BLOOMINGTON - You're trying to decide whether to buy a treadmill, elliptical trainer or stationary bike. Here's advice from exercise professionals:

Visit your doctor

If you haven't exercised in awhile, get a checkup with your doctor before beginning any regular exercise program, said Dale Brown, exercise physiologist at Illinois State University. Tell your doctor what you want to do, and he or she may have suggestions.

Consider your goals

Think about why you want to exercise and if you are on any time frame to achieve your goals. Share that information with sporting goods store employees, advised Wayne Grant with MC Sports in Bloomington. That will help determine which equipment would be better.

Try before you buy

"The old rule is, when buying fitness equipment, go in your workout outfit and shoes, get on (the equipment) and try it out," Brown said.

A store employee should be able to show you how to properly use the equipment, said Eileen Kilborn of The Workout Company in Normal.

"If it feels awkward to use, you'll get frustrated quickly and won't use it," Brown said.

You should learn how to adjust and program the equipment so you can use it safely to reduce the risk of injury and to get the most benefit from the exercise, said Kilborn and Chris Weittenhiller of the Bloomington-Normal YMCA.

Compare the options

A treadmill may be better for people who enjoy walking or running.

A stationary bike may be better for people who enjoy bike riding. A recumbent stationary bike is best for people who are out of condition or for people who need more support because it has a padded seat and seat back.

"That's probably the safest piece of equipment for new exercisers," Kilborn said of the recumbent bike.

An elliptical trainer is better for people who want a good workout but who don't want to stress their joints. Elliptical trainers with arm motion provide a full body workout. That's an advantage for people who have limited time to exercise, Brown said.

But Kilborn noted that people who use the arm feature often don't pedal as quickly as they would without the arm feature. So she recommended that people interested in an elliptical buy one without the arm feature and use hand weights separately to exercise their upper body.

Compare the ranges

After choosing your equipment, choose an equipment range.

As equipment gets more expensive, it gets bigger and sturdier and has more features.

Make sure equipment is sturdy enough for you and has solid hand rails. Consider what features are important to you.

If you want bigger, more expensive equipment, consider where you will put it in your house, Grant and Weittenhiller advised.

A lower-end treadmill costs about $400 and may be good for walking but not have a big enough motor and belt size for someone who wants to run, Grant said.

While many treadmills tell you how fast you're going, how far you've gone, how long you've been exercising and your pulse (heart rate monitor), more expensive models also include calories burned and programs that you can preset to adjust the incline and speed of the treadmill, Grant said.

A mid-range treadmill may cost $550 to $600. A more expensive model may cost $800 to $1,250.

A lower-end elliptical trainer costs $250 to $300, mid-range costs $600 to $800, and more expensive models cost $1,000 to $1,250, Grant said. With all ellipticals, the resistance and speed may be adjusted and time and pulse rate are measured. With mid-range models, the stride may be adjusted. More expensive models are heavier and allow you to play a video game while exercising.

Stationary bikes range from $100 for a basic upright to $400 for a recumbent that tells your speed and pulse, allows you to adjust the resistance and allows preset programs that change the resistance automatically, Grant said.

Higher-end equipment allows you to vary your workout, Kilborn said. Changing your workout benefits your body more than doing the same exercise all the time, she said.

Kilborn and Brown warned that calculations by exercise equipment of calories burned are estimates.

Brown, Kilborn and Weittenhiller like the heart rate monitor feature. Accelerating your heart rate is important to benefit your heart but working out at too high a level may be dangerous, they said. Determine the target heart rate that you should be at for about 20 minutes by taking 220, subtracting your age and multiplying that number by 70 percent, Brown said.

Ask about the warranty and true price

Warranties range from one year to 10 years, depending on the brand and style, Grant said. Ask whether the price includes delivery, Kilborn said.

"Plan on spending a substantial amount of money to get a piece of equipment that does what it says it does," Kilborn said.

Be committed

After making your purchase, write down your fitness goals, set up a workout schedule and try to stick to it. If it helps you, ask your spouse or a friend to be your workout partner and switch off using the equipment.

"You don't want it (the exercise equipment) to turn into a place to hang your clothes," Kilborn said.

Paul Swiech can be reached at pswiech@pantagraph.com.