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Blueprint For Selecting Home Gym Equipment

Selecting your home gym equipment can be a daunting task. There’s nothing worse than paying your hard earned dollars for a piece of fitness equipment (with good intentions) and watching it collect dust or be used as a clothes hanger after a few workouts. Does this sound familiar? While there are various techniques to help you with motivation, the truth is that there’s not much anyone can do to make you stick to a workout plan…except of course YOU! Nevertheless, when looking at selecting equipment for your in home gym, keep the following 4 thoughts in mind:

1. Your Fitness Goals

2. Space

3. Budget

4. Equipment Evaluation

1. Assess Your Needs

Understanding your fitness goals is the first step in selecting any type of home gym equipment or weight training equipment. Once you have an understanding of your ultimate goal, you can then focus your attention to selecting the equipment that will help you achieve that goal. You can’t just see a piece of equipment on TV or buy something because of the name brand and is marketed as “the best” because it may not be the best for you. For example, are you looking to lose weight or gain weight? Build muscle mass or simply tone-up? Your equipment selection will vary depending on your fitness goals, current fitness level and personal interests. However, as a best practice, every home gym should have a strength component and a cardio component in order to address both your physiological and motivational needs. free weights, weight sets

2. Available Space

The next step in selecting equipment for your home gym is determining how much space you have available. Most home exercise equipment product brochures or online catalogs will have detailed equipment specs including dimensions. So, before making an investment calculate the square footage of the room or area dedicated to your in home gym. It’s also important to make a note of how much head room you have by measuring the ceiling height so that you will know how much room you have for your equipment. As a general rule, plan to have at least as much open floor space as there is equipment space in your home gym. Additional considerations are traffic flow, possible future expansion plans and your workout routines. If you don’t have a lot of space available, no need to worry. You can get an excellent workout in with minimal equipment. There are many weight training routines that can be completed with a simple weight bench, dumbbell set and exercise ball.

3. Set a Budget

Before you head out to a fitness retailer or go shopping online, I would recommend setting a short term and a long term budget and sticking to it. There’s nothing worse than falling in love with a piece of home gym equipment only to realize that you can’t afford it (been there and done that). When shopping for equipment, you are sure to come across deals that seem too good to be true. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but when it comes to quality weight training and home exercise equipment you get what you pay for.

4. Evaluate Equipment

Once you know how much space you have and have developed a budget, you’re ready to go shopping! By clearly understanding your goals, available space and budgetary restraints you are all set to make an informed and educated buying decision. Upon completing this 4 step process you will know the answers to the following questions. Will the product’s features suit your fitness goals? Is the manufacturer well known/respected in the industry? Will the design work well in your environment and is it easy to use? Is the equipment safe? Feel free to use this checklist to help you evaluate the different home gym equipment options available. Happy shopping and good luck equipping your in home gym.

Tips On Designing A Home Gym

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