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For years, fitness experts and amateur workout enthusiasts have debated the ultimate question around working out at home. Namely: what’s the best home workout machine?
It’s a good question. But while everyone from health-focused academics to armchair commenters have their own opinion on the matter—and can usually point to a study or two to back up their position—the reality is that there is no single, definitive answer. Every piece of home workout equipment is unique, just as the goals and desires of every person choosing to work out at home are unique.
What this means is that the best at-home workout machine for one person may not be the right choice for another. In this article, we’ll explore some of the options to choose from if you’re in the market for home exercise equipment. But before we do, we’ll dig a bit deeper into how you can discover the best home workout machine to meet your specific needs.
One thing’s for sure: there are a lot of options for home gym equipment in 2023. No matter how you like to work out or what your preferred form of exercise is, the growth of home fitness in recent years has been nothing less than explosive: research published by McKinsey in 2021 found that the market for health and wellness products, including home fitness equipment, is growing between 5 and 10 percent each year depending on the region.
If you’re considering buying fitness equipment to use at home this year, a few good first steps would be to determine:
- Your fitness goals
- Your preferred exercises
- Your level of motivation
- Your budget
Once you have answers to these important questions, deciding on a home workout machine will become much easier.
Everyone approaches working out with different goals in mind. Knowing this, being specific with your goals will be very helpful as you figure out what kind of equipment you’ll need to meet those goals.
For example, are you looking to lose weight over time, or just to get a good sweat going once or twice a week? Are you set on adhering to the best cardio workout, or would you rather stream TV while you work out at your own pace?
No matter how you want to work out, answering these questions will help guide you towards choosing the right home workout gear.
As you may already know, there are a ton of home exercise machines out there. Most are designed to encourage workouts along specific themes (i.e. the Stairmaster), while very few are built to support full-body workouts. With such a diverse range of home workout options on the market, having a clear vision of how and why you want to work out as a starting point is critical.
Below, we’ll look at some examples of popular home exercise equipment—from treadmills to rowing machines—along with pros and cons, to help you find your perfect match and get the most value (and enjoyment!) for your money.
Experienced users know that a treadmill can be a simple and effective workout machine for home use. But while it may seem overly easy to hop on a treadmill to burn calories, improve cardiovascular health, and lose weight, research from Harvard Medical School cautions that in order to gain the full benefit of treadmill exercise, users must follow the right methods during workouts.
The benefits of treadmill workouts are many: walking or running will increase your heart rate and get your blood flowing, helping improve circulation and increase oxygen levels in your blood. Treadmill workouts also help tone muscle and improve flexibility.
As with any home exercise machine, however, owning and using a treadmill has pros and cons. Some of these positives and negatives are listed below.
PROS:
● Treadmills are easy to use
● They support a wide range of workouts
● Many treadmills include built-in features to track progress
CONS:
● Treadmills can be large and bulky
● They require regular maintenance
● Treadmills can be noisy
● They target cardiovascular exercise only
● They focus on the lower body/legs
Elliptical machines offer a low-impact workout that can be tailored to your fitness level, making them ideal for beginners and experienced athletes alike.
What’s more, ellipticals tend to be compact and quiet, so you can easily fit one into your home without it taking up too much space or making too much noise. The benefits of an elliptical don't stop there, however.
Research has shown that elliptical workouts can help you burn more calories than other types of cardio, making them especially effective for weight loss.
And because ellipticals can also deliver full-body training (depending on how the machine is used) they’re worth considering as an investment to improve your overall health and fitness.
Here are some pros and cons to consider before investing in an elliptical:
PROS:
● Elliptical workouts tend to be low-impact, relative to treadmills
● Elliptical machines can provide a full-body workout
● Many ellipticals have built-in heart rate monitors
CONS:
● Elliptical machines can be expensive
● Some models are larger than others, taking up space
● Elliptical machines can be difficult to use if you have balance issues or physical limitations
● The type of workout they provide is limited
● Many people don’t enjoy the repetitive nature of the elliptical movement
● They target the lower body
● They target cardiovascular exercise only
Spin bikes can deliver a low-impact, high-intensity workout for anyone, regardless of their level of physical fitness. They're designed to simulate the experience of riding an actual bicycle outdoors and the benefits of using spin bikes are well established: research from the National Institutes of Health found that using spin bikes may help improve aerobic capacity, blood pressure, lipid profile and body composition.
