To own a home gym is a dream many people would like to see come true – your own private workout space, freedom from busy, noisy gyms and a focus on your personal goals. But now that you’ve decided to make your dream a reality, you need to turn to the practical side of knowing what to look out for when buying a home gym. Here are five important tips to keep in mind when investing in your personal workout equipment.
- What kind of home gym is suited to your unique needs?
Are you a serious lifter looking to ease your schedule by having a way to make gains at home? Or are you an absolute beginner who just wants to build some strength? The perfect home gym for you will be dependent on your body type, your capabilities and most importantly, what you want to get out of it. One important difference to consider is whether you prefer working with actual weights, or if one of the resistance technology (i.e. compression pods) based home gyms would suit you.
One of the more basic, entry level models will be perfect for you if you are just looking to build base level strength and get some health benefits from resistance training. But if you are a seasoned lifter, or you want to be someday, consider a home gym that can adapt and expand to higher weights and a greater variety of exercises to accommodate your needs.
- Is your home gym versatile enough?
An effective home gym can incorporate a range of exercises with as little equipment as possible. So it’s important to choose equipment that can multi-function and train a range of different muscle groups. Resistance technology based home gyms incorporate resistance bands or pods to exert force on the muscles, and while perfect for beginners and extremely versatile, they have only a limited resistance capacity and can sometimes be awkward to use.
If you already own some weights equipment, you will probably be more interested in a weights based system. You will need to check if your home gym is compatible with the barbells you already own, whether they are standard or Olympic size. This ensures you get the optimum flexibility and versatility out of your home gym system.
- Can your home gym expand as you get fitter?
As we perform resistance training, our muscles become stronger and we are able to lift more heavy weights. This means that as time goes by and your strength increases, your home gym needs to be able to keep up with you in order to provide a training effect to continue building muscle. Your home gym should have a range of weight or resistance settings, to keep challenging your body.
Resistance technology machines have a huge range of resistances and exercise modes to choose from. However these models usually have a lower top resistance they can be taken to. If using a weights based machine, you should investigate how easy it is to buy and add extra weights should you need them in the future, and what the cost will be.
- How easy is it to convert between exercise modes?
Struggling to change between exercises and convert the machine to work different muscle groups is a guaranteed sign that the machine is not going to get much use because it will just be too fiddly and bothersome to use.
If at all possible, it’s great to take the opportunity to try a home gym before you buy. This way you can get a hands on feel of what it’s like to convert the machine to different exercise modes. If you can’t get to a store to check out the home gym, take a look at online reviews to see what other people say about the ease of set up and use.
- Do you have the space?
Most people who purchase a home gym do not realise just how much space it’s going to take up at home. Even home gyms labelled as ‘compact’ can be much bigger than expected. Compact weights benches can be up to 7 feet (2.1m) long when they’re laid flat. A resistance technology based machine can take up 7 feet x 4 feet (2.1m x 1.2m) when set up, and you need to reserve space to move around the machine. So double check the area that you’re thinking of putting the home gym in and make sure you have enough clear space to use your gym effectively.
Keep these five tips in mind when buying your home gym to get the perfect equipment for your optimum fitness and muscle gains.
How to choose the right compact home gym
While many gym rats may think otherwise, a machine that replicates gym equipment at home can be a very good alternative to regularly working out. There are really good machines that are designed to target major muscles and ivesting in a workout machine for home use is a very smart move for anyone who wants to keep himself in tip-top shape. These machines are particularly recommended for people who are always on the go like businessmen, professionals, and even new moms who can’t squeeze in time for a trip to the gym.
When shopping for a workout equipment for home use, you should take into consideration factors like the available space in your house as well as the size and features of the machine you’d like to buy. Of course, price is another important consideration.
You can look for home gym equipment reviews online to have a better understanding of the type of machine that you are interested in getting. You can also get tips from other people on how to find that one machine that you can use to stay fit even without leaving home.
Finding the ideal home gym
Owning a home gym is the ultimate fitness solution for an effective, versatile and interesting home workout. With the huge variety of exercise options available in a home gym you can develop total body fitness and strength, and maintain motivation for interesting and engaging workouts. Home gyms use resistance pod technology, body weight, resistance cables and physical weights to tone and strengthen muscles, while burning fat and calories to achieve your ultimate body goals.
In this guide we’ve reviewed 5 of the top rated home gyms available in 2015 that feature a range of resistance technologies and features to engage any user. Whether you prefer pods, cables, body weight or weight stacks, we have a solution that fits your unique needs, preferences and budget. Having your own home gym is affordable from any price point, with our selection ranging in price from the super low to premium gyms.
You can build serious muscle with home gyms that can accommodate resistance capacities of up to 410 pounds, but if you want the benefits of a home gym without sacrificing all the space in the living room, you can also get folding models that provide easy compact storage.
With this guide you can find the perfect home gym for you, whatever your needs and whatever your budget, allowing you to enjoy an awesome gym workout in the safety, privacy and comfort of your very own home.
Bowflex Gyms
Bowflex has become known for their wide range of treadmills and two of their most popular products right now are the PR3000 and the Blaze. Both are high end treadmills that provide superior performance and versatile enough for experts yet easy enough for first time users. The question now becomes which of the two is the better option.
The first thing that buyers look at is the price, and while the PR3000 is said to be more expensive by a couple hundred dollars, the fact is if you check online, it is almost always sold at discounts and with free shipping so it ends up being cheaper than the Blaze.
However, the cost is only one factor as you also need to look at how the two treadmills work. They may bear some resemblance, but the PR3000 and the Blaze are built differently and have unique workouts and features. Yes they share some common features, but there are also significant differences that buyers need to be aware of. Other aspects you have to look at are the space requirements, weight capacity, upgrade options, warranty, exercise options, resistance levels and so on.
Anytime you buy something online, it’s necessary to do research to make sure you get the best product possible, and that’s what this comparison review is for, to help you determine which of the two Bowflex treadmills is the better option. While they are both fully functional, the more you know about their features the more productive you will be. You might also like to check out our comparison of the Bowflex PR1000 and PR3000.
