Exercise Anywhere Review and Sweepstakes

A few weeks ago NURU, LLC reached out to me asking if I would review their Exercise Anywhere fitness cards. The timing was uncanny as I had just watched an episode of The Biggest Loser where all except two teams were locked out of the gym for a week.

The teams that didn't have gym access were literally forced to exercise anywhere - on the beach, in the backyard, and in the living room. You know what? The team that "lost" in that episode was one of the two teams that had access to the gym. It just goes to show that you can exercise anywhere effectively, if you have the right know-how!

The Fitness Anywhere Flash Cards

My initial impression upon receiving the package was that the cards could have been a little larger, and a storage box would have been nice. Nothing major and just me being my picky self.

On closer inspection I found that there were a total of 30 cards and that the cards were tagged by category:

• Basics (general information including a sample workout and glossary)
• Chest (4 exercises)
• Back (5 exercises)
• Lower Body (5 exercises)
• Shoulders (4 exercises)
• Arms (5 exercises)
• Abs (4 exercises)
• Cardio Lab (information on interval training and a recommended routine)

The Basics cards provided some excellent information including the importance of switching up your routine on a regular basis and incorporating "supersets" and "negatives" into your workout. The sample routine provides a good template for putting together various programs using the exercises offered on the cards.

I found most of the exercises easy to follow based on the instructions provided. Many of the exercises should be staples within everyone's workout routine, but there were a few exercises involving using a towel that were entirely new to me.

The cards themselves are made of a laminated, lightweight paper and seem fairly sturdy. It would have been nice if the cards were color coded to make it easier to identify target muscle groups, but if you use the key ring which is provided (to keep the cards together), it's pretty simple to find what you're looking for.

Each section starts with a description of the target muscle group, lists the various exercises, and then provides an explanation and a graphic of the exercise being performed. Here's an example from the Back section:


My Two Cents

While I may have chosen to categorize some of the exercises differently (bird dogs and planks are listed as lower back exercises rather than core exercises), overall the exercise selection is pretty good.

If you are a hard-core strength training enthusiast, you likely won't garner much value from the Exercise Anywhere cards. However, these cards are a nice addition for anyone first getting started with a strength training program, a student who is looking to exercise in their dorm room, or anyone who travels and is looking for hotel room workout ideas.

What I really like about the Exercise Anywhere cards is that they drive home the point that there are plenty of exercises that you can do sans equipment. Not being able to afford a gym membership or the fact that you may be on the road a good deal of time is simply not valid excuses for not exercising.

If those are your excuses, at a cost of $9.95 (free shipping at the time of this posting), these cards are well worth the investment.

Catapult Fitness Blog's Exercise Anywhere Sweepstakes

THREE (3) Catapult Fitness Blog readers will be the lucky recipients of a deck of Exercise Anywhere cards, absolutely free! To be entered in the sweepstakes simply post a comment telling me why you would like to receive a deck of Exercise Anywhere cards*.

This contest is open from Monday, March 9, 2009 through 11:59 pm ET, Thursday, March 12, 2009. Winners will be announced on Friday, March 13, 2009 so keep an eye out for your name in Friday's blog posting!

* U.S. and Canadian residents, age 18+ are eligible for this sweepstakes.

Train hard; stay strong and remember, no excuses!

Peace.

Susan