Buying a Home Gym

If you don't ask the right question before buying you home gym you may end up with a hulking piece of metal that doesn't meet your needs or live up to its promises of giving you the workout you want. And, with a home gym costing anything up to eight-thousand dollars, it may be the most expensive mistake you'll make when purchasing a single piece of fitness equipment.

The following is a guide on what you should ask yourself and the sales rep before you make your purchase. Be honest with yourself and forthright with the rep and you will get a home gym that will serve your needs for decades to come.

Body Solid Trainer

Your Goals

Be honest here. Sure, we all want to look like one of those models you see on the cover of a fitness magazine but in reality you need to ask yourself which area in particular you wish to work on. Do you require a gym for upper body workouts, leg strengthening, abs toning or general overall strength training? Knowing exactly want you want will determine which 'stations' the gym should have and will also go some way to determining your budget.

Your Budget

Never, and I mean never, spend more than you can afford. Your financial health is every bit as important as your physical health. Don't let anyone talk you into purchasing above what you can comfortably afford. Remember, you don't necessarily need the complete home gym when starting out. You can purchase the basic model of, say, a Powertec, BodyCraft or Body Solid home gym and then purchase an 'extension' at a later date as and when you can afford to do so.

Expanding your Home Gym

As stated above, many home gyms can be added to. For instance, many have been specifically designed to allow the easy addition of stations such as leg presses, lat pull downs, pec flys etc. When deciding on which model is best for you don't forget to evaluate the extensions that you can purchase at a later date. Think about your future training; will the home gym 'grow' with you or will you outgrow it? Optional extensions are a great way of allowing the gym to grow with your requirements over the coming years.

Your Space Limitations

I know it may sound obvious but you must make sure that you have the space for the gym. Many are quite large and, should you purchase further extensions, the gym just may not fit your room, garage or basement. So please measure up and make sure you have the room.

Your Warranty

This, often overlooked, aspect of purchasing a gym is crucial and is, perhaps, the most important of all your considerations. You can often tell whether a home gym is any good simply by knowing the warranty being offered. Some manufacturers really do stand behind their products and even offer lifetime warranties on every part of their gym! With a warranty like this you workout in complete assurance you'll never need replace your gym.

Customer Care

Perhaps just as crucial as the Warranty, try to find out what the customer service of the retailer and manufacturer is like. Things do go wrong and you want to be assured that, no matter what, the company you buy from really does believe that the customer is the most important part of their business. I cannot stress enough how important customer care is. Without outstanding customer care even the best built, most versatile, super-duper home gym could be nothing but a burden to you should things go wrong.

Buying a home gym can be a straightforward process. Just be honest with yourself and the sales rep. Think seriously about the points above, especially warranty and customer care. If I were to offer one piece of advice it would be to purchase a home gym that comes with an outstanding warranty and where you feel you will get the best after sales service.

Robert Mangan is the owner of www.fitnessLyceum.com an online retailer of fitness equipment were customer care is of paramount importance. The company retails America's best brands at the lowest price possible.