Essential pieces of kit for your home gym...
One of the best side benefits of training people out of my home gym is that I get to use it too, and whenever I want. A home gym can remove some of the excuses that come up for why people don't get to their regular gym. It's too busy, it's closed when I need it, it's raining outside (I have really heard this one), it's too long a drive to get there. All of these excuses can be negated by having a dedicated training space in your own home.
All you need to create a home gym is a little bit of free floor space. I use our garage, but it could be a spare bedroom, a covered deck, or even your bedroom if you have enough space to move freely in it. It doesn't matter as long as the space is clear of clutter and large enough to train safely. So what do you need to buy to set up your gym? Well, that depends on your goals, but the below products will suit most people and when put together with the right exercises will give most people a great workout.
Let's start from the ground. You'll need a decent gym mat. When it comes to mats, my advice is to go thick rather than thin. Planks on a garage floor with a thin mat between your elbows and the concrete isn't a whole heap of fun. So get a reasonably thick one. I get my mats from K-Mart. You can usually get them for under $10 and they last a long time. I got some for my group fitness classes last year and they are still going strong even though they get hammered every week. You can pay up to $100 for fancy mats but for me, the $10 job from K-Mart works.
Next, I would recommend that you get yourself a suspension trainer. This is essentially a set of straps with handles. You can roof or wall mount a bracket to hook them to or there is a door mount option usually also. The hardest thing to add into bodyweight exercises is a pulling exercise, and with a suspension trainer, you get this and a whole lot more. They are great for core exercises, adding variation and difficulty to upper body exercises and lower body exercises too. In terms of brands, I use a TRX brand suspension trainer. They were one of the first suspension trainers to come onto the market and have a great reputation. You really can't miss with this piece of kit.
Adding a slam ball to the above pieces of gear is a great idea. They are fairly cheap and can be used in a variety of ways. You can throw them around and use them as a power exercise to develop powerful explosive movements, you can also use them as a regular medicine ball and develop your core and arm muscles also. Elite Fitness has a good selection of them, so check them out if you are keen to add some throws and medicine ball moves into your training.
Power bands are also a great addition to your home gym. They are very flexible in terms of the ways in which you can use them. You can use them for both upper and lower body exercises, and your core can be challenged with them too. Throw them in your suitcase with your TRX and they can be an awesome mobile gym which you can take on holiday and they don't take up a whole lot of space. Again, check out Elite Fitness for a good variety of tensions and sizes.
With just these products you can get yourself a great workout in. There are obviously endless options for adding extra equipment to your gym over time. I have simply chosen the most cost effective and versatile starting options. In fact, this list is essentially what I started with when I first began personal training. If you would like any more advice in terms of building a home gym to meet your fitness goals then just get in touch with me through my website and I will do my best to help you out.
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This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you choose to purchase any of the products through the link I get a small cut of the price. The price is the same to you, and I never recommend any product I don't personally use and love.
All you need to create a home gym is a little bit of free floor space. I use our garage, but it could be a spare bedroom, a covered deck, or even your bedroom if you have enough space to move freely in it. It doesn't matter as long as the space is clear of clutter and large enough to train safely. So what do you need to buy to set up your gym? Well, that depends on your goals, but the below products will suit most people and when put together with the right exercises will give most people a great workout.
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| My Home Gym |
Next, I would recommend that you get yourself a suspension trainer. This is essentially a set of straps with handles. You can roof or wall mount a bracket to hook them to or there is a door mount option usually also. The hardest thing to add into bodyweight exercises is a pulling exercise, and with a suspension trainer, you get this and a whole lot more. They are great for core exercises, adding variation and difficulty to upper body exercises and lower body exercises too. In terms of brands, I use a TRX brand suspension trainer. They were one of the first suspension trainers to come onto the market and have a great reputation. You really can't miss with this piece of kit.
Adding a slam ball to the above pieces of gear is a great idea. They are fairly cheap and can be used in a variety of ways. You can throw them around and use them as a power exercise to develop powerful explosive movements, you can also use them as a regular medicine ball and develop your core and arm muscles also. Elite Fitness has a good selection of them, so check them out if you are keen to add some throws and medicine ball moves into your training.
Power bands are also a great addition to your home gym. They are very flexible in terms of the ways in which you can use them. You can use them for both upper and lower body exercises, and your core can be challenged with them too. Throw them in your suitcase with your TRX and they can be an awesome mobile gym which you can take on holiday and they don't take up a whole lot of space. Again, check out Elite Fitness for a good variety of tensions and sizes.
With just these products you can get yourself a great workout in. There are obviously endless options for adding extra equipment to your gym over time. I have simply chosen the most cost effective and versatile starting options. In fact, this list is essentially what I started with when I first began personal training. If you would like any more advice in terms of building a home gym to meet your fitness goals then just get in touch with me through my website and I will do my best to help you out.
_________________________________________________________________________
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you choose to purchase any of the products through the link I get a small cut of the price. The price is the same to you, and I never recommend any product I don't personally use and love.
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