 There are lots of exercises you can do that don't cost a thing, like taking a walk around the block, doing squats while you brush your teeth or performing biceps curls with water bottles. However, sometimes you want more--more strenuous cardio, more options for lifting weights or more machines that can help you sculpt and grow your muscles better than your own body weight or pantry items will allow. Unfortunately, that "more" often comes with a price tag. Whether you choose to pay gym fees, purchase a package at a boutique studio or take the plunge and invest in your own home gym equipment, sometimes to get what you want you have to be willing to pay for it. If you do decide to purchase exercise equipment for your home, you'll find there's something to be said for the convenience of getting in a full gym workout without leaving your house. Although major pieces of exercise equipment aren't exactly cheap, remember these pieces are worth the investment if you want to invest in yourself. You'll be grateful for your treadmill or stationary bike when the weather is too cold, too hot or too rainy, and you'll thank yourself for purchasing that home gym system when you catch your first glimpse of muscle definition in the a mirror. Plus, with major fitness equipment only a few steps away, you'll finally find yourself out of excuses for not making fitness a priority. Take the Dread Out of the Treadmill We've reviewed our favorite treadmills before, but, newer models come out all the time. Built to be better and last longer with fun features (fan! iPod holder! lifetime warranty!) added all the time, it's worth doing new research every now and again to check out what's on the market. This treadmill by ProForm has four stars on Amazon, and for good reason. With the ability to push your incline up to 12 percent and your mph up to 12, you can choose any combination from walking to running, flat roads to hills and everything in between for a custom workout suited to your needs. You can also connect this treadmill to your favorite outside running and walking routes using its iFit-compatible linking to Google maps. If you are looking for another route to take, choose from one of ProForm's 22 built-in workout apps designed by a personal trainer. With a 60-inch belt length, you can feel free to stretch those legs long, while proshox cushioning softens the noise so you won't have to worry about waking up others in your house during those early morning workouts. The treadmill is easy to lift, move and work out to your heart's content, and you can rest easy knowing you'll have a lifetime frame and motor warranty, two-year parts warranty and one-year labor warranty. What: ProForm Performance 600i Treadmill Crush It With Your Own Home Gym If you roll your eyes even thinking about a Bowflex, you're not alone. It's hard to not recall their cheesy infomercials from the 1990s and believe they are still around and selling home gyms. But the truth is, the home gym is a great addition to any, well, home gym. While barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, resistance bands, nautilus equipment and other tools that help you gain muscle and strength train are great, wouldn't it be nice to choose from among more than 65 full-body exercises in just one piece of equipment? Your Bowflex home gym comes with up to 210 pounds of progressive resistance. And, if you need more, you can always upgrade to 310 or 410 pounds in the future. The Xceed also features a squat station, bench press, leg attachment and a lat tower, so you can move between arm day and leg day with ease. What: Bowflex Xceed Home Gym Love to Ride Your (Indoor) Bicycle Photo courtesy of Amazon. If you're looking for a more economical and low-impact machine to add to your home, then this recumbent exercise bike by Marcy might be the perfect fit. Safe for those with back or knee issues, the step-through design allows for easy on and off from the bike and is heavy duty enough to hold up to 300 pounds with its sturdy construction and 14-gauge steel tubing. This bike also offers eight levels of resistance, an LCD computer screen that displays your distance, time, speed and calories burned. The padded seat will keep you comfortable through rides of every length and the counterbalanced pedals are weighted to help you control your ride while supporting your feet. The pedals also come with adjustable foot straps to make your ride as comfortable as possible. What: Marcy Recumbent Exercise Bike with Resistance ME-709 Row, Row, Row Your Way Fit A rowing machine is a perfect piece of fitness equipment to add to your home gym or as a standalone, full-body workout machine in its own right. It's also a mid-priced piece of equipment that is low-impact and provides both strength training and cardio in one workout. This magnetic rowing machine by Sunny Health & Fitness allows you to row through eight levels of resistance, so you can find the one that's perfect for you at every level. The LCD screen displays your calorie count, time spent on the machine and your strokes, and the padded seat and handlebars with non-slip grip ensure you'll enjoy your entire workout in comfort. If your workout space is small, you can easily move the machine from storage to your workout area and back again thanks to built-in wheels. What: Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RW5515 Magnetic Rowing Machine Rower Ski Your Way to Slim If nothing compares to the elliptical for you, but you get tired of waiting in line for your turn at the gym, consider adding one of these popular machines to your home. Sync up your Bluetooth device and move to your own grooves on this Nautilus elliptical trainer. Move among 25 levels of resistance to vary your workout intensity or choose from 29 program options: 12 profile, nine heart rate, four custom, two that test your fitness level, one quick start and one recovery. You can also sync the RunSocial app to the elliptical, training through 27 preset routes and 19 locations with other people using the app all over the world. The inertia drive system in the Nautilus trainer is high-speed and has a perimeter-weighted flywheel to make the beginnings of your workouts run more smoothly and consistently. You can even charge your devices and enjoy a cool breeze as you sweat from the machine's adjustable fan. What: Nautilus E616 Elliptical Trainer What kind of home gym equipment can you not live without? We hope you love these products a much as we do! SparkPeople may collect a small percentage of revenue from links on this page. Prices subject to change. |
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