FEELING GOOD

Celebrating our new store
in Birmingham, (formerly Birmingham Bike)

Fitness Equipment SALE

Cross Tiraining Costs

STEVE WHITELEY

Special to The Jewish News

Home
Gym
System

Reg. Value $1,395

NOW $79995
ONLY

DUAL ACTION
BIKES

Raleigh
Accufit 2000
SAVE $200

STEPPERS

Tunturi
Precor
Spirit
STARTING AT

$ 189 99

OVER 10
MODELS TO TRY

TREADMILLS

ALL MODELS

20% OFF

co4

D 1")_ _ .NB ER
1 HP WITH ELECTRIC ELEVATION

NOW $69995
ONLY

Reg
S869 95

Ligabial.1111__

MGM BICYCLE Er FITNESS EQUIPMENT

2680 Rochester Rd.

Rochester Hills

852.0888

Just North of Auburn Rd
"Look for the Green Awning"

F10

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1990

746 E. Maple Road
Birmingham

644-9181

(formerly Birmingham Bike Shop)

D

epending on the ac-
tivities you choose to
include in a cross
training program, the costs
for equipment can range
from negligible to several
thousands of dollars.
Walking may require
nothing more than a new
pair of sneakers while
downhill skiing may require
new skis, winter clothes,
gloves, long underwear, a
hat, goggles, et cetera. This,
of course, doesn't even begin
to address the costs of lift
tickets, lodging, transporta-
tion and so on.
Costs for equipment, espe-
cially non-essential ac-
cessories, vary widely in any
given sport, depending on
where the equipment is pur-
chased, the quality of the
equipment, and how much
an excerciser wants to
spend.
Here are some typical
price ranges for quality,
name-brand sports equip-
ment needed for several
selected activities: .
1. Walking: Sneakers
made specifically for walk-
ing are padded in the heel
and offer more front-to-back
support than the average
athletic shoe. Quality walk-
ing shoes cost from $45 to
$100. If you decide to add
ankle or wrist weights to
your workout, expect to pay
around $20 per pair.
2. Running: Again, shoes
are the main piece of equip-
ment, and prices range from
about $45 to over $100.
3. Racket sports: Tennis,
squash and racquetball
rackets all start around $40
and can quickly climb into
the hundreds of dollars. Str-
inged racket prices vary
widely, depending on the
type of strings desired.
4. Cross country skiing:
A full cross country skiing
setup runs about $120 and
up, and that includes skis,
poles, boots and bindings. If
you live in an area where the
weather lends itself to a fair
amount of cross country ski-
ing and you are in decent
shape, this may be one of the
best bargains of any sport.
This sport offers an incredi-
ble workout that is easy on
the joints as well as the
pocketbook.
5. Downhill skiing:
Alpine is more expensive
and less accessible than
cross country skiing, with
equipment costs starting at
roughly $300. And while
cross country skiing can be

done almost anywhere there
is snow, downhill skiing re-
quires a mountain, lift
tickets, and lessons for the
beginner. It is not cheap.
6. Golf: The equipment
can be extremely expensive,
not even considering the cost
of greens fees, country club
dues, and lost golf balls.
Also, drinking beer and driv-
ing the course in a cart can
virtually ruin the fitness
effects of golf.
7. Bicycling: Bicycles
start at roughly $200, but
the serious competitor can
easily spend a few thousand.
Most of the bicycles current-
ly being purchased by
weekend athletes are of the
mountain variety. A helmet
is a must, costing- about $25
and up, but worth the pro-
tection.
8. Swimming: This can be
very cheap, if you own the
pool. A bathing suit and
goggles are about all the
other equipment you need.
Of course, aquA shoes, those
all rubber sneaker-like
things now on the market,
run about $30 but are
definitely an unnecessary
luxury.
9. Roller skating: Roller
skating has finally gone
high-tech. Past are the days
of four-wheel skates, with
two front and two rear
wheels. The new skates of
choice are in-line skates,
which employ a single row of
four or five wheels lined up
front-to-back. These new
skates are more akin to ice
skating, and can offer a very
productive cardiovascular
workout which also "burns"
the legs. Put up $110 for
skates and another $50 or so
for hand, wrist and knee
pads, and you can feel like a
kid again.
10. Snowboards: This
latest trend is suspiciously
similar to skateboarding
and, not surprisingly, is en-
joyed mostly by the under
18-year-old set. Boards look
like small surfboards, but
have connected straps where
you can lace in your own
snow boots. Boards start
around $50.
1 1 . Home fitness
machines: Treadmills are
the most costly, going for
around $1,300. Stationary
bikes and step machines
both cost about $300, and
machines that simulate
cross country skiing start at
$200 or so. These are
machines suitable for home
use and are not to be confus-
ed with the higher quality
equipment found in most
gyms. Ili