HEALTH HORIZONS : FITNESS : Making Choices
Home exercise equipment worth your money isn’t usually found on late-night TV during reruns of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” The best bet is a store that specializes in workout equipment, not a chain sporting goods store where employees might not know the difference between barbells and Southern belles. “The options out there are overwhelming,” said Douglas Brooks, an Los Angeles- based exercise physiologist and personal trainer. ‘So that’s even more of a reason to consult.’
Finding the best home workout piece isn’t a problem if money is no object. Still, you don’t have to spend your (pre-diet) weight in gold. Here are some of the top picks from our experts:
CARDIOVASCULAR EQUIPMENT
Nordic Track--Although frustrating to learn, the ski simulator is a superb workout once mastered. So if you’re brave AND persistent, treat yourself to some sessions with a personal trainer ($50 an hour and up) to get the knack. ‘Most people give up too quickly,’ said Wayne Westcott, strength-training adviser for the YMCA of the USA. Mid-range models: $600-$770.
Schwinn AirDyne--The handles of this stationary bike move back and forth, so you work muscles in both the upper and lower body--a real plus in cardiovascular equipment. Westcott even bought one of these for his parents 14 years ago, and it’s still going strong. Only at Schwinn dealers. $700
Concept II Rowing Ergometer--”The king of the rowers,” says one equipment salesman. The Concept II’s fan wheel wafts cool air on you during a workout. It’s so sturdy that many health clubs use them. No high-tech bells and whistles. So what? $1,000
Treadmills--A home piece that’s the easiest to learn and use. Good treadmills--for example the Precor 9.1 and 9.2--start at $2,000. If one costs less than $1,000, don’t buy it.
LifeStep--Money burning a hole in your pocket? You can drop $3,500 on a sturdy LifeStep stair-climbing simulator. Your kids can inherit this aerobic workout monster, it’s so durable.
STRENGTH EQUIPMENT
Olympic Free Weights--Why bother with a confusing maze of pins, and bars when you can buy one bench and a set of weights for nearly the same price? Benches run from $200 to $400, depending on attachments. Six dumbbell pairs of varying weights, about $500. An optional rack for the weights, $200 or so. Don’t forget a book, video or personal trainer to show you how.
Schwinn BowFlex--A convenient setup using resistance bars and pulleys that Westcott even uses for wheelchair users, but good for anyone’s home workout. Only at Schwinn dealers. $800
Weight-Stack Machines--These are the gym units with a square stack of weights lifted by a cable. All you do is sit in a different place and change the pin in the weight stack before you yank on its cable to heave it upward. One weight stack means that only one person can work out at once. Pacific Fitness makes a solid one for $1,400. ParaBody, $2,000. Paramount, $2,700. CalGym makes a space-devouring model with four weight stacks ($3,800) so the whole family can pump iron together.
Cybex--and you say money is not a consideration? Then go directly to Cybex. The company that began as specialists in physical therapy equipment is now stocking health club weight rooms. A Cybex modular system with six mix-and-match exercise stations snuggled together runs nearly $6,000. More? Go for $8,000 and eight stations, but make sure you have a plenty big rec room.
Choosing exercise equipment is like buying a car: You have to kick the tires and go for a test drive, says Greg Niederlander, exercise physiologist and director of education at the Multiplex club near Chicago. If a store won’t let you try out the equipment, go someplace else. “You sit in a car, and you drive a car,” he says. “You don’t just look at it and buy it.”