Home Exercise Equipment Buying Guide

In this day and age everyone is under pressure to be healthy and work out. It isn’t easy however to find the time to go to the gym while trying to juggle family life, work and social activities. As the saying goes “there are never enough hours in the day.” Joining a gym is also expensive, whether paid monthly or annually and the exercise classes (yoga, pilates, cross-fit) are usually not included. A better option for many would be to build a home gym, whether that is a single machine and a couple of dumb bells or a dedicated room filled with the latest equipment. Quality exercise equipment is available nowadays at reasonable prices making it easier than ever before to exercise at home. The popularity of the home gym is on the increase and this buying guide is designed to help you choose the right equipment and find the best prices in the market.

Types of Home Gym Equipment

There is a huge range of different types of gym equipment in the market so it’s important to decide what you want to achieve before buying any equipment. For example, cardio machines such as treadmills are designed to improve your fitness while weight based equipment like multi-gyms are designed to build strength and muscle.

Cardio Home Gym Equipment

Cardio equipment is designed to increase your fitness levels – to strengthen the heart (cardio-vascular muscles) and increase lung capacity. Thus making you fitter, less stressed, healthier and helping you enjoy increased energy levels in your day to day life. Cardio workouts burn fat and tone the muscles being exercised.

Cardio machines include exercise bikes, rowing machines, treadmills, cross-trainers (elliptical trainers) and various forms of step machines. These machines often take up the most space in your home and are generally the most expensive gym equipment. A high-quality machine will cost at least a few hundred pounds although top of the range machines, the types you often see in gyms can cost thousands.

Free Weights Home Gym Equipment

One of the most traditional forms of exercise and a staple of any home gym are free weights. Lifting free weights is designed to build and strengthen muscles. Free weight training is a great way to target specific muscle groups and increase their size. Free weight training does not increase fitness levels in the same way cardio exercise does but if combined with cardiovascular exercise, weight training will help you lose weight, tone your body and burn fat.

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Free weights are usually handheld and include dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells.

Resistance Training Home Gym Equipment

Multi gyms are the most common form of resistance training and are a modern alternative to free weights, designed to increase muscle mass and definition. Resistance training is often viewed as being safer than using free weights and is often used to help people recover from injury by rebuilding muscle and joint strength after an injury. Multi gyms are quite large but they allow you to perform dozens of different exercises and work out the whole body. can be great for regaining joint strength after an injury. Resistance training, like free weights is designed to build muscle, not to increase cardiovascular fitness. It should be used in combination with cardio workout to help you increase fitness, tone your body and lose weight.

Things To Consider When Buying Home Gym Equipment

Goals

First and foremost it is important to consider your personal goals when buying gym equipment. Do you want to increase muscle mass and definition or do you want to lose weight and burn fat. An ideal home gym would be a mix of cardiovascular training equipment and free weights/resistance machines but not everyone can afford to buy all of this equipment or has the space to store it. If you buy the right piece of equipment or combination of machines it is more likely to be used rather than sitting in the corner gathering dust.

Budget

Buying home gym equipment can be very expensive; however, it does not have to be. Buyers can use the internet to find the best deals available or buy second-hand equipment that will do the same job for a fraction of the cost. You should also consider whether machines are required at all. Smaller pieces of gym equipment such as free weights, resistance bands, or walking weights can provide you with a good workout that will help you achieve the same objectives. Do you really need a running machine when you can open your front door and run around the park?

Space

We strongly recommend measuring the available space before purchasing any home gym equipment. You’ll be surprised how much space a cross trainer or multi-gym needs so you don’t end up taking chunks out of your wall or furniture. If you do not have a great deal of space available you will find an exercise bike is likely to take up the least amount of room. There are also lightweight running machines and cross trainers available (Try Walmart) but while these are cheaper, lighter and take up less space you’ll generally find them to be less durable and of a lower quality.

Interests

Choose home equipment you’re most likely to use, otherwise, it’s going to end up gathering dust and you won’t meet your personal objectives. If you find running difficult, try a cross trainer instead. If you hate cycling, don’t buy an exercise bike. If you have no interest in learning to use free weights safely and properly, try a multi-gym or resistance bands. Exercise needs to be interesting and enjoyable if you’re going to stick at it. You should also mix up your routine – try running in the park a few times a week instead of using the treadmill all the time.

How To Save Money When Buying Gym Equipment

Second Hand Is Good

Exercise equipment is one of the most commonly found items on websites like Craigslist and Ebay. Quite simply, a lot of people buy equipment with good intentions and never use it. Others move home and find they no longer have room for their home gym. You’ll find great deals for second hand equipment and don’t be surprised to find savings of over 50% on large pieces of equipment.

Negotiate

There is always room for bargaining when it comes to expensive home gym equipment, especially if you buy more than one piece of equipment in a single store. You can save as much as £100 or more if you haggle well, or pay in cash. If they cannot adjust the price, look for free delivery and installation services, or free extended warranties.

Wait For The Sales

If you can wait, hold off until Black Friday or Cyber Monday to shop for gym equipment online. Manufacturers also release new models in September and October so you can get lower prices on older models at this time of year. Some gym equipment stores also hold annual sales or quarterly sales so check their websites or stores for updates.

Look For Imperfections

Ex-display models or machines with slight flaws and scratches are subject to a lot of discounts, from 10% to up to 50%.

Compare Prices Online

Many gym equipment retailers will offer price-match services, so if you have a particular model or brand in mind, you can compare the prices among local and online retailers. They can also give you a refund if they do price drops within a period of time after your purchase.

The original version of this article appeared on our sister website TheMoneyDaily.com

 

Disclaimer: Our service is not intended to be, nor should it be construed as financial advice. We help our readers make informed decisions via impartial information and guides. Where appropriate, we may introduce partner companies who can provide services relating to financial products.