That depends on your concept of pain!  Exercising can be mildly uncomfortable and should make you warm, sweaty and slightly breathless, but unless you are training for competition I do not believe you should exercise until it really hurts.

For general toning when you are working out with weights or using the fixed resistance machines in the gym, the guidelines are that you should do two to three sets of 12 to 15 reps with a heavy enough weight that the last few reps are a challenge.  Rest for about 30 seconds between sets, but no more.

I have seen people sitting there in the gym supposedly resting between sets while texting on their mobiles or nattering to a friend for up to 10 minutes at a time.  What a waste of time!  And it also annoys me because they are taking up a machine that somebody else, namely me, is waiting to use.  I feel like telling them to go away and analyse their friends’ relationships in the cafe instead!

At one time people thought exercise had to hurt to be doing you any good; friends used to tell me proudly that after their new gym class they hurt so much the next day that they couldn’t walk.  That’s a bit too intense, people!  If you exercise at that intensity when you’re not used to it you’re liable to hurt yourself.

During exercise your body should be put under pressure but not unduly stressed.  And don’t be surprised if you attend the same intensive class the next week and you don’t feel the same muscle aches and pains the day afterwards.  It does not mean that the exercise hasn’t worked, just that your body has adjusted to it.

The worst muscle soreness occurs when you do something that your body is unaccustomed to.  For example you can be a regular gym-goer and never be sore the next day, but if you then choose to go horseriding for two hours and you haven’t ridden for 10 years,  you are most certainly going to walk like John Wayne for the next 3 days!

The rule here is exercise regularly to moderate intensity and then increase the intensity gradually over the weeks as your body adapts. This way, you will get excellent results and hopefully avoid injury as nothing puts you off exercising faster than pain.

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Does Exercise Have To Hurt?

TheFirmWave is a piece of home exercise equipment that combines cardiac exercise with full body toning for a fantastic result with great weight loss and beautiful sleek muscles.

Shaped like a small humpback bridge, the Firm Wave is extremely simple to use in several different ways on its own or with the Flex bands (included) or dumbbells to get a workout that encompasses the whole body.

You can use the Wave in lots of different ways, that’s the beauty of it, whether you want a fat-burning, heart strengthening cardio workout, or a resistance workout to tone the muscles of your arms and legs.  This equipment is also useful for Pilates.

What makes it so versatile is that can be turned either way up for exercises; with the curve side upwards it is useful as a Step, is stable to stand on and thus can be used for lots of different aerobic exercises to burn fat, raise the heart rate and work all the leg muscles.

Using the stable side, you can intensify your workout and burn lots more calories by carrying some dumbbells and adding arm exercises to your leg and thigh exercises.  As you get good at this, you can devise an aerobic routine with some high impact jumps and hops and burn around 500 calories an hour.

The most unique property of the Wave is that you can then turn it over so that the curved side is down; in this position when you step on it rocks from side to side.  Just to stay in position means that all your deep core and balance muscles will have to switch on, and when you push your legs from side to side and rock you burn lots more calories and your balance and stability begin to improve – and you have a good time too!

Even then, that’s not all you can do with the Wave, because if you get down on the floor you can use it for exercises like push-ups, which tone and strengthen the shoulder, arm and chest muscles.  Toning the chest muscles is essential for keeping your boobs perky, and working the backs of your arms will mean that you don’t get flabby bingo wings as you get older.

As a further bonus, this amazingly versatile piece of home exercise equipment is also excellent for large number of Pilates exercises.  Pilates is renowned for sculpting long lean shapely leg muscles, toning and strengthening shoulders and back, and chiselled, beautiful abdominals.

The incredibly versatile Wave comes with a number of inspiring DVDs suitable for beginners onward; the experienced team of instructors offer you various workouts which are easy to follow and inspirational, and you will enjoy your workout while burning more calories than you ever thought possible.

This home fitness kit will cost you just over $100 and is the best investment you can make for your body and your health.  When you consider that a yearly gym membership can cost many times this, then it is a great value package that will help you lose weight and tone up in an unbelievably short time.

