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Best Stretches For Office Desk Sitters

Posted on May 31, 2023July 31, 2023

Whether you work from home or are back in the office, you are likely experiencing the muscle fatigue that comes with working sit down jobs. Sitting for long periods of time without changing position, especially when hunched over, can result in strain to your neck, back, and shoulders over time. Combat muscle fatigue from sitting all day with our effective office stretches and exercises.

We have compiled a list of effective office stretches and sitting exercises that can alleviate muscle tension from working a sedentary job.

Lower Back Stretches

A spinal stretch is one of the most effective desk exercises to strengthen your lower back and core muscles without even leaving your seat.

To start, sit up straight with your feet touching the floor. Contracting the muscles in your core. Rotate your upper body to the right. You can elevate your chair workouts by placing your left hand on your chair’s armrest to deepen the stretch. Only twist as far as you can still maintain a straight back and square hips. Hold the position for 30 seconds to a minute, then repeat on the other side. Repeat the exercise 5 to 10 times on each side of the body to achieve the best results.

One of the best stretches for back pain, spinal stretches. It can undo what years of office work has done to the body.

Shoulder Stretches

Tight shoulders are a common problem faced by office workers. Typing places a lot of stress on the shoulders and neck. A simple shoulder shrug repetition can soothe some of this strain.

Before executing this part of your desk workouts, we recommend rolling your shoulders forward and back for 30 seconds to a minute to loosen and warm up the muscles.

Sit or stand up straight with your shoulders rolled back. Lift your shoulders up to your ears and hold for 1-2 seconds. Roll them back as you let them return to their original state. Repeat for 8 to 10 repetitions.

Neck Stretches

Upper back tension and headaches are both caused by unwanted neck tension. Practicing neck stretches can quickly relieve any built up strain on the neck muscles.

To stretch the neck muscles, gently pull your head to one side while tilting it in the direction it is being stretched. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds and repeat on the other side. Complete 5 to 10 reps on each side.

Elevate Your Office Exercises With NineFit

Whatever your fitness goals, our online store has everything you could dream of to start implementing fitness into your daily routine. Explore fitness gear, under desk bikes, and more on our online store and start feeling better today.

A Guide to Buying a Cross-Trainer – All You Need to Know

Posted on May 30, 2023July 31, 2023

The low-impact, full-body workout provided by an elliptical (also known as a cross-trainer) makes them a popular addition to home gyms. If you’ve been thinking about adding an elliptical machine to your home, our preliminary guide will help you to get the best cross trainer for your goals and needs.

What Are Your Fitness Goals?

Are you looking to tone your muscles, improve your cardiovascular health, or simply lose weight? Knowing the goals attached to your fitness routine can help you select the right home cross-trainer. Each model comes with unique workout programs designed with different goals in mind.

Cross Trainer: Machine Durability and Quality

A sturdy frame and solid build will ensure your elliptical cross trainer lasts long enough to get your money’s worth. Machine warranties and online reviews are a great way to keep tabs on the longevity of your desired elliptical machine.

Length of Stride

If you’re tall, you will definitely want to take this consideration to heart. A cross-trainer machine is no good if its not being put to use, and if the stride of your elliptical is not adjustable, you may not be able to get the most out of your investment. Opt for a cross trainer with an adjustable stride so all members of your home gym can have an enjoyable workout, whatever their height.

Resistance

Whether you are just starting out on your fitness journey or a seasoned exercise junkie, you’ll want a machine capable of packing on resistance. This way, as your fitness level increases, you can give yourself harder workouts to complete.

Space and Storage

Whether your space is large or small, it is always wise to measure the dimensions where you intend to place your new elliptical machine to ensure it will comfortably fit in your home.

If you live in an apartment or shared space, opting for a foldable cross trainer makes sense.

Comfortability of Use

With so many options available on the market, you can still get a great workout even if you have pre-existing medical conditions. For those among us with bad knees or an aching back, investing in an elliptical bike or Nordictrack cross trainer, as well as some cross-training shoes can make all the difference in taking pressure off of these sensitive areas.

