Determine your goal

The entire process of selecting which type of exercise equipment is right for you and how much do you need to spend for it relies on what goals you wish to accomplish along with your current fitness level. So before selecting one or limiting yourself to which treadmill or elliptical trainer is right for you, ask yourself, “What do I want to achieve?” Do you wish to improve your cardiovascular health? Do you want to develop strength? Do you wish to boost your energy? Such questions, when answered right away would lead you to identifying which type of equipment do you really need.

Set your Budget

The second, most important thing you need to determine is how much you are willing to spend on a particular type of home gym fitness equipment. Different types of exercise equipment have varying costs. A good treadmill costs from $1500 to $3500. An elliptical trainer ranges from $200 to $5000. A stationary bike ranges between $500 and $1000. The old adage, “you get what you pay for” still applies here so make sure that you balance between affordability, features and usability.

Note: Not because you can use your credit card to purchase a thousand dollar elliptical trainer or a $3000 treadmill means that you can afford it. Study your financial position and know exactly how much you can spend on a certain purchase.

Space

Aside from your goal and budget, the 2 other equally important things to remember when purchasing exercise equipment are: to test the equipment and to measure the size of the equipment. While the former is somewhat automatic, the latter is often overlooked, simply because when you are at the store, it is hard to tell if the equipment will really fit in to your available space. So consider the space needed for the equipment. (This applies whether you have a home gym whole room or just a small space in the living room.)

Shop Around

A wise shopper does not settle in one store. Visit at least 2 stores to compare prices of the same home gym equipment. It also pays to do your research online so that you are armed with the right information about a particular product you are eyeing at. Read product reviews whenever it is available.

Do not be deceived

People will do everything to make a sale. So if you see TV ads saying that you can lose several inches off your waist or lose several pounds after a week, don’t fall prey. Yes, they sound too good to be true, and they are. Quick-fix products with “before” and “after” testimonials may be too attractive but remember this: bodies do not change radically after a number of sessions. Because if it does, everyone who desires to have a six-pack abs or who wants to lose pounds upon pounds of weight should be contented right now.

Consider all the cost

Transportation, shipping, installation and other extra charges can pile up easily. So before buying one, make sure that you take note all these charges so that you will be ready for the total amount that you have to pay.

Aerobic riders look somewhat similar to rowing machines. But they provide less range of movement and burn fewer calories than a treadmill. They can still have their place, though.

As the name suggests, they provide a reasonably good aerobic exercise. They help develop lung capacity. While doing that, it’s impossible to avoid gaining good cardiovascular benefits, as well. So, an aerobic rider provides dual advantages.

Aerobic riders also help strengthen hamstrings and work the deltoids and several back muscles. Since the motion is to and fro in a single plane, they also help develop joint flexibility by stimulating lubrication.

Other machines, like rowing machines, treadmills, ellipticals and more, may provide a more strenuous workout or a larger range of motion. But they also tend to cost a lot more these days.

Click Here To Discover Quality Row Machine

A good aerobic rider can be had used for less than $50 and even a new one may well be less than $150. They top out at about $500. By contrast, even low-end treadmills start at several hundred dollars and rise from there. Elliptical trainers may run anywhere from $350 at the low end to $600-$1,000 or more for a very good one.

Aerobic riders also take up less space and are lighter weight than treadmills or ellipticals. That makes them easy to put into place, use, then store away. There are models that can be easily folded and put in a closet or under the bed. A treadmill or elliptical generally is intended to stay in one place. If you want to take your aerobic rider out into the backyard for a nice workout, that’s easy. You won’t be doing that with other equipment.

According to one influential ACE (American Council of Exercise) study carried out by CSUN a few years ago, aerobic riders allow users to burn only about 50-75% of the calories of a treadmill. No other study has come along to contradict the claim and so the popularity (and prices) of aerobic riders waned a bit not long after their introduction.

But given the considerable difference in price, that comparison may not be entirely fair. A jump rope is much cheaper than a treadmill, too. It’s not intended to provide the same features or workout. The same can be said for an aerobic rider. Also, since they’re such simple mechanisms, they’re much less likely to require any kind of repair.

