Buying cardio equipment - bad idea, right?

[juliahenry]

So dh (who does not exercise, ever) has decided that he wants to buy some form of cardio equipment for our house. He says he can work out at certain times. He's very specific about how it would fit in to his current life and work and in general is disciplined, achieves his goals, etc.

I'm not so sure this is a good idea. It's expensive, and I'm not sure he would use it. But I could be wrong,

i would probably use it once or twice a week - when we had a gym membership, I was very consistent with it, and I run very regularly now. This might give me some variety, but I don't feel like I *need* it.

wdyt? Bad/wasteful idea? Or something to look into?

if you have home cardio equipment, what do you have? And how often does it get used?

does anyone actually buy and use this stuff?

[gt7301b]

Sounds like a bad idea to me. Could you find something cheap on CL that you could resell if he didn't use it?

[gt7301b]

Oh and we have a treadmill that gets used probably once a week, but DH is training for Philly using Pfitzinger's 55 plan. I haven't used the treadmill since the winter.

[venice2007]

We bought an elliptical and it gets used 3-5 times a week by one or both of us

[archaeominx]

Eh this could go either way. If I had a spin bike at home I would be on that puppy all the time since my gym keeps cutting hours. A treadmill would be wasted on me because I hate them like the plague. If its equipment you both would like to use, even if its just a few times a week between you then it wouldn't be a bad idea. Do you currently pay on a gym membership? Would the price be equivalent but having your own equipment would be more convenient, no driving to it, or waiting for an open spot.

[Susie]

The only things we have are trainers for our road bikes. In the winter we do use them a couple times a week.

I could see getting a treadmill when we have kids and I need to be at home, but I won't be buying one until I NEED it and have a specific plan for using it.

[taratru]

We bought a wicked cheap used treadmill that only gets used as a very last resort. I don't feel bad because we paid so little for it. No way would I buy anything new because we'd never get our money's worth.

[Brit]

Meh. We have two treadmills. I use mine quite a bit. H has probably used his a dozen times in 18 months. I'm not upset that he bought it though. He really wanted one. I would be super upset if he told me that he didn't want me to buy something that I was really keyed up about. At that time, in his mind, he WAS going to use it. I would have seemed over the top controlling if I had put my foot down. Plus, mine will eventually burn out, I can use his then.

ETA: I also have a bike trainer which has gotten a ton of use.

[Deleted]

I use my elliptical all the time. I didn't work out at all before buying it. Going to the gym made me uncomfortable/self conscious because I was very over-weight. It was really what I needed.

[juliahenry]

Aug 30, 2013 16:40:21 GMT -5 @kjewell said:

I use my elliptical all the time. I didn't work out at all before buying it. Going to the gym made me uncomfortable/self conscious because I was very over-weight. It was really what I needed.

Thank you, @kjewell! I hadn't thought that dh may be uncomfortable/self-conscious about working out in public. He's not very overweight but he is completely new to the whole idea and i can see he wouldnt want to do anything where anyone else could see him.



Ok, if this is what it takes, I'm on board with this as a plan. But maybe a used one? 

[sadlebred]

I use my bike trainer way too much in the winter. It folds up and stores nicely in the garage when not in use.

[jordylee]

Aug 30, 2013 16:33:36 GMT -5 Brit said:

Meh. We have two treadmills. I use mine quite a bit. H has probably used his a dozen times in 18 months. I'm not upset that he bought it though. He really wanted one. I would be super upset if he told me that he didn't want me to buy something that I was really keyed up about. At that time, in his mind, he WAS going to use it. I would have seemed over the top controlling if I had put my foot down. Plus, mine will eventually burn out, I can use his then.

ETA: I also have a bike trainer which has gotten a ton of use.

Lol, I absolutely love that you guys each have your own treadmill!

[jamalynn]

DH and I bought a treadmill after we moved. I use it at least once a week and DH does too. It was a good investment for us. We both wanted a mill so it was easy. If you can find something that you both think you would use, give it a try. You can find sales on fitness equipment. We did.

[agswife]

We have a treadmill. I use it at least once a week and at most four times a week - depends on the weather, baby's schedule, etc. I absolutely love having it. One of our best purchases.

