range of motion, balance, and mobility.

When Life Fitness built the G7 Cable Motion Gym, it was an attempt to carry over the high quality feel of its commercial functional training gym, the Dual Adjustable Pulley Club Model featured in gyms around the world. They succeeded is making this home version so close in feel and quality, that we use it with most clients in our personal training studio, and recommend it often to those looking for a functional cable gym for their home. Here are some of the standout reasons why our clients and I like it over other Cable Motion Gyms.

• The pulleys are commercial quality resulting in a superb motion thereby eliminating the stickiness in cable movement usually felt while working those small muscle groups like inner / outer leg work, rotator cuff exercises or rotational work.
• The quick connect commercial cable attachments make for easy transitions between exercises.
• The multi purpose bar uses swivels on the ends making the barbell style work in squats and presses more realistic in natural movement.
• The multi-position pull up grips along with the weighted lift assist strap help make pull-ups more enjoyable and effective.
• Unlimited range and angles achieved with the 20 position dual cable column and the handle to change adjustment heights works much better and smoother than all the other column gyms we’ve tried.
• A very well done DVD and exercise book showing proper form and examples of exercises with all of the accessory attachments for those without the advantage of having a personal trainer with them.

This functional trainer is not exactly small and compact (68.5L x 70W x 83H), however the design allows it to fit easily into most corners. It’s also not the least expensive functional trainer on the market, but as the fact that it is the choice of many personal trainers would indicate, it is the right functional trainer for the more discriminating exerciser, familiar with the smooth feel and functionality of club-quality strength equipment.

So if you want a workout that is close to the one that you would find in top quality clubs all over the world for almost half the price, the Life Fitness G7 Functional Trainer hits the mark!

For more information:

Click here for a Video Demonstration of the Life Fitness G7 Home Gym

Click here to view all Life Fitness Exercise Equipment

Click here for the Life Fitness G7 Home Gym complete features and specifications.

Visit your local HealthStyles Exercise Equipment retail store to try the G7 Home Gym before you buy.

What’s Happening in the World of Fitness Equipment?

The 2010 Health and Fitness Business Trade Show was held in Las Vegas last month and the owners and regional managers of HealthStyles Exercise Equipment went to the show, eager to see what was new and innovative for the upcoming year.

Inspired by the popular Life Fitness health club model, the G7 dual adjustable pulley home gym offers you the ultimate in exercise options and customization. The G7 offers exclusive features that allow you to build your own training workouts, track your progress and follow-along with our own certified personal trainer while she guides you through 2 training routines. With these personalized features, it’s easy for any level of user to get started and stay motivated. Bring the health club experience home with the smartly designed G7.

Functional strength training has become a popular buzzword in the fitness industry. Unfortunately, it is also subject to wide interpretation.

At the extreme, some individuals believe that by mimicking the explosive, ballistic activities of high-level competitive athletes, they are training in a functional manner. All too often, however, such training programs greatly exceed the physiological capabilities of the average exerciser, which ultimately increases the possibility that an injury might occur.

Most would agree that there is nothing functional about sustaining an injury due to improper training.

In many respects, functional strength training should be thought of in terms of a movement continuum. As humans, we perform a wide range of movement activities, such as walking, jogging, running, sprinting, jumping, lifting, pushing, pulling, bending, twisting, turning, standing, starting, stopping, climbing and lunging. All of these activities involve smooth, rhythmic motions in the three cardinal planes of movement-sagital, frontal and transverse.

Training to improve functional strength involves more than simply increasing the force-producing capability of a muscle or group of muscles. Rather, it requires training to enhance the coordinated working relationship between the nervous and muscular systems.

Finally a Pulley Style gym made with the user in mind!

As intimidating as a cable gym might be for some who prefer a machine defined press arm and the familiar stations of a gym, this Hoist V6 helps bridge the gap by accommodating almost every position possible with a smooth comfortable movement in any direction.

So what this means for the user is a fantastic opportunity to work the core along with many additional stabilizer muscle groups that would normally be anchored and not challenged in a traditional style gym.

With 32 pulley positions, and the ability to use almost any standing, sitting, or kneeling combination on a flat or balanced surface such as a fit ball or bosu ball, you have the best chance at a functional exercise that will help strengthen the same muscle groups you are using for sports such as skiing, hiking, tennis, golf, etc.

This gym is a favorite for those P-90X , Cross fit or Bootcamp style workouts where the benefit of a lift assist chin up bar can be used.

As a trainer I give this gym a thumbs up for the quality, versatility and low footprint needed.

Click here for a Video demonstration of the Hoist V6 Pulley Gym.

Stop in to demo the Hoist V6 Personal Pulley Gym at one of HealthStyles Exercise Equipment’s 10 Colorado retail stores. Or call us at 800-829-9705 for more information.

Scott Laurent
has a BA in sports psychology. He is a certified personal trainer and was a semi-pro athlete. His consulting business, ReadyToExercise.com, helps people who are contemplating, just starting, or having difficulty remaining in an exercise program.

Visit Scott at the Healthstyles Exercise Equipment Colorado Blvd or Park Meadows Retail Stores Or email: scott@readytoexercise.com

See a quick demo on the safe, space efficient Torque Fitness F5 Fold Away Strength Trainer.

Click here to view all Torque Fitness Strength Training Equipment

Contact your local HealthStyles Exercise Equipment fitness consultant for the best product recommendation to meet your personal goals, abilities, and budget.

Learn about Progressive Exercise Variety exclusively from Torque Fitness featuring the Torque F5 Fold Away Strength Trainer.

Click here to view all Torque Fitness Strength Training Equipment

Contact your local HealthStyles Exercise Equipment fitness consultant for the best product recommendation to meet your personal goals, abilities, and budget.