This is the Arm Shaper from Dynaflex Pro.

Coach Rylan

I’m all for having huge home-gym set-ups with thousands of dollars of top-tier training equipment at your disposal.  After all, I am a fitness guy, it’s what I do.

Just like I’m sure any tech-geek would love to have a room full of the most expensive and cutting edge supercomputers with the most powerful processors, graphics cards, and Terabytes of memory ready to be exploited.

But do we need it to get the job done?

Without a doubt – NO.

Would it be nice?  Sure.

But for the average person who wants to get a great workout in at home, without having to fork out major cash for expensive and expansive equipment, and without dedicating half of the square footage of your home to workout space – there really are only a few essentials that you need.

They’re cheap.  They’re compact.  And you can easily get a gym-quality workout with these items without stepping out of your front door.

I call them the 4 ‘B’s of fitness equipment.

Can you guess what they are?

UPDATE BELOW:

Nice work everyone!  I was really impressed with the answers.  It actually made me think that I should have changed it to the 5 Bs’.

Anyway, the answer is Bench, Ball, Bells (as in Dumbbells), and Bands.

Bodyweight is indeed one of the essentials, but I don’t consider it ‘equipment’ per se, so that’s why I leave it out.  Brains on the other hand – as strange as it may sound – not really required.

For some programs maybe, but I always strive to take thinking out of the equation with my programs.  You don’t need to sit through an exercise physiology lesson – you just need to be shown what to do, and then go do it.

So lets break this down a little…

Ball - a good stability ball has many uses, and it actually can double up as a bench for nearly all bench exercises.  It’s also fantastic for core strengthening exercises, and I’ve invented a couple brand new – never before seen – arm sculpting exercises that will make an appearance in the new Go Sleeveless DVD system – and these exercises take advantage of the ball to bring you even more arm sculpting and definition than ever before.

Bench - a good sturdy bench is a fantastic companion, and you can find many great models that fold up and slide right under your bed.  A bench offers good stable support for exercises where the movement of a ball is inappropriate.  For example, Step-Ups, Bench Dips, and Bench Knee Tucks are exercises that MUST be done with a bench.  A Bench also offers a great platform for performing assisted push-ups, Incline Presses, and much more.  If you don’t yet have a bench, seriously consider picking one up.

Bands – Bands often get a bad wrap from some trainers because many feel they don’t provide enough resistance to offer much of a challenge to your muscles.  I disagree entirely.  You can get bands that range in tension from very light, to exceedingly heavy.  I personally use a set of bands in my studio called ‘Superbands’ that actually provide up to 100lbs of resistance.  You can pull a truck with this thing!  That’s a challenge!

Bands are simply the single best option for allowing you to perform a huge repertoire of exercises with something that costs little more than 10 bucks, and can be stuffed in your purse and taken with you anywhere.  Hotel workouts, office workouts, exercises on the go – no problem if you’ve got a band.  In fact, in the upcoming DVD, I will be adding in bonus office workouts, hotel workouts, and travel workouts that you do in 5 minutes and all you will need is your band and your body.

Bells - A good set of Dumbbells completes my list of 4 essential pieces of equipment.  Some exercises you just cant do with body-weight, and many band exercises just aren’t the same as their dumbbell counterparts.  But there is very little that you cant do with a set of dumbbells.  I always recommend getting a pair of dumbbells from 5-25 pounds in 5 pound increments for beginners – and you should go as high as one set above what you could currently use for a dumbbell chest press exercises.  Dumbbells or “Free Weights’ beat out machine exercises every time.  They work more muscles, allow more movement, and give you total freedom of range of movement to suit your personal body mechanics.

For less than half the price of just ONE single machine you find in a gym, you could outfit your home workout space with everything listed above, and more, and still have all of your free space available.

Quite simply, there is not an exercise machine in existence that can match what the 4 Bs of Fitness Equipment will provide for you.

Coach Rylan

PS.  In case you were wondering – the upcoming Go Sleeveless DVD set will not require any other specialized equipment other than what you read above.  And as I mentioned before, there will even be bonus workouts that require NO equipment at all.  Workout at home, the office, or on holidays.  Workout in 5 minutes.  Workout with no equipment.  No excuses left.  Go.

Coach Rylan

1) Why do you need this book?
2) What do you hope it will do for you?
3) How will your life change once you’ve accomplished your goal?

I’ll pick the top two responses over the next couple days (you have until Saturday at noon pacific time to get your responses in) and notify the winners by email to get your shipping address.

Thanks everybody in advance for taking the time to respond!

Coach Rylan

UPDATE:  Thanks to all who entered.  The winners have been selected and the signed copies are already on their way.  Congratulations to Sharon McClurg of Florida, and Dorothy Kelly of Ontario.

After a very labor intensive process, my first ‘hard-copy’ book was finally released today, January the 6th, 2010.

When I got into the fitness industry I had no idea that my name would ever end up on the cover of a book.  But I have to admit, it is kinda cool to walk into a book store and see my work sitting there on the shelf – I feel like a proud parent.

But more importantly, having this book released allows me the opportunity to reach an even greater audience and help even more women overcome their troubles with problem arms – and that is what this is all about – you the reader.

Thank you to everyone who has already picked up their copy (lots of my fellow Canadians must have gotten up nice and early to get their copy because Amazon.ca was already back-ordered this morning), and to those that haven’t yet, I don’t often ask for much – but if you can afford the 10 bucks for a copy – your support means a great deal to me – so thank you in advance.

The fitness book market is very competitive – and the more support this book receives – the more likley I will be able to publish another in the future.

Thanks again to each one of you -  I did this for you, so I hope you enjoy it and put it to good use.

Coach Rylan

PS.  Why does YouTube always chose a frame that makes me look like a bloody Orangutan?

Hopefully you’re not all feeling too rough this morning

And for my friends in the FLP round 2, give yourself a pat on the back for being more than a few steps ahead of your counterparts on your New Years Resolutions this year.

Now that’ you’ve completed the final week, I doubt you’ll want to bring your results to a grinding halt, so head over to my Workout Of The Month Club, and sign-up for your first month for only $5.95.  This will ensure you continue to get great results, but with a much more gradual and gentle approach.  You’ve gotten the kick-start you need, so now it’s time to move into something a little more manageable long term.

Click Here for my workout of the month club.

Coach Rylan

PS.  Final check-ins go below.  By the way, do you have a New Years Resolution you’d like to share publicly?

It’s unmarked – so you won’t actually see how much you save until you get to the shopping cart page to complete your order.

This is also the last opportunity you will have to get the Go Sleeveless Lite Package.  After midnight, you will no longer be able to get the Go Sleeveless System for less than $70 for an entire year due to my book contract.

Don’t procrastinate folks – if you want to get a great body in 2010, you won’t be able to do it cheaper than this.

Coach Rylan

My warmest wishes to you and yours everyone.  I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful Christmas with those you care about most.

On a business note, FLP week 5 check-ins go below in the comments, but don’t worry about that today.  Tomorrow or Sunday is fine this week.  Enjoy your celebrations!

Coach Rylan