Best Equipment for At-Home Gyms

LIVESTRONG.COM

Joining a gym is not a requirement for weight loss. You can achieve an effective workout in your own home, regardless of your budget. The best home exercise equipment for weight loss must meet your specific needs. Before making an investment, consider what type of movement appeals to you, what physical limitations you may have and how much space you have to devote to your "gym."

Big Budget

If you have a generous budget, consider investing in a machine like a treadmill or an elliptical trainer. A treadmill allows you to walk or run indoors and is appropriate for all fitness levels. Running on a treadmill, at a rate of just 5 mph for an hour helps a 160-lb person burn nearly 600 calories, according to the Mayo Clinic. An elliptical offers a similar calorie-burn rate, but without impact, so it might be preferable to someone with joint or back problems. Both cost anywhere from $500 to $4,000 as of 2010. Know that you will have to devote about 30 square feet for either piece of equipment.

LIVESTRONG.COM: Treadmill vs Elliptical Trainer

Moderate Budget

If you are looking to spend less, invest in a stability ball, an aerobic step and varying sizes of dumbbells. As of 2010, the total cost of this equipment ranges from $200 to $300. With this equipment, you can effectively burn calories with a circuit of strength and cardio---alternating strength training exercises with cardio blasts in quick succession. This approach burns at least 30 percent more calories than single set weight training, reports the "Fitness" magazine website. With your step, perform cardio moves like knee ups, running up and down and over-the-tops. Use the step as a weight bench to do moves like chest presses or dips. You may also perform strength training exercises while lying on the stability ball to train your core.

Small Budget

If you have little money and space, inexpensive equipment like a jump rope and resistance tubing can still help you lose weight. Jumping rope burns 730 calories in an hour for a 160-lb. person, reports the Mayo Clinic. While you may be challenged to sustain a steady hour of jumping rope, you can break your session up into 20-minute segments and do them at different intervals throughout the day. Resistance tubing---quarter-inch round latex tubes that stretch like rubber bands---is inexpensive and easy to store. One tube costs about $10 as of 2010. Use the tubing to build muscle through moves like biceps curls, chest presses, back rows, triceps extensions and squat to shoulder presses. By developing more lean muscle mass, you improve your appearance so that when you lose weight, you look tight and toned rather than soft. Muscle tissue also burns more calories at rest than does fat, helping you manage your weight more efficiently.

By Andrea Cespedes


References

  • "Journal of the American Chiropractic Association;" Home Exercise Equipment: What's Best? March 2002

  • Exercise Equipment Review: Popular Equipment

  • American Council on Exercise: How to Design Your Own Home Gym

  • Mayo Clinic: Calories Burned Through Exercise

  • Fitness Magazine: Circuit Training

Best Equipment for At-home Gyms courtesy of LIVESTRONG.COM