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High on the list of 'how to get in shape' is the suggestion that you buy some home exercise equipment. Home exercise equipment has a mass appeal, especially for people who have busy schedules, or have just began to work out and do not want to be the out of shape person at the gym. Many people also feel that they could stick with an exercise routine if they didn't have to leave the house, but the reality is that most people's home exercise equipment is restricted to a few pieces of equipment. With this in mind, what should those few pieces of home exercise equipment be?

The type of home exercise equipment a person buys should depend on their fitness goals and what kind of work out they enjoy. Although it is somewhat stereotypical, many men opt for weight training and bodybuilding, while the majority of women focus on cardiovascular fitness. For optimal health, a balance of weight training, body building, and cardiovascular activity is the best strategy, but for your first piece of home exercise equipment, you should select something you are familiar with and enjoy. A lot of guys will opt for the bench press, which gives them a bar and weights, in addition to the bench, allowing them to do a variety of lifts like curls, squats, and other bodybuilding lifts. However, if a traditional bench press set take up too much room, a small bench and a dumbbell set can be just as effective. Not only can you do a mock bench press with dumbbells, you can do many other weight training exercises that focus on specific muscle groups.

Women, on the other hand, many times fear that weightlifting will cause their muscle to be in too good of shape and bulge out grotesquely. However, it would take years of intense training for a guy or girl to attain that kind of appearance from working out. Instead, for most women, it allows them another way to tone their arms and back, giving them more confidence when wearing sleeveless or open back tops.

However, maintaining good cardiovascular health is important too. Some of the most popular home exercise equipment for cardiovascular health is the exercise bike and treadmill. The elliptical has also become very popular in recent years. Many people decide to buy a bicycle for their home exercise equipment as a way of getting out of the house and doing something. However, there are many times of the year that weather conditions do not permit one to ride a bike, or make it undesirable.

Regardless of what kind of exercise habits you currently have, you should select home exercise equipment that will motivate you to create a realistic exercise routine. Your first piece of home exercise equipment should provide a workout you enjoy doing, or that you will enjoy the results of. If you can make working out in your home a rewarding experience and not simply work that you guilt yourself into doing, then you are much more likely to get years of use out of your home exercise equipment.