Choosing The Right Home Gym Equipment to Get You in Shape
by Kevin
Urban
zone3
There are plenty of us who are just as concerned with getting in shape
as we are with losing weight. Choosing home gym equipment, however, means
understanding what you are thinking about when you say you want to “get in
shape.” When choosing the best home gym and equipment for the job, take
into consideration what your ultimate goal is – do you want to tone the
muscle you have, focus on strength training or work up to full-tilt
body-building? What type of home gym and cardio equipment is best for you
will depend on the answers to these questions.
If you are looking for a basic home gym and equipment to primarily tone
muscles and provide a nice, steady workout for a wide range of muscle
groups, it is best to focus more on details like the variety of exercises.
If you are serious about bulking up your muscles and want to get into
serious weight lifting, look for a Smith machine home gym with at least a
200 lb. stack weight.
One thing to keep in mind is that home gyms are all primarily for
muscle workouts; for a really complete routine you should also consider
cardio equipment such as a better treadmill or elliptical trainer as a way
to vary your routine and give you a good cardiovascular workout.
Features You Shouldn’t Ignore When Comparing Home Gyms and Exercise
Equipment
Home gyms are only worth the money if you get a good return on your
investment. Since gym equipment can be quite complex there are several
features you need to compare to find the best machine:
Adjustability – Can you target specific areas of your body or
muscle groups?
Variety of Exercises – Any good home gym system should offer at
least 20 different exercises. Some of the best equipment offers as many as
50; only you can say whether the additional ones are worth the extra
money.
Instructions – This sounds simple, but even the best exercise
equipment can cause injury if there aren’t clear instructions on how to
perform your workouts properly.
Weight Range and Safety – If you are primarily doing toning, you
can skimp on the stack weight and invest more elsewhere. If you are into
body building or serious weight training, get a home gym with a pressing
station that allows you to load the bar safely without having to make
numerous adjustments.
Some will tell you that the more traditional home gyms are better than
the newer “bow” systems that use weight resistance rather than pure
lifting. Just as many will tell you the opposite is true. This is really a
matter of preference about the “feel” that you like, and is not nearly as
important as the quality of each individual piece of home gym and exercise
equipment. Look for solid construction, a good warranty and safety
features and you can’t go wrong. Soon you’ll be as buff as you want to
be!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kevin Urban is a freelance writer for Best-Home-Gyms.com, providing home
gym reviews and consumer information on home gyms, elliptical machines, treadmills and recumbent exercise bikes.
Copyright 2006 Best-Home-Gyms.com. Permission is granted to publish this article on your site only if
the author's byline is included and all links are hyperlinked.
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