Buy the Cheapest Item First
Quality costs money. A cheap version of any exercise machine, shoe, or piece of equipment will never be as good as a good thing . It will fall apart soon. And you should buy it anyway.
When you are new to sports, you still don’t know what special features you are really interested in. You probably don’t know if you will stick with your new business long enough to make an expensive purchase of what it is worth. And when you’re a beginner, entry-level hardware is unlikely to hold you back.
Take climbing shoes for example: as a beginner, you will scrape the shit out of it because you haven’t learned to place your feet correctly. Better to wear a cheap pair of climbing boots while you study, rather than messing up with a trendy pair that you don’t know how to use correctly.
Or inline skates: High-level roller derby players typically invest many hundreds of dollars in specialized equipment that they wear on their feet. But when I was coaching beginner skaters, I directed them towards cheaper beginner skates. Not from a toy store, but like $ 100-200 skates. By the time a new skater gets annoyed by the limitations of a basic pair of skates, he’s already six months into his derby career and will be able to choose the right one to suit his skating style.
How to buy cheap things correctly
Before making a purchase, ask people who are experienced in your sport or hobby. Keep in mind that everyone has an opinion on what they think is best, but that opinion may differ from what is best for you. Here’s what you are trying to figure out:
How cheap is too cheap?
Find something that is completely useless and never worth your time. Garage skates with ankles so soft they fall to the ground? Pass them on.
What do most people do at the beginning of the journey?
If you’re a powerlifter and don’t have a belt or shoes, you can still exercise without a belt or shoes, or with an old pair of cartridges you may already have in your closet. Ask people what they wore when they first started, and this is often one of those options.
What are people’s preferences?
It will take some time before you decide which you actually prefer, but for now it is worth thinking about some general options. Do you want a mountain bike or road bike? Figure skates or ice hockey skates?
What’s your exit plan?
How do you decide when you’re done with beginner equipment? Some things will wear out: the sneaker will be flat and deflated. Some things can still be used, but you will find their limitations. Ask experienced people what a more fashionable outfit can do and what yours doesn’t, and you’ll know when to update it. (You can also sell your still good gear to another newbie to recoup some of your costs.)
Wearing a beginner’s gear is like getting a diploma. You know that you have been in sports long enough that you are no longer a beginner. You may have managed to save some money for the next step. And now you can buy prettier gear knowing exactly what you need and what you need.