With the rising costs of gym memberships, home gym fitness is become a more viable option for many who want to save on membership fees and still stay fit. One of the main benefits of a home gym is the convenience factor. Having the ability to work out whenever you want can be a huge advantage and for many the biggest problem in working out is actually making the trek down to the gym.

Home gym machines used to be bulky, clumsy and complex machines that take up a lot of space. Not anymore! The latest machines are very advances pieces of equipment and they are compact, sturdy and incredibly well designed. Some of the high end machines are as good if not better than 10 machines in a gym. Advanced ergonomics and new inventions in resistance means that you can get a much more efficient workout and minimize the risk of injury.

One of the main considerations for any home gym is the cost. As a rule o thumb, the more you pay the more you get. Basic machines only have basic functions and will have a limited variety of workout stations. More advanced machines have more flexibility and offer a greater variety of workouts - but it comes as a price.

The traditional designs still make use of weight lifts and they tend to be very heavy (and noisy) machines. The latest designs like the BowFlex home gyms don't use weights at all. Instead they make use a proprietary flex bar that gives resistance. Obviously the bars are limited in their resistance but by combining more of them it can give resistance levels of up to 400 pounds. Other machines make use of hydraulics to create the resistance and the biggest benefits are that it significantly reduces the weight of the machine and reduces wear and tear in general. By not using weights for resistance it also reduces the inertia and its one of the main reasons why this is a much safer way to work out.

A major consideration is also the amount of space needed for storage as well as for operation. The latest machines can fold up into relatively compact assemblies and its definitely a major consideration when shopping around.