Most of the people who exercise consistently aren’t huge fans of doing cardio and label it as boring.
However, cardiovascular exercises boost your overall system, the heart, and lungs become stronger; muscles and joints are nourished, strengthened, and overall mobility is improved.
More and more people are now beginning to understand the importance of regular exercise and staying active.
The world is changing as we know it, where people are working from home, which means they’re creating home gyms.
A certain number of them are using what I call a hybrid approach, where they split their routines between a commercial gym and at home.
If you are planning to purchase cardio exercise equipment, here are five useful tips that could help you choose the right one so that it doesn’t become a clothes rack.
Let’s cover them now…
1)) Determine What Cardio Machine Interest You The Most
There’s a plethora of cardio machines on the market with more being introduced all the time.
Have you ever walked into a fitness equipment center or browsed an online store?
You could easily become overwhelmed with all the models and various options available.
Fitness trainers, loved ones, and even co-workers may recommend different kinds of equipment based on their own likes.
But it is important to consider what cardio machine you would like to add to your home gym.
Keep in mind that you’ll be using this piece of equipment for a long time, which is why it’s extremely important to invest in a machine you actually love and look forward to using several times per week.
Most Popular Cardio Machines
- Elliptical Trainers
- Exercise Bikes (Upright or Recumbent)
- Rowers
- Step Machines
- Treadmills
Tip: Make sure you have enough space available for whatever cardio machine you plan to invest in before going through the trouble and expense.
2)) Consider Your Budget
Once you have determined what cardio equipment you prefer, then you could start price comparison shopping.
There is nothing wrong with shopping around. You could check the running price for both brand-new and pre-owned exercise equipment.
Pre-owned is usually less expensive unless the seller is price gouging, just be sure that they are in good operating condition.
There’s nothing smart about overpaying for anything, and that includes cardio equipment.
3)) Looking For Places To Buy Equipment
There are local sporting goods and fitness stores that sell exercise equipment. The internet is also a rich source of information.
Don’t just check one website and stop there. Online shops are becoming so competitive; prices tend to be lower than brick-and-mortar fitness equipment stores.
If you have decided to purchase from an online store, then you must consider the shipping cost, warranties, and of course, service agreements.
Tip: It’s become common practice for consumers to read product reviews before making purchases, and I recommend you do the same before investing in any fitness equipment.
4)) Check The Warranty And Return Policy
When making your purchase from online stores always look for the warranty and return policy.
The cardio machine could suffer damage while being transported to your home or could have missing parts.
This is why you must know the details of the warranty and return policy before making the investment.
An ethical equipment seller will honor their policies by replacing any damaged components without any hassles.
5)) Test The Equipment
After receiving your shiny new cardio machine, immediately test every aspect of it to confirm whether you’d like to keep it.
While putting it to the test, make mental notes regarding the physical and mechanical aspects of the machine such as:
- Ergonomics (e.g. can you properly fit, is it comfortable? etc.)
- Is the motor strong enough? (Depends on machine type)
- Does the motor operate smoothly?
- Check resistance levels (e.g. Are you strong enough to handle them?)
- Check for any damages and missing parts
The whole goal is to confirm whether you’d be happy with your investment and whether will it motivate you to use it multiple times per week.
Conclusion
Consumers spend millions of dollars on exercise contraptions they rarely or never use.
One of the biggest reasons for this statistic besides a lack of motivation is because they chose the wrong equipment in the first place.
This is why I recommend you look at purchasing cardio equipment as an investment.
This simple mindset shift usually causes you to make your choice wisely and not haphazardly pick the first piece of equipment you come across.
When you purchase any exercise equipment, you are investing in your health and overall well-being.
If you’re one of the folks who dread doing cardio, I encourage you to think about the long list of benefits you get as a result.
Those benefits include an increase in circulation, a boosted metabolism, fat loss, more energy, etc.
Doing a little cardio multiple times per week is a small price to pay for all those benefits, right?
So, if you’re in the market for a piece of cardio equipment, keep these five tips in mind.
Download Our Free E-book!
