A home gym is what you need if you want to avoid the hassle and monthly expense of going to a gym, especially if you love working out regularly. You’ll have more motivation to work out if you only need to go to your own basement, garage, or any spare room. It is simple to decide to purchase a home gym, but the most difficult part is choosing the best gym that caters to your needs. A wide range of gyms are available on the market, each of them offering different types of weights and various methods of exercising.
If you are finding it overwhelming to select the right gym for yourself, worry no more! We are here to make it easy for you. We conduct extensive research about products by gathering information from the real users of the products and consulting the experts involved in the design and production.
Now, if you’re looking to take care of your body by working out to obtain the energy necessary for an active and healthy life, doing cardio workouts, such as running and riding an
exercise bike is not enough. Strength-training workouts are important for toning, increasing metabolism rates, and building muscles. It’s always advisable to take all the safety precautions like dressing in the right attire and using exercise gloves to avoid unnecessary injuries in the home gym. The machines for strength training exercises are a bit expensive, but the long-term cost of visiting the gym is even more expensive.
Home gyms are the perfect cost-saving solution for health-conscious individuals. Select a home gym that provides a full-body workout from the comfort of your own home. Many home gyms provide upper-body exercises using workout systems such as a lat bar and a row bar. Some of the best home workout systems also include lower body workout systems such as leg press and leg curls. Many home gyms allow users to perform 20 to 100 exercises without having to pay membership fees like in the commercial gyms. The Stamina Power Tower, for instance, allows you to perform various exercises including push-ups, chin-ups, vertical knee raises, tricep dips, and other versatile workouts for the back, arms, abs, and chest, just by using one machine.
Additionally, if you like privacy and the gym environment makes you uncomfortable, you should consider a home gym. Although a home gym requires a lot of initial funds to purchase, it will help you save the costs of visiting gyms. A home gym also saves time, since it is readily available at your convenience.
Before we continue with our buying guide, we would like to mention that when it came time to choosing five products and brands for the review, we came across some home gyms from Weider Fitness. Although we did not feature any Weider home gyms, this company has been in business for over 50 years and is well known for quality exercise equipment. The
Weider Ultimate Body Works system is a budget-friendly inclined weight bench combined with resistance bands, and a cable and pully system to increase the number of exercises you can do with it. It comes with an exercise chart and the Weider Total Body Works 5000 workout guide with over 100 body-shaping exercises.
Price
Good-quality home gyms cost around $200 to $1,700. This can look costly, but focus on the amount saved over a period of time. Anyway, in the end, your health and fitness are priceless. Basic home gyms cost from around $300 to $500. They are generally made of lightweight materials that are less durable and allow the performance of only a few exercises. Gyms ranging from $500 to $1000 allow a wider range of exercises. High-end home gyms cost around $1700 or more and are necessary for people like professional athletes, who consider exercising as a serious activity. Still, you can find cheaper home gyms out there, but we don’t recommend them, due to the low-quality materials they are made of, which can pose safety risks to the users.
Features
When choosing the right gym equipment, the best place to begin is by knowing how much weight you can bear at the moment and what type of weights and resistance levels you need. You can expand your home gym later to accommodate more weights and resistance levels in case you need more as you improve your workout regime. The ideal home gym is versatile, in that it is a multipurpose machine that can perform various exercises to work the arms, chest, abdomen, and legs.
You need to have enough space to accommodate the home gym, since they are usually large. It should be kept in a spacious room or garage. However, the good news is that some modern home gyms can be folded and kept away when not in use. It should be adjustable to accommodate users with different heights and body types, especially if it is used by several members of the household. Here are the additional features to look at:
- Size – Check the size of the home gym and ensure it will fit in your exercise space, room, or garage.
- Cable Strength – Ensure that the cable strength indicated will accommodate the full weight.
- Weight Stack – Check the total weight of the stacks and whether there is room for upgrading.
- Pulleys – What’s the diameter of the pulleys and the materials they’re made of, e.g., fiberglass-impregnated nylon.