For more on The Firm Wave Reviews.

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Move Over TheFirmWave Has Arrived

I swear I’ll never let my husband demonstrate for me again. He has the grace and elegance of an elephant! TheFirmWave was never supposed to be abused like this

I was so pleased to be one of the few people in the UK to actually have The Wave that I got carried away. I just wanted to give you a taste of what The Wave could do and instead spawned a monster!

Anyway take a look at the video I promise It’ll make you laugh and will show you (badly) some of the basic moves you can do on The Wave.

And whatever you do don’t get off it like Bob does else you risk injuring yourself. Always step off it carefully.

To read my Firm Wave Review just click the link.

Ride the Wave!

Carol J Bartram
(Personal Trainer & Pilates Instructor)

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

TheFirmWave Outrage! Or Meet The Elephant

Sometimes I surprise myself with my own stupidity! I thought I had discovered another piece of home exercise equipment I hadn’t seen before. It was called The Firm Wave Speed Slimming System. I heard about it from someone who emailed asking if it was any good. Off I trotted to the Internet to research this brand new piece of equipment so that I could answer the question.

Guess what I found? Yup the Firm Wave. At least I could now answer the Email as I know a little bit about that lol.

The problem (excuse) is I live in the United Kingdom so I don’t actually ever get to see the original infomercials. I would imagine that the Firm Wave is referred to as The Firm Wave Slimming System in the advert. Quite a mouthful so I think I’ll stick with just the Wave. Much easier and not as pretentious as the the other.

All the best,

Carol

(The sometimes not as smart as she thinks she is Carol)

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

The Firm Wave Speed Slimming System – I’m Stupid!

As you already know we live in the UK. Now normally apart from the awful weather that’s not so bad but when it comes to getting hold of The Wave it’s terrible. After frantic phone calls to the USA we were informed that it’s available in the USA and Canada only

I thought we’d never be able to get one. I’m persistent though and was determined not to be beaten!
I discovered a relative on my Mothers side who lives in the USA so I got her to order it and then ship it on to the UK.

And it arrived today. I was so excited I videoed the contents of the box so you could get a good look at it. The video is below.

Now this is the first of many videos I’m going to be doing on the Wave so watch this space or subscribe to my Youtube channel here The Firm Wave

All the best,

Carol J Bartram
(Pilates Instructor & Personal Trainer)

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

At Last Our Firm Wave Personal Gym Has Arrived!

You may have noticed a schizophrenic tendency in my Blog posts of late! First I post about the T-Bow (T-Bow.com) and then about The Firm Wave (TheFirmWave.com) so what gives?

The bottom line is I like both products. They do the same job but there are some differences and it can be a challenge to decide which product would suit best. Because of this I’m going to write a detailed report and include some videos to help you make up your mind on which one would be best for you. So bookmark this page and keep your ears pinned back for the face off

For the moment if you just can’t wait I would apply the following rule of thumb:

If you only have $100, only require one and weigh less than 275lbs then pick the Firm Wave.

or

If you have $200, require more than one (the T-Bow stacks) and weigh more than 275lbs then pick the T-Bow.

Now there’s more to it than that but that should at least help you make a decision in the short term. So you have a choice Surf The Wave or Rock On The T-Bow. Just pick one and start to turbo charge your workouts!

All the best,

Carol J Bartram
(Pilates Instructor & Personal Trainer)

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

The T-Bow vs The Wave – Schizophrenia Rules!

Question: I already have a lot of home exercise equipment (Exercise Bike and Treadmill) is there any point in buying The Wave as well?

Answer: Absolutely! The equipment you have is great and if all you needed was Cardio then maybe you could get away without buying the Wave. The Wave comes into it’s own because you can combine cardio, strength training and stretching all into one fun fat blasting workout.

By including the Wave into your exercise program you not only add variety, you are also challenging your body in new ways. This in turn prevents your body from adapting and helps you avoid the dreaded weight loss plateau.

