If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly elliptical, check out this option from SoleFitness. It offers 20 levels of resistance, seven pre-programmed workouts, a backlit LCD screen, and Bluetooth speakers. Plus, for a high-end machine like this, you can’t beat the price.
How these ellipticals compare
The benefits of compact exercise equipment
Essentially, at-home equipment offers a level of ease that forces you to “delete your excuses,” Sydney Bueckert, NASM-CPT, lead in-house fitness instructor at Sunny Health & Fitness in California, tells SELF. “You don’t have to travel to the gym, you don’t have to deal with crummy weather conditions, you have everything you need to get the job done. You’ll have days when things come up, you pull a long day at work, the kids need help with a school project.” Even if you just have a few minutes, having a home setup that helps you reap the benefits of short workouts is such a win.
If you don’t have much square-footage to spare, compact equipment allows you to make the most of the space you do have. Another benefit: opting for multiuse equipment can often help you save money because doing so eliminates the need to buy a whole gym’s worth of machines.
How to choose the best compact exercise equipment
To help you avoid overwhelm or decision fatigue, we’ve narrowed down what to consider when choosing compact workout items across all equipment categories.
Portability
Not everyone has a dedicated home gym; some folks buy compact equipment that they’ll scooch into a corner or a closet when they’re not using it. Products that are lightweight, have wheels, or are small in size tend to be the most portable.
Versatility
The more that one piece of equipment can do, the fewer items you need. So when you’re looking to save space, consider the number of workouts or exercise modalities you can do with the machine or tool.
Cost
Budget is a major factor when you’re scanning the digital aisles for new workout equipment. In fact, Franco Calabrese, DPT, a physical therapist based in Chicago, previously told SELF that cost is among the most important considerations you’ll make when it comes to picking your fitness gear. While shelling out a month’s rent for machines and weights may seem excessive, when you consider the costs of gym memberships, you might realize you’re saving money in the long run.
Size
Not to state the obvious, but size matters when you’re picking home gym equipment. Dr. Calabrese previously told SELF that small, versatile options like kettlebells, dumbbells, and resistance bands are winners for tight spaces: “They don’t take up a lot of space, and they can be moved with ease from room to room or from inside to outside depending on your preferred workout area.”
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