Fitness & Exercise
Home Gym 101: The Tools You Need to Get the Most Out of Your Home Gym
Aug
If you’re not inspired by the thought of joining a gym and you’d rather workout in the comfort and privacy of your own home, building a home gym might be the best fitness choice for you. Here’s how to stock a home gym that you can get the most out of.
Maybe you’re not into the idea of working out with sweaty strangers. Maybe you don’t have access to a gym that is nearby or affordable. Or maybe you work odd hours that don’t coincide with the hours your local gym offers. Whatever the reason, if you have a bit of space in your home and you’re ready to invest a small amount in creating the right space filled with the right equipment, a home gym might be exactly what you need.
First of all, you can absolutely get a great workout using body weight only. Push ups, body weight squats, dips, crunches – these kinds of movements can you healthy and functional forever.
However, if you’re looking to build muscle and really train, it’s a good idea to invest in at least a few pieces of equipment to get started.
Necessities for the Home Gym Minimalist
Jump Rope
A jump rope is a cost-and space-effective piece of home gym equipment and a great place to start. Regardless of your current fitness level, you can work up a sweat, burn calories and improve your cardiovascular health using just a jump rope. My advice is to invest in a decent jump rope over a flimsy product from Walmart. I use this Performance Jump Rope from Onnit and I highly recommend it.
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are a fantastic home gym workout tool. They are versatile, light and transportable. Resistance band training is particularly useful for fatiguing your lower body in isometric exercises and can be used at any fitness level. When purchasing, make sure to look for a set with a variety of bands with a variety of tension. Ideally, the set will come with 2-3 different handle sets for different exercises.
WORKOUT
Exercise Mat
An exercise mat might not seem entirely necessary but once you’ve done enough kneeling kickbacks and planks on a hard floor, you’ll change your mind. From stretching to core to total body, almost every exercise you do could use a little cushioning. Spend a little bit extra on a good quality, comfortable mat as you’ll likely be spending a lot of time on it.
Stability Ball
Stability balls, also known as exercise balls and Swiss balls, are an excellent, inexpensive tool for improving muscle imbalances (key for getting stronger and staying healthy), developing a strong core and improving posture. Moreover, a stability ball brings endless variety to your workouts.
Home Gym Add-Ons for Better Fitness
Once you have the basics, you can really take your workout as far as you can imagine. That being said, there are a few more pieces of equipment that, if you have the money to invest in them, can take your fitness and physique to the next level.
Dumbbells
You don’t need an entire rack of dumbbells to make your home gym work. I recommend starting with 3 sets. Choose the heaviest set with exercises like squats and dead lifts in mind. The lightest set you’ll use for exercises like lateral raises. The medium set should be somewhere in the middle for exercises like shoulder press, chest press and rows.
Pull Up Bar
You don’t have to get a pull up bar that needs to be permanently screwed into the wall. In fact, I recommend buying one that fits in your doorway like this one (on Amazon). Pull up bars offer more than a place to pull up. They’re also great for core workouts and stretching.
Medicine Ball
Finally, medicine balls are a super fun tool for your home gym. With just one medicine ball you can do slams, chest throws, overhead crunches, squats, mountain climbers and more. Medicine balls are small and portable, fantastic for a home gym set up.
The most important aspect of setting up your home gym is to decide what your goals are and what’s most important to you. If your goal is to improve flexibility, an exercise mat and stability ball will probably cut it for now. It you are trying to improve power, a medicine ball and jump rope are great tools. If you want to get stronger you can’t skip out on dumbbells. Know your goals, choose your tools.
