There are actually 2 “classes” of used exercise equipment. The first is commercial equipment and the second is residential equipment. Both offer great opportunities to buy both a high quality and low cost equipment.

1. Commercial Exercise Equipment
Commercial equipment is what you would commonly find in your local gym or health club. You may have noticed that the types of machines you see in your local gym looks nothing like the type of machines you see in your local fitness store. The reason for this is that gyms and health clubs have heavy usage and the equipment has to be very strong and robust with a high work rate. Since its the greatest expense for any club, they cannot afford to replace equipment every month or two.

With that being said, most clubs replace their equipment once every 18-24 months. Its partly because of the wear and tear and partly because they have to provide their users with quality equipment. If you are looking to buy used exercise equipment then you can step in and buy straight from the gym when they sell the equipment off. The main advantage is that you can buy very expensive equipment for cheap but the downside is that the equipment is often not in great shape.

This is where so-called re-manufactured fitness equipment comes in. There are a number of companies that buy the equipment over from the gyms and health clubs and they then overhaul it and make it good as new before they sell it on to you – with a guarantee.

2. Residential Exercise Equipment
This is your common living room variety and includes things like treadmills, rowing machines, steppers, incline trainers and elliptical cross trainers. You can find these in your local fitness store and these machines are freely available in shops and on the internet. Although it hasn’t got the sophistication and work rate of a commercial machine, many of the better brands are really good machines with features and functions you simply cannot find in commercial machines.

The best place to find these types of equipment is on places like eBay, Craigslist and even your local newspaper. What you are looking for is people who made an impulse buy and who wants to sell you a brand new machine for half price. There are many such deals on eBay for example but you have to be very careful and make sure you buy good quality. Its important to do some research on the product itself and make sure that its had minimal use.

Used exercise equipment is in no way inferior. In reality, even residential machines should be able to handle a decent workload and as long as you buy a good brand it should be perfectly fine for your home use.

Often times, home gyms lack the level of intensity needed for a proper workout. With the latest range of Weider home gyms this has definitely changed. There are 2 models that I want to talk about here in a bit more detail. I consider these the 2 best Weider home gym machines.

1. Weider Max Home Gym
The Weider Max is a highly versatile machine that comes with a very attractive price tag. At less than $500 its offers virtually everything you need to have a full body workout at home. With more than 65 gym-quality workouts and 240 pounds of resistance it offers plenty of variety and resistance for an intense workout. The machine’s basic workout station consists of a bench, a lat tower, a curl station, a leg developer and a rowing seat. Unlike many similar machines, the bench and the pulleys has a very smooth motion and the machine itself performs similar to machines twice its price.

2. Weider Platinum Plus Home Gym
Although the Platinum Plus model is more expensive, it offers a set of features that are really worth the extra $250. One of the main differences is the fact that the resistance is electronically controlled with push-button ease. No more cumbersome switched and leavers to adjust the level of resistance.  With more than 75 gym-quality workout station, it offers great variety and the standard 240 pounds of resistance can be upgraded to 440 pounds for those who want to do some serious strength training on the machine.

Both these machines are compact and can be stores under a bed. The actual workout space requires is quite small which allows even those in smaller homes to use it with ease. Weider is one of the most trusted names in home fitness and although you can find many similar machines for less, none of them come close to the quality and variety that a Weider home gym offers.
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So, can you buy quality equipment for less? Buying discount fitness equipment can be a tricky job because so often people get seduced into buying a cheap treadmill from their local supermarket. Big mistake!

You need to buy quality machines and with a bit of searching you really can find great bargains on quality brand names. Here are some great places where you can find quality fitness equipment for less.

1. Online
These days you can buy virtually anything online and the same goes for fitness gear. You can buy any treadmill, elliptical trainer or even a full home gym online and have it delivered to your front door. There are a number of online warehouses that regularly have close out sales. Never buy the latest and greatest machines. If you really want to get some great bargains, aim for older stock that they are trying to get rid of. the latest and greatest machines usually just have new bells and whistles while the basic machine is exactly the same.

