The best home gym equipment isn't the most expensive or fancy machine at the sporting good store and knowing when to splurge is key to building the best at home gym for great fat burning workouts. This quick comparison guide shows you when to splurge and when to fitness hack for great at home workouts.
Home Gym Equipment Splurge: Isolation & Cable Machines $500-$5000
Splurging for a machine that strengthens and tones the entire body ( Bowflex, Total Gym, Body Solid or Powerline) can be useful for beginners or people with poor stability but it's not practical or functional for intermediate/advanced fitness buffs. Because machines train your body in isolation they do a poor job of training your smaller stabilizer muscles and over time can limit your results and weaken your core which can lead to a variety of painful injuries. In this case the hack is a much better option!
Cheap Home Gym Hack: Small Apparatus Training $40-$400
Not only will opting for the smaller apparatus save you money it will build you a fitter, healthier more functional body too. The best part about choosing smaller portable exercise equipment (resistance bands, fitness balls, dumbbells, suspension trainer or pull up bar, gliding discs, etc.) over pricey space hogging home gym machines is your workouts will never be limited to the same boring movement patterns which means you'll have more fun and burn more fat long term.
Home Gym Splurge: Cardio Machines $200-$2000
If you enjoy cardio and it's a big part of your workout routine, a cardio machine (bike, treadmill, elliptical, or rower) is definitely a great splurge and a good investment since you can sell it if you ever outgrow it. If cardio is not a huge part of your workout regimen then the DIY fitness hack works ever better!
Timed cardio intervals using just your body and a cheap interval timer like the one in all my workout videos are fun and even more effective for fatloss than machine cardio. They can be as simple as sprinting and jump rope intervals or involve more complex movement patterns such as burpees, jumping lunges, mountain climbers, rotating pushups, or squat jumps and pull ups. Body weight cardio happens to be the top choice of top fatloss experts and fitness buffs and you can't beat the price!
At Home Workout Splurge: DVD Workout Programs $90-$300
Following a great workout program that progresses you through various levels of intensity is the ONLY way to get fit but do you really need to splurge on a set of 13 fitness DVD's for maximum fat burning and fitness? In this case it is really a matter of preference. Some people do best when training with DVD workout plans that feature a highly motivating instructor. The only real issues with this splurge is that once your body adapts those DVDs will no longer challenge your body and you will need a new system to continue getting results.
DIY Home Workout Hack: Downloadable Fitness Plans $25-$100
A great option if you can't or don't want to constantly fork over cash for a new set of workout DVD's every time your body adapts is a downloadable fitness plan. An ebook or set of digital workout downloads often comes with endless bonuses that show you how to mix up your workouts in more ways than you can imagine which is a great fitness skill to learn if you plan on staying fit for life. The main difference between DVD and digital fitness is with motivation which is delivered via audio, forums or private membership sites.
Keep getting fitter and stronger with P90X2: The Next P90X DVD Series Base Kit
or try a digital workout plan with unlimited workout options such as FitterU Ipod Weight Loss Workout Program by Yuri Elkaim featured in video here.
