Weight machines with a sense of style

As lives get more hectic and going to the gym seems next to impossible, more people are opting for home fitness gear. With cardio and weight machines becoming more aesthetically pleasing, apparatus no longer must be relegated to the garage. The Hoist Fitness V-Series of weight machines is but one example.

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Hoist Fitness V-Series: These machines, which allow users to do everything from chest presses to leg curls, are a hybrid of commercial and consumer machines, making them more rugged than previous home models, says marketing director David Salisbury. Features include commercial-grade hand grips, steel construction and pulley stations. The weight stack even has a safety shield. “The design is a departure for us,” Salisbury said of the sleek look. “Hoist machines used to be built from an ergonomic standpoint, but we did a lot of market research and found that typically in the home market, two people make the decision -- and one has an aesthetic eye and wants something that has some style to it.”

Price: The series includes five models ranging in price from about $1,000 to $2,500; available at Busy Body Home Fitness stores and at Copeland Sports in Torrance and Westlake. For more information, go to www.hoistfitness.com.

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-- Jeannine Stein