Provided the price is reasonable and you purchase a sturdy model, you can expect to get good workout benefits from an aerobic rider, especially if you’re just starting out. Just don’t pay more for hype. Of course, that statement goes for any piece of fitness equipment.

Valeo Neoprene Hand Weight

Dumbbells or free weights offer a number of advantages over weight machines. But the latter are not without benefits, either. In the end, the decision of which to choose or use will come down to cost, space and the type of workout you’re after.

Dumbbells typically come in the form of a short bar with a weight on each end. Some are one-piece molded plastic (usuallly neoprene). Others have discs that can be swapped out, added to and so forth. The integrated style have the advantage of being low-cost, very sturdy and relatively safe to use. But you’ll often want several pair of different weights, offsetting the savings. Adjustable free weights allow you to choose how much weight you want to work with, but require a little time and sometimes a tool to make the swap.

Both offer an excellent range of motion that can be approached by very few weight machines. They allow you to move the mass any way you want so you can tailor your workout. It’s difficult to find a machine that will allow you to do curls, wrist work, deltoid development and more. When you can, it requires having more than one station on a weight machine, which increases its cost.

Click Here To checkout More Hand Weights

But, dumbbells can be a little riskier to use. While caution is required with weight machines, too, they make it less likely to slip and hit yourself with the weight. A weight machine offers a stack that slides up or down a fixed pole or an in-built resistance mechanism and it’s practically impossible to topple them over.

If you curl a free weight fast and hit yourself in the chest, you won’t be the first one to get a bruise that way. Many a foot has experienced the force of a dropped dumbbell, too. Getting ones made of neoprene helps only slightly, since 20 lbs dropped on your toe hurts whether it’s made of metal or not and the material is not spongy.

Free weights, since they’re quite a bit smaller than even the smallest weight machine, provide the ultimate in space savings. A weight machine will take up about as much space in a room as a treadmill, sometimes more if it has multiple stations. Dumbbells can easily fit under the bed or in the closet.

40-Pound Dumbbell Set	Bowflex SelectTech 552	Stamina Versa-Bell II 25-Pound
Apex Threaded Dumbbell	Neoprene Dumbbell Set	US Weight F0115 115-Pound
Mid-Width Weight Bench	Dumbbell - 1 to 30 lbs	Champion Hex Dumbbell

They’re also very flexible. Many models allow the weights to be attached to a barbell, which increases the value of your investment. Just remove them and slide them onto a bar that may be up to several feet wide and you can have an entirely different kind of workout.

Weight machines offer a different kind of flexibility, though, one that can particularly benefit the novice. With a weight machine it’s very easy to design a workout that is tailored to very specific muscle groups. Free weights make it a little more difficult to control the movement to hone in on just the ones you want.

Those Of You Who Like The Flexibility Of Weight Machines Click Here

If you’re on a strict budget, it’s best to start with a small set of dumbbells. Non-interchangeable plastic models sell for only a few dollars, but even a set that can be loaded up to 50 lbs or more can be had for a few hundred. A discount weight machine will start at that price and go up from there.

Also, if you want the most flexible workout possible, free weights are the way to go. Weight machines have some terrific benefits but dumbbells provide the greatest possible range of motion for the most varied workouts.

Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer

Elliptical trainers are fast becoming serious competition for the traditional treadmill. Part of the reason is the boredom factor. It can be hard to get enthused about a workout day after day using only a treadmill. But the other aspect is that ellipticals simply provide a great range of motion for a great workout. They challenge endurance and coordination and really help keep you sharp.

An elliptical trainer can only provide those benefits, though, if it contains some must-have features.

In any piece of fitness equipment safety comes first. That’s provided by a sturdy frame and quality parts. It’s no accident that those attributes also give you a good deal for your money. Look for an elliptical made from good steel alloy and high-impact plastic or composites.

The handrails should feel like the Hulk could not rip them off. The stepping pads should be able to withstand an insane six-year old jumping on them until he’s sixty. Ok, that might be an exaggeration, but you get the idea.

Click Here To Find The Best Elliptical Trainer That Fit Your Needs

At the same time, all those parts should be smooth and quiet. That isn’t just a matter of not being annoyed while you listen to music. Quality parts are quiet and vice-versa. They’re reliable and long-lasting and continue to perform like new even after years of use.