Budget

No one should have to go broke to get fit, yet the right cross-fit machine should be a long-term investment in your health. Prices will vary based on brand and features, but being realistic about your goals and budget is the best way to zero in on the right machine for you. Compare prices and customer reviews when finalizing your decision.

Meet Your Fitness Goals Today With Ninefit

The right elliptical machine and so much more is waiting for you on the other side of your mental blocks. You are reading this because you have decided to invest in your long-term health, and we couldn’t be happier to help you along your journey.

For exercise equipment, supplements, and more, visit our online store.

Bench Press vs. Chest Press: Pros and Cons

Posted on May 26, 2023July 31, 2023

When you’re crafting your exercise routine, you want to be sure that each and every part of it works well for you. As such, when deciding between similar exercises, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each in order to make the best possible decision. That being said, let’s take a look at two popular weight-lifting exercises: the bench press vs. the chest press.

Similarities and Differences

Generally speaking, the bench press vs. the chest press are very similar exercises. They target similar muscle groups in the arms, shoulders, and chest. They have very similar effects on your muscle growth. Their main difference, however, lies in the equipment they use. While a bench press typically uses a barbell, you’ll need a machine to do chest presses. So, knowing the similarities and differences between the two exercises, which of them is right for you?

Bench Press

The bench press is one of the most popular powerlifting forms, and for good reason. It’s simple, it’s effective, and aside from weights, doesn’t require much special equipment to do. Many people appreciate the challenge of a bench press, as well as the massive gains that come with it.

The main drawback, however, is safety. Though most of the risk associated with bench presses can be mitigated by taking the proper precautions. Keep in mind what exactly a bench press is. You’re lifting a metal bar, possibly over one hundred kilograms, above your chest. So you can’t just let go if you start feeling tired, as dropping the bar could result in serious injuries. However, this can largely be prevented with a proper lifting rack and a spotter to help you rack the barbell once you’re done.

Chest Press

The chest press, on the other hand, is a much more beginner-friendly alternative, and presents significantly less risk of serious injury. However, chest presses require far more equipment than bench presses. Some of which you may not have or be able to afford. Typically, chest presses require a dedicated machine to do, so you’ll probably need to pay your local gym a visit rather than doing them at home. However, if you don’t mind the extra distance, they’re an excellent alternative to bench presses, especially if you’re just starting out on your lifting journey.

Looking for more great fitness tips and products? Visit us at NineFit today!

Are Elliptical Trainers Good for Weight Loss?

Posted on May 16, 2023July 31, 2023

Whether at the gym or during a commercial at home, chances are you’ve seen an elliptical trainers and heard it can help with weight loss. You’ve likely wondered if it’s too good to be true and, if not, how good they really are.

Is it something you should add to your gym rotation (or invest in for your home gym)? In this article, we’ll take a quick look at elliptical weight loss so you can determine if it’s the right workout machine for you.

Benefits of Using an Elliptical Trainers

There are several benefits to using an elliptical machine, some of which are listed below:

1. It’s easier on your joints: High-impact cardio can wreak havoc on your joints. If you deal with joint pain but still want to benefit from using a cardio machine, an elliptical will help. It’s also great post-injury as a low-impact cardio workout.

2. It burns body fat: Since an elliptical burns more calories than other cardio machines (stationary bikes, for instance), you can lose body fat quickly. It’s an upper and lower body workout, which is part of the reason it’s so effective.

3. It boosts your stamina: Because cardio machines like ellipticals make your lungs and heart work harder to flood your muscles with blood and oxygen, they strengthen your heart, lungs, and muscles – boosting your overall endurance.

A Basic Elliptical Workout Plan

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) has become very popular due to how well it works. Thankfully, you don’t need to push your joints to the max to do it – you can use an elliptical!

