What to Look for When Buying a Home Gym

When buying a home gym there are several things you will want to educate yourself on before making a final purchase in order to ensure you buy the best home gym for you and your family. While there are many things you will need to consider, your budget, goals, space, and personal needs are some of the most important topics to keep in mind. Evaluate all of these points before you start shopping for home gyms.

Budget

First and foremost you need to establish a budget for any strength training equipment you plan to buy. The reason for this is you only want to shop within your budget so as not to cause a financial burden. Once you have evaluated your budget for a home gym you will know what is available to you.

Goals

Before buying a home gym you should also evaluate your goals. Ask yourself why you need a home gym and what will it help you accomplish. Also, ask yourself if there is other fitness equipment that would help you meet your fitness goals. When you know what you are hoping to achieve by purchasing commercial fitness equipment for your home then you will have a better view of what you should buy.

Space

This tip is really important as well because you cannot buy a home gym you do not have space for. If you do this you will certainly never experience any of the benefits because you will not be able to use it. Before shopping for home gyms, or even reading reviews, find an area in your home where you would like to put the exercise equipment and measure the amount of space you have exactly. Take into account as well you will need to maneuver around the machine as well.

Needs

Evaluate your needs when it comes to getting into shape and working out. What parts of your body need the most work and what type of machine will best help you achieve your fitness goals? There are many types of home gyms on the market with a variety of different accessories and options, so you should know what you need and want before shopping and getting talked into a machine that does not meet your needs at all.

Finding Machines that Meet Your Criterion

Now that you are aware of how much you can spend, how much space you have, your personal goals and needs in a home gym then you can start reading reviews about the home gyms and exercise equipment that will meet your criteria.

The best suggestion is to go online and do some product reviews and find out what ratings each machine has that meets your basic standards of price, space, design, and needs. These reviews will really prove helpful because they will shed light on different aspects of the machine that really work and those that do not. Previous owners of the machines also frequently have their e-mail addresses posted so you could respond or either ask a question about a particular machine if you wanted. When you have this information then you will be prepared to start shopping for a home gym knowing that whatever you buy it will be perfectly suited to your needs, fit in your space available as well as your budget.

Shopping for your home gym might begin online or else you might prefer to visit a sporting goods store. Regardless of where you buy, you should always be armed with your information and never let a good sale or salesperson sway you.

The reason for this is if there is a great sale on a machine you might be tempted to buy it, even if it does not meet any of your needs, space, goals, other than budget. Be very careful about this. Also, salespeople will frequently try to talk you into something you do not need or want. Avoid this at all costs and stay focused on the machines you want to look at.

In fact, shopping online might be your best option because there are frequently better prices and no salespeople to worry about and you will probably end up making a better decision and wont have to worry about loading a heavy machine into your car because it will arrive at your door.

Choosing the Right Machine

Now that you have started the shopping process you will want to locate the top three machines that meet your entire criterion, have the best reviews and ratings, and overall impress you the most. Once you have the top three machines in mind then you can start evaluating them one by one by making a plus and minus list for each machine. Make sure you duly note all things about the machine you really like and are impressed with as well as all of the negatives. After you have completed all of your lists you will then be able to easily compare the three lists and buy the home fitness machine that you have been dreaming of.

Accessories

Once you have purchased your new home gym you might also consider buying some accessories to facilitate your work out and help you get the most out of your fitness routine. Such accessories include stability balls and free weights, among others.

These accessories will not take up much additional room, if any, and can really help you vary your workout and get the most out of your effort. Plus, these accessories dont cost very much so you wont be going over you budget by adding them to your checkout.

Buying a home gym does not have to be a difficult or even scary process as long as you do the research and consider all the variables and information available. When you do this you will be sure to not only buy the best machine for you for the best price, but you will also save a lot of time and possible dissatisfaction caused by purchasing the wrong machine. Avoid all of this by simply following the tips outlined above and you will be working out in the comfort of your own home before you know it.

Laura Rupert is a successful writer for http://www.homegymsonline.info/, your online resource for home gyms, commercial exercise equipment and home treadmills.

Home Gyms, Worth the Money or Not?

Home fitness is a huge industry, and most people these days have purchased at least some sort of exercise equipment or fitness video for home use. A lot of it ends up in a closet, in the garage, under the bed, etc. and is never seen again. Reasons vary. Some people just don't have the discipline to work out regularly from home while others realize the miracle-wonder-ab-slimmer (or whatever) isn't quite the high quality piece of equipment the midnight infomercial promised it would be.

What about home gyms? Like most of the junk sold by infomercial, they can be low quality, but if you're serious about working out from home and getting a quality piece of equipment, you can definitely find home fitness gear that is worth the money and will stand up over the years.

My personal favorite is the Bowflex. Yes, they're sold via infomercial and yes, they are expensive (especially the "ultimate" models), but I've had one for two years and not a single thing has broken on it. Yes, I even use it regularly.

There are other options as well. While I'm not a big fan of the Wieder Crossbow, I know others who swear by it. There are a lot of good home gyms out there that people are less familiar with (no infomercials). Powertec puts out a number of machines suitable for home use. The Powertec Leverage is a complete gym in itself.

For people who are more interested in free weights (but lack the space for an entire rack of varying weight dumbbells), the PowerBlock system is an option. It doesn't take up much room, but is basically a whole system of dumbbells in one. The newer Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells operate under the same principle.

But are these systems worth the money? I've used all of the ones I've mentioned, and I believe the answer is yes IF YOU USE THEM. The fanciest home gym that money can buy may be worth the fortune it costs, if you use it several times a week. But on the other hand, even a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment isn't worth the money if it's only used three times then stuffed into the cubby hole beneath the stairs. If you just don't know whether you'll stick to a home exercise program or not, but you're determined to buy a home gym, I recommend the Bowflex, if only because they resell very well on eBay.

In general, expect to spend at least a few hundred dollars for a home gym, and you can easily spend in the thousands. Be wary of home gyms that cost less than five hundred dollars. Not only are your chances of getting a quality piece of equipment pretty minimal, but you probably won't see the kind of results you're hoping for because you won't be dealing with real weight or something similar (i.e. the proven resistance technology the Bowflex and Crossbow use).

Whatever home gym you decide on, good luck with your goals!

TC Thorn is a freelance writer and web content publisher. This article first appeared at http://www.fit-at-home.com/ and may be reprinted so long as this resource box is included.