- Guide Rods – Check the number of guide rods and the material they’re made of, e.g., chrome-plated tubular steel.
Construction and Design
When looking for the best home gym, consider choosing equipment that allows for both upper and lower body exercises. It should also be able to facilitate multiple exercises and fit in your home. It’s important to check its warranty and what extra features are included. Ensure you do not pay more for the gym’s accessories after spending a lot on the gym itself. Consider the following aspects to determine the best workout systems:
Gym Functionality
The types of exercises you prefer are core in choosing the home gym that suits you, and the machine should facilitate those exercises. Most home gyms have different weights, but you should choose your preferred resistance technology. Some machines have power rods which can bend and make the resistance stronger. These home gyms allow you to alter the level of resistance by changing the position of the machine’s bench.
Choose a home gym machine that is appropriate for your body type and strength. Most home gyms offer one weight stack which does not allow upgrading in case of an increase in weight. Each home gym has a requirement for the weight of users, but most of them are capable of handling users of up to 300 pounds.
Gym Design
If you are purchasing gym equipment for your home, you should have a spacious area for it. Most of these machines are huge and heavy, and changing their position once they’re installed can be difficult. Their storage space should be able to accommodate their height and width, since most of them are tall and wide. The space should also allow room for performing your exercises.
Included Items
Check the items included in the home gym that you have chosen. While some come with only the frame and weight stack, some home gyms have other extras such as pulley stations, training DVDs, ab enhancers, and a two-sided row bar. Make sure you do not spend additional money on the extra items.
Other than saving you money, a home gym will make you healthy in the comfort of your home. You will be able to achieve your fitness goals without having to exercise away from home or pay expensive monthly fees for gym memberships.
Performance and Ease of Use
Once you get used to exercising regularly, it will become a habit. How often should you exercise? You should establish a workout routine to help you achieve your fitness goals. Doing your workouts in the home gym could seem difficult at first, but don’t be discouraged. You should rest between the workout days to minimize the possibility of your muscles getting sore. Keep the workout room neat and organized to create a pleasing environment for the activity.
Learn how to perform the various exercises before starting officially. You can get help from the internet or the instruction manual. Remember to warm up before exercising and also cool down afterward to protect your muscles from injury. Don’t use a home gym machine that wobbles or is loose. You should ask a friend or pay a professional to assist you in assembling the home gym, since it could be difficult to do it alone.
It is dangerous to work out in a cold environment; therefore, if your home gym is located in an unheated area, you should use space heaters to drive away the cold during the cold months of the year. You can modify your home gym however you want by including accessories such as a music system, lighting, and an entertainment unit to make your workout better and more interesting. Cover the floor with any rubber mats, or even yoga mats, to protect your feet from the coldness of the floor. Foam blocks from a children’s play area can also be used.
Home gyms are safe if you have no health conditions. Working out when you are not well could risk your body’s health. However, some systems may not be as stable as you think, and you should keep them well fixed to avoid wobbling over. Keep young children away from the home gym whenever they are not under supervision.
Finally, since home gyms can be quite expensive, consider selecting a machine whose manufacturer offers lifetime warranties. In case of any queries or problems related to the product, you should contact the representatives of the company. It is advisable to choose a company that is easy to reach and communicate with.
Let’s face it; we all have different body shapes and sizes. The type of home gym you need will depend on the final result you would love to see in your body. This home fitness equipment comes in a variety of sizes and functionalities to offer you the best experience based on your fitness targets. With that info in hand, you should be ready to pick the best home gym equipment that suits your needs and budget.
Having gone through these reviews, we believe that you have made up your mind on what to look for in order to complete your home fitness efficiently. Get the best home gym that fully corresponds with your body structure to avoid strains and unnecessary injuries. This will, no doubt, save you a lot of expense that you would have otherwise spent in conventional commercial gyms. These same brands still offer a variety of fitness equipment that you can browse as well.
