The best way to improve muscle strength, power and endurance is with dumbbell exercises. Building up strength with the use of weights is a great way to maintain lean muscle mass and increase the bodies metabolic rate. Nothing will keep you looking and feeling better than resistance training. Being strong will give you the energy you need to maintain a active lifestyle.
Dumbells can be used for every muscle group and the versatility of exercises for any body part is nearly limitless. This keeps the muscles guessing, a much needed combination to eliminate plateaus and keep lean body mass growing. Dumbbells allow your body to follow a natural range of motion, unlike machines, which restrict movement. When you workout, you want the movements to be fluid and dynamic. It’s best to change the angle of attack – sometimes even mid exercise. The more ways you change up your workouts, the more your muscles will respond.
Do you remember the Jack LaLanne Show? It began in the 50’s and continued through the 80’s. Millions of Americans tuned in everyday to work out with Jack and receive his tips on eating right. To this day, in his mid-90’s, he still teaches the importance of exercise and good nutrition.
Jack began life as a thin, sickly person. His mother would feed him lots of rich desserts in hopes he would gain some weight and energy. By 15 Jack had all kinds of health problems and was more of an old person than a young one. Jack had, among other things, a bad back, poor eyesight and headaches so severe he thought of suicide. He lost his temper frequently and twice tried to kill his brother and once tried to burn down his family’s home.
In 1929 his mother took Jack to a doctor’s lecture on health and nutrition. Jack was so impressed he stayed and approached the lecturer and was asked what he eats. Jack said, “Cakes, pies and ice cream.” The doctor said that a change of diet and to begin exercising could get rid of his headaches and make him strong. Jack decided he was ready to give it a try.
LaLanne never ate another dessert. He began lifting weights. He studied anatomy so he could develop each and every muscle.
Jack & Happy
The weak, skinny boy with a back brace and bad skin disappeared. The headaches and bad temper went away. Jack soon developed the body he became known for having. He excelled at high school sports.
At 18, LaLanne built a back yard gym and coached policemen and firemen on weight lifting.
In 1936 Jack moved his back yard gym into a rented building and opened the Jack LaLanne Physical Culture Studio in Oakland, California. He encouraged women, children and the elderly to use his gym. This was at a time when gyms were really only for boxers.
Members of his gym worked out with weights and received Jack’s personal assistance and advice. He invented exercise equipment to help with squats and leg extensions.
Doctors called him a crackpot and told their patients that men would become muscle bound, women would look like men and old people would have heart attacks.
In 1951 a local San Francisco television station asked Jack to host an exercise program, the first in the country. He became the host of The Jack LaLanne Show. Critics said he’d be off the air quickly. But the show was soon airing in Los Angeles as well.
Doctors and sports coaches still called him a fake. So to show them he was an athlete and quite strong and agile, on his 40th birthday he set a world record swimming the length of the Golden Gate Bridge – while pulling 140 pounds floating behind him.
In 1955 a hand-cuffed Jack swam from Alcatraz to fishermen’s wharf. In 1957 he swam 6.5 miles through the channel of Golden Gate towing a 2,500 pound cabin cruiser behind him. In 1959 at 45 years old he did 1,000 pushups and 1,000 chin ups in an hour and 22 minutes.
Now a celebrity, he continued by lifting 140 pound dumbbells and climbing a 25 foot rope with 140 pounds strapped to his belt.
By 1959 The JackLaLanne Show was a national show on ABC and continued through 1985. He once offered a $10,000 prize to any athlete who could match him. Nobody ever collected. LaLanne had launced the American health and fitness trend.
On his 70th birthday in 1984, he swam a mile and a half across Long Beach Harbor in California – with his hands and feet shackled and towing 70 people in 70 rowboats.
In 2008 Jack turned 94. He still works out everyday. Jack will keep pushing himself as long as he can.
Here in Portland we had our own health and fitness guru. His name was Joe Loprinzi. His local television show on exercise was very popular. Joe is now 92 and said he truly regrets taking the advice to begin long distance running. His hip wore out and he ended up having to have hip replacement surgery.
Joe and Jack were close friends. Still stay in touch.
Published by marilyn on February 24th, 2009 in Information.
Fat Tuesday’s here! This is a day to let go and binge on sugary cocktails, beer and some very fattening traditional ‘Fat Tuesday’ treats like Paczki and Jambalaya.
It’s ok to indulge yourself a few days a year as long as you are thinking of the big picture, because that’s what it takes to keep you toned and trim even when you give into temptation. Here are some fun facts to remember that make days like ‘Fat Tuesday’, no big deal.
