5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying Gym Equipment
Thinking of buying some gym equipment for your home? Investing in your own gym equipment could help you to improve your home workouts and potentially motivate you more to reach your fitness goals. However, you need to make sure that you buy the right equipment and that you’re likely to get good use out of it.
Below are just a few questions that could be worth asking yourself before buying home gym equipment.
What’s your budget?
Home gym equipment can be expensive. While there are cheap options out there, some of these may be of lower quality and not suitable for your type of workout. You should carefully consider your budget and what you can realistically afford.
A few ways in which you can make gym equipment more affordable on a tight budget include:
Buying used equipment: You may be able to find used equipment for a cheap price on sites like Gumtree and Facebook. Some of this equipment may be barely used and in good condition.
Checking out reviews of cheap new equipment: Low-cost new equipment options may not always be of good quality or reliability. It’s worth checking out online reviews to see what other people think - if there are lots of positive reviews, then it could be worth buying.
Buying equipment on finance: You may be able to take out a loan to buy better quality equipment. Just consider whether you’re really willing to take out debts to afford your own equipment.
Considering non-machinery gym equipment: Equipment like skipping ropes, exercise balls, dumbbells, resistance bands, and kettlebells can be relatively cheap to buy - and possibly all you need to work out with (depending on your exercise goals).
How much space have you got?
Space is an important factor to consider. Some gym equipment can be very bulky - if you haven’t got much space in your home, you don’t want to be buying huge treadmills and cross-trainers.
Non-machinery equipment tends to be best if you haven’t got a lot of space. You don’t need a lot of space to exercise with a kettlebell or medicine ball and you can easily store such equipment in a cupboard.
If you’re looking to invest in some machinery, a versatile functional trainer could be a good option. You can exercise pretty much every part of your body on this machine and you don’t need too much space to use it (even if the equipment itself is quite bulky). There’s also the option of foldaway exercise bikes and foldaway rowing machines - these can be taken out temporarily when you need to exercise and stored away in a cupboard or corner when not in use.
What are your exercise goals?
Certain equipment may be better suited to your exercise goals than other equipment. If you’re training for a marathon, a treadmill could be a worthy investment. However, if you’re mainly interested in body-building, a treadmill may just end up gathering dust.
Equipment needs to be catered to your fitness and proficiency level. An Olympic barbell and range of bumper plates may be worth splashing out on if you’re serious about getting into weightlifting as a sport, however, such equipment may be unnecessary if you’re just looking to do casual weight training.
Do you really need equipment?
It’s possible to work out without any equipment at all. From holding the plank to doing push-ups and squats, there are so many static and dynamic exercises that you can do without equipment.
There’s also the option of using furniture and household items. A sofa could be ideal for elevated push-ups and tricep dips. You can also use stairs for step-ups. As for weight lifting, there are all kinds of things you can use as substitute weights.
Would you be better off at the gym?
A public gym could give you access to a range of high-quality equipment. If such equipment is necessary for your workout, it might make sense to work out at the gym rather than trying to buy equipment for your home.
You do have to weigh up the cost of a gym membership, plus you need to be comfortable sharing equipment with other people. Buying your own equipment and working out from home could save you money in the long run, plus you can use the equipment whenever you want without having to wait for other people to finish using it. Consider whether these benefits are worthwhile.