Home Exercise Equipment Adviser

Recumbent exercise bikes are great for those who want a bike that will allow hands free movement giving you the option to carry out upper body exercises at the same time as cycling, for people who are looking for a more comfortable form of cycling exercise than an upright might allow or for those of us with a propensity to injure our back easily. A recumbent can be the ideal bike in these situations. The Schwinn Active 20 Recumbent Exercise Bike is the entry model recumbent in Schwinn’s current range. You can get cheaper discount recumbent exercise bikes but they don’t carry the Schwinn name or come with the same guarantees on build quality or the years of experience Schwinn have in manufacturing this type of home exercise equipment.

The Active 20 at $250 is $100 cheaper than the Schwinn 220 and $200 cheaper than the Schwinn 230 recumbent exercise bike but despite lacking the features of these other sister bikes still packs a mighty punch when compared to similar priced recumbents. The main difference with this bike and others made by Schwinn is that the Active 20 is much lighter in weight so is easier to relocate and comes with fewer resistance levels and programs but a lot more than similar priced competitors.

If you are serious about your running and are looking for a top quality treadmill for home use then the best model on the market is the Sole F80 treadmill. This treadmill has been the best selling serious treadmill on Amazon since it’s release despite its price of $1500.00. Other treadmills may be cheaper on price but you just don’t get the features you find on the Sole F80.

What makes a top quality treadmill for running? The main features to look for are length of running board, the continuous horse power provided by the motor and the amount of incline the treadmill can give you. Many cheap incline treadmill models will have a running board that is less the 50 inches long. The problem with this is that if you are average height your running stride will probably be a little longer than this. This means these cheaper, shorter treadmills are really only good for walking exercises, although if you are shorter in stature you may get away with a running board below 50 inches. You want a treadmill with at least 2.5 hp for running. This will ensure the motor is strong enough not to be under to much stress at the upper speeds and will consequently not burn out over time. Look for a motorised incline to at least 12 degrees to give you the widest range of programs and to develop your fitness even as you improve your stamina. Machines with lesser incline will be easier to grow out of as your fitness improves.

A rowing machine is an ideal way to get a full body workout that will exercise your heart, lungs and muscles without putting excessive strain on your joints or give your body impact injuries. For these reasons alone home rowing machines are extremely popular options when it comes to buying a piece of home fitness equipment. Home rowers tend to generate resistance through hydraulic pressure, magnetic resistance, air or water resistance. Hydraulic and magnetic rowers tend to be the cheaper options and are generally easier to store, air rowers tend to for those looking for as realistic rowing exercise as possible. Magnetic rowers are often slightly more expensive than hydraulic rowers but are often more reliable, quieter in use, have smoother operation and can also fold down easily for storage.

Spartan Sports Magnetic Rower

The cheapest magnetic rowing machine for sale on the market now is the Spartan Sports Magnetic Rower that comes in under $180. This compares favourably with the cheapest best selling hydraulic rowers such as the Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050 Rowing machine and is considerably cheaper than top end hydraulic rowers whilst having all the benefits of smooth rowing action thanks to the magnetic resistance method.

Features

If you are looking for the best buy home gym, then the Body Solid EXM1500s home gym is the top rated home gym for sale on the market and is well worth considering. Priced at an entry gym level (sub $1000), the Body Solid 1500s has developed a reputation for doing more than the rest with a gym quality machine at a great price.

This home gym equipment, although not ideal for getting truly pumped up, is ideal for those who are looking for a workout several times a week with the greatest variety of exercises available and a gym that will achieve good body tone.

Features

The Body Solid EXM1500s features a single 160 pound stack of weights that rise in 10 pound increments. Up to 30 exercises can be carried out without to much setting up of the machine. The gym offers a number of workstations for bench press, leg extension and curls and has a high level station that can be used for latt pull downs and cable crossovers, mid level workstations that are ideal for abdominal crunches and a low level station that is great for seated rows, upright rows, cable curls, shrugs and wrist curls. An easy to use wall chart poster is provided to show the full range of exercises you can do with this machine and an instructional DVD is also included.

If you are after cheap entry level home gym equipment then the Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym is a great place to start. Bowflex home gyms are renowned for solid no nonsense reliability and this model is no different. Easy to assemble with full, detailed instructions you can be training utilising 30 strength training programs or the built in rowing machine within two hours. This home gym is ideal for the user who is looking for a good workout twice a week but probably not for the serious bodybuilder.

Compare prices on the Bowflex PR1000 : Amazon.com, Walmart & Dicks Sporting Goods

The Bowflex PR1000 home gym generates resistance through the patented Bowflex rod system giving as little a 5 pounds resistance all the way through to a 210 pound maximum ensuring you can work arms, legs, shoulders, abs, chest, back and lower body effectively.

The gym comes with sliding seat rail for rowing exercises that will stimulate cardiovascular activity but is also useful for leg extension or leg curl exercises. Multi use hand grip/ankle cuffs are included to add flexibility and performance to any workout. Four inch padded roller cushions are included for comfortable leg curl exercises. All this and the gym folds down.