Muscle burns 50′x more calories than fat. When you replace 5 pounds of fat for muscle, you’re burning an extra 250 calories a day at rest, or 1,750 a week, or 7,000 a month, or 84,000 calories a year! Some quick math… that translates into 24 lbs. Just imagine if you replaced 10 lbs of fat with muscle, you would be burning nearly 50 lbs of fat worth of calories a year.
The video of Marilyn at Ignite Portland, co-owner and mother, was a real video. We saw her working in the corner of the office and she was kind enough to let us film her.
Many years ago, we pioneered infomercials and the 800 number. More recently, we met Justin Kistner who convinced us that social media was the next great channel. So, three months ago we launched our blog. About a month ago we signed up for Twitter. Now we have a Facebook group and accounts on YouTube, StumbleUpon, and Upcoming. It’s been a whirlwind filling our brains with all things social and Justin tells us that we’re doing a great job getting initiated. We thought we’d share a little about us and where you can follow us online.
Our challenges
One of our biggest challenges have been the visual editor of WordPress. We’ve all wanted to throw our laptops out the window on a few occasions. Yesterday we all seriously talked about going to class to learn html code…you have got to be kidding me! When I get frustrated Justin grumbles about this being the wild west and stresses that it’s amazing any of this stuff actually works…I guess that supposed to make us feel better? :)
The other huge hurdle was getting my parents to understand how Twitter works. As you can see from the video, she’s still using pen and paper, Wow! The same question was asked over and over again..why do people want to know what I am doing right now? They weren’t sure how to get more friends and got bored of tweeting and retweeting to their closest 4 friends. My dad would say things like, ‘’shit Molly, you and Marilyn already know what I’m doing!” So funny! Now we’re all tweeting from @bodybysoloflex and I think we’re up to 50 friends,Yes!
Well, we’d love your help and friendship (or follow) as we dig into this new communication frontier. To that point, let me share a little more about us!
The Crew Behind Soloflex
Jerry, Marilyn, Rebecca, Carlie, Connie and Molly
Molly blogs, tweets and contributes to the Soloflex Facebook group. She brought us into the 21 century. Molly’s the bomb. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook »
Carlie manages our Facebook group, tweets, is our StumbleUpon gal and has written some of our funniest blog posts yet. Find Carlie on Facebook and Twitter.
Connie is the glue that holds the company together…she does everything. She’s daughter numero uno. Find out what she’s up to on Facebook or Twitfitter
Rebecca takes care of all the money and has recently become addicted to StumbleUpon. You can find her on Facebook.
Jerry Is the Godfather and Soloflex inventor. Every once in awhile he graces us with his presence when he’s not flying or writing his scandalous autobiography. He’s on Facebook and Twitter too.
Marilyn rocks at Twitter…now! She blogs, tweets and tries to keep Jerry out of trouble. She’s spreadin’ the word on Twitfitter.
Published by molly on February 19th, 2009 in Information.
“I just had to let you know how thrilled I am with my Whole Body Vibration (WBV) Platform. I have cerebral palsy and use braces and a wheel chair to get around. I’m also of the age where osteoporosis is a concern. Well, your machine has given me new life! I can now get on and off the platform on my own (couldn’t a few months ago), and it has increased my strength, stability and circulation to a degree I never imagined possible. Degenerative arthritis in my joints makes weight-bearing exercise impossible and the pain in my hips and knees was extreme. What a difference now! The pain is almost non-existent and I’m able to stand on the platform for the full 10 minutes. Wow! I’m 60 years old and getting a second chance at life. THANK YOU.”
Andi, Florence, Oregon
Immediately upon receipt of Andi’s email, we shot back an offer to her to do an ad for WBV. She said, “Sure, if it will help others like me it’s helped me.” The ad ran nationally in Readers’ Digest a couple of years ago.
We’ve been manufacturing and selling home strength training equipment for 30 years. We are convinced that Whole Body Vibration is the most important discovery since the Greeks and Romans perfected barbell and dumbell exercises, just like the ones we do today, 2500 years ago!
So, how is WBV working for you? Please let us know. You can comment here or click the Testimonials tab at the top of the page.
Published by carlie on February 17th, 2009 in Personal.
Obama has challenged Americans to get up and move! He reportedly only missed one workout in the last 2 years. Now if he can manage to keep fit as a dad, a senator and while running for President of the United States…YOU have no excuses! He makes working out a priority by getting up early and doing 45 minutes of cardio one day and weightlifting one day, alternating.
He does it all!
Obama plays basketball….
