The High Tide Express

Sometimes the treadmills and elliptical machines are packed tighter than a Los Angeles freeway. It can be frustrating to wait for machines when your workout time is limited, but a busy gym isn’t an excuse to skip a workout.

“During the peak times when you may not be able to use a specific machine when you want, look at it as a chance to be creative,” says Jennifer Avelino, fitness manager at the San Ramon Super Sport 24 Hour Fitness in California. “Often, all you need is a little bit of floor space. Think of a packed gym is an opportunity to break out of your routines and find new paths to getting fit.”

Here, 24 Hour Fitness trainers share strategies to overcome any traffic jam when you go to the gym:

The Rope Burn
At Avelino’s gym, there are usually three waves of busy: mornings, lunchtime, and after-work. During those times, cardio machines, such as stationary bikes, elliptical trainers and StairMasters are in high demand. Instead of waiting in line to rev up your heart rate, grab a low-tech stand-in: the jump rope. Whether you’re just warming up or doing an all-cardio workout, the simple jump rope can provide an intense exercise session. For a 150-pound person, jumping rope at a fast pace can burn more then 800 calories an hour. That’s about as many calories as you’d burn running at an 8-minute-mile pace.

Technique tip: It’s not how high you jump. Keep your jumps really low and your arms close to your body, so the wrist makes small, circular movements instead of your forearms flailing around. Start by jumping for 1 minute then take a break, gradually work your way up to 5 or 10 minutes.

Free Weight Swaps
At Folsom Super Sport Club in California, four to eight in the evening is the busiest time, says Rob Gibson, fitness manager. “The best way to get a workout when you can’t use the machines you want is to grab a set of dumbbells,” Gibson says. “Just about everything you do on a machine, you can do with free weights.”
Here are some of the swaps Gibson recommends:

Machine Swaps

Shoulder press
Leg curl
Leg press
Hamstring curl
Leg extension

Dumbbell Swaps

Standing shoulder press
Supine leg curls
Squat
Dead lift
Lunges

Technique tip: Start with three sets of 10-12 repetitions for each exercise. Move slowly through each motion, which will give you a better workout than just quickly knocking out the repetitions. And when you can’t hold good posture, it means you’re too fatigued or the weight is too heavy.

The Ball Game
When the machines are more crowded than a baseball stadium on free bat night, it’s time for you to play a different kind of ball game. Find a stability ball, recommends Avelino. “With a stability ball, you can get a total body workout,” she says. “Plus, some of the exercises you’d normally do, such a bicep curls, become core-building workouts because you have to use those muscles to balance.”

Here are five stability ball exercises Avelino suggests trying when the machines are full:
*Bicep curls while seated on the ball.
*Wall squats with ball between your back and a wall.
*Push ups with your feet on a ball.
*Crunches while seated on the ball.
*Triceps extension as you lean on top of the ball.

Technique tip: When using a stability ball, pull in your abdominal muscles. Think of a string running through your belly button and drawing your abdominal muscles in toward your spine. This will help provide support and balance while you’re on the unstable surface.