ComputerHunter.org

 

Home Is Where the Gym Is - Tips For Setting Up Your Home Gym


Tips For Setting Up Your Home Gym

Call them fitness centers, health clubs or whatever terminology you choose, they have come a long way in the past decade. Some are glamorous and high tech; some are comfortable and low-key. There would seem to be an atmosphere for everyone. But in truth, many people have valid reasons why they would rather not go to the gym. For them, a home gym is a much more attractive way to get in their daily or weekly exercise. Fortunately, setting up a home gym can be a fun experience that doesn't have to cost a fortune or require a degree in fitness education.

There are many rural communities that do not have a public gym. Or there is only one and it is always soooo busy. Some people can't afford the membership and others just aren't comfortable working out in front of anyone else. For many people it is a matter of motivation. It is much easier to hop on the treadmill when it is only ten feet from the couch. But ask someone to go out in the cold to start the car, drive to the gym and then back again and it quickly becomes easy to just put it off all together. For a host of reasons, many people are much more likely to exercise regularly when they have the equipment they need right in their own homes.

Claim Your Space

The first step in creating a home gym is to find an area to use. You may clean out a section of the basement or garage. Perhaps you are lucky enough to have an entire room you can devote to your equipment. How much space you have will determine what type and how much equipment you can include. If there is a particular machine you have your eye on, you will need to make sure you have room for it.

Will you be able to leave your equipment set up or do space limitation dictate that the gym will need to be torn down after each workout? With home fitness equipment that has heavy parts such as weight stacks, or expensive electronics, such as some elliptical machines, you may want an area that can be secured from children.

Assess Your Goals

The next thing to consider is your exercise goals. Are you focusing on aerobic exercise? Do you want to lose weight? Maybe you are trying to bulk up. Different types of equipment work best for different goals. If an overall workout is what you want, you will need several types of equipment.

Consider Your Budget

Closely tied in with your exercise goals is your budget. You may have Olympic goals but a student's budget. In that case, you may be better off to use the equipment at the school or Y club. Off course, you don't have to buy new equipment. There are many places to purchase quality used equipment at reasonable prices. Several experts recommended going this route if you are new to exercise and not certain you will stick with it.

You don't have to buy everything at one time. Many of the most impressive home gyms have been developed over several years, with pieces added as budgets allowed. Start with the basics, whether that be a good set of weights and a quality bench for those looking to add strength or bulk or one piece of equipment that you know you enjoy and are likely to use often.

Select Your Equipment

Some people choose equipment that is the hardest to find available at the fitness center. Elliptical trainers and treadmills are very popular as are exercise bikes, rowing machines, and stair steppers. Others like the versatility of free weights, Smith machines, or other multi-purpose home fitness equipment. Some people have workouts that target certain areas of the body, so they incorporate ab machines or dumbbells. Keep in mind that most experts recommend that any kind of heavier weight lifting be done with another person to spot you to be sure you are using correct form and to help with the weights if you suddenly reach your limit.

Many fitness experts feel that one piece of equipment does not a home gym make. If you are using your equipment to replace a fitness program at a health club, you will need to incorporate some of the same versatility. This usually requires some equipment for aerobics and cardio, and others for strength training and endurance. This could be as simple as an aerobics video and a quality elliptical trainer. The point is that you get a good workout.

Some people develop home gyms to supplement the time they spend at the fitness center. Maybe there are days you know you can't make it to the gym, or some exercises you would rather do in private. Let the health club pay for the big buck equipment, and select the less expensive pieces for your home gym.

Comfort Counts

Whether you choose to create a single-station or multi-station home gym, the important thing is that you use it. One way to make exercise more appealing is to make your space attractive. Make sure there is adequate light and good ventilation. If you will be doing exercises on the floor, invest in a comfortable mat. Maybe you want to decorate the room with inspirational or motivational posters or pictures of athletes or power lifters you admire. The main point is that if the space is not comfortable and welcoming, you will be less likely to use it.

As a society, we just don't get as much exercise as we used to. Fitness centers have done an excellent job of trying to help address this concern, but some people are not comfortable with a public workout. Others just like the convenience of working out at home. There are a variety of reasons people choose to set up a home gym. With a little planning and self-assessment, the options are plentiful, and the results can be very effective.

About the Author:

C.J. Gustafson is a successful writer for Best-Home-gyms.com, publishing home gym reviews on weight lifting equipment, recumbent exercise bikes, elliptical machines and more.

Copyright 2005 Best-Home-Gyms.com

Permission is granted to publish this article on your site only if the author's byline is included and all links are hyperlinked.







Google News - Top Stories

The Associated Press

Stocks sharply lower as global crisis persists
MarketWatch - 36 minutes ago
By Nick Godt, MarketWatch NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Stocks tumbled on Monday, sending the Dow industrials below the 10000 mark for the first time in nearly four years, as last week's $700 billion bailout package and government interventions in Europe ...
World stock markets shudder, Dow dips below 10000 Bizjournals.com
US STOCKS-Wall Street tumbles in global sell-off Reuters
The Associated Press - Telegraph.co.uk - Sky News - KFSN
all 531 news articles


ABC News

In Fla., Palin Goes for the Rough Stuff as Audience Boos Obama
Washington Post - 30 minutes ago
By Dana Milbank CLEARWATER, Fla. -- "Okay, so Forida, you know that you're going to have to hang onto your hats," Sarah Palin told a rally of a few thousand here this morning, "because from now until election day it may get kind of rough.
Video: Palin: Obama 'Palling Around' With Terrorists AssociatedPress
Gloves come off on the campaign trail CNN
Bloomberg - Christian Science Monitor - The Associated Press - Boston Globe
all 4,169 news articles


Wall Street Journal Blogs

Sector Snap: National Banks tumble
Forbes - 55 minutes ago
AP 10.06.08, 11:25 AM ET Shares of national banks tumbled Monday morning along with the broader market as investors fears grew that the ongoing credit crisis will dampen economies globally.
Video: Wachovia Calls Order Blocking Sale 'invalid' AssociatedPress
Weekend Legal Frenzy Between Citigroup and Wells Fargo for Wachovia New York Times
guardian.co.uk - Motley Fool - Bloomberg - MarketWatch
all 6,661 news articles


Canada.com

Survey Finds 'Bleak Picture' for World's Mammals
Washington Post - 32 minutes ago
By Juliet Eilperin BARCELONA -- A quarter of the world's wild mammal species are at risk of extinction, according to a comprehensive global survey released here this morning.
Half of mammals are in decline, study finds MSNBC
One in Four Mammals at Risk of Extinction National Geographic
CNN International - Bloomberg - eFluxMedia - SustainableBusiness.com
all 286 news articles


CTV.ca

Bus driver involved in earlier collision and had speeding conviction
San Francisco Chronicle - 51 minutes ago
(10-06) 08:25 PDT WILLIAMS, COLUSA COUNTY -- The driver of a passenger bus that crashed in Colusa County, killing eight casino-bound gamblers and injuring 35 others, has a previous speeding conviction and was involved in a crash two years ago, ...
Video: Bus Crash Kills 10 AssociatedPress
At least 7 killed, 38 injured in Greyhound bus crash Los Angeles Times
The Canadian Press - WVLT - Santa Rosa Press Democrat - News10.net
all 1,307 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base