XBAR Training & Events

The XBAR fitness system is a "personal gym," with fully adjustable resistance bands, allowing users of all ages and fitness levels to enjoy the workouts.  I discovered this product in the fall of 2014 when it was featured in Muscle & Fitness Hers.  The XBAR Fitness system has also been featured in Muscle & Fitness Magazine, Oxygen Magazine, Active OC Magazine and is exploding in the fitness industry with rave reviews.

Used by hundreds of trainers and fitness professionals, the variety and portability make it appealing to athletes, stay at home moms and dads, senior citizens, children and fitness enthusiasts.  Resistance band training is a great way to mix up your routine and stimulate the stabilizing muscles for added intensity and variety.

Receive 10% off your www.xbar.com purchase with code MeganLinge at checkout.  Shipping is free!  XBAR training programs and group discounts are available as well.

XBAR: Full Length Interval Workout

Join me for this full length workout featuring the XBAR! The routine includes bodyweight aerobic intervals and strength moves (squats, lunges, arm curls/extensions and more!).  NOTE:  The word "aerobic" used during this video is in reference to the bodyweight intervals, meant to increase the heart rate.  The strength intervals, as done here, can also be considered aerobic.

XBAR: Lower Body Workout 3.2015

This leg series targets the glutes, hamstrings, quads, core and shoulders.

XBAR: Upper Body Workout 3.2015

This upper body series targets the shoulders, core, upper back, biceps and triceps.

Get Healthy in Your Home Gym

The very first time I began working out, it was in the living room of my mom’s house.  I was in junior high.  There were no weights, resistance bands or jump ropes.  I was not familiar with heart rate monitors and FitBits were unheard of.  My workouts were fueled by a drive for success and commitment to my goals.  Along with a VHS tape, Your Personal Best, featuring Elle MacPherson and Karen Vogt, I broke a daily sweat and moved to the beats of “Ain’t Nothin Gonna Break My Stride” by Matthew Wilder.  Since then, my fitness goals have evolved, along with my home gym.  

Whether your goal is to lose weight, build strength or work toward both, a home gym can offer a solution to a busy lifestyle.  A home gym is a convenient solution whether you are short on time, prefer to get your sweat on in private, or are obsessed (like I am) with all of the latest gadgets and pieces of fitness equipment.  So how do you separate the functional from the funny-looking?  Below, I have listed six of my favorite products that I have found to be sweat inducing and results producing.  

Dumbbells

Training with dumbbells offers several benefits that will improve your health and physique.  Similar to resistance bands, strength training improves bone density and increases your muscle mass.  Because muscle requires more energy to maintain, it improves your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day.  Weights can also be incorporated into circuit workouts, which will keep your heart rate up and improve muscle endurance.  Think “dumbbell squats for 30 seconds/jumping jacks for 30 seconds,” repeating similar sets and rounds for 20-30 minutes.  Consider purchasing the Rubber Octagonal Dumbbell Single from Power Systems.

Jump Rope 

The thought of jumping rope immediately takes me back to childhood, when I was the most uncoordinated person in gym class and would have rather had my fingers rolled over by a scooter than my face slapped with the plastic pieces of an old school jump rope.  It was during a trip to New York City that I gave the jump rope another chance.  The hotel I was staying in had a fitness center with very little equipment, one being a jump rope.  I wiped away my doubt and anxiety to pick up the jump rope, only to wipe away my sweat 5 minutes later after a heart-pumping, high intensity experience.  The jump rope can be used as part of a cardio circuit, or between strength training sets to make the workout more challenging and keep your body stimulated.  The movement activates the calf muscles along with the arms and shoulders in particular. Because it is a weight bearing exercise, jumping rope also improves bone density.  You can purchase a jump rope here from Vitamin Shoppe.  

XBAR Slider Pads

Sliders make a traditional move like the mountain climber, or plank with knee drives, more challenging.  As you are in this position, holding a plank and drawing one knee in at a time (with a foot on each slider), the quads and abdominals muscles activate to draw your knee in and flex the hip. With sliders you will use more muscles to balance your body in position. Additional shoulder stability is required and your chest muscles are used as stabilizers.  Save 10% at www.xbar.com by entering MEGANLINGE at checkout. Shipping is free.

XBAR Fitness System

The XBAR is a resistance band inspired training device that offers over 100 full body exercises.  Resistance band training is a very effective method, requiring your body to move against resistance through the entire range of motion.  Picture the motion your arm creates when doing a bicep curl.  A dumbbell feels heaviest as you curl, while resistance bands make your muscles work hard through the entire movement, especially at the top, when the band is most taut.  This also stimulates the core muscles more, particularly when doing squats or lunges with the XBAR.  

The XBAR does not require a lot of space and comes with three different levels of resistance bands and a door anchor, offering variations and modifications for all fitness levels.  Save 10% at www.xbar.com by entering MEGANLINGE at checkout.  Shipping is free.

Wahoo Heart Rate Monitor

The Wahoo Fitness TICKR monitors your heart rate, calories burned,  and time plus distance and pace when connected to your phone.  The TICKR's dual band technology works with most smart phones and GPS watches.  By monitoring your heart rate, you are able to increase or decrease the amount of work you are doing based on your goals.  It is also a great way to track your progress.  As you become more fit, the same workload that once increased your heart rate to 140, may end up bringing it only to 130.  This is because your body has become more efficient at handling the stress placed upon it.  At that time, consider increasing the workload to continue improving your fitness level.