In plain English, this means you can get a great cardio workout while toning your legs, glutes, and arms. As well, spin bikes are often adjustable, allowing you to customize your workout by increasing or decreasing the resistance on the bike to your comfort level.
Spin bikes are known to be low-impact relative to treadmills, meaning they're easy on your joints and muscles, so you can work out for longer without feeling sore or tired.
Here are some pros and cons of having a spin bike at home:
PROS:
● Spin bikes offer a great cardio workout
● It’s usually easy to alter resistance levels
● Spin biking is a low impact exercise, relative to running on a treadmill
CONS:
● Spin bikes can be expensive
● Can sound annoying/ be loud
● Not ideal for those who’ve suffered back or knee injuries
● Not ideal for those with weak backs or knees
● Can create posture issues (encourage a hunched over position)
● Target the lower body/ legs only / not a full body workout
● Require clip in shoes for best experience which are an additional purchase
We’ve saved the best for last. When used correctly, rowing machines deliver the most effective full-body workout of any home workout machine, making it possible to work out nearly all your muscle groups from the comfort of your home.
Not only do rowing machines provide an intensive cardio workout, they also target the arms, legs, and core, simultaneously engaging 86% of the muscles in the body, making rowing the most effective home exercise you can do, not only for cardiovascular health but for strength training as well.
Rowing machines are ideal for people looking to lose weight by performing low-impact exercises and improving their overall health. Rowing is far gentler on the joints than other forms of exercise, such as running on a treadmill or using a spin bike. Rowing is only secondary to swimming when it comes to a low impact way to exercise.
Aviron Impact Series and Strong Series rowers have been recognized as among the best rowing machines on the market, due to their unique take on rowing workouts. Aviron rowers use a combination of game psychology and design to engage users through games, races, group workouts and more. In addition, Aviron rowers provide wide-ranging functionality, durability, accessibility, and quality of construction.
Aviron’s guided workout programs allow you to customize your workout based on your fitness level, making the machine perfect for beginners and experts alike.
The cherry on top? Aviron rowers allow you to access streaming services including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video and YouTube, [1] allowing you to enjoy your favorite content while getting healthy.
For those who want to add strength training to their routine, Aviron rowers have a built-in dual air and magnetic resistance system, allowing you to add up to 100 lbs of resistance to each stroke. The air resistance system provides a smooth, natural feel—just like being on water. While the magnetic system allows you to do strength training workouts like bicep curls, all from the comfort of your Aviron rower.
Rowing is also an excellent way to burn calories, making it an ideal choice for people of all fitness levels looking to lose weight and improve heart health. If you’re looking for low impact, flexible workouts that can be adjusted to your comfort level at any time, rowing machines are the clear choice.
Traditional rowing machine
PROs
● Full body workout
● Low impact and easy on joints
Traditional rowing machine
Cons
● Traditional machines are often equipped with a low narrow seat that makes it difficult for beginners to use
● They often have very narrow foot placement which also makes them difficult to use for beginners and larger individuals
● Traditional rowing machines are also equipped with a chain belt or water resistance which makes them either loud and difficult to maintain or both
Traditional rowing machines are long and require at least 7’ of permanent space in the home
Aviron rowing machines
Pros
● Designed to be accessible for users who are up to 500 lbs. And 6’ 8”
● Designed to be accessible for beginners and larger individuals with a wide seat, wide/adjustable foot placement and raised seat for easy on/off
● A wide variety of fitness programming across 8 categories makes working out with Aviron fun and immersive for all fitness levels
● Aviron rowers are either foldable or can be stored upright and are designed with a compact footprint
Aviron rowing machines
Cons
● Premium price point
Minimal physical locations to try the product
Ultimately, deciding what right home exercise machine is right for you will depend on the factors mentioned above. Evaluating your needs based on your fitness goals, your budget, your preferred way to work out, and other factors will take a little time, but is well worth the effort. Make sure to choose the best all-around option for you and your family, so you can start to reap the benefits and convenience of working out at home.
