Buying Fitness Gear Online with Unique Fitness Concepts

*This is a sponsored post.  The gear was provided to me so that I could complete the post.  However, I was curious to see what it was like ordering fitness equipment online and all opinions provided are my own.*

Recently, I was given the opportunity to try out the online fitness supply website Unique Fitness Concepts.  I jumped at this opportunity because I am always looking for gear I can keep at home so that I can work out a bit more around the house.  Personally, I have no problem getting in cardio work, insert tons of running here, but I really struggle with strength training.  This was the perfect way for me to get a new piece of strength training equipment while checking to see how online fitness supply sites like Unique Fitness Concepts work. 

After shopping around for a while, they had a HUGE selection of stuff so it was very hard to choose (thank heavens they had useful tabs on the side so I could search by category), I finally settled on the Valeo Soft Mini Fitness Ball in the ten pound weight.  It was originally $24.99, but had been marked down to $21.99.  That is one thing I noticed about uniquefit1.com right away, lots of their stuff seemed to be marked down. 
 

I placed my order on Friday night and knew that shipping would add to the cost, especially since the ball weighs 10lbs; however, I was sad to see that shipping was $16.65.  That is almost as much as the ball.  On the plus side though, I placed the order on a Friday night, and in spite of the weekend, the ball was delivered on Wednesday.  I was really surprised by how fast it came!  If you don’t count the weekend time in there, since they don’t deliver on weekends, it really only took 3 days. 

Here is am showing it off and checking it out after it arrived.  I love that the small size won’t take up a ton of room in my house, but yet it will still be able to add some weight and resistance to my strength training moves.  I’m really glad I choose it.   
My favorite move with my new Valeo Soft Mini Fitness Ball is a squat to overhead press.  I love combo moves like this one that work multiple body groups at once. 

Since I am working a lot on my glutes as those are a weak area of mine, and an area I cannot afford to be weak in as a runner, I have also been using it to do a combo lunge and chop.  I can do the moves while I watch TV at night (no excuses) and then when I am done I can just stash the ball in a closet or under my bed.  It is a great little addition to my fitness routine. 

Overall, my experience ordering from Unique Fitness Concepts was super smooth and I am very happy with my purchase. 

Pros of ordering from an online fitness supply website like uniquefit1.com:
– extensive selection, much bigger than most retailers
– many items are on sale or marked down a bit
– you can pick out fitness gear from the comfort of your own home
– it saves a trip to the store
– excellent option if there is no sports/fitness stores near you
– shipping was quick (my Unique Fitness Concepts order took 3 days)

Cons of ordering from an online fitness supply website like uniquefit1.com:
– shipping costs can be expense
– takes a few days to arrive (not instant like buying in person)

Have you ever ordered fitness gear online?
Would you?  Why or why not?