But beyond the basics, ellipticals home gym have several unique features that will distinguish a great one from a merely good one.

Adjustable resistance and inclines will help you get the most out of your workout. As you use the machine over a period of time your strength and coordination levels will improve. That’s the whole idea. The machine should let you start out at your level, but keep up with you as you rise.

One important feature that ties into that is stride length. Since ellipticals, by design, allow you to emulate walking they have to be set for some stride length. Get one appropriate to your height, leg length and natural stride. Some are as short as 14 in/31 cm but 21 in/47 cm is the average. Taller individuals will want to look for something larger, of course.

Here I listed a few of the top Elliptical Trainer:

Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer	Diamondback Fitness 1260Ef
LifeCore CD400 C-Drive Center	Precor EFX 5.23 Elliptical

Even though you need the right stride, be prepared to stretch yourself a bit. You don’t want to feel awkward forever. With an elliptical many people do at first – that’s natural. But you want the machine to have the capacity to challenge you. A longer stride length is a factor in making that possible.

The arm handles (not present on all models, but very handy to have, no pun intended) let you get a good upper body workout while you walk. If their resistance can be adjusted, that’s a great feature. Here again they should let you work them at your beginning level, but not be too easy as you gain muscle.

Look for quality that fits your body style and workout goals and you’re bound to find something that suits your needs.

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That’s not just a question about your personal motivation or commitment to fitness. Not in this case, anyway. It’s a question about whether the gear will do what you want and need, so you’ll be motivated to continue using it.

Quality is a must for that purpose, even though it’s only a starting point. Any ad claims that imply ‘results without effort’ are just a con. There’s no such thing. Even if there were, it wouldn’t be any fun anyway. A large part of the zing that comes from working out is exactly the effort you put out to get the result. Not only do those electric ab exercisers not work, they’re boring.

Those devices are a good example of another important thing to watch out for. Any ad that says you can get spot reduction of fat or develop only one set of muscles is simply misleading.

The body only preferentially reduces fat more in one area than another such as around the waist if that’s where the majority resides. Of course, if you reduce body fat it will be most obvious where the largest section was stored. Burn enough calories and the body will go after stored fat to make up for an energy deficit. So, the results will be the most visible in areas where the body got most of that stored. How could it be otherwise?

Also, whenever you use one set of muscles you can hardly avoid using another. So, the moral is: beware of hype that insists you have to get this or that piece of gear in order to work muscle X. There is always more than one way to develop and always some overlap in how equipment develops your body.

Reviews of equipment are important. If other people are satisfied, probably you will be too. But beware of glowing testimonials that, like those ads, promise more than they could ever deliver. Before and after photos with captions that tout the results gained from using item X are suspect. Your results – because of your unique effort, body type and other factors – can differ widely.

When considering costs, be sure to consider all the costs, not just the advertised price. What sounds like a great deal may not be so great when you include shipping, taxes or other add-on amounts.

Look into the warranty and return policies. If you have to return a piece of gear, paying for return shipment is normal. But look out for re-stocking fees that can run as high as 15%. A 30-day return policy is fairly standard, but not universal. The equipment still may be worth the price. You have to judge on a case by case basis in light of your personal circumstances.

Once the item has passed all those tests, you can judge whether this particular piece of equipment is going to meet your workout goals. Will it help you reduce weight, or build strength or develop cardiovascular health? Will it be fun to use while you meet those goals? A lot of home fitness gear will do all those things and do them well. When you find one that will, buy it.

Low-impact fitness gear to the rescue!

There are half a dozen different kinds of fitness equipment that offer the ability to build strength and coordination, improve balance and optimize joint health. Cardiovascular health and lung capacity are not neglected here, either. Several of the items discussed below offer those benefits as part of an overall low-impact exercise program.

Rowing machines, for example, offer a full body workout that gives tremendous cardiovascular benefits with little stress on the joints. On the contrary, a rowing machine helps improve joint health by keeping supporting muscles strong and encouraging lubrication.

Lifecore R99 Rowing Machine

Fold-A-Way Rowing Machine

Click Here To See More Rowing Machines

Stationary bikes or spinning cycles also provide a great cardio workout as they emphasize development of the hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes. They really work the muscles that stabilize the knees and provide similar benefits to ankle joints.

