Fitness Spaces

In todays fast-paced world, it’s becoming a lot harder for people to maintain their health, fitness and figure. Buying home gym equipment for your own personal gym can save unnecessary trips to a private gym, helping to keep your exercise schedule more regular.

Lets face it, we are busy running our lives! We work at our jobs or our businesses not to mention finding time for friends family and kid! Finding the time to stay fit and healthy when hard up against this sort of stress and pressure can be problematic to say the least!

While paying for local gym membership can certainly help in terms of greater incentive to exercise (since you paid for an expensive membership) as well as providing all the necessary equipment for just about every workout, gyms still carry their fair share of problems. The stress of traveling from home or from work to the gym is not something that should be under-stated, especially when you consider that the typical gym has opening times that may not suit your lifestyle. If the only time you can make it to your gym is immediately after work then you must – after an already heavy day in the office – rush to make double time immediately after work when you’re tired and lethargic and the incentive to skip your workout and spend your evening at home is at its highest. If you are a runner or cycle to stay fit, bad weather can also be a negative factor. Even the most hardened fitness enthusists feel somewhat less than motivated when up against extremely cold and wet weather.

Building your home gym can help you maintain a much more balanced lifestyle, eliminating the need to rush home or exercise at a time when you’re least motivated. There are various home gym exercise equipment options to choose from that can be utilized to perform a wide range of exercise types and thus help you stay in shape and achieve your overall fitness goals. With time and weather no longer a problem, you can exercise at your own pace and in the comfort of your home. But what is the best home gym equipment to get?

If you are just starting out having resolved to finally do something to get fit, or are getting back into the swing of it again after a long period off, then it is advisable to not rush in at full pace in starting your home gym. Enrolling at your local gym instead can help you try out a range of potential home gym fitness equipment for a short period of time, plus you can ask a fitness instructor for advice on the advantages and disadvantages of the equipment that takes your fancy and how these can be used to meet your needs. As you start to get a better idea of what you need, start to make a list of the equipment you think will be of most benefit to you.

If your main focus will be weight training, then your priority is to purchase a decent set of weights. “Free weights” are less expensive (as low as $50 or even less in some case). Free weights include kettlebells, barbells nad dumbells, but these do not give you the flexibility to vary the weight. For more variety a combination set of weights might be more useful.. these weight between 4.5 kg (10lb) and 9kg (20lb) and are essentially a hand-held dumbbell with a replaceable bar that allowes you to change the current weight configuration. It is entirely up to you if you wish to use metal weights or plastic ones. Metal are more traditional, whereas plastic are more modern and are often filled with other materials like sand.

If you wish to take your weight training a step further, then consider weight machines. These are useful for working out specific groups of muscles such as deltoids, quadriceps and biceps in a much safer way. Unlike free weights, a weight machine can provide a good workout for calves and hamstrings. Weight machines obviously cost a lot more, but the long term investement will be worth it if you intend to make weights part of your long term fitness strategy.

Costs and configurations of weight machiens vary widely. There are simple resistance machines all the way up to multi-stationed weight stack equipment. A weight machine will cost you a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

A popular alternative is a stair stepper. Stair steppers offer you better cardiovasular workouts with a lower impact on your joints when used to develop your thighs and salves. Stair steppers also save considerable space. A simple stair stepper device costs from $80-150, a complex version offers adjustable speed, pedal distances, resistance levels and much more. These devices can also link with a heart rate monitor device providing you with digital readings based on the distance you have “climbed”. Speed and calories burnt are also displayed in digital form. Stair steppers that include all the bells and whistles can cost $1500-2000, but can be worth it if used extensively.

Treadmills and exercise bikes are also good gym equipment for home use. As with all home gym equipment, these vary with type, brand, models and features, but if you are on a tight budget, cheap home gym equipment is available. Building your home gym can cost you money as you will need to invest in the types of home gym equipment that will allow you to meet your exercise requipments. However, like any investment, a little money spent and more importantly, sticking to a regular exercise program will result in long term health advantages, not to mention a great looking body.