Interested in learning more about my online fitness programs and challenges?  Click here for information about personal training!

Get Fit, Stay Fit with the XBAR

During a flight to Atlanta in the fall of 2014, I was flipping through the pages of Muscle & Fitness Hers when I discovered the XBAR.  My eyes scanned the “holiday gift guide,” taking in the festive buffet of earbuds, hats, activity trackers and everything else an avid gym goer or athlete would appreciate.  But out of all of these must-have items, the XBAR stood out as soon as I saw it. The XBAR resembles the familiar curl bar, with three different standard hand positions, close grip, regular grip and wide grip, which allows for unlimited exercises.  You can do countless variations of planks and pushups, squats, lunges, presses, curls, extensions and more! Within seconds, I was snapping a photo of the page with my smart phone so I would remember to look into it once I arrived home.  

There were quite a few reasons this product piqued my interest, the most important of which I have listed below.  Visit www.xbar.com and use code MEGANLINGE at checkout to save 10%.  Shipping is free!

The XBAR is Portable

Recently, I have been traveling more often for work events.  While I appreciate an escape from my every day routine, access to a gym is never guaranteed.  And although many hotels provide fitness centers, the “gym” sometimes consists of a treadmill, a single set of dumbbells and maybe (if you’re lucky), a water cooler.  When planning your travel routines, it’s much easier to stay accountable when you know what resources you will have access to and how to incorporate them into a full body workout.  Typically, my travel routines are shorter than the ones I do at the gym.  For this reason, I appreciate the efficiency of the XBAR.  You can plan your workouts ahead of time and, because of the resistance method of training, you’ll incorporate more core work and recruit the stabilizing muscles more than you might have otherwise.  The XBAR is 34” end to end and the entire kit weights less than 10 lbs.  The XBAR was created by Damian Sanders, ex-pro snowboarder.  Like a lot of people, his schedule became filled with family life and running a small business.  Determined to find a solution to his problem, Damian was looking for something portable, convenient and functional.  Within 3 months of using the XBAR prototype (and eating right), he was back in great shape.  What started as a simple push-up bar evolved into a life-changing fitness tool.

Not only do I enjoy traveling with the XBAR, but I’ve also appreciated the convenience of using it at home AND in the gym.  As a personal trainer, I am always looking for new and stimulating ways to keep my clients challenged.  The XBAR is a great piece of equipment that can be incorporated into an existing routine, or used on it’s own.  One of my favorite workouts includes cardio intervals and strength intervals using the XBAR.  The kit comes with a drawstring travel bag, containing three different levels of resistance bands.

The XBAR Offers Variety for the Body

Another reason I was immediately so fond of this product is because of the variety it offers.  In February 2012 I had surgery for a herniated disc.  The herniation was the results of too much activity, not enough rest and a worn out body!  Since then, I have realized the importance of moderation and have come to appreciate the “peaks and valleys” of a workout routine.  Not every workout needs to be as intense as the last, not every run needs to be faster or further than the previous.  What I enjoy about the XBAR is that even though I’m not leg pressing 45s or doing assisted pull-ups to strengthen my upper body, the muscle activation provided by the XBAR stimulates the muscle fibers in a new way, recruiting muscle from different positions with a form of resistance the body may not be used to.  Doing the same exercises, with the same equipment and the same amount of weight will cause the body to plateau.  Not only that, but you are more likely to injure yourself that way.  The XBAR recruits the core and stabilizing muscles, which encourages you to use good form and provides a mind-muscle connection that creates better awareness during, and after, your workout.  

The XBAR Accommodates Varying Fitness Levels and Body Types

With three different resistance bands (included), the amount of resistance you can achieve is equivalent to an entire gym rack.  Use one band for a light workout, add all three bands together and the resistance is more than most people can handle.  Because of the fluid rotating end-swivels on the XBAR, and the rubber to rubber detached pushup docks, you can always find a position that perfectly fits your comfort zone.  Being that I am 5’11.5,” I am sometimes concerned with using resistance bands for fear they may snap!  However, you can position just one foot centered on the band to allow for more stretch.  If you are on the shorter side, you can spread your feet further apart to take up the slack and get more resistance. While foot placement will vary the amount of resistance each band provides, in general the weight equivalent is as follows:  green band = 5 pounds per side, red band = 8 pounds per side, blue band = 13 pounds per side.  An additional black band is sold separately and offers 19 pounds per side.  



XBAR TripleSet Circuit
This routine was inspired by a class I created and teach at Lateral Fitness in Chicago.  The workout, called TripleSet, alternates between sets of cardio (C), strength (S) and core inspired (CI) intervals. So drop your excuses and get ready to raise your heart rate with this version of my workout including the Xbar.  Perform each exercise for 30 seconds.  Complete 2-3 rounds of the seven sets.  Rest as needed.  

1C  High knee run

1S  XBAR squats

1CI XBAR plank with knee drives 

2C  Mountain climbers

2S  XBAR upright row

2CI XBAR plank with leg lifts 

3C   Jumping jacks

3S   XBAR lunges with right leg in front

3CI  XBAR side plank to right 

4C  Jumping jacks

4S  XBAR lunges with left leg in front

4CI  XBAR side plank to left 

5C  Jump rope in place

5S  XBAR pushups

5CI XBAR reverse plank with leg lifts 

6C  Jump squats

6S  XBAR side lunge to right

6CI  XBAR reach out plank 

7C  Jump squats

7S  XBAR side lunge to left

7CI  XBAR kick backs (30 seconds/side)