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The Fitness and Health Report
Information for a Healthy Life
April 2001, Issue 21
Buying Equipment for a Home Gym
by Renee Cloe, ACE certified personal trainer
With chaotic work
schedules and expensive gym memberships, working out at home can be a
great value and convenience. Many people would like to set up home gyms,
but the equipment choices, price differences, and space considerations can
boggle the mind. ACE, The American Council on Exercise, recommends these
five steps for making intelligent equipment buying decisions:
1. Identify your fitness needs:
- The equipment should suit your interests and fitness level. Your chosen
activities should be enjoyable and yet challenging enough that your able
to progress to higher levels. For example, you should be able to
increase the resistance, incline or duration of a given piece of
equipment.
- Every home gym should include basic components for both aerobic training and
strength training along with a mat for stretching and abdominal work.
Aerobic training - jogging, stepping, or cycling, for example - burns
fat, raises your HDL (good cholesterol) and strengthens the heart and
lungs. Strength training uses free weights, elastic bands, or machines
that resist your movement. It builds muscle, strengthens bones, boosts
your metabolism, and can lower your LDL (bad cholesterol). Stretching
keeps muscles and joints flexible and helps prevent injury and
soreness.
- If the goal is an aerobic workout, then the equipment's resistance should be
low enough to maintain at least 20 minutes of smooth continuous motion.
If the goal is muscle strengthening, then considerably more resistance
is required. For this reason, it's difficult to obtain muscle
strengthening benefits and aerobic benefits from the same piece of
equipment. In most cases, machines that claim to do both (riders for
example) are inadequate for strengthening beyond the initial level of
sedentary beginners.
2. Determine your budget:
- The number one rule here is that you get what you pay for. Keep in mind that
high quality equipment that works reliably after several years of heavy
use can't be manufactured cheaply.
- There are options available for every budget. For example, if a pricey $1,500
electric stair climber is out of your reach, you may be better off
buying a high quality step bench and a couple of great step aerobics
tapes for under $150. This might be a wiser choice than spending $200 on
a low-end manual stair climber that's almost guaranteed to break after a
few months.
- In some cases, the price range on a particular piece of equipment can vary
wildly. It's important to do your homework and find out what the going
rate should be.
- If a piece of equipment is priced significantly lower than it's competitors,
it could be for a variety of reasons including: manufactured overseas
rather than domestically, cheaper components, less rigorous design and
assembly, lower profit margin taken by the manufacturer, less overhead,
or better engineering allowing for less costly assembly.
- By the same token, if a piece of equipment is priced significantly higher than
comparably models, you need to ask why. Does it work demonstrably better
than lower priced models? Does it offer better features? Is it likely to
last longer? Is it likely to require less service? Is it easier and less
costly to service?
- Keep in mind that it's possible to purchase used exercise equipment. If you go
this route, you may be able to buy more equipment, or higher quality
commercial equipment, and still stay within your budget. Try to buy from
a reputable dealer and get a warranty in writing.
3. Determine how much space is available:
- Take into consideration the room usage, safety, traffic flow, aesthetics,
desired equipment, and future expansion possibilities.
- Plan for at least as much open space as equipment space.
- Use the following guidelines to determine how much room you'll
need:
Treadmills - 30 square feet
Bikes - 10 square feet
Single-Station Gym - 35 square feet
Stair Climbers - 10-20 square feet
Multi-Station Gym - 50-200 square feet
Rowing Machines - 20 square feet
Free Weights - 20-50 square feet
Ski Machines - 25 square feet
4. Examine the product: features, design, manufacture, safety, and serviceability:
- Your body should move in a manner that is correct and safe.
- The equipment should be adjustable, comfortable, easy to learn, and able to
fit users of various sizes.
- Parts should be easily removed and replaced. The device should be
space-efficient, and the components should be the highest quality in the
price range.
- Think about the advertising claims. They should be backed up by solid
research. Look for reviews by objective consumer publications.
- Moving parts should mesh well. Welds should be clean and smooth and the frame
should be thick and sturdy.
- Check out the safety features. There shouldn't be any design flaws or
weaknesses that increase the risk of injury. (For example skiers with
skis that can move simultaneously in the same direction, or a machine
with poor stability.)
- Look for features that enhance safety. For example, range-of-motion limiters
on strength machines; weight-stack guards or any guards that protect
moving parts; safety switches on treadmills.
5. Assess "bang for the buck" using a checklist as a side-by side comparison tool. Things to
consider in your evaluation:
- Price
- Safety
- Effectiveness
- Comfort and enjoyability
- Space efficiency
- Adjustability
- Durable Design
- Quiet operation
- Reputable manufacturer
- Written warranty
- Service plan and parts availability
To learn more about fitness and exercise from top professionals visit The Fitness Jumpsite http://primusweb.com/fitnesspartner
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