Picking Home Cardio Equipment: The Two Best Pieces You Might Not Have Thought Of

Most people like to have at least one piece of home cardiovascular equipment in their home gym. Picking out home exercise equipment isn't always the easiest task, however. This is one situation where a commercial gym has the leg up; you can just walk in and have your choice. However, at home there are usually the considerations of space and budget. That means that you need to be careful when you're picking your equipment.

One of the less commonly thought of pieces of cardio equipment for the home or garage gym is a rowing machine. It's amazing to see how open these usually are in a commercial gym. The rower has somewhat fallen out of favor from its heyday 30 years ago, and there's no good reason why. Rowing is tough work, but a good quality rowing machine will give you a cardiovascular workout like no other. The reason for that is the element of resistance it gives as well as it utilizes a great deal more muscles at one time over a treadmill or bike. You'll be able to accomplish more of a workout, in a natural motion; in a lot less time than if you were on another piece of cardio equipment.

Rowers can be usually be obtained for a lot less than a treadmill or stationary bike because of their lack of popularity and lack of electronics. A good quality rowing machine is a great home gym investment as well since they're very sturdy. They don't have a whole lot of moving parts and don't need much maintenance. You won't have to spend all of your time repairing or worry about repurchasing your rowing machine.

Rowing machines can take up some floor space, but many models fold up to be placed in a corner or against a wall. This is better than a treadmill or bike in that it doesn't have to become a permanent fixture in a room.

A stair climber is the other piece of home cardio equipment that is often overlooked but can provide a fantastic workout. Since it uses more of your bodyweight for resistance than other pieces of aerobic equipment the stair climber can provide a very intense workout. Until you get used to using a stair climber it can be pretty tough so a lot of people pass it by.

Like the rowing machine it's easy to find a good quality stair climber at a fairly reasonable price relative to treadmills and exercise bicycles. They aren't as popular and so the demand price is lower. They do tend to be more expensive than rowers since they have more electronics and mechanical parts.

Stair climbers don't usually fold up and so become more of a permanent fixture in a room. In a dedicated home gym area this isn't a big deal. If you plan to use the room for other purposes then be aware that the stair climber might be more present. They do have a smaller floor footprint than most treadmills, elliptical machines, and exercise bicycles, though.

The rowing machine and stair climber are two pieces of home cardio equipment that are often overlooked, and it's too bad. Both of them provide great aerobic workouts, take up less space than more traditional equipment, and can be purchased quite reasonably. Before you shell out for an exercise bike look go ahead and try these two cardio machines out. You might change your mind!


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Picking a Home Treadmill: Five Considerations

So you've decided to shell out for a treadmill for your home gym. If properly chosen, a good treadmill can be a great piece of home exercise equipment and last you a long time. Here are some things to think about before you go to the store so you don't end up with something that
you don't want.

Number 1: What are you going to use the treadmill for? Let's think about the stress that you place on a treadmill. If you run then it become the equivalent to about twelve times your bodyweight hitting the machine, where as if you walk it's only 3-4 time your bodyweight. Also take into account your bodyweight. I'm a pretty big guy, and if I chose to run on a treadmill it would take some abuse. I would need to invest in a high quality, commercial-caliber treadmill for that activity. If I were simply going to walk on the treadmill then I probably wouldn't need as expensive a unit.

Number 2: Does it have the features you want? I personally like to walk at a very high incline on a treadmill, sometimes as high as a 15% grade. Most home treadmills only go up to a 10-12% grade. For me it's important to be able to go higher so I would spend the extra money, but if it isn't an issue for you then don't pay for a feature you don't need.

Many home treadmills don't go as fast as runners would like, so if you plan to run on the treadmill then keep that in mind as well.

Number 3: Check out the belt length and width. Try out the treadmill before you buy it. Some home treadmills are very short and have narrow belts. This is great as far as not taking up much room, but some of them are so small that I have a hard time getting into a full stride, and I am only 6'1". Bring some good shoes with you to the store and make sure you feel very comfortable with your treadmill before you buy it.

Number 4: Does it have programs and are they what you'd like? I'm a get-on-the-mill and go kind of guy, or I adjust the machine manually, but a lot of people love hill-type programs. Some treadmills come with great programs that will run you through famous places in the world like a segment of the Great Wall of China and whatnot. These can be a lot of fun if you're looking for something to break the boredom.

Number 5: Warranty or service plan. If you're buying from a store then you want to make sure that the treadmill works! Pay attention to the maintenance of the treadmill and you can definitely extend the life of your purchase. Assuming that you're not exceptionally hard on your treadmills then you should able to use it for a very long time. However, if something does go wrong then it's important to know your warranty will cover it or that there's a regular service plan. These machines aren't cheap and there's no sense in wasting money on one.

If you've got a little bit of space a treadmill is a great piece of home fitness equipment. Check into your purchase before you make it and you'll have a great piece of machinery that will help you get leaner, healthier, and fight the blues!


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