Fitness Equipment for Universal Gyms

Home gyms are usually of two types; either they are universal gyms or free-weight home gyms. The first provide total body workouts as they have weight training provision for every major muscle group in the body. The second type is not as versatile and requires frequent removal and replacement of its weight plates.

Universal home gyms are usually more expensive and expansive than free weight systems. However, being multipurpose, they are the best bet for users who are different people with different physical requirements and fitness goals, for instance, a family constituted of several members. To suit varying needs, these gyms come either with built-in weight stacks or with alternative forms of resistance, such as flexible bows (like Bowflex), industrial strength resistance bands, or cables.

Universal home gyms with weight stacks are perhaps the more durable of the two, as they do not require as much maintenance as those with alternative forms of resistance. The attachments like bow, band or cable resistance can become loose with time and use. As long as one has sufficient space to spare for it, a universal home gym with weight stacks can provide more or less the same extensive workout that is offered by a health club or a weightlifting gym with all their equipments. Otherwise, in lack of space, this kind of a bulky and cumbersome setup can pose quite a problem. The price of a quality universal fitness machine ranges from around $800 to over $3,500.

On the other hand, the universal home gyms with alternative forms of built-in resistance are not as expensive as the weight-stacked machines. For instance, a Bowflex comes for as cheap as around $800-$900 and still provides a decent workout. These models also tackle space crunch issues better, as they tend to be smaller, lighter and portable in comparison to the weight-stacked machines.