Going to the gym consistently is the best way to keep your body healthy and fit. Unfortunately, our rigid and busy work schedules make it impossible to maintain regular visits to the gym, which may hamper our ability to stick to our exercise routines. However, today you can find the right gym equipment online easily.
For instance, you can program yourself to wake up one hour early to get on the treadmill or do light exercises, before prepping for work. Then, in the evening, you can do more rigorous exercises, before hitting the sack to burn excess calories that you may have accumulated during the day. With your own gym equipment, you will have no excuses to quit. But, how do you choose the right home gym equipment?
It is highly unlikely that you will buy all the elements of a normal gym for your house, due to two reasons: (i) the large amount of capital required to setup a complete gym and (ii) space needed to accommodate all the elements of a full gym. When we refer to the right home gym equipment, we mean a workstation that is flexible enough to meet all your exercise needs. Here are the factors you need to consider when choosing the right home gym equipment.
Allocated Budget
What is the amount of money you have set aside for your gym equipment? Your budget will reveal the type of equipment to look for. The market is filled with a wide range of fitness devices, some cheap and others very expensive. You will definitely get equipment that is within your budget. While a cheap equipment may entice you to make a quick purchase, especially if you are a bit low on cash, the reality is that cheapness comes at a cost – a compromise on quality. You will therefore have to consider quality and durability of the equipment to ensure that it performs well for a long time. Some distributors offer better terms of payment, such as monthly installments that may make an expensive device accessible to common folks. Look into such payment plans to help you get good fitness equipment.
Fitness Goals
The type of equipment you buy will depend on your fitness goals or what you aim to achieve through your regimens. Is it strength building? Then, you may have to consider a set of barbells and dumbbells. If it is just about burning calories and having a firmer body, then a treadmill, an exercise bike or an elliptical machine may do fine for you. It should be noted however that a home gym is meant to be used by all members of your family. You should therefore consider their needs and not just yours when choosing the right equipment.
Allocated Workout Space
A very important consideration is the workout space. The worst mistake you can ever do is have a crowded workout room that limits your movements and ability to do the exercises well. You need to have generous space left after installation of the equipment to give you ample room for stretches, aerobics, workouts and movements. If it can support more than one person at a time, the better. Nothing makes training more fulfilling than to have your loved ones exercising with you and encouraging you to work harder. If you are low on space, then it is not advisable to purchase large fitness equipment, unless you plan on using them outdoors.
Apart from workout space, you will need storage space for your equipment. This is especially important if you do not have a free room for exercises and have to improvise with an already occupied room towards this purpose. If this is the case, then you might want to consider easily foldable equipment that can be stored away from kids and pets to avoid injury. If you have a free room, an attic, basement or a garage, then you may choose to install permanent equipment, but be sure to keep it locked away from children when an adult is not around.
Versatility
Simply put, a workstation with more bells and whistles will give you more value for your money than an equipment with only one function. This is very important if you have a family with different exercise needs. The workstation should be adjustable to accommodate people with different levels of ability and needs. It should also be sturdy and large enough to accommodate all body shapes, sizes and weights to avoid other people from being left out of the action. For instance, if you are looking to own a treadmill, it should have different levels of speed increments – the lower speeds for the less fit individuals, while the higher speeds for individuals who desire more rigorous workouts. Some high-end machines even include various metrics that measure heart rate, burned calories or even time elapsed to make your exercises as effective as possible.
Ease of Use and Maintenance
The equipment should be easy to use and operate. You should be able to get a hang of it by either going through the manual or by just finding your way around it by trying different functions. A complicated machine will make your life hard and you will find yourself wasting valuable time that could be otherwise used constructively in exercising. Another important consideration is assembling and disassembling of the machine. You should be able to do it with ease and even replace damaged parts, without a problem. Otherwise, you will be forced to incur extra costs hiring an expert to do it. This is quite unnecessary, since many fitness machines already cost an arm and leg to buy.
Safety Features
The last thing you want is to do is expose yourself and loved ones to risks associated with faulty gym equipment. You need to be familiar with how the equipment is operated and maintained by use of the product manual and if you have doubts, it is better to ask an expert or even a store attendant to clarify pressing issues at hand. The workstation should also come with safety features for emergency purposes. A good example is a magnetic safety key that is featured in many treadmills. The key is connected to the console and the other end is clipped to your exercising gear. In case you miss a step and fall, the key will snap out of the slot stopping the tread belt before you get injured.
Look Before You Leap
It is also good to do a bit of digging before making the purchase. Once you have narrowed down to the right equipment for your home gym, it is advisable to do more research about good deals from various manufacturers. Look at warranties, discounts, offers, return policies for defects and easy payments plans and choose the distributor with the best deal. Also, look out for customer reviews and testimonies to get the necessary red flags to save yourself money, time and the headaches of having to deal with faulty products.
Essential Equipment to Include in Your Home Gym
Here is a quick guideline to help you narrow down to the essentials of a home gym to save you both time and inconveniences of purchasing equipment that will be of little use to you and your family.
Equipment for Strength Building
Barbell Set
Yes, the barbell set should be included in your home gym equipment. It is very versatile and offers the most effective workout routines. Here are some examples of exercises that come with a barbell set:
- Lunges, deadlifts, front and back squats for the legs
- Flat, incline and decline bench presses for the chest
- Power cleans, barbell row and upright row for the back
- Military press and behind the neck press for the shoulders
- Bicep curls, close grip bench press and skull crushers for the arms
Multi-Function Bench
You will need an exercise recumbent bench, if you are looking to use the barbell set. Just make sure it is of high standards and is able to handle both weight and a lot of battering. It should be foldable or easily disassembled for easy storage. Also, ensure that it has incline and decline functionalities as they are very important for chest workouts.
Bands and TubingResistance bands and tubing are the cheapest equipment you can add to your home gym for full body strength workouts. They do not require much, except stretching them to build your muscles and resilience. They come in different colors and with various levels of resistance. While you are at it, you may also want to throw in jumping ropes, yoga mats, handgrips and even foam rollers for the back.
Equipment for Cardio Exercises