Here’s a quick 20-minute beginner workout:

1. Warm up for five minutes
– Keep your heart rate at 50-60%

2. Go as fast as you can for 30 seconds
– Push yourself hard for half a minute

3. Slow it down for 1 minute 30 seconds
– Bring the pace back to your warmup pace
– Take the full 90 seconds before you go again

4. Repeat this pattern 9 more times
– Ten repetitions altogether

5. Cool down
– Spend 5 minutes going slow
– Let your breathing return to normal

6. Of course, you can do more muscle-specific workouts on the elliptical. Muscles worked should include:
– Upper body
– Core
– Quads
– Glutes

What’s the Best Way to Burn Fat?

If you want the best workouts for belly fat, you can’t go wrong with interval training. HIIT workouts allow you to see more progress in a shorter time. You can also try interval work with a 2-to-1 ratio (for recovery vs. intense workouts) on an elliptical.

Shape your body according to the workout goals that are most important to you. Your fitness goals are in your hands!

Tracking Calories Burned on Elliptical

If you want to track your elliptical weight loss, you may be interested to know that there are handy online elliptical calorie calculators. This takes the guesswork out of knowing whether you can have that piece of peanut butter chocolate cake as your post-workout meal or need to choose something safer!

For more awesome fitness tips, check out our latest blog, “ Yoga Blocks Workout Strengthen”!

A Perfect Workout Plan for Your Beach Body Goals

Posted on May 10, 2023July 31, 2023

Summer is just around the corner, and everyone wants to flaunt their beach body. However, achieving a perfect beach body takes more than just wishful thinking, it requires a well-planned workout plan that targets your specific needs and goals.

Luckily, with Beachbody On Demand, you can access a variety of fitness workouts and programs that can help you achieve your desired summer body. Let’s explore the perfect workout plan for your beach body goals.

Set Your Goals

Before starting any workout plan, you must set clear and achievable goals. Do you want to lose weight, build muscle, or tone your body? Knowing your goals will help you choose the best beach body workout that meets your needs. Once you have set your goals, it’s time to create a weekly workout plan.

Create a Weekly Workout Plan

A weekly workout plan will help you stay on track with your fitness goals. With Beachbody On Demand, you can access a variety of beach body workouts and programs, including strength training, cardio, yoga, and more.

You can create a weekly workout schedule incorporating different activities depending on your goals. For instance, if you want to lose weight, you can combine cardio and strength training workouts. On the other hand, if you build muscle, you can focus on strength training workouts.

Choose the Best Beach Body Workout

With so many Beachbody programs available on Beachbody On Demand, choosing the best Beachbody workout for your needs can be challenging. However, you can narrow down your options by considering your fitness goals and preferences.

For instance, if you enjoy high-intensity workouts, you can try the Insanity program. On the other hand, if you prefer low-impact exercises, you can try the PiYo program.

Incorporate Beach Body Yoga

Yoga is an excellent way to improve flexibility, balance, and strength. Beachbody On Demand offers a variety of yoga programs that can help you achieve your beach body goals. You can add yoga to your weekly workout schedule to improve your fitness and reduce stress.

Stay Consistent

The key to achieving your beach body goals is consistency. Once you have created a weekly workout plan, stick to it. Stay motivated and push yourself to complete your workouts when you don’t feel like working out. Remember, achieving a summer body requires dedication and hard work.

With Beachbody On Demand, you can access a variety of fitness workouts and programs that can help you achieve your desired beach body. You can achieve your summer body goals by setting clear goals, creating a weekly workout plan, choosing the best beachbody workout, incorporating yoga, and staying consistent.

So, what are you waiting for? If you’re looking for more great advice on how to get started with your Beachbody on Demand workouts, visit NineFit today!

5 Cardio Workouts to Try in Your Gym

Posted on April 14, 2023July 31, 2023

Doing a gym cardio routine is hugely beneficial for your health, but a lot of people aren’t sure where to start. In this article, you’ll find five of the best cardio workouts to try so you don’t have to feel clueless the next time you head to the gym.

Cardio exercises at the gym (and anywhere) increase your heart rate. It jumpstarts your metabolism and allows your body to burn calories at a quicker rate. They’re also great for warming up, and cardio after weight training is a great way to make sure you target every area of your body.