Spinner Sport Spin Bike

Spinner® Sport Spin Bike

Click Here To See More Stationary Bikes
 

Stair stepping is another low-impact exercise and stair steppers are usually less expensive than many other items in the home gym. They keep knee-stabilizing quadriceps firm as they help shape up the calves and give an all-round good cardio workout.

StairMaster Stepper 4600CL

Hers MS 93 Stepper with Handle

Click Here To See More Stair Steppers
 

For those with a little bigger budget a treadmill is a superb piece of low-impact fitness equipment. Walking in general is great for health. But sometimes sidewalks can be a little hard on the ankles and knees. Also, you may want to keep your workout indoors for reasons of safety or convenience, especially if you tend to exercise in the evenings. Treadmills are the perfect low-impact item to help you achieve those values.

Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill

Merit Fitness 725T Treadmill

 Click Here To See More Treadmills

An elliptical trainer is the latest must-have addition to the home gym, but it’s not just a fad. Over the years since their introduction they’ve proven their worth. They help improve coordination, develop leg and back muscles, and optimize the cardiovascular system. But, unlike the outdoor exercises they emulate an elliptical doesn’t stress the joints.

Sole E95

Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer

Click Here To See More Elliptical Trainers 

Even a weight machine can provide a whole set of low-impact exercises that build strength, tone, curb body fat and burn calories. Weight machine exercises do put some stress on joints, to be sure. But there’s a big difference in effect on the knees between, say, a leg-press that works the hamstrings, calves and quads and the pounding that jogging entails.

Body Solid G5Series

Body Solid G10B Bi-Angular

 
Click Here To See More Weight Machines

There are a variety of reasons that finding low-impact exercises can be near the top of someone’s fitness goals. Recent surgery or other medical condition, advancing age, or a dozen other life circumstances can make it important to take extra care with joints and bones. Fortunately, there are several items of fitness equipment that make it easy to satisfy those goals.

Most people will first think about getting a treadmill. That’s an excellent choice. They provide superb cardiovascular benefits, help strengthen and tone several muscle groups and can burn calories like mad. But, because of the cost, this might not be the piece of gear to start with first.

An aerobic rider is a good place to start, even though that piece of gear is not absolutely essential. It has real benefits for those just starting out and a used one can be purchased for less than $50.

Schwinn Active 10 Series

Stamina CPS 1305 Indoor

 To build muscle and improve coordination and joint stability, a good set of weights is a must. To save money, it’s possible to start small with a few neoprene dumbbell sets of varying weights. But soon, you’ll want to graduate to an interchangeable outfit, especially the type with plates or discs that can be used either on dumbbells or barbells.

If you have the budget (and interest) you might take the plunge and go for a weight machine or home gym. That investment is better made after you’ve used one at the public gym at least a few times, though. Once you decide to go for it, make sure to get one with at least a few stations. You don’t want your interest to wane out of lack of variety after only a few weeks or months.

A good weight machine will cost at least a few hundred dollars, probably closer to $1,000 or more. That’s a substantial investment, but a good machine will work for you and keep your interest for years. You can build strength in every muscle group and a good one will have enough variety to perform a few dozen different exercises. Some will even include a rowing machine as part of the unit.

An elliptical trainer is another favorite, even though they too can be pricey. They provide not only excellent cardio benefits, but make possible a whole range of exercises. The emphasis is on leg development, but with a good pair of handles you can also work back muscles, deltoids, pecs, biceps and more.

 Elliptical Trainers

Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer

Sole E95

One alternative, or addition, is Nordic ski machines. They may seem like a specialty item, since they’re designed to emulate cross-country skiing and you may not be into that. But the types of motion used are similar to that employed in using an elliptical trainer. Emphasis is on leg development, but with simulated pole motion you can get a range of back and arm exercises too.

Nordic ski machines

NordicTrack Sequoia Skier

The most important aspect of outfitting a home gym, though, isn’t the dollars you spend or the gear you get. Those aren’t unimportant, but they’re not the key. The key is to get quality gear that you will enjoy using.

According to numerous official studies the major reason most people stop working out is lost motivation. That can be brought on by injury, lack of variety or other factors. A good home gym plan will keep you using that gear you spent so much research time investigating and money buying.

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