Obama golfs….
Obama does pull ups!…..
Bowls?…….ok
Obama body surfs…
Obama pitches……
Obama rides his bike…..
The total amount spent on health care in US last year was $2.4 trillion, that’s $7,900 per person! In large part, this is the cost of our sedintary lifestyles and poor eating habits (and broken health care system). Anyone can come up with an excuse not to exercise. Soloflex wants you to stop making excuses and get to it. No one can afford remedial healthcare. Everyone can afford prevention.
Published by molly on February 16th, 2009 in Information.
CrossFit workouts may not be for everyone but you’ll get serious results! The CrossFit philosophy of functional training (natural and compound ranges of motion) incorporates using your body weight, kettle bells, weighted balls, pull up bars, rings, ropes and barbells. CrossFit workouts are similar to Olympic and gymnastic training, the Boston CrossFit blog has some kick ass videos showing how to get the moves right. Check out the website, there is a new challenging workout posted daily.
2. Body Weight Workouts
Body Weight Workouts. You can get a hard body fast with NO equipment! A lot of people don’t have extra space in their homes for equipment or want a good workout on the road…. no biggie because you can get an awesome workout with nothing but your own body weight. If you can’t do push-up, start on your knees. Use a chair or bench under a pull up bar to get started if you can’t already do one, help your self up and slowly let yourself down, it’s the negative portion of the exercise that will grow your muscles and provide the strength gains you need to allow you to do a full pull up without assistance. This prison workout is another great free body workout.
3. High Intensity Interval Training
High Intensity Interval training (HIIT) is a specific kind of cardio training that incorporates short intense intervals. HIIT will give your metabolism a serious boost and burn fat for hours. A typical example time ratio is 2:1 meaning jog for 60 seconds and sprint for 30 seconds. A beginner may complete 6-8 cycles but as your fitness level improves you can increase the amount of cycles you do. I have recently cut my cardio workouts out down from 60 minutes to 30 minutes. Why? Because I know that if I push myself as hard as I can for half as long, I’ll get more out of my workout. And it’s actually made my workouts more enjoyable.
4. Plyometrics Plyometric workouts seem to be a favorite for actors who need to pack on muscle fast. I would say that if this is the training program for people like Christian Bale and Brad Pitt … then it works!
Plyometric exercises were designed specifically to increase muscle strength and power. It’s an athlete’s workout that incorporates explosive movements in rapid sequence. Here’s several examples of plometic exercises for your lower body at light, moderate and high intensity. Examples for upper body.
5. Functional Training Functional Training is often referred to when discussing workouts that include compound exercises, meaning exercises that use more than one muscle group. The term functional implies that it replicates our bodies natural range of motion. We highly recommend compound exercises because it’s a more efficient way to exercise and it burns more calories. A few examples would be: Squats with an overhead press, lunge with bicep curl or lateral raise, deadlift with a bent over row.
6. Training with Whole Body Vibration
Whole Body Vibration, it took me a while to get on board with this concept. I was a skeptic once too. I wish I hadn’t been such a doubter. I also love this machine now! I use it for my free body exercises and weighted exercises too, my favorites are push ups and lunges. It may seem unbelievable to you too but the studies proving it’s effectiveness just keep coming.
7. Power Yoga
Ashtanga or Power Yoga not only increases your strength, flexibility and endurance but it’s an amazing way to relieve the body and mind of stress like no other workout. Since I incorporated power yoga (ashtanga or vinyasa) to my weekly workouts I have seen huge improvements physically, but have been most impressed with a new sense of well being. It has the ability to take you to your edge physically while soothing and relaxing your mind at the same time. If you are a serious weightlifter or athlete, power yoga is a great compliment to your overall training.
8. Kettlebells
The kettlebell was introduced to me for the first time at a CrossFit gym. I had seen the videos and honestly, I was a bit intimidated. I didn’t think I was going to enjoy using them but I was wrong! The kettlebell is an awesome tool for functional and compound training. The way they’re weighted and the way the grip is positioned allows you to comfortably swing, press and pull the the weight around.
I have since bought a pair of kettlebells for my house, they’ve been great to use on my vibration platform. Unlike most weighted workouts, kettlebells allow you to move through large ranges of motion to really get the heart pumping.
If you start looking online for kettlebell instructional videos, you’ll find everything from the old school Russian routines to pregnancy workouts. You should have no trouble finding the right workout, what ever your fitness level.
