Create Your Own At-Home Gym
- In This Quick Guide:
- Cardio Machines
- Weight Training Machines
- Freeweights
- A Word of Caution
Okay, let’s say you’re starting to think that working out at home is the way to go for you. What now? Well, now you’ve got to look into the future a bit and anticipate some of the challenges you may face. Don’t worry, we’ll walk you through it!
Cardio Machines
Every gym needs a great cardio machine. Here are some good options.
Stationary Bikes
A stationary bike with bells and whistles like the LifeCycle can cost as much as $2,000, or you can spend as little as $300 for a basic stationary model. If you’re not sure you’ll use it, it’s best to start with the cheaper model. If, however, you’re planning to become the next Lance Armstrong, the sturdier machine is preferable. If you already have a bicycle, a fine way to work out indoors is to buy a contraption that allows you to remove the front wheel and ride your bike indoors. State-of-the art models can go for as much as $1,500, but usually, such an apparatus goes for between $100 and $250.
Treadmills
If biking isn’t your thing, let your feet do the walking and buy a treadmill. As is true for the stationary bike, you have a whole range of options for a treadmill, ranging in price from $500 to $5,000. Again, if you’re going to use it regularly, it’s far better to drop four figures on a solid machine. Three brands we particularly like are Star Trac, Life Fitness, and Precor.
More Cardio Machines
Don’t like to run or bike? A variety of other machines help get your heart pumping, including the Concept II rowing machine, NordicTrack cross-country ski simulators, stair climbers like the StairMaster, and the increasingly popular elliptical trainers that provide a great, low-impact workout.
Weight Training Machines
Now that we’ve explored the world of cardio equipment, it’s time to discuss resistance equipment.
Here’s what you should look for in an “all-in-one” unit:
- A variety of exercises. No matter how effective the exercise, a continuing routine of the same few exercises will leave you feeling bored.
- Ease of movement from one exercise to another. If transitioning from one exercise to another is difficult or time-consuming, you’re not likely to use the machine. Or if you do use it, you’re not likely to get a good workout.
- Enough resistance to grow with you as you get stronger. Right now, the lightest weight on the machine may be just a little too heavy for you to lift, but you won’t be in that position for long. You’ll get stronger and stronger, and you’ll want a machine that will help you do just that. If you have to do 38 repetitions of an exercise to tax yourself, you need to increase the weight.
- An objective measure of your progress. You need a way to tell how strong you’re getting from one week to the next. Progress is inspirational. If you see that you’re able to do 10 more repetitions of a particular exercise, you’re more likely to keep at it.
Quite a few multifunction strength-training machines on the market are versatile, sturdy, and safe. Of course, each has its advantages and disadvantages. Three of the best-selling and most effective units are the Total Gym (in which you slide a sled and your body weight through a variety of exercises, adjusting the angle to change the resistance), the Soloflex (which uses elastic bands for resistance), and our personal favorite, the Bowflex (which uses patented “Power Rods” for resistance).
Freeweights
If newfangled ideas like rubber bands and Power Rods don’t do it for you, you can buy an adjustable bench ($300 to $500) and a set of freeweights. Although initially this might seem like the simpler, less-expensive way to go, the costs quickly add up, and it can become far more expensive than you anticipated. Still, a freeweight setup at home can work quite well if you take the time to learn the rules and then follow them.
Now for the cost. Unless you’re training to be the next governor of California, you probably don’t want or need a full set of dumbbells in your home. A good option is a pair of adjustable dumbbells such as the PowerBlock. Selling for roughly $200, the PowerBlock enables you to easily and quickly adjust the weight of the barbell from 5 to 45 pounds. Newcomers in the adjustable dumbbell field include Probell and Versabell, each of which offers similar features.
When shopping for a bar and weights (also known as plates), you have a few options. “Olympic” bars, found in just about every gym, are 7 feet long and weigh 45 pounds. (Shorter, lighter bars are also available.)
Plates are available in 2.5- through 100-pound increments. Figure on spending about 25¢ per pound.
A Word of Caution
Before you start building your gym, there is one important thing to consider—safety. If you’re working out at home, you’re almost always also working out alone; that means you have no spotter, a kind soul who will be sure you don’t drop a weight on your head. Most home gym equipment is designed to minimize (and/or eliminate) this problem, but the potential still exists.
Needless to say, because you are alone you need to take extra care to read the instructions that come with your home unit. If there’s anything you don’t understand, don’t hesitate to call the manufacturer. Many units come with a video. Take the time to watch it—it could spare you an injury.
Of course, you can’t completely duplicate a gym experience unless you’re willing to spend a fortune and hire your own trainer, but creating your own home gym has a lot of advantages—the best being that you only have to travel a few feet to get a great workout!
Good luck, and enjoy your exercise!
From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Weight Training Illustrated, Third Edition, by Deidre Johnson-Cane, Jonathan Cane, and Joe Glickman
