PODCAST: Working out how to make the most of your unit block gym

Our article this week about the fabulous Parker rental apartment complex in Alexandria, Washington DC, got me thinking about the facilities that are intended to entice us to buy and rent in apartment blocks.One popular item is a gym – but that word covers a multitude of sins.  It could be a fabulous, state-of-the-art facility that would grace any five-star hotel.Or it could be an airless converted store room with neglected and clapped out equipment that’s occasionally augmented by the “donation” of some cheap and useless gear that someone has bought on late-night TV and immediately regretted doing so.So I spoke to residential personal trainer and group fitness instructor Shannon Cleary about what equipment every apartment block gym should have.But it soon became evident that having the latest equipment is not the highest priority.Space to stretch and work dynamically on free-weights might be more valuable than a bank of treadmills, for instance.But the main point she made was that it doesn’t matter what you have in your gym if no one uses it … and uses it properly.A case in point, according to Shannon, is the good old rowing machine. This is a great piece of kit for an all-round work-out: legs, core, arms and heart – if you know what you’re doing.“So many people just have no idea how to use it properly,” she says.  So we have put in a link to a Youtube video (below) so you can see how its done.But first, listen to our podcast. And if that doesn’t inspire you to get down to your gym … or even just go for a walk … nothing will.Hey, you can do both – listen to the podcast while you’re working out.  Have fun.https://episodes.castos.com/flatchatpod/Flat-Chat-Wrap-25-Shannon-2.mp3If you want to subscribe to the Flat Chat Wrap and get new episodes as soon as they are posted (it's completely free!), click on this link for iPHONE and IPAD and this one for Castbox (our favourite Podcatcher).  And please leave us a rating ... especially if you like the podcasts.Now, here's the video on how to use a rowing machine properly:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0r_ZPXJLtg 

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Recorded by Jimmy Thomson & Sue Williams; Transcribed by Otter.ai.
Find out more about Sue Williams and Jimmy Thomson on their websites.