Convenience helps pump up home gym sales

After a workout with weights and a stair machine, Dan Frasca does what more and more Americans are doing these days: He takes a short walk to his own shower, in his own house, taking his own sweet time.

Home is where he hangs his gym towel. No big health clubs for him. No membership fees. No waiting to use equipment. And no shower shoes. His workouts are in his basement.

"I think it's the convenience factor," says Frasca, 57, of Valatie, N.Y.

"I'm recently retired, but even when I was working, it's so convenient to spend 15, 20 minutes down in your basement working out rather than driving to the gym and spending a lot of time doing that."

Sales of home gym equipment rose to $4.7 billion in 2003, a 19 percent increase over 2001 sales, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, the industry's largest retail trade association.

Consumers are driven by convenience, privacy, possible savings compared with gym memberships and by new interest in exercise, particularly among baby boomers, says Larry Weindruch, spokesman for NSGA.

With multistation weight sets that include padded metal seats and shock absorption and with cardio equipment that includes dial-in resistance adjusters, home gyms have shed their stigma of shoddiness. A home workout no longer means bench pressing or pedaling on rickety equipment that wobbles like a rowboat.

For instance, a $400 treadmill 10 years ago didn't have the sturdy frame and sophisticated electronics that a $400 treadmill has today. In addition, multistation weight machines -- called "universals" -- are now specifically tailored for home use, which means they're more portable than past models.

"The bottom line is you're getting more for your money now," says Weindruch.

Fitness experts say that for less than $2,000 you can buy quality equipment that covers the full range of a well-rounded workout, including a universal for weight training and cardiovascular equipment such as a treadmill or stationary bike. By comparison, annual health club membership fees range from less than $300 a year to more than $700.

But before buying, first discern what it is you're hoping to achieve in a workout. Is it body building? Weight loss? Or general long-term health?

Many home gym owners consult with a personal fitness trainer or exercise physiologist to help devise a fitness program and to recommend the type of equipment that would best suit them.

Once you know what you want to purchase, make room for the equipment in a well-lighted space with ventilation and access to a television or stereo, recommends Dave Jones, a personal trainer from Colonie, N.Y., who helps clients design home gyms.

Who's buying home gym equipment? All ages, from teens to seniors. But mostly baby boomers, says Weindruch.

"They're the ones spending the most," he says. "They're thinking about mortality, of course. We're not as invincible as we were in our 20s and 30s."

In fact, 45- to 64-year-olds accounted for 44 percent of the sales of treadmills, by far the most frequently purchased gym item with annual sales exceeding $2.5 billion, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. (Incidentally, in a recent survey done by Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, treadmills are more likely than any other piece of home gym equipment to be used continually.)

Home gyms also are attracting people who might not otherwise join a gym, whether they feel uncomfortable because they're overweight, or because of concerns about a "meat market" atmosphere. Home gym equipment also can be attractive to parents who might otherwise have to arrange baby-sitting before working out.

Sales statistics aside, home gyms don't appear to spell doom for health clubs, which boast more than 33 million members in the United States.

Health club devotees say home gyms can't compare to the variety of fitness equipment and classes offered at most clubs. And there is one more thing health clubs provide: the motivation factor.

"My husband bought me one of those home universal-type things that does all kinds of stuff, and I never use it," says Jana Yanover of Guilderland, N.Y. "It's beautiful. It's sitting in my basement. I don't go near it."

SO YOU WANT TO START A HOME GYM ...

The most common piece of advice you'll get from fitness experts is this: "You get what you pay for," says Tom Mutchler, product tester for Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports. But that doesn't mean you can't get a good, safe workout on the cheap. For about $100 you can purchase an exercise ball, some resistance bands, a jump rope and a set of hand weights, "and you can do a lot with that," Mutchler says.

If you're looking to purchase larger-ticket items, look for the sturdiest ones you can find. And always be sure to try out the equipment before purchasing it.

Treadmill: Expect to pay between $300 and $4,000. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends spending at least $2,000 on a treadmill if you're a runner and about $1,000 if you're a walker. Mutchler says you may find a more economical model that works for you, particularly used ones.

Exercise bicycle: Expect to pay between $200 and $1,500. Before buying, make sure the seat is comfortable. The Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research recommends buying a machine that offers variable resistance and preprogrammed workouts so that you can make your workout more challenging when you need to.

Free weights: The most economical way to go as far as strength training -- 50 cents a pound for cast-iron weights. With free weights, you'll probably want a bench, which can cost between $60 and $250.

Multistation gyms: Expect to pay $600 and up. They provide a variety of exercises and address different parts of your body. The Mayo Foundation recommends that you look for a heavy-gauge steel frame, smooth-operating pulleys and sealed bearings.

Stair steppers: This piece of equipment can cost $600 to $2,000. Look for a stepper with adjustable resistance, the Mayo Foundation recommends, and choose a machine with hydraulic shock absorbers rather than air-filled ones because they'll last longer. Also, beware of gadgets advertised on infomercials, particularly devices that promise quick results with little to no effort on your part. "When you're looking at something at four easy payments for $29.99 and they're telling you it will transform your whole body, you have to be somewhat suspect," says Mutchler.

Add P-I Lifestyle headlines to