Exercise Equipment Buying Tips

By: Kyle Newton

Until you don't know much about the equipment you want to purchase, your first stop should be at a specialty fitness retailer or exercise equipment dealer that has sales staff who understand exercise and can answer questions and demonstrate the proper use of equipment. And if you know what you want, you can often find the best price on equipment by shopping online.

Commonly, the biggest challenge is deciding which fitness product is the right one. One piece of home fitness equipment should be selected based on the anatomy, interests, and fitness level of the user. Generally you should ask and answer the following questions before your buy: What is my current fitness level now and what is my goal? And what is the budget, how much do I want to spend? Does this activity help me get fit for other activities I enjoy?

All treadmills are a popular piece of aerobic equipment for home use. These allow you to walk, or run indoors regardless of the time of day or weather. While purchasing a treadmill, look for a solid, smooth action, a steady pace, wide belt, safety shut off, and incline settings. Good models range higher costs. Always make sure any treadmill you consider is built to withstand a substantial load, as running on a treadmill creates a great deal of force. All treadmills do require maintenance, so you should learn about the warranty and find out what local customer service is available.

The elliptical trainers offer a comfortable, non-impact exercise activity that almost anyone can do. They offer movement that is horizontally oval. We can adjust the intensity or keep the movement easy for the very sedentary. This is currently the most popular item in health clubs and you may want to try out several models before selecting one.

All Stationary bikes are widely used home exercise equipment. All these offer a non-impact cardiovascular workout and are great for the overweight or sedentary person just starting to exercise. All primarily use the muscles of the legs and buttocks. And these bikes come in a variety of price ranges. And recumbent cycles give more support to the lower back and minimize the stress on the knees compared with an upright bicycle. They provide a cardiovascular workout that uses the muscles of the gluteus, quadriceps and hamstrings.

Different step machines use primarily the lower body in an aerobic capacity. Researching a high quality step machine can be expensive, however. They give a good workout aerobically, strengthen and build the lower body muscles, and are low impact. All cross country ski machines can provide a full body workout for cardiovascular and muscle endurance, however, they can be difficult to master.

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