Different Types of Home Gyms

The Bowflex:  20-minutes a Day, 3-Days a week, but is it true? 

I’ve only used a Bowflex on two occasions and really liked it.  Buying a Bowflex really depends on what you hope to achieve in your weight lifting endeavours.  If you’re looking for a Bowflex body, you can achieve that with a Genuine Bowflex, but if you’re looking for something to make you stronger and faster for sports specific, or you want to be a professional bodybuilder, you’ll need something more. 

The average price of a Bowflex is $1500, with the lowest priced Bowflex being $799.  You can build a really great home gym for under $1000, with an Olympic Weight set and a Squat Rack.  Bowflex offers up to 90 exercises, but with over 100 exercises per body part you really wonder if this system is for you. 

Bowflex is great, and picking the right one depends on your goals, but if you’re really serious about weight training, getting a gym membership or building a more functional home gym is a better idea.

The Total Gym: Is Total Gym better than other Home Fitness products?

My first piece of weight training equipment was a Total Gym 1000, way back in 1998.  I thought that it’d make me big and strong just like Chuck.  I was wrong; I found that the Total Gym 1000 on the highest setting couldn’t tax my prepubescent muscles.

I’ve read that the Total Gym has made leaps and bounds since then, and comes with resistance band settings to add resistance, but that still doesn’t sell me on this product.

If you’re looking at buying a Total Gym, make sure you purchase one with the additional resistance option.  Total Gyms in my mind are best suited for females and the elderly.  They can help tone your body with minimal stress on the body and it’s joints.  This isn’t meant to be viewed as derogatory to females or the elderly but the Total Gym is useless to most males, usually looking to add lots of muscle.

Bandflex: The Bowflex Alternative

At a fraction of the cost of the lowest priced Bowflex, the Bandflex is a great alternative.  Although not as advanced as the Bowflex, the Bandflex is a great beginners workout tool.

Weider Weight Stack Home Gyms: And other Weight Stack Workout Stations

Basic Weider Home Gyms usually feature bench press, Pulldown, and leg extension options.  The more advanced models feature pec decks, squat attachments, pull-up attachments, dip stations, and even more.  The prices of these machine range from the amount of attachments and options that come with them.

My parents bought me an extremely basic Weider Home Gym for Christmas one year and I used it sparingly.  I’ve also used one of the more advanced models at a friends house, but that too just didn’t provide the workout I had expected.

My problem with Weight Stack Workout stations is the limited Range of Motion they provide.  You can put yourself through a much better workout with some dumbbells and an adjustable bench.

Weider Digital Resistance Control Home Gyms:

Weider has come out with a unique new gym that features cables and pulleys and the ability to change your resistance by using the Digital Control Resistance function.  This helps you fly through workouts with ease.

The Weider DCR system features up to 340lbs of resistance and the ability to do over 75 gym quality exercises.  It also features a built in Personal Training feature that makes workouts even easier.

The Platinum DCR system is not only a great home workout station, but it’s also very affordable at $699.

My Final Opinion:

I personally believe in free weight workouts.  But not all people are physically able to do them, and not having a spotter can be a problem.  If you’re looking for a great alternative I really recommend checking out the Bowflex, Bandflex, and Weider DCR Platinum Home Gym. 

Remember to keep your personal fitness goals in mind when choosing a home gym.  The Gym with the most options isn’t always the best choice, especially if the gym comes with attachments you’ll never use.

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Randall of Randalls-eBooks (http://stores.ebay.com/Randalls-eBooks)