The T-Bow – a great piece of exercise equipment for the home
Breaking into the home fitness market, the T-Bow is a new idea in exercise equipment that combines heart-pumping cardio with muscle conditioning and toning and adds core stability for a full-body workout every time.
I am a Personal Trainer, and I specialize in training clients in their own homes. Some lucky clients have their own gym and swimming pool, which makes my job easier. Most, however, only have a few square feet in the spare room to exercise in, and it’s my job to figure out how to give them the results they want. Most are on a budget and want equipment that can be easily stored in a closet when their workout is over.
That’s asking a lot! Most small exercise machines only do one thing: cardio, muscle toning, or core and abdominal work. But, and this is what gives me a headache, you need to do ALL 3 types of exercise to optimally burn fat and tone muscle. Tell the customer he needs, say, a stepper, some dumbbells, and a fitball, and he’s likely to give up before you get started.
So for people like me, the entrance of the T-Bow is as welcome as the January sun in England. Heaven sent! (The weather is miserable here in the UK. Cold and wet in the winter, mild and humid in the summer. Give me Florida winters any day.)
The T-Bow will do all 3 types of exercises, fits easily under a bed or stacked in a closet, and comes with its own exercise bands and a great DVD for under $200. And it makes exercise fun!
This is how I create the perfect workout using a T-Bow:
cardio exercise
Essential for burning fat and calories and making the heart and lungs healthier. My client warms up using the T-Bow curve as a Step; up and down, side to side, knee raises, single leg kicks, you name it. Then we flip the T-Bow inside out and really rock out! Balancing on the unstable side uses more muscles, including your core, and really works those legs. We go from slow to fast, we twist to rock back and forth (that takes a bit of balance, let me tell you!) and we sing all those cheesy songs from the 80s when pop stars could really sing… I’m showing my age here!
Muscle Strengthening
No workout is complete without muscle work. Ladies, forget about those worries about building big, bulky muscles; that won’t happen (unless you specifically want it to). Toning muscles makes them leaner, shapely and smaller. And having muscle burns fat, all the time. Cool huh?
So we attach the exercise bands to the sides of the T-Bow, now curved side up again, and my client tones her legs, shoulders, buttocks, arms, chest, and back.
Core stability and stretch
Trim that waist and elongate those legs! We go down to floor level now and use the T-Bow to lie down, lean on and sit up for a core and Pilates workout that uses muscles you didn’t even know you had! Pilates exercises are unrivaled for sculpting long, lean leg muscles and a trim waist and hips, as well as strengthening your back and helping you walk taller. We end our workout with some stretching on the T-Bow, which lengthens the muscles and makes them feel good!
So, with just 1 piece of equipment, you’ve had a perfect workout, as good as running your own gym (and certainly much cheaper).