Buyers Guide

Safety Concerns

Safety is an important concern – does it have dual front and side airbags?

Safety is an important consideration when shopping for home-based gym equipment. Most people who train at home find themselves doing workouts alone. This means extra caution must be taken with certain styles of training, or you run the risk of injury or worse. There are several methods that can assist with these workouts, such as pins, racks, bars, and cables designed to catch the weight in the event your muscles stop working for you.

A common question that is often asked is, “What’s the best – free weights or machines?”

My reply is often to ask another question: if you want to clear your sidewalk, are you going to use a shovel or a rake? The answer depends on the time of year. Shovels work well for snow, rakes work great for leaves. So how about your equipment?

Machines are great because they are often easy to configure (you typically just move a pin into a stack, sit down and go to work) and have built in safety. While they lock you into a range of motion, sometimes this can make the exercise safer. For example, a bench press on a machine places less torque on the rotator cuff because it is not required to stabilize the movement. A machine can also have a “catch” to keep from crushing you with the weight. Machines are limited in their range and function, however, and sometimes might lock you into an unnatural range of motion. They also don’t allow those important muscles called stabilizers to work and improve your coordination and burn more calories during the workout.

Free weights are fantastic because you are only limited by your imagination with the number of workouts you can do. You are able to manipulate the weight more and move through more range of motion. You have the opportunity to work unilaterally (one side at a time) or bilaterally and involved your stabilizer muscles. Free weights do take more time to set up, may be riskier than machines because there is no mechanism to lock the weight from crashing down, and for someone with weak joints may create extra strain during the workout.

Your goals will determine largely whether you choose to focus on machines, free weights, or a solution that integrates a combination of the two. You want to consider what exercises you are planning on performing. If your regimen is limited, then a basic machine might suffice. However, if you intend to train for a prolonged period and try out a variety of exercises, then you’ll want equipment that adapts to your various needs.

If you have a specific favorite, consider this when buying. Many individuals prefer the leg press for training the legs, but most home-based gyms do not include this feature. If it’s important to you, you’ll either want a unit that integrates a leg press, or you will have to budget for a separate leg-press machine as you build your gym.

More Information
How to choose equipment for home
Planning on taking your program

Related Links:
Keypoints to Consider in choosing a Home Fitness Equipment