Home gyms are convenient, and the equipment you choose is based on your personal preferences, meaning you can get a great workout, whenever is best for you. But choosing the best home gym equipment can be difficult – where do you even start? Below, we’ll look at a few factors to consider to help you build your perfect workout space.
Benefits Of A Home Gym
Many of us have had to adapt to working out from home over the past couple of years, and even though gyms are now fully back up and running, some of us have decided that we prefer to work out in the comfort of our own homes. Having your own home gym means you can work out whenever is best for you – so you can stick to your workout schedule more easily. Gyms can be a daunting place, especially if you’re just starting on your fitness journey. Working out from home means you can exercise in private. Creating a space to work out in your home means you don’t have to wait for others to finish using the machines you need. You can use equipment that suits you and your goals whenever is best for you.
What To Buy First
If you’ve decided that creating a gym at home is the best way for you to work out, there are a few factors to consider before you can begin the process. You’ll need to think about what you’re hoping to achieve, the space you have and your budget so that you can decide what to buy first. We’ll look at these factors in more detail below, so you know how to get started.
Think Of Your Goals
Firstly, think about your goals. Are you hoping to increase your strength and build muscle, or are you trying to lose weight or improve cardio fitness? Narrowing down what your goals are means you can prioritise the equipment you need to purchase. If you’re focusing on strength, you could buy dumbbells, or if you’re improving fitness and endurance, a treadmill or bike may be the best choice.
Think Of Your Space
When you’re creating your home gym, you’ll need to choose a space to keep your equipment and work out. If you only have a small space, you’ll have to choose items that are easy to store or take up little room. If you have a bigger space, you may be able to choose more advanced equipment. You could choose equipment that folds for easy storage or think about introducing racks to keep your weights organised. Try and be sensible with the equipment you choose and ensure it suits your space.
Weights
If you’re hoping to build strength or tone your body, weights are the best option – and they are easy to implement into your home gym. Depending on what you choose, a rack of weights or adjustable weights can be stored easily when they’re not being used. They feature in all gyms, and you can add them to your own space easily and affordably. Not to mention the number of exercises you can perform with them.
Resistance bands
This a perfect example of equipment you can buy for less, that takes up hardly any room. Resistance bands are some of the most versatile on the market. There is a range of exercises you can perform with these bands to increase your strength – you can use them in conjunction with weights, or by themselves. And when you’re done with them, simply roll them up and store them out of sight.
Machines
Just because you’re working out from home, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to take advantage of various gym machines. You can add treadmills, rowing machines and spin bikes to your home gym to benefit from a range of cardio workouts. These are more expensive than the previous items we’ve looked at, but they are all you need for an all-around workout. You can choose the most advanced models or look for something that does the job whilst being more affordable. You could start with a gym machine and build the rest of your home workout space around this.
Flooring
Something that many might overlook is mats and flooring. If you live in a flat, or you have neighbours, adding rubber flooring to your workout space is advantageous for a couple of reasons – so that the noise from your weights does not disturb those around you, and to protect the flooring. Once you’ve decided which gym equipment to get, you can decide on flooring to add to the space.