The Best Cardio Workouts

Here are five cardio workouts to try:

1.Treadmill

The treadmill is definitely the most popular cardio gym workout. When you use it, we recommend building up to a run instead of starting at a fast pace – or, if you’d like, switch between power walking, jogging, and running.

2. Stair Machine

The stair machine, though you might not expect it, is one of the most challenging cardio workouts at the gym. It works your heart and your glutes, hips, and thighs – and if you want to increase the difficulty, try incorporating squats, lunges, and crossover steps as you climb.

3. Elliptical

The elliptical offers the benefits of the treadmill without putting so much pressure on your joints. On this machine, you can walk, run, or climb by moving in an elongated circle. Your feet never leave the pedals, which means you don’t experience the repeated pounding that you get on a treadmill. Pushing and pulling the handlebars works your upper body, and you can even pedal backwards to work muscles differently.

4. Rowing Machine

When you work with a rowing machine, you don’t have to wonder about cardio vs strength training because you get both in one. Grab the handle at the front of the machine and pull your chest towards it to row your body upward and work your heart, arms, core, and legs.

5. Stationary Bike

You don’t need to purchase a bicycle to get all the cardio benefits of biking, instead use the stationary bike at your gym. These provide all the same advantages, but more options than a regular bike, as you might choose to use an upright version, recumbent, or dual-action bike.

Getting the Most From Your Cardio Workout

Cardiovascular health is important. Try out these cardio workouts the next time you hit the gym and get your heart pumping!

Top Yoga Poses for Men – Your Ultimate Guide

Posted on April 12, 2023July 31, 2023

There are plenty of guys who don’t realize that yoga for men comes with tons of benefits. If you’re a guy who’s hesitant to walk into the yoga studio, let it be known that the male yoga body is one that can’t be beat. Here, we’ll go over four yoga poses for men, why they’re great, and how to do them.

1. Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

This pose is a challenge for even the fittest guy, because it trains the ankles, shoulders, quads, and glutes all at once. It’s one of the best yoga stretches for men because it builds stability and abdominal strength, too.

How it’s done:
1. Stand at the top of your mat with your feet hip-width apart.

2. As you inhale, lift your arms over your head. Exhale and bend your knees and lower your pelvis like you’re sitting in a chair.

3. Bring your weight to your heels, keep your core engaged, and remember to breathe.

2. Standing Forward Fold (Uttanasana)

The yoga benefits for men that coincide with the forward fold include improved blood circulation, stress relief, and a great muscle stretch. It also helps open the back body. It’s one of the best yoga poses for men who want to improve their digestion and relieve tension in their spine, neck, and back.

How it’s done:
1. Stand at the top of your mat and inhale with your arms over your head.
2. Bend forward from the hips and let your head hang between your arms.
3. Rest your torso over your thighs and extend your fingers towards the floor.

3. Boat Pose (Navasana)

Boat pose is not one of the easy yoga poses for men, but it does come with its fair share of results. It works your deep core, hip flexors, and spine – and also aids with digestion and reduces tension in your pelvis.

How it’s done:
1. Lie on your back with your arms at your sides.
2. Inhale and lift both legs off the mat.
3. Lift your upper body off the mat and reach your arms up.
4. Activate your core and keep your spine straight.

4. Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

The downward dog is one of the best yoga poses for the upper body and the lower body. The benefits come in the form of back, hips, calves, hamstrings, and shoulder strength. It calms the mind and provides the whole-body stretch you’re looking for when practicing yoga for men.

How it’s done:
1. Begin in a tabletop position.
2. Tuck your toes and lift your hips and back up.
3. With your fingers pointed forward, come onto your toes and bend the knees to lift your hips up towards the sky.
4. With your back flat, straighten your legs to form an upside down shape of a V.

Yoga for Men

Yoga is accessible for everyone. If you want to get your practice started, just invest in your own yoga wear for men and get on the mat to reap the benefits.

