Home Gyms, Worth the Money or Not?
by: TC Thorn
Home fitness is a huge industry, and most people these days have purchased at least some sort of exercise equipment or fitness video for home use. A lot of it ends up in a closet, in the garage, under the bed, etc. and is never seen again. Reasons vary. Some people just don't have the discipline to work out regularly from home while others realize the miracle-wonder-ab-slimmer (or whatever) isn't quite the high quality piece of equipment the midnight infomercial promised it would be.
What about home gyms? Like most of the junk sold by infomercial, they can be low quality, but if you're serious about working out from home and getting a quality piece of equipment, you can definitely find home fitness gear that is worth the money and will stand up over the years.
My personal favorite is the Bowflex. Yes, they're sold via infomercial and yes, they are expensive (especially the "ultimate" models), but I've had one for two years and not a single thing has broken on it. Yes, I even use it regularly.
There are other options as well. While I'm not a big fan of the Wieder Crossbow, I know others who swear by it. There are a lot of good home gyms out there that people are less familiar with (no infomercials). Powertec puts out a number of machines suitable for home use. The Powertec Leverage is a complete gym in itself.
For people who are more interested in free weights (but lack the space for an entire rack of varying weight dumbbells), the PowerBlock system is an option. It doesn't take up much room, but is basically a whole system of dumbbells in one. The newer Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells operate under the same principle.
But are these systems worth the money? I've used all of the ones I've mentioned, and I believe the answer is yes IF YOU USE THEM. The fanciest home gym that money can buy may be worth the fortune it costs, if you use it several times a week. But on the other hand, even a relatively inexpensive piece of equipment isn't worth the money if it's only used three times then stuffed into the cubby hole beneath the stairs. If you just don't know whether you'll stick to a home exercise program or not, but you're determined to buy a home gym, I recommend the Bowflex, if only because they resell very well on eBay.
In general, expect to spend at least a few hundred dollars for a home gym, and you can easily spend in the thousands. Be wary of home gyms that cost less than five hundred dollars. Not only are your chances of getting a quality piece of equipment pretty minimal, but you probably won't see the kind of results you're hoping for because you won't be dealing with real weight or something similar (i.e. the proven resistance technology the Bowflex and Crossbow use).
Whatever home gym you decide on, good luck with your goals!
About The Author
TC Thorn is a freelance writer and web content publisher. This article first appeared at http://www.fit-at-home.com and may be reprinted so long as this resource box is included.
This article was posted on February 13, 2005
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