09 Jan New year, new you: Build a successful home gym

Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a five-part series on tips to get more fit in 2013. Today, here are tips to Build a successful home gym.

Many people who say they’ve tried to get on a regular workout program but can’t blame a lack of motivation. Lots of others cite a lack of time.
If you create a successful workout room in your own home, both of those excuses can be erased to a large extent.
You’ll save lots of time that would have been spent driving to a gym and possibly waiting in line for equipment by working out in the comforts of your own home.
And you can set up your home gym exactly how you want it. Setting up a home gym the right way can add to your motivation to exercise.
Put your fitness equipment in a comfortable room, where you’ll enjoy putting in lots of hours of exercise. If you set up a treadmill in a crowded, cluttered garage, do you really think you’ll use it a lot there?
Now that could be different if it’s a big garage and set up nicely for exercising, or a basement that’s big enough and cleared out enough for fitness equipment.
Wherever you set up your fitness area, make sure it’s conducive to working out. Try to make it as fun a room as possible to be in. Set up a stereo and/or TV. Put up pictures or posters that motivate you. It’s hard enough to stay motivated for fitness the older we get, but if it’s a boring room to be in that certainly won’t make it any easier.
Make your fitness room a source of pride. Add equipment along the way. Maybe even give it a name. And keep working out!

Get the right equipment
Invest in yourself by getting at least one A-list piece of fitness equipment. The two most popular big-ticket additions for doing cardio are a treadmill or elliptical machine
Exercising on a treadmill can help increase your metabolism, whether you’re running or walking. Combined with healthy eating, how much cardio activity you do and other factors like age and weight, you could lose 2-4 pounds a week after starting a walking program.
An elliptical machine can provide a great workout without jarring your joints and bones. For people who have soreness in their knees or ankles after a run, the elliptical could provide an excellent alternative. The elliptical uses continuous motion instead of the up-and-down movement of your feet slamming against the ground on each step. This elliptical motion is a lot better for your joints and bones.
While the focus is on the legs, the elliptical can provide a full-body exercise. By grabbing onto attached handles, your upper body will also get a workout. The full-body workout can allow a person to burn as many as 500 calories in a half hour.
Two other key investments to consider for a home gym are getting a home gym or functional trainer.
A home gym features one or two weight stacks, along with fixed arms and hand grips to move the weights.
Movements on a home gym traditionally follow a set plane, such as military press for shoulders, bench press for chest or leg extensions. Home Gyms are great for beginners as they are generally regarded to be easier to use, but they can also benefit experienced lifters.
Functional trainers are often less expensive than traditional home gyms, while also requiring less space. Like home gyms, functional trainers have weight stacks on their base, however, the weights are moved by a cable systems that comes with different shaped handles.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. Consult a doctor before making any significant changes in your exercise routine or diet. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com