2. eBay
Although many people think eBay is full of crap old junk, you’d be pleasantly surprised at what you can find on eBay. The simple fact remains that most people who buy expensive exercise equipment use it once or twice and then never touch it again. Often times they just want to get rid of it as its taking up too much space in the house. They are often willing to sell this for next to nothing. I’ve seen $1,000 NordicTrack treadmills go for $200 on eBay! you have to be patient though and make sure you buy something that is still in good nick.

3. Gyms And Health Clubs
The best place to find discount fitness equipment is at gyms and health clubs. The bigger clubs usually replace all their equipment every 1-2 years and when they do, they sell off the older machines which are often still in perfectly good condition. the benefit is that these are commercial equipment that is very robust and of the highest quality. There are a few companies that specialise in refurbishing old gym equipment and they actually offer warranties on these refurbished models.

If you don’t want to buy used fitness equipment your best bet is to go after close out sales – especially online sales. i suggest you find exactly what you want and check the RRP at the manufacturers website to be able to compare prices and to make sure you get a good deal.
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The Motor -
The motor is at the heart of the treadmill and makes the real difference between a cheap model and an expensive one. The fact that most people know nothing about motors means they often fall for cheap imitations that NEVER last. Make sure you always buy a motor that has at least 1.5 horsepower continuous duty (CD). Anything less wears out very quickly and if you buy it used it might be so worn out already that you won’t get much use from it. Ideally you should look for a 1.75 horsepower CD motor.

The Belt -
The next most important t thing to look for is the belt. Its really important that the belt has no chips or tears in it as these will quickly rip open and can cause the entire motor to burn out. Replacing a belt is a specialist job and can cost quite a bit. The next thing to look for is the actual belt width which is the running width of the treadmill. I would recommend you don;t go for anything narrower than 17” as it gets quite a narrow and is not all that comfortable to run on. Also consider the length of the belt. the average is between 51” and 61” and you need to make sure that it can accommodate your stride length.

The Frame -
Most people just look at the frame when they look at used treadmills and judge the state of it on the frame. as we’ve just discussed the motor and the belt is probably the most important components but for the frame you need to make sure there’s no corrosion on it. Is it a steel frame or is it aluminium? Remember that steel is cheaper but it can corrode and with sweat dripping on the machine its always prone to corrosion. Once a frame starts corroding there is very little you can do to stop it and it will get progressively worse.

Displays & gadgets -
Most of the new treadmills come with very intricate displays and gadgets and some even have built in TV screens. For many people these things are important and I would suggest you make sure that it works before you buy. Many used treadmills have faulty displays and the gadgets are usually the first things to break on these machines. I would recommend that you make sure that the speed and resistance functions works as this is at the heart of training effectively on a treadmill.
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When a gym or health club buys a large shipment of exercise bikes or treadmills or rowing machines the bulk of the order makes it affordable. It would probably not make sense for you to buy it as a one off because of the price. However, when gyms replace their existing equipment you have an opportunity to buy top notch gear at a steal.

Gyms and health clubs have an obligation to their members to have good quality equipment. For this very reason they regularly replace it and most work on a rotation where they replace certain things on a regular basis. The truth is that most of the time it only gets replaced in order to have new equipment on the floor. Often times there is very little wrong with it in terms of how it works.

Some health clubs sell their equipment off themselves once a year. Some have warehouses where you can go and buy it yourself while some have storage in the club itself from where they sell it. The problem with this is that you often have to buy what you see. there is no guarantee and many of the machines might be lacking some vital parts.

This is where reconditioned gym equipment comes in. What these guys do is to buy used gym equipment from health clubs and then they fix it up to be “good as new”. Some even give guarantees and since they have access to parts and a huge inventory, it really is the smart way to buy second hand gear. Although there might be minor cosmetic blemishes, the actually mechanics of the machines are fix and overhauled to leave you with a high quality machine that is in “good as new” condition – for half the price.

It also depends on what you want to buy. Most reconditioned equipment is things like treadmills, indoor rowers, indoor bikes, elliptical trainers and smaller things like benches. Weight and dumbbells are not that useful to buy second hand since the costs difference is not much. Used gym equipment is great for anyone who wants to buy high quality commercial grade gear on a budget. Perfect for the home or for small gyms and dedicated health clubs or sports facilities.
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