Many women are interested in home gym exercise as opposed to paying high fees for annual membership to some of the gyms in their area. In the long run, exercising from home can have its benefits as it can work out much cheaper and be more convenient.
However, if you are considering spending a substantial amount of money on purchasing your own home gym there are a few things you need to think about first.
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Home gym equipment prices can vary and a simple bench with attachments for arm and leg exercises can start at around $500 with the more superior multi-station machines starting at $1000.
Some multi-station gyms use bands instead of weights. These color-coded bands of varying thickness differentiate between easy and hard to pull. The drawback with the bands is they need to be anchored properly which means they are harder to use than free weights. It is also difficult to know how much resistance you are pulling against so it is not as easy to track your progress as it is with weights. Many people are able to quickly progress to the highest level and don’t go any further even though they have the ability to get stronger because as the band stretches the resistance increases unlike weights which remain constant through the entire movement.
The greater the resistance the more it can prevent you from going through the full range of motion when you do an exercise so you may not see improvement in flexibility as you would expect from a strengthening program.
Weighs on the other hand are much easier to use because they don’t limit the range of motion through which you do the exercise. This is important because when you use full movement it improves flexibility and some machines use your body weight for resistance which can work well too.
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Buying Home Gym Equipment
When purchasing your strength training machine go to a store that specializes in sporting goods and one that offers several brands— not just one. It is also essential that the staff in the store is knowledgeable about all their equipment.
Ask the staff questions to help you with your purchase such as:
- Which muscle groups can I train with this equipment?
- Will this particular equipment be the right size for me?
- Can you demonstrate some exercises for me?
- How long is the warranty and if the equipment breaks how would I get it repaired?
All experienced staff should be able to demonstrate exercises on the equipment for you and should allow you to try it out should you wish to do so. You should make sure the equipment is comfortable especially since a lot of it is designed for men who are in general taller than most women; the shorter and more petite you are the more difficult it will be to find apparatus that will fit with your body. You should also try adjusting the equipment yourself to see how manageable it is.
Take your room measurements with you to the store so you can check if the home gym you want to buy will fit. A lot of home gym equipment and multi-stations will seem much smaller in-store than they really are. Look at other equipment before you buy to make sure there isn’t anything more suitable.
Using a home gym is beneficial to a personal fitness program because it enables you to accurately monitor your progress. You will be able to control how much weight you are lifting and can decide whether you want to continue at the same pace or whether you want to move on to the next step.
in Weight Loss, Diet & Fitness
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