All the equipment you should have in your home gym

We all want to be fit and healthy but sometimes it can feel a bit daunting trying to fit a gym visit into our already busy schedules. That’s why a home gym can be the perfect addition to your house, it doesn’t have to take up a lot of space, but it allows you a dedicated area to focus on yourself.

A white room filled with black equipment

Summary of Contents (Quick jump links)

How to start putting the gym together

Putting together a home gym doesn’t have to be expensive or mean that you must start rearranging rooms to accommodate. Just having a clear space in the corner of the room where you can safely store your equipment or stretch out is suitable.

Garages, basements and garden rooms can be the best areas to set up your home gym, not only do these areas tend to be cooler but you can be a bit messy without worrying about unexpected drop-ins from house guests.

If you are putting together a home gym, you want to ensure you get the best, cost-effective equipment for what you want to achieve;

Increase Flexibility

If you are looking to get into Yoga or Pilates, you’ll want suitable flooring that doesn’t cause you to slip or run the risk of carpet burns. Getting a good Yoga Mat is a good start and there are plenty of reasonably priced options available.

Should you want to improve on an existing home gym area you’ve got, check out some rubber gym flooring or mats, not only does this protect your floor but the cushioned rubber offers a safe place for working out.

In addition, ab wheels can be great workout equipment that helps increase flexibility while improving your core strength, wheels are also available relatively cheaply.

Strength Training

For those looking to increase their strength, your best option for restricted areas are a set of dumbbells, available in a variated set of weights or there are adjustable dumbbells available on the market, however, these can be expensive.

Medicine balls make a cheaper alternative to dumbbell sets and are available in multiple weights, not just for lifting, medicine balls can be incorporated into workout sets of squats, lunges and sit-ups. You can start with a lighter ball and work your way up the weights gradually as your fitness and strength improve.

Pull-up bars are cost-effective with plenty of options available, although you will need a solid door frame. You could even set yourself a challenge, every time you walk through the doorway, you need carry-out at least five pull-ups.

A slightly more expensive alternative to pull-up bars are “hangboards” or “fingerboards” used by rock climbers to train at home, not only do they improve strength in your arms, but you are working on individual finger strength. This improves overall grip and you can easily add further resistance with weights or loaded rucksacks.

A woman exercising with black vest top and shorts

Cardio

When you are looking to get your fitness levels up, cardio can be a good place to start, you increase your lung capacity and strengthen both your heart and lungs. Cardio equipment such as rowing machines and ellipticals can be expensive and space-consuming, particularly if they are electrically powered. However, there are options for manual treadmills and elliptical trainers, not only do they tend to take up less space, these non-electrical machines are much kinder to the wallet.

If you don’t mind a bit of high-impact exercise, the skipping/jump rope is the perfect beginner-level cardio exercise. Not only is it a good calorie burner, but jumping rope helps build lower-leg muscle and improve your coordination and balance. There are a huge number of gym-designed skipping ropes available and these are great to throw in a bag and head down the park.

It’s recommended you don’t go too big with your first home gym, you don’t want to overwhelm yourself with options or make the experience off-putting. Instead, start small, focusing on one area – cardio, strength or flexibility. Most equipment will allow you to target multiple areas but having a focused direction will help keep you motivated and encouraged to regularly work out at home.

Once you start exercising regularly, you’ll find it much easier to build a routine and you’ll find yourself wanting to increase your exercise schedule as you feel your body improving. With this knowledge in mind – good luck with your home gym endeavours!