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Deal of the Day by Kelli B. Grant (Author Archive)
5 Tips on Buying Exercise Equipment
More than half of consumers say they would exercise more if they had exercise equipment in their home, according to Nautilus, a home-fitness-equipment manufacturer. But a separate survey by Consumer Reports found that 37% of consumers who do purchase home equipment exercise less than anticipated.
The major pitfall is the same one that causes consumers to sign up for a gym membership and abandon it within weeks — they make an emotional commitment before an active one, says Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit educational group. If you can't work up the energy to jog around the block a few times each morning, then buying an expensive piece of exercise equipment is unlikely to motivate you. "You need to be already committed to your goal of becoming physically active," he says.
If you're confident your fitness habits are unswerving, then be prepared to pay up. The most basic machines cost several hundred dollars (the Image 17.5S treadmill costs $300), while high-end equipment can fetch thousands (the Life Fitness F3 Advanced treadmill costs $2,800). Getting a case of buyer's remorse can be even more financially painful. The average resale value for a treadmill is $136 (compare that to the average $1,200 you'd shell out for a new one); $55 for a stationary bike (vs. an average $300 for a new one).
Try these five tips to ensure you're getting a machine that's worth the cost and that will make an impact, rather than serve as a pricey towel rack:
Measure twice, buy once
So you've figured out that the rowing machine that you've been eyeing can just fit between your bed and dresser. Don't put the tape measure away quite yet. Knowing the dimensions of the equipment and your space isn't enough, says Jack Barnathan, director of fitness sciences for the International Sport Sciences Association, which certifies personal trainers. "You have elbows, knees, arms and legs," he explains. In other words, the way you use the equipment alters its working dimensions. A half-foot of ceiling clearance may seem like enough to accommodate your multifunction home gym, but just try to complete a pull-up without banging your head and you'll learn otherwise. Try out the equipment in-store to get a sense of how far your legs extend off the bench, or how far your reach is while on that elliptical machine. If you don't have ample space for the equipment, don't buy it.Find the right fit
A stationary bike is a stationary bike, right? Wrong. To narrow the field of equipment possibilities, you'll need to determine exactly what you need from a machine and how you'll use it, says Robert Tiernan, managing editor for Consumer Reports. A runner, for example, will need a treadmill with a longer deck than someone who plans to use the machine for power walking. (The faster you move, the longer your stride.) Add-ons like heart-rate monitors and preprogrammed workout routines boost the cost, so only choose options that you'll actually use.
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