Question

I was wondering what you think about the Consumer Reports Fitness Equipment Guide? I signed up for their online guide because I'm sick of paying for a health club membership every month and decided to workout at home.

I need some advice on what to get, but the problem is Consumer Reports only rates 8 elliptical trainers, 20 treadmills, a few infomercial products and no strength training equipment. After reading the guide I still don't know what to get and I'm out my membership fee $29 bucks - please help me!

Answer

I'm sorry to hear you didn't find the Consumer Reports Fitness Equipment Guide very useful, but I'm not surprised after seeing it myself firsthand (curiosity killed the cat and now I'm out $29 bucks myself). Their guide is sparse to say the least, and not very helpful.

I'm not sure how they came up with their ratings either because there's no rhyme or reason for what's being reviewed, and no detailed analysis of specific models like you find elsewhere on their site (like appliances for example). I wish I could disclose more information about what I saw on the Consumer Reports Fitness Website but they have a hard-line view on copyright and I don't feel like fighting with their lawyers.

I did come across this page where Consumer Reports tells how they test equipment but it's vague and doesn't pertain to exercise equipment specifically. My guess is they don't test a lot of exercise equipment themselves, but rely on surveys from their subscriber database to fill-in their "recommendations". The reason I say this is because I found a "CR Best Buy" for a certain Body Solid Home Gym in a quick picks section of their website that isn't even mentioned anywhere else on their website as having being tested.

As a general rule I'm always a bit wary of the reviews and ratings I read in large consumer type magazines, websites and "news reports" in print or on TV because they're typically dumbed down, glossy overviews that are nothing more than bathroom reading material with no real substance.

I applaud the fact that you're quitting the health club and taking your workouts to your own home gym. You'll save driving time, parking hassles, and avoid waiting in line to use your favorite equipment - not to mention you won't have to put up with the high pressure sales tactics of those roving personal trainers always trying to "sell you" when all you really want to do is workout.

To help get you pointed in the right direction selecting your equipment for your home gym, checkout my guides that will show you how to choose the best home gym, best treadmill, best elliptical, exercise bikes, rowing machines and more.

If you still have questions, give me a shout on the blog here at "Ask the Exercise Equipment Expert" and I'll try and help you out.