Sweat Shop

Mehta starts simple, with a few sets of dumb-bells. 8216;8216;Women need between 1 kg and 5 kg, while men should get weights from 3 kg to ...

Celebrity fitness trainer Vrinda Mehta loves shopping. Especially if there8217;s a home gym on the list. And she8217;s the right company for this kind of retail therapy. After all, Amitabh Bachchan, Kajol, Dimple Kapadia and Twinkle Khanna take their exercise orders from her. 8216;8216;It8217;s amazing how many people have treadmills at home, not just celebrities,8217;8217; she says. She picks Fitness Planet they have 33 outlets across the country for the spree and chalks out a three-step plan to stock your exercise space

Square one
Rs 6,000

Mehta starts simple, with a few sets of dumb-bells. 8216;8216;Women need between 1 kg and 5 kg, while men should get weights from 3 kg to 10 kg,8217;8217; she says. Besides the metal powder-coated options approx Rs 200 per kg, there are also brightly coloured soft dumb-bells made of Neoprene Rs 290 to Rs 1,190 for a pair.

To work that ticker, all you need is an aerobic step for exercises like step-up-and-down and knee lifts. Make sure you choose a sturdy and non-wobbly one. The step can double up as a bench: Lie on it and use free weights to do dumb-bell flyes for the chest, pull-overs for the back, tricep extensions and crunches for the abs. Mehta recommends Aerobic Step and Reebok Rs 2,500 to Rs 8,000.

8216;8216;Spot jogging and skipping are also effective cardio workouts,8217;8217; she says. Fitness Planet stocks a digital skipping rope Rs 790 which records the time, distance, speed and calories burnt.

8216;8216;This basic equipment requires minimal investment and can be stocked anywhere,8217;8217; says Mehta.

Stepping up
Rs 55,000

8216;8216;Your next buy has to be a treadmill. There are plenty of foldable options in the market,8217;8217; says Mehta. Though prices start at Rs 22,000, she urges buyers to be a little brand conscious. 8216;8216;You have to pick a treadmill according to your weight. Most good brands can take upto 100 kg. If you weigh more, get a more powerful motor,8217;8217; she advises. Horizon and Vision Rs 45,000 to Rs 1.5 lakh are two brands she8217;s had good experience with.

Don8217;t buy everything at one go. Mehta advises buying one piece of equipment every six months. Next up is a cross-trainer. 8216;8216;Treadmills are everyone8217;s favourite cardio machine, but cross-trainers are becoming more popular,8217;8217; she says. An elliptical cross-trainer mimics a motion that8217;s between skiing and running and gives you a full body workout. 8216;8216;It8217;s mild on the knees; there8217;s absolutely no impact, like on a treadmill.8217;8217;

Some stores and banks also offer EMI schemes for workout equipment. There8217;s no down payment and zero
per cent interest

Prices for these evolved versions of exercise cycles start at Rs 25,000, going up to Rs 72,000. Brands like Horizon start at Rs 50,000.

Top notch
Rs 8 lakh and up

To complete the deal, bring home a multigym. It works out different muscles and weight trains them. Prices start at

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Rs 15,000 and go up to a lakh. 8216;8216;And if you8217;re really splurging, you can buy a separate machine for each body part,8217;8217; says Mehta.

Stocking your gym with top brands like Life Fitness, Technogym and Precor is what could make it exclusive. And expensive. These treadmills and cross-trainers start at Rs 4 lakh. 8216;8216;The equipment is technically sound. It8217;s like buying a Mercedes. You can still get places in another car, but the ride is different,8217;8217; she says.