When you finally decide that you’re fed up with making the trek to your local gym every day and dealing with hassles like waiting in line to use equipment or getting bumped in classes that are overly full, not to mention paying for the pricy monthly membership, you might be ready to set up your own home gym facility. And if you have an extra bedroom, an open basement, or other unused space, you’re already ahead of the game. With some good lighting and a couple of full-length mirrors in place you can start assembling the equipment you need to make a home fitness center that is suited to meet your particular needs. But don’t get ahead of yourself; fitness equipment is not cheap. Luckily, you don’t necessarily have to buy everything brand new. In order to spare expense you might want to consider buying some items used. You’ll simply have to put some thought into the pros and cons of new versus used gym equipment.
The first and most obvious benefit of buying used equipment is that you can get the items you want to outfit your home gym at a significantly reduced rate. Whereas you might spend thousands of dollars on new fitness machinery like a treadmill, a Stairmaster, or an elliptical machine, you could find the same products used for a fraction of the cost, or even free at yard sales or on sites like Craigslist (often with the “you haul” addendum). You could also get discounted prices on used weight-training equipment (hand weights, Kettlebells, rowing machines, Bowflex, etc.) and myriad items like steppers (for step aerobics), punching bags, Pilates balls, yoga mats, and more. Many of these items will be in great condition since plenty of sellers haven’t gotten much use out of them.
Unfortunately, there are also some drawbacks to purchasing used equipment as opposed to new. For one thing, you can get exactly what you want when you buy new items; when you buy used you not only purchase items with the dicey “as is” condition, but you are limited to whatever people in your area happen to be selling. And buying new means you get the latest equipment on the market. With used you could be getting equipment that is horribly outdated. Plus, second-hand items could suffer from problems associated with use such as general wear and tear, deterioration, missing parts, or odor (hey, it is exercise equipment). With a new product, you’ll have a warranty to fall back on should your product fail or suffer some kind of issue. You won’t have that option with used fitness equipment.
As to the issue of cost, you should also know that most brand new gym equipment for your home can be purchased with a payment plan so that you don’t have to incur a significant up-front cost when it comes to creating an environment conducive to exercise at home. In truth, you’ll likely want to purchase certain items new and others used, depending on what you are able to find in your area. Whether you’re laying down anti-slip, anti-fatigue mats, installing large machinery, or creating a comprehensive weight training setup, you need to think about what equipment you want for your home gym and how much you can afford to spend. This can help you to determine whether new or used equipment (or a combination of the two) will best meet your fitness needs.