[cinco]

We have a treadmill and an exercise bike. Both are used often, although less so by me now that I joined a gym. It was a great purchase for us.

[katietornado]

We have a Concept 2 rower that we use all the time! We do lots of interval workouts on it. Bonus: Concept 2 rowers are in high demand, and hold their value really well. They retail for $849 new, and it's typical to see a used one for $800.

[spunkypenguin]

I have an elliptical. It is how I lost most of my weight. It has not gotten as much use since I took up running. I just got it out of the basement since we are remodeling and put it in the office. My goal is to hook up the wii in the office so I can stream netflix and use it for cross training again. I do like the elliptical. My partner is also hoping to start exercising, so she might use it. I feel like it has been worth the investment.

[breezy8407]

We bought a treadmill about 2 years ago. Initially it was because I had quit my gym and just needed a way to run in the winter and dark, plus we were ttc and i knew i wanted an option for when i had small kids and the schedule that goes with them. I now have a free gym membership through work, so it's not used as much as I had initially planned. When we bought it, h said he would never use it, but he uses it a few times a month. In the summer I maybe use it once a week. In the winter it's 2-3 times a week.

[juliahenry]

Thanks, everyone. We're seriously considering it. @kjewell was right -dh feels really uncomfortable exercising in public and wants to find a way to do it at home. And if it will get him to exercise, then I'm ok with it.

[gingaling]

I got a cheap treadmill on Craigslist that I actually used way more than I thought I would.  We sold it when I got pregnant to make room for more "stuff" but I totally regret it.

[Stingyshark]

We have a treadmill & stationary bike; Both got used frequently before I was pregnant. They will get used again after this kid comes out.

[marcyiam]

Yeah - similar to others I have an exercise bike and I use it numerous times a week. Before i started adding in running I used it 6 days/week. It's how I lost most of my weight and got all my exercise. It will come in extra handy as it gets colder/darker out and I don't want to run in the dark in the early mornings.

Bonus: check out the stores online now. I was looking at a new exercise bike and they are all on sale right now (through today I think? - not sure if it'll get extended) to make room for the new models that are coming out. Great sale prices compared to the regular price/what the new models will come out as.

Enjoy!

[labbie]

Aug 30, 2013 15:45:41 GMT -5 juliahenry said:

So dh (who does not exercise, ever) has decided that he wants to buy some form of cardio equipment for our house. He says he can work out at certain times. He's very specific about how it would fit in to his current life and work and in general is disciplined, achieves his goals, etc.

I'm not so sure this is a good idea. It's expensive, and I'm not sure he would use it. But I could be wrong,

i would probably use it once or twice a week - when we had a gym membership, I was very consistent with it, and I run very regularly now. This might give me some variety, but I don't feel like I *need* it.

wdyt? Bad/wasteful idea? Or something to look into?

if you have home cardio equipment, what do you have? And how often does it get used?

does anyone actually buy and use this stuff?

Yes.
We have a basement workout area with a Concept2 rower (newer) and an elliptical (older, it came with DH, lol), hand weights, barbells and a weight bench we got for free from my sister.

I use our Concept2 rower 2-3x a week. More during the wintertime. I run/walk/bike outside whenever I can vs. working out indoors, but it's great to have. I refused to own a piece of equipment this pricey when we belonged to a gym, but since we moved we dropped our memberships. I did CrossFit for a while and among other things, learned I love rowing, really liked the machine, and it's a good complement to my other exercises.

Between that and the internet (I use FitnessBlender.com workouts a lot), we are all set.

If you're not sure he would use it, I would consider buying used. Honestly, we thought long and hard before buying the rower but I'm so glad we did. If I didn't have an area to workout at home, with my current work schedule it probably wouldn't happen.

[labbie]

Aug 30, 2013 20:11:23 GMT -5 spunkypenguin said:

I have an elliptical. It is how I lost most of my weight. It has not gotten as much use since I took up running. I just got it out of the basement since we are remodeling and put it in the office. My goal is to hook up the wii in the office so I can stream netflix and use it for cross training again. I do like the elliptical. My partner is also hoping to start exercising, so she might use it. I feel like it has been worth the investment.

Streaming Netflix has changed my workout motivation- love it for both TV series I'm catching up on.