How to Evaluate and Purchase Quality Home Exercise Equipment, Part 2
Equipment Categories
Aerobic Fitness Equipment
- Stationary bicycles work the legs through the pedaling motion of a bicycle. Some models are used sitting upright, others recumbent (seated).
- Treadmills let you walk or run at varying speeds. Some models simulate inclines of various degrees, and many incorporate timers.
- Nordic ski machines simulate the motion of cross-country (also called Nordic) skiing and exercises the legs and arms simultaneously.
- Stairsteppers/climbers duplicate the motion of climbing up a flight of stairs. Some add upper- body exercise by simulating a pull-up climbing motion with the arms.
- Elliptical trainers are sort of a cross between a ski machine and a stairstepper, and put your legs and feet through a circular, up-and-down motion.
- Rowing machines work the back, arms and legs.
- Aerobic riders exercise the arms and legs simultaneously through a push/pull motion.
Strength Training Equipment
- Free weights, sometimes called "barbells" or "dumbbells," are among the most common forms of home exercise equipment.
- Multi-station machines, also known as "home gyms," typically use resistance created by either rubber resistance or cables attached to plated weights or flexible poles.
- Bands and tubing are lightweight ways to strength train at your home, office or while on the road.
Miscellaneous Fitness Equipment
- Heart rate monitors provide motivation, feedback and help you monitor exercise intensity.
- Exercise or stability balls have proven very effective for balance and flexibility training.
- Equipment based on the patents of exercise pioneer Joseph Pilates produces both strength and flexibility benefits.
Advice From Top Fitness Experts
- "Consider the manufacturer's claims carefully. Does the exercise improve strength or cardiovascular endurance? If it is promoted as doing both, there is a dilemma, since it is hard to achieve two ends of a continuum at the same time. Effective strength training takes high-intensity and short duration, while cardiovascular endurance requires low to moderate intensity and longer duration. Most machines do one or the other well, but not both."
- Wayne Westcott, Ph.D, strength training consultant to the national YMCA, IDEA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and author of several books on strength training.
- "Very often, you get what you pay for. The key is to buy at least one quality piece of equipment, which you can supplement with less expensive items if your budget is limited. Investing in quality exercise equipment that meets your goals protects your most important investment: your health."
- Gregory Florez, IDEA Presenter and chief executive officer of First Fitness, Inc.
- "Two of the major pitfalls I see clients falling into are one, not spending enough money to get quality; and two, buying something new and different on impulse without trying it out first to see how well it works."
- Angela Renee Settle, IDEA Presenter and president of Settle for the Best, Inc., a fitness consulting firm.
IDEA Advisory Panel
IDEA would like to thank the following industry experts for their assistance in developing this information.
Gregory Florez
Daniel Kosich, Ph.D
Angela Renee Settle
Dixie Stanforth, MS
Wayne Westcott, Ph.D
Article courtesy of IDEA Health & Fitness Association. Reprinted with permission.
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