A home gym makes fitness sense. It is more convenient and way cheaper than a health club membership. But buying yourself new home exercise equipment needs to be done after some serious thought. If you don’t choose carefully, you run the risk of wasting money on equipment that is useless to you, is poorly designed, difficult to use, or takes up too much space in your home.
A lot of these devices end up serving as clothes racks because they did not fit the needs of their owners. When shopping, look for equipment that suits your lifestyle and budget, and shop around to get the best price. Here are a couple of other things, which you need to take into account:
What types of exercises do you enjoy? If you enjoy a particular form of exercise, such as power walking, you can choose home exercise equipment that facilitates that activity – like a treadmill – or contains elements of that activity.
How much space do you have? Consider your available space. Some pieces of equipment take up a lot of room. You need to make sure you have the appropriate place to position equipment in your home. Also keep in mind ceiling height, as some pieces of equipment can be quite tall. So it might not be possible to have them in the attic or at a mezzanine floor arrangement or basement with a low ceiling. When determining how much space the equipment will need, measurements should include all the positions and extensions on the machine. Here are some estimates for the amount of space different pieces of equipment take up:
- Stationary bike: around 10 sq ft
- Stair climber: around 10 to 20 sq ft
- Rowing machine: around 20 sq ft
- Treadmill: around 30 sq ft
- Single-station strength training system: around 35 sq ft
- Multi-station strength training system: around 50 to 200 sq ft
What are the features that you are looking for? Make a list of exercise equipment features that you wish to use. Is the equipment adjustable? Does it allow you to increase or decrease the difficulty of the activity as your fitness and endurance develop? Can it be used not only by you but also by other members of your family?
Is the machine easy to store? Some machines can be folded or adjusted for more compact storage, but some large equipment is not easily moved without heavy lifting or pushing, which may not be possible for everyone.
Are all the safety, utility and other features in place? Is the machine easy to use? Does it offer different workouts to keep you challenged? So, if you’re buying a treadmill, understand the downside of buying a manual treadmill even if it is cheaper. If you are going to choose a motorised model, ensure that it allows you to increase the speed in many increments, comes with many pre-programmed workouts, and has an incline feature to give you a better workout and burn more fat as your fitness level improves. See that it has proper safety features, such as an easy-to-reach kill switch, is built sturdy, can support your body weight, and moves smoothly when you test it.
How reliable is the brand? If possible, find out what experience others have had with the model you have zeroed in on. Check the Internet for ratings and reviews. In addition, many new machines have warranties. Check to see what is covered and how long the warranty lasts.
Have you checked out the customer and support services? Always choose a brand that has a good after sales service and where broken parts can be easily removed and replaced. Quality matters. You need a reliable machine that will hold up through daily use. Call the advertised toll-free numbers to get an idea of how easy it is to reach a company representative and how helpful he or she is.
Have you found the right price? Find out the real cost. Some companies advertise easy payments. Find out what you’ll really pay. Don’t forget sales tax and shipping or delivery charges. Find out about warranties, and whether shipping or returning fees apply if you decide to send it back.
Have you protected yourself from quick-fix ads? There are a lot of ‘wonder machines’ in the market that promise to burn fat with no effort at all, usually available for a low price. Be sceptical of any claims that offer to give you quick results with little effort and no sweat. Ignore claims that a product or machine can burn fat from one specific area of your body. Always investigate the guidelines for using the ‘magic’ product. Read the ad’s fine print. The advertised results may be based on more than just using a machine; they also may be based on restricting calories. Ignore the testimonials since there’s no guarantee you’ll have the same experience they did. Celebrity endorsements are no proof the product will work as claimed, either.
Finally, remember that even the best equipment only produce results when used regularly. Learn to use the equipment properly to avoid injuries that could affect your fitness plans temporarily or permanently.