5 Fitness Motivation Tips for Healthy Workouts

Posted on April 6, 2023July 31, 2023

Everyone knows that exercise is good for you, but not everyone knows how to get motivated. Whether it’s men’s or women’s workout motivation, the truth of the matter is that fitness inspiration doesn’t come easily, no matter how great the benefits of staying active may be. We’re here to help, though, and provide the fitness motivation and you need to get moving and stay moving. Here are five fitness motivation tips you can use to get up off the couch and actually enjoy your workout.

1. Set Manageable Goals

Setting goals is great workout motivation because there’s almost nothing better than achieving those goals. Just make sure you’re setting reasonable goals, because goals that are too lofty will only discourage you.

And another thing, make sure your manageable goals have deadlines! Without deadlines, you’re more likely to push them off.

2. Weave Workouts Into Your Schedule

Instead of forcing yourself into an exercise regimen that doesn’t suit you, incorporate that regimen into your already-existing schedule. Start by doing what’s doable and enjoyable – with just 15 minutes a day – and increase as time goes on.

3. Emphasize Variety

A huge part of fitness motivation is trying out a myriad of different exercises. Not only is this good for your body, it’s good for your brain too – it keeps you on your toes in more than one way.

Plus, switching it up works well as you find out what activity really suits you. Here’s a hint: if you don’t like the workout you’re doing, you’re less likely to stick with it.

4. Find a Community

Whether your gym motivation stems from partnering with a good friend or joining a workout group, having a person (or people) to hold you accountable is a major player in keeping up with your fitness routine.

5. Start Slow and Be Kind

You might have all the gym motivation in the world when you start out, but it could die out over time. The key is to avoid going too hard and too fast right out of the gate.

Instead, start slow and maintain your motivation for fitness over time. And, sometimes, if the motivation isn’t there, you have to go through the motions and wait for it to kick in – because it will.

Getting Motivated and Staying Motivated

Whether you’re a guy looking for inspiration or a lady searching for fitness motivation tips for women, this advice is bound to get you to start moving – and stay moving!

5 Reasons to Wear a Sports Bra for Your Workout

Posted on April 3, 2023July 31, 2023

You don’t need to be a fitness guru to know that a good sports bra is a lifesaver.

There are tons of options to choose from, from yoga bras to your favorite push up sports bra, but the truth of the matter is that your gym bra is more than a fashion statement. It actually comes with notable bodily benefits!

To protect your body from long-term muscle pain and improve your workouts in general, you need a sports bra that puts in the work.

Why Wear a Sports Bra?

Still not convinced? Take a look at these five reasons you should wear a sports bra top the next time you head to the gym.

1. It Provides Support

There’s nothing more unpleasant than a high-intensity workout without the right chest support. Sports bras for women prevent the stretching and even tearing that can happen to the ligaments around the bust and, in the long run, you won’t experience premature sagging.

2. Cuts Down on Movement

Wearing your gym bra doesn’t just improve the long-term health of your breasts, it also improves your performance. For many, minimizing breast movement is a must for a productive workout, and a good sports bra makes that happen – all without squishing or causing you pain.

3. It Regulates Your Temperature

These days, there are bras for women that do much more than hold you in place. They can also increase airflow to your skin and wick moisture which, in turn, regulates your temperature and makes for an all-around more enjoyable workout.

4. They Provide Storage

If your yoga pants don’t have pockets, it’s likely that your yoga bras do. You’ll often find that sports bras are capable of holding small items like your phone, mp3 player, or your keys. Now you don’t need to carry a bag while you’re out running.

5. They’re Comfortable

Whether you choose a black sports bra, a pink one, or a rainbow one, rest assured that it will make your workout more comfortable. These bras are designed with function in mind, which means that they’ve got coverage, wide straps, and flexibility of movement. When you wear it, you won’t experience chafing or rubbing that you might get while wearing an everyday bra during a workout.

An Ultimate Workout Necessity

Finding a sports bra that works for you can change your entire experience working out. After you try out your women’s sports bra in the gym, you’ll never want to exercise without it again.