CHOOSING EXERCISE EQUIPMENT - Bowflex, Crossbow, Treadmills & More!
Apr 28 '03 (Updated Jul 04 '03)
The Bottom Line Research and personal experience are the best ways to determine if a product is for you.
Choosing exercise equipment is a very important. If you think about it, hundreds or thousands of dollars, and hours of you life (working out) hang in the balance. That is why the selection proces is so important. It's like in realty, it's all about location. Well, in fitness its all about selection.
It is always good to start out with a general idea of how much you can afford to spend. Many companies now finance their more expensive products (the Bowflex and Crossbow for example).
Either before or after that it is important to decide what your fitness goals are. Do you want to tone your stomach, your arms, gain lean body mass (muscle), reduce your bodyfat, crosstrain, or just improbe your general health and fitness? Different goals not only require different diets and exercise plans but different exercise equipment. For example, if you want to increase your muscle definition you would want to do a high volume of aerobics (to reduce fat) and high repetition lifts (3 sets of 15-20 reps). Or if your goal is to build muscle mass or increase strength you would want to do heavy lifting with low repetitions (3 sets of 5-8 reps) and less aerobics.
Take your time deciding what you want to buy. It should not be an impulse buy. Also, I don't recommend buying from an infomercial or telemarketing call. I recommend going to a reputable sporting goods store trying out different products and then deciding.
Some Good Products:
These are a few products worth purchasing that you may want to consider.
Weider Crossbow
Portable Mini Cycle
Precor EFX546
Smooth 5.0P Treadmill
Some Bad Products:
These are a few products you will want to stay away from.
Ab Energizer
AbMat
Fast Abs
NordicTrack Ellipse 910e
Bally Total Fitness Speed Rope
Some of the "Good Products" I listed can be used for different goals. For example, the Crossbow is great for any fitness goal you may have. In fact, I think it is probably the best all around product available. Although the Precor EFX546 is pretty darn good too. But it's an aerobics only product.
When considering what equipment to purchase there is the endless debate over free weights vs. machines. I will try to stay neutral and point out the benefits of both:
Free Weights
- Allows a wider variety of exercises to be performed for each muscle.
- Machines cannot always accommodate people of all sizes and shapes. Free weights can.
- Exercises can be manipulated to stress muscles in different ways.
- Free weights can help improve coordination and balance.
Machines
- Relatively easy to use.
- The motion of the exercise is predetermined which can help you execute the exercise with good form.
- Machines can be helpful for beginners to learn the movements of various exercise.
- Strapped for time? Machines can be handy in speeding up workouts. Changing the weight can be as simple as inserting a pin into the weight stack.
- Machines are generally considered safer than free-weights, you don't need a spotter. You don't have to worry about dropping the weight on your foot, or someone else's for that matter.
I hope this helps you choose a good piece of equipment to fit your goals. I also recommend talking to a personal trainer or fitness professional to get some recommendations and guidance. Best of luck to you!
Thanks!
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