But how can you invest in a home gym system without bursting a hole in your wallet? One way is to avoid paying retail for the exercise equipment. And you can do that in a variety of different ways:

1) Visit Local Ebay

Many people don't realize that ebay has a feature where advertisers can auction and sell merchandise locally. Look though the eBay listing for your area and you'll find a variety of consumer equipment available including home gym systems. Many times these are sold by people who are moving and looking to get a little money for their equipment instead of just junking it. Or they may be upgrading to a newer piece of equipment. Either way, you can find great local deals on eBay and if you win the auction you don't have to worry about shipping charges, you can just drive over and pick it up.

2) Surf CraigsList

In those communities that have a Craig's List, many seller advertise their garage sales or merchandise on the CraigsList website. You'll be surprised at the variety of things you can buy there. You have the possibility of picking up a nice piece of exercise equipment for pennies on the dollar. The advertisers are nearly always local so you can stop by and even try it out to see if you like it before you buy. And then barter with the seller for the best deal.

3) Look for OverStocks

Ever wonder what happens to all of those exercise machines in home gym warehouses and outlets if they don't sell? What usually happens is that they are sold to a liquidator who will dispose of them through various channels. Many times these machines are perfectly good pieces of equipment which just are not selling for some reason. Prices at these places are rarely set in stone and if you are willing to haggle with the manager you can often get yourself a very good deal. They would much rather sell it to you, even for a lower price than to a liquidator who will give them a fraction of what it's worth.

4) Buy Refurbished and Closed Out Exercise Equipment

If you search the Internet or look through a yellow pages in a large city, you can find all sorts of refurbished exercise machines from a variety of manufacturers such as Life Fitness, Stairmaster, Trotter, Cybex, Precor, and many more. The equipment in most places is as good as new and the best companies will also give you a warranty. Many of these companies will also sell closeout equipment at closeout prices.

The bottom line is that you don't have to spend an arm an a leg to outfit your home exercise room. You have many more options available to you than you might think.