9. Get Outside!
Walking may be the most basic exercise of all but it doesn’t have to be the easiest. Hiking involves truckin’ up a steep hills and moving around and over rocks and stumps. It’s a perfect way to really work up a sweat. Why not get some fresh air and beautiful scenery if you can. If a beautiful hike outdoors isn’t realistic, take a brisk walk to the park or around your neighborhood. Be creative, boost your walks by finding hills, walking faster, or go that 15 extra minutes. It’s also a workout that can be done with friends. Try to walk with someone who you know is in better shape, they’ll help you keep a faster pace.
Published by molly on February 13th, 2009 in How to.
WBV is a platform that vibrates while the user stands, sits, lifts weights, does yoga or any kind of exercise on it. WBV training has been shown to increase muscular strength, explosive power and anabolic hormone level when performed for as little as 4 minutes, three times a week. It requires relatively little exertion compared with traditional forms of exercise, yet studies comparing this training method to traditional strength training have found similar gains in strength and in some cases more gains in explosive power. Since WBV is low impact, it may be a particularly good choice for older or obese people who have trouble doing traditional weight bearing exercises.
WBV’s benefits include an increase in muscle flexibility, strength, bone density, balance and blood flow. Research shows many positive effects in pain management and the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis and other ailments. For postmenopausal women the use of vibration is a far better alternative in our opinion than the dangerous osteoporosis drugs now on the market.
In a 24 week study (Verschueren et al, 2004) hip bone density showed a significant increase in postmenopausal women who used WBV three times a week. In a 12 month study (Rubin et al, 2004) WBV training effectively prevented bone loss in the spine and femur.
The current theory is WBV stimulates the body’s natural stretch reflex. The stretch reflex is controlled by stretch receptors called muscle spindles. These are usually activated when a muscle is under static stretch causing a reflex contraction of the muscle. With WBV, this reflex action is continually stimulated, so a muscle continues to contract and relax until the vibration stops. Studies show that activation of one muscle spindle will cause a reflex contraction and relaxation in the adjacent muscles. WBV stimulates fast-twitch motor units, which are usually stimulated during high-intensity movements. Studies suggest that WBV training is just as effective as resistance training in developing gains in muscular strength and power. In fact, some findings suggest the WBV training may be more effective since WBV stimulates those hard-to-get fast-twitch motor units.
Vibration has been proven to be beneficial to athletes but it can be beneficial for basic activities of daily living. WBV has been demonstrated to significant gains in muscle performance in sedentary and elderly people. Your entire body musculature, as well as your internal organs and glands, are affected positively by WBV stimulation. Even the brain experiences physiological changes. Studies have shown better and more efficient rehabilitation of injuries or surgery than traditional methods of therapy. It’s very good therapy if you have conditions such as arthritis, fibromyalgia or multiple sclerous, which would normally limit your fitness program.
One study performed by the University of Liege in Belgium (4 one minute sessions, 3 times a day), after 6 weeks the participants experienced: 143% improvement in physical function, 77% improvement in balance, 60% improvement in vitality, 57% improvement in walking, 41% reduction in pain and 23% improvement in general health. Imagine, just 12 minutes a week!
WBV has been reported to produce immediate effects on anabolic hormone levels. Researchers noted a significant increase in blood circulation of testosterone and growth hormone following 10 one-minute sessions of WBV training (26Hz) in healthy men.
Some of the benefits of WBV training: Increased muscle strength, enhanced bone and muscle building, increased flexibility, increased circulation, pain reduction, increased hormone secretion, increased serotonin, increased lymphatic drainage, cellulite reduction and decreased cortisol levels.
WBV is a fast, effective addition or alternative to resistance training for both sedentary and athletic people. The low impact nature of the exercise and the relatively low exertion required make WBV a good exercise for obese and elderly people. Additionally, it can be a good cross-training option.
Published by marilyn on February 12th, 2009 in Information.
Molly blogs, tweets and contributes to the Soloflex Facebook group. She brought us into the 21 century. Molly’s the bomb. Connect with her on 
Carlie manages our Facebook group, tweets, is our StumbleUpon gal and has written some of our funniest blog posts yet. Find Carlie on 
Connie is the glue that holds the company together…she does everything. She’s daughter numero uno. Find out what she’s up to on 
Rebecca takes care of all the money and has recently become addicted to StumbleUpon. You can find her on 
Jerry Is the Godfather and Soloflex inventor. Every once in awhile he graces us with his presence when he’s not flying or writing his scandalous autobiography. He’s on 
Marilyn rocks at Twitter…now! She blogs, tweets and tries to keep Jerry out of trouble. She’s spreadin’ the word on 
Bowls?…….ok
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