Buying Exercise Equipment: What To Look For
The modern day lifestyle makes it more convenient than ever to exercise from home. And with all the exercise equipment out there, you can build your own home gym. The amount of exercise equipment available is plentiful, which provides a lot of options for consumers nowadays. The downside however is trying to figure out what type of equipment to buy. Consumers can choose from ellipticals, treadmills, exercise bikes, free weights, kettlebells, home gyms, stair steppers, and so on. Not only do you have to figure out what type of equipment is best, but then decide which model to purchase.
BodyCraft Galena Pro Home Gym Review
The Galena Pro is from the Legacy Home Gym Series From BodyCraft. It features a pec dec that allows for traditional and dumbbell chest flys, and a press station for bench, incline, and shoulder press, in addition to mid rows. Also included is a low, mid, and high pulley. The weight stack has a total of 200 pounds. The mainframe consists of 2 x 2 and 2 x 3 steel tubing with a gauge of 12. Accessories include hand grips, lat bar, straight bar, ab strap, and ankle strap. The Galena Pro is backed by a lifetime warranty. XMark Fitness 4-Station Home Gym Review
The XM-8830 is the top home gym offered by XMark Fitness. It has press arms and a pec fly station to work the chest and back, a leg press, and a station for vertical knee raises and tricep dips. It also includes a low, mid, and high pulley, as well as a leg attachment for extensions and curls. Two, 210 pound weight stacks are included. The mainframe is 2" x 2" and 2 x 3" 14 gauge steel. It has aluminum pulleys and 2.5" high density cushions. The XM-8830 is backed by a limited lifetime warranty.
Inspire M3 Multi-Gym Review
The Inspire M3 Multi-Gym features a small footprint combined with commercial quality and a 210 pound weight stack. It includes press arms with horizontal and vertical handles. A strap is attached to the horizontal handle which can be used to do various exercises, including an inward chest press and chest flys. The mainframe consists of 2" x 4" 11 gauge steel; the cables have a tensile strength of 2000 pounds. Also included are nylon pulleys and precision ball bearings. Accessories include a lat bar, curl bar, strap handles, and an ankle strap. The M3 is backed by limited lifetime warranty.
Body Solid G10B Bi-Angular Home Gym Review
The G10B is one of the top home gyms sold by Body Solid. It features two, 210 pound weight stacks and 50+ exercises. The Bi-Angular press arms are exclusive to Body Solid, and are designed to provide resistance from several different angles. The perfect pec station designed for chest flys and reverse flys. Also included are mid, low, and high pulleys for a variety of exercises, such as lat pull-downs, triceps pull-downs, bicep curls, ab crunches, among others. A leg attachment is available for extensions and curls. The G10B is backed by a lifetime warranty. Powertec Workbench Levergym Review
Powertec was the first to manufacturer leverage home gyms. The Workbench Series has been around now for over a decade. The Levergym is a plate loaded gym that is meant to mimic the use of free weights. It features 16 strength training exercises, including the bench press, squats, bent over row, bicep curls, lat pull-down, front lateral raise, and upright row. The press arm and squat bar have a weight capacity of 500 pounds. The bench can be detached from the frame to clear space for squats, rows, and shoulder shrugs. It's backed by a lifetime warranty on the frame, 2 years on components, and 1 year on pads, grips, and other parts. Body Solid G1S Selectorized Home Gym Review
The G1S is an entry level home gym from Body Solid, and is the updated version of the EXM1500S. It features over 40+ exercises and a 160 pound weight stack. It includes a traditional chest press station, a leg attachment, and a low, mid, and high pulley. The steel cables have a tensile strength of 2200 pounds, and are military and aircraft grade. The steel tubing has a gauge of 12 and a powder coat finish. Accessories include a straight bar, lat bar, ab/triceps strap, and an ankle strap. The G1S is backed by a lifetime warranty.
Bowflex Blaze Home Gym Review
The Bowflex Blaze features 60 + exercises and 210 pounds of resistance that can be upgraded to 310 and 410 pounds. It features a sliding seat for rowing and the leg press. The cables and pulleys can be changed to several positions. The low pulley station up front can be used for squats, hamstring curls, leg extensions, and leg adduction/abduction. The bench can be adjusted to multiple positions: flat, decline, and incline. Also included is a lat pull down station. The Blaze is backed is a lifetime warranty on the power rods and 5-years on the machine.
Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym Review
The Bowflex PR3000 home gym is an upgraded version of the PR1000. It features more than 50 exercises and 210 pounds of power rod resistance, which the option to upgrade to 310 pounds. Cables don't need to be changed between sets. Also featured is a leg attachment for leg curls and extensions, and a high pulley that can be used for lat pull downs. The maximum user weight is 300 pounds. The warranty lasts for 1 year on the frame, 7 years on the rods, and 60 days on the parts.