Home Gym Exercise Equipment
Your fully researched expert buyers guide for the best home gym exercise equipment on the market today
Facts to Consider When Purchasing Home Gym Equipment
Purchasing home gym equipment can be a great choice for a number of reasons. Maybe you pay those outrageous gym dues each month but rarely make it due to the commute. It could be that reasons like childcare or transportation challenges keep you for getting to the gym as often as you’d like. Or maybe your schedule requires that you optimize your gym time and fit it all in at off hours or in chunks throughout the day. It could simply be a desire to simplify your schedule; the desire to knock out a workout easily and whenever it’s convenient appeals to that desire. Whatever the reason, a variety of options and considerations exist for the individual or family picking out home gym equipment.
Budget
Reasons to get fit
The first consideration to figure out is what your budget will allow. For some people, budget is the main reason they want to look at home gym equipment. Monthly dues may not make sense month after month, when a one-time investment quickly pays for itself in what you save in gym fees. In other cases, saving money isn’t the main consideration but you’re working within a specific budget for purchasing the equipment you want.
Options for gym equipment run from top of the line comprehensive products that cost thousands of dollars to economic models from Wal-Mart. Used equipment can be purchased on Ebay or Craigslist, and for $50 a simple home gym can be assembled with a few cardio DVDs and some weights for lifting. Understanding how much you can and want to spend is the first step to identifying the kinds of equipment to consider and the places you want to purchase.
Space
Once you’ve determined your budget, you need to consider the space that you have to work with. Do you have a dedicated space, such as an empty room or the basement, where you can set up your equipment? Will the equipment be sharing space in a room that’s also designated for another function, like a spare room, playroom, or office? Or are you truly limited in space and need creative equipment that slides under beds, slips into closets, and otherwise folds up easily? There’s no right answer, but knowing your general space requirements will help you narrow down the right types and brands of equipment for you.
Weight
A factor that’s related to space is whether the equipment’s weight is important. A lot of people overlook this point, and in many cases it doesn’t matter. But if you need to be able to move the equipment around, fold it up, or potentially relocate it (such as when guests stay over), make sure that the weight of the equipment and its ability to be taken apart or handled easily fits with your needs. If you live up several flights of stairs, have narrow doorways, or are unlikely to have the assistance needed to move heavy equipment, you should also take that into consideration.
Fitness Goals
What are your fitness goals?
Home gym equipment is a broad phrase that covers a lot of ground from cardio equipment to weights and yoga gear. Another factor in your search for a setting up a home gym is to understand your fitness goals. Are you hoping to have space for everything? Do you envision setting up a bodybuilder’s dream weight room in your garage? Or do you just need a piece of equipment to get your thirty minutes of cardio each day? Also, if you share your space with someone like a roommate or spouse and plan to share the gym, make sure that your decisions take everyone’s needs into account. There’s nothing more frustrating than working on a home gym to find out that individuals are dissatisfied and have to do it all again.
Brands/Types of Equipment
Most people who exercise regularly follow some kind of a regimen or at least have activities that they tend to circle back to. When you consider your regular workout routine, what kinds of equipment do you typically use? What types of equipment are you hoping to have regular access to? Whether you love bikes, rowing machines, weight machines, or treadmills, there are a number of options on the market to help you choose. But if you begin your search with a clear idea of what you’re looking for, the process will be much easier.
Warranties and Service
Depending on the type of equipment you purchase, a home gym can be a major investment. Before selecting a brand and even a vendor, it’s important to think about what kind of warranty you need. What if something goes wrong? Will you be able to fix it? After your initial investment, are you going to be able to afford the cost of parts and labor to make repairs? If not, make sure that the product you select has a good appropriate warranty. If it’s a very specialized product, make sure that they offer service packages or have a directory of experts in your area that you can call on. Finally, look to see if the vendor or the store offers any kind of service plan that you can prepay against future work needed. It’s not always worth it, but depending upon the cost of the product, how much wear and tear you anticipate, and how specialized it is, it’s worth at least running the numbers.
Where to Buy It
The final important consideration when you’re thinking about setting up a home gym and purchasing equipment is to think about the best place to buy it. Sometimes local merchants are the right choice; sometimes you can get a better deal online. I recommend a combination of the two. Go to some local stores and take a look at the models you’re thinking about in person. Touch them, look at them, and try them out to see how they work. Then go online to look at the statistics, check out the reviews, and price shop for the best deals. This combined approach will help you select the right product and get the best price.
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