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SHAPE UP AT HOME

Creating a Fitness Room that Fits Your Needs

By Ellen Scolnic

What’s keeping you from exercising? No time to drive to the gym? Health club membership too expensive? Hate to exercise in front of other, more-buff bodies? For these reasons and others, more and more people are exercising their right to work out at home. “Get the green light from your doctor first,” says Randy Musselman, commercial sales director for The Fitness Superstores, “Then you can design a new fitness room, a new lifestyle and a new you.”

Before setting up a home fitness center, think about who will use the equipment and what each person wishes to achieve, advises Joe Fedullo, manager of the Leisure Fitness store in Ardmore, PA. Maybe your spouse wants to increase flexibility or relieve stress. Your teenage son might want to build muscle or stay in condition for sports. Weight loss may be important to some family members.

After you’ve decided on your goals, the next step to setting up a workout room that really works is to talk to a fitness industry expert to make sure that the equipment you’re considering meets your specific goals.

Based on sales at Leisure Fitness, the most popular items for home use are the elliptical trainer, treadmill and exercise bike - in that order, reports Fedullo. “All three are cardio workouts - you get your heart rate up and try and maintain it for a period of time - but the elliptical and treadmill involve the lower body too. People who chose bikes either have space limitations or back problems and want to exercise in a more comfortable position.”

Fedullo recommends the Precor brand elliptical trainer, which is easily adjusted to each person’s fitness level and workout routine. He says that ellipticals offer a great workout with a very low perceived rate of exertion so you can stay on them longer.

Whatever equipment you choose, Musselman advises clients to think long term. “Work within your two budgets - the financial one and the spatial one - and try to make quality choices that will serve you for years to come,” he says.

Some newer homes have an optional home gym built right into the floor plan. But in older homes, the exercise room is often a spare bedroom or in the basement. Experience shows that it’s better to design a separate exercise area whenever possible, to avoid the dreaded - but common - “exercise bike as clothes hanger” syndrome.

Keep in mind that each piece of fitness equipment has a different “footprint,” that is, requires a certain amount of floor space. You can fit an exercise bike into an area as small as 36x48 inches, according to the experts. A treadmill on the other hand, can be twice as long. It’s essential to measure your space before making any purchase.

Adequate ceiling height is something people often forget about. Can you swing you arms over your head? Keep in mind that most equipment is 4-8 inches off the ground, making you that much taller when you’re on it.

What’s underfoot is important too. “Carpet fibers, dust and dirt can ruin exercise equipment that has moving parts,” says Jeff Moser, of the Omni Fitness store in Horsham, PA. “In the winter when the heat is on, carpets generate static electricity and static charges are bad for LED displays that are part of many fitness machines. A rubber mat, even on top of carpeting, cuts down on static. Rubber mats cut down on vibrations and noise from the equipment too.”

The room needs proper lighting also. You don’t want to stub your toe on a dumbbell in the corner. Mirrors are helpful too, for checking your body position as you exercise and also for reflecting light, making any space appear larger.

A total workout involves more than aerobics and weights. Your body needs to prepare for the exertion. Natalie Innella, manager of The Better Back Store in Villanova, PA suggests that your fitness room include an inversion table for a pre-workout stretch. The idea is to start by hanging for 3-4 minutes and gradually work your way up to 15 minutes of inversion. “Once you get used to inversion, you can use the table for crunches, twists and turns,” she says. “Gymnastic exercise balls also come in handy for stretching and strengthening backs and abs.”

Even the most dedicated fitness buffs are willing to admit that working out can be boring. A media center with television, CD or DVD player can help speed the exercise time along. Watching TV or listening to music while you exercise does make the time go by faster, experts say.

Once your equipment and entertainment are just footsteps away, you have no excuse for not being buff. A daily exercise routine can easily become part of your life. “It’s not just a room,” says Fedullo, “It’s your ticket to well being.”