Home Gym Ideas
Having a gym at home can be the best thing to ever happen to your fitness routine. You don’t have to drive somewhere in order to work out, you can do it while your kids are right there with you (if you have them and if they are old enough), and you can use it any time of the day without having to rely on gym hours. One of the biggest benefits of having a home gym is giving you more flexibility for fitting in workouts. This can be key if you are a busy working parent, mom to small children, or just someone with a full schedule who wants to save time.
If you are wondering how to get in great shape from home or what pieces of equipment you should purchase to get the most bang for your buck, keep reading.
Can I get in shape without joining a gym
Absolutely! You can get in phenomenal shape without joining a traditional commercial gym. I personally trained for at least one bodybuilding competition all from my home gym. This was back when I had a three year old and a one year old and likely wouldn’t have been able to fit in many gym commutes anyway. As long as you are using your workout time efficiently and have a good workout program, you can get in great shape from home with only a few pieces of equipment. Having a plan is key as you will want to put your time and money towards what really matters (and not waste money and time on things that don’t).
Home gym equipment ideas
Here are some of the key items (in order of priority) you will want to buy if you are looking to build your home gym:
Free weights: You can purchase nothing but a few dumbbells and have a complete gym. If you want to stop here, you can certainly design a workout plan around dumbbells only. If you already have some dumbbells, you can develop a plan to make use of what you already have. With dumbbells, you can perform a full body workout. Some of my favorite dumbbell exercises include bulgarian squats, romanian deadlifts, shoulder presses, curls, tricep kickbacks, one arm rows, and side lateral lifts.
Bench: If you already have some dumbbells, the next thing to invest in for your home gym might be a bench. You don’t need anything fancy…a simply flat bench will do. This item will allow you to do things such as step-ups, dips, rows, and chest presses more easily.
Bands: If you want a very cheap product that will give you a lot of additional exercise options apart from what dumbbells already provide, I would buy some bands. These will give you access to even more exercises than you can do with dumbbells alone. These are especially great for glute exercises.
Treadmill: If you want to be able to fit in some indoor cardio, a treadmill is my favorite option. If you prefer biking, a bike of some sort would be a good alternative. You can perform steady state or HIIT cardio with either of these pieces of equipment.
TRX: A TRX station can be another cost-effective way to give you more variety in your workouts. Some of my favorite TRX exercises include lunges, incline pullups, pushups, and one leg squats.
Pullup Station: Even if you can’t do a full pullup, you can incorporate heavy bands and get in some lat training (which is difficult to do with only dumbbells). We have a pullup station in our basement gym and I use it every single day I work my back.
Cable Station: If you really want to build up a full gym at home, a cable station is a great addition. It allows you to work your entire body in different ways than you would be able to with dumbbells alone. While this will not be a cheap option, it will allow you to perform even more exercises you can’t do with dumbbells alone. Some examples include lat pulldowns, rear delt cable flys, face pulls, chest flys, and cable curls.
Squat Rack: The squat rack is probably my favorite piece of equipment when I go to my gym (and don’t work out at my home gym). It allows you to really get in some heavy compound lifts, such as squats, deadlifts, shoulder presses, and pullups. If you are serious about getting in some really good, heavy lifting sessions at home, you should definitely consider investing in a squat rack.
Home gym workout plan
Finally, you need a great plan to use all of this equipment! The worst case scenario would be to purchase a bunch of equipment and then let it just sit in your basement unused. If you aren’t sure how to design an optimal lifting program, consider working with a knowledgeable coach who can help you design a plan using the equipment that you have.
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