Home Gym Equipment – 5 Simple Pieces to a Home Gym

No money, no time, no energy or even bad weather are some of the most common reasons for not going to a gym. Well, in that case bring the gym home! With the right advice—ours—how much you spend can depend completely on you.

So find that space in your house for your very own gym and you will be well on your way to a hot body!

Reasons for setting up some home gym equipment of your own

There are so many reasons to set up a gym at home, for example:

it’s open 24 hours;
you don’t have worry about fancy workout clothes;
you don’t need to drive through traffic or even walk those few blocks; and finally
you don’t have to shell out that fat check for your monthly/quarterly/annual gym fees.

Setting up a home gym can be quite simple and inexpensive. Here are 5 simple home gym equipment pieces to get you started on a gym of your very own.

1. Dumbbells

Weight training is an important component of a well-rounded fitness program. Interestingly enough, some basic dumbbells will suffice. While you can certainly do a lot with your own body weight it helps to have some dumbbells handy.

You need not invest straightaway in the entire weight range—you can buy as you go. Pick up 2 sets of weights that seem a little too heavy for you, to start off with. Even better buy the adjustable ones where you can change the discs at the two ends of the shaft.

2. An exercise mat

Get yourself a nice sturdy exercise mat for floor work. Mats also provide a grip for a lot of standing exercises. You can even choose a colorful one to brighten up your home gym.

Pro tip: Don’t buy those extra-delicate ones just meant for yoga because when you workout with shoes they break into little bits.

3. Stability ball

I often call this the wonder ball because it is amazing the variety of exercises you can do with it. You can work your abs, legs, butt, arms, shoulders, and sides much more effectively with the stability ball.

Even sitting on it watching TV gives you a mini workout. The size (diameter) of the ball would depend on your height. A 55cm diameter ball is okay for a person between 5’1” to 5’7”.

4. Resistance bands

A great way to rev up your strength training, yet so easy to store. Have at least 3 with low, medium and high resistance. Again a very versatile piece of exercising equipment that can be used to strengthen so many parts of the body. You can even carry it in your suitcase when travelling.

5. Workout DVDs

If you ask me, this is my favorite even though (literally speaking) this isn’t gym equipment. I remember in my teen years when there were barely any gyms around so I would do the Jane Fonda workout at home.

Yes I know, Jane Fonda went on to be called Pain Fonda but now you have whole range of safe and tested workouts available from top trainers.

They range from pilates, power yoga, stability ball, strength, cardio (including so many styles of dance—like zumba, for example) and even stretching. Some of my favorites are Kathy Smith, Jillian Michaels and Denise Austin; and these include strength as well as cardio routines.

Personally, I’d say give Zumba a shot. It is a fun workout and also gives you some great grooves and moves. DVDs are like having your trainer at home and working out with a bunch of smiling friends. Sometimes these can even be watched on your phone for even more convenience!

Just make a little space in your house for these simple home gym equipment pieces and you have your very own 24*7 gym. Your family may also get motivated to sign up for a membership there! This is fitness at a great price. So you see, you really don’t have to invest in all that other high-end home gym equipment to have a great workout and stay in shape. Just turn up the volume on some peppy music and get started.

Read more about home gym “do’s and don’ts” in our next post – home gym