Waking up in the morning, wearing your jogging shoes and heading to the gym could become a hassle, especially if you have to do that every day. One morning, as I woke up to the chirping bird sounds and early sunshine rays, it hit me. Why not just create a gym inside my house? This way, the only distance I would have to cover to exercise is the distance between my bedroom and the garage. Will a home gym setup pay off? Sure it will if you bring in the appropriate gym equipment.
First of all, you should understand that your home gym setup doesn’t exactly need to look like a commercial gym. It can consist of all the equipment you usually use when you go to the gym, or you could have a whole extravaganza of gym equipment. The choice depends on your personal preference and budget, but I personally prefer to keep things simple. Here are a few pieces of equipment that I had bought for my home gym setup, which I thought were enough to keep me fit and motivated. You could also set up a home gym in an affordable manner by bringing in such equipment.
Dumbbells: The Quintessential Equipment
Almost every home gym setup will have dumbbells, and for good reasons. Dumbbells can provide both metabolic and mechanical overload to ensure good muscle contractions, allowing the muscle size to grow and its capability to store more glycogen. Heavier dumbbells provide mechanic overload while the ones with lower weight provide metabolic overload. They also enhance better muscle coordination during full body workouts so your joint movements are smoother. Use of heavier dumbbells enhances the function of the contractile elements of muscle, while multiplanar workouts with the lighter ones enhance the elastic functions of muscles.
Dumbbells can be used with both hands for various motion patterns and strength training. So, you can use one leg and one arm at a time and then use only your other arm after a few movements. A single dumbbell itself can be used for a whole body workout.
Kettlebells: For the Unique Motion Patterns
Some people might say that kettlebells are not needed but the truth is, kettlebells are almost like dumbbells. However, there are some motion patterns that can only be done with kettlebells and are more challenging than dumbbell movements. Kettlebells are good for strength training despite the fact that they aren’t too heavy. The core, glutes and lower back muscles get good workouts using kettlebells. Kettlebell exercises may give you a toned physique and better posture. Both kettlebells and dumbbells are easy to store, take up less space, and can burn calories faster.
Pull Up Bars: For Strengthening Grips
There are different kinds of pull up bars. They usually focus on enhancing the biceps and lats. You can work on multiple muscles and multiple joint movements. The wrists and hand muscles get worked up, thus increasing your grip strength. Using pull up bars, a number of compound dynamic exercises can be done. It helps improve posture as well as reduce back pain. Thus, it’s good if you want a toned and sexy body.
Gymnastic Rings
These rings are lightweight and perfect in every way possible because you can use them in your home gym set up as well as take them with you while traveling. If you’re looking for an array of gymnastic exercises for stretching or for quick exercise while traveling, these are absolutely perfect. This equipment is versatile and effective for strengthening the hand muscles and grips.
Jump Ropes: Reliving Childhood Fun
If you think that jumping ropes are for kids, you’re wrong. Believe it or not, jumping ropes are a great way to do cardio, and it also requires strength, balance, coordination, and precision. Otherwise, you would twist yourself within the ropes. If you’re a beginner it may take you some time to practice jumping. But once you get the hang of it, you’ll see how incredibly fun it could be. You could try it with a partner for practicing synchronization and use two of your friends to hold the ropes for you while you jump. Increase speed and duration, and make the training harder over time.
Medicine Balls And Stability Balls
These are some inexpensive exercise equipment used for strength and balance training. Stability balls are bigger than med balls. Medicine balls are used for throwing and aiming, making them good for ballistic training. Med balls are suitable for children who need to overcome the fear of doing free weight exercises. Carrying a med ball gives appropriate weight training. You can also try a number of abdominal exercises along with it, other than throwing and catching. Over time, try to focus more on improving your power and speed during ballistic training. Stability balls provide simple exercises for balancing your body’s core. They’re also really fun to use. They can correct postures, thus they’re great for those with body pain. Seniors would love to use stability balls as they’re easy to use and comfortable.
Can’t Get Enough Of Jumping? Enter Plyo Box
While jumping ropes are pretty cool, it’s also fun to jump on to something. These boxes are exactly that. You can jump on top of them, or jump from the surface to the top of the box or vice versa. To help improve your strength and agility in jumping, these are perfect. Aside from that, you can do a few non-jump practices, such as squatting, bending and stretching, or a few warm-ups. The best thing is, you don’t need to buy one! You can always build a wooden box as big as a plyo box and get going.
Barbell Benefits
Barbell exercises are great because they’re not too complicated and can come in various sizes for both genders. It’s popularly used for resistance training, thus pushing up and pulling down a resistance (free weight). This helps you to develop your inner stability and body movement coordination. Barbells allow heavier weight training in a fixed position unlike dumbbells, thus it’s much safer for beginners. Several studies have shown that women feel more positive and confident after doing resistance training with barbells. Their sleep patterns had also improved. Bone density is increased because of resistance training, which could prevent osteoporosis. You can take the weight plates out of barbells and use them in separate exercises. So you can take a weight plate and do some sit-ups, stretching or do simple weight lifting.
Twister
To shake things up in the wee morning hours, use twister. Stand on it and try twisting your waist and hips without moving your upper body. Twist as much as you can. This is a good lower body workout which will not only develop your physique but will also make your obliques visible. They don’t require much space and come at affordable prices.
Home Gym Setup: Final Thoughts
Don’t limit yourself to these types of gym equipment only. Try cardio workouts and aerobic exercises with a good stereo system. Music is a good way to keep you motivated and have fun while exercising. Put up inspirational designs and quotes across the room so you don’t lose hope to exercise and remain fit. You can actually get more complicated tools, such as ab machines, rowing machines or treadmills, but only if you have enough space and budget for it.
Don’t rush into buying such gym equipment – take it slow and easy, and pick things that would allow you to do the exercises suitable for your body type. They don’t have to be brand-new as well. You could buy used machines. Since it’s your home, you can have fun workout sessions with your friends and family. No more rushing into the gym and then being late for office in the morning. No more unnecessary monthly payments to commercial gyms. Get out of the bed and make the most of your own gym setup.