Once you’ve tried the Wave you’ll be hooked. I now use The Wave in all my own exercise programs and find that if given a choice I always end up on the Wave it’s just such fun I find the time passing much more quickly than it did plodding on the treadmill.

Give it a go – You won’t be disappointed.

All the best,

Carol J Bartram
(Pilates Instructor & Personal Trainer)

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

The Firmwave Reviews – I Already Have A Lot Of Other Exercise Equipment

Question: I’ve bought a lot of exercise equipment in the past. Without exception they’ve all been high priced pieces of junk. Before I shell out my hard earned cash I need to know I’ll not be wasting my time or money.

Answer: The Firm Wave Workout is in my opinion fantastic. The Wave is small, light weight, inexpensive and will give you an incredible fat burning workout. Unlike other exercise equipment in this price range (less than $100) you just get it out, jump on it and you’re off and running. No complicated setting up or knob fiddling.

If you are prepared to use it 3 times a week for a minimum of 20 mins you will get good fat loss results. If you don’t use it however nothing will happen! You then can’t blame the Wave only your lack of commitment

Don’t think about it just go buy one and see for yourself.

All the best,

Carol J Bartram

(Personal Trainer)

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

The Firm Wave Workout Reviews – Another Exercise Gimmick?

Question: I’ve seen the Firm Wave Workout advertised and before I buy one would like to know if anyone has had the results claimed. Is it as effective as they say or is it just another piece of exercise junk?

Answer: I love this piece of equipment. It’s inexpensive and at under $100 you don’t risk much. It comes bundled with 4 different DVD’s to ensure you get the best from it. As to the results you’ll get that will be entirely up to you!

If you use the wave regularly and don’t keep it under the bed they yes you can get the results claimed. The Wave itself is such a simple piece of exercise equipment there is nothing to go wrong with it. Just drag it out, put on some fast music and rock yourself fit.

Ride The The Firm Wave, you won’t regret it.

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

Is The Firm Wave Personal Gym Workout Effective?

I have been asked by my clients to review the Firm Wave Personal Gym. They had seen it advertised and knew I had a similar piece of equipment the T-Bow. I use the T-Bow for my own training and have recently started using it with my Personal Training clients and have had some pretty good results.

The Wave like the T-Bow is a curved step which can be used either side up. With the curved side up it is stable (won’t move) and can be used to:-

• As a normal step
• For stretching
• Used with an exercise band it can be used for strength training
• You can do many body weight only exercises like Press-Ups and Squats

When you turn the Wave over so that the curved surface is down you end up with an unstable surface. With your feet on either side of the Wave it can be challenging to stay upright on it never mind move. This way up you can:-

• Rock from side to side for a fantastic fat burning workout
• Walk on the Wave to help tone thighs and buns
• Increase core and abdominal strength
• Add a resistance band to super charge your workout

It is claimed you can burn three times more fat using the Wave compared to other cardio equipment. Three times, well maybe not but you will burn a lot more that’s for sure. Working on the Wave is challenging, rocking to music with a fast beat will have you sweating and breathing hard in less than five minutes.

The Wave will enable you to perform over 100 toning, strength building and body sculpting exercises all on a piece of kit that costs less than $100 and comes with four DVD’s an exercise mat and a healthy eating guide. I have to say I was impressed with the Wave. It won’t stack like the T-Bow but for most home users who only buy one this will not be a problem.

This piece of equipment is not a gimmick. It will do what it claims if you use it. The advantage this has over many other pieces of home exercise equipment is it’s price. Even if like most people you quit after a few weeks what have you lost? Not a great deal and because it’s so small, has no moving parts and is easy to stow away when you decide to give it another go it will still work even if you leave it for 5 years or more.

Don’t waste any more time do what thousands of others have done. Ride The Firms Wave and get the results you’ve only ever dreamed of.

Carol J Bartram
(Personal Trainer)

Posted by: At Home Workout Reviews

The Firm Wave Reviews