Building a home gym can be tricky, especially with all the exercise equipment on the market today. These tips will help you find the best equipment for yours.
Home gyms are great for a plethora of reasons: they’re convenient, have no membership costs or fees, and allow you the freedom to exercise at any time without feeling intimidated by public gym-goers. Still, designing a home gym can be tricky since everyone has different goals. No matter, whether your goal is heavy weight training or to improve cardiovascular health, here are some of the best exercise equipment for your home gym.
Free Weights
Free weights are any dumbbell, barbell, medicine ball, kettlebell, or other equipment that allows for free-range motion. Many people find them an essential component to their home gym because of the complete range of body parts worked when using them. Keep these in mind when designing yours. Barbells come in various sizes and weights to consider, and from there, purchase the plates you’ll need for effective workouts. Similarly, dumbbells and kettlebells come in different weight sizes too. While you might not need 120 lb. options, choose ones that will give you a challenging workout.
Jump Ropes and Mobility Bands
Jump ropes and mobility bands also allow for different bodyweight exercises with some minor resistance. These can be effective in isometric exercises, or those that involve static muscle contractions without moving the joints as you do with free-weight training. You contract different muscles until they are fatigued without intense resistance from barbells, plates, or dumbbells. Your body weight contributes to most of the resistance.
Stationary Bikes
A stationary bike is one of the best pieces of exercise equipment for a home gym because you burn fat, raise your metabolism, and can use it for different levels of intensity, from light and relaxing to fast and intense. Like normal bicycles, stationary bikes have a saddle, pedals, and handlebars, but unlike traditional bikes, they are mounted on a wheel-less base. Stationary bikes are used for weight loss, physical therapy, or low-impact cardiovascular endurance. Regardless of the purpose, you can find many stationary bike workouts to do at home.
Treadmills and Ellipticals
Lastly, many home gyms have these exercise staples in them: treadmills and/or ellipticals. These common cardio machines are designed for weight loss and movement. Treadmills allow for walking or running on flat or inclined surfaces, while ellipticals have adjustable strides and resistance levels. Many people enjoy these machines in their home gyms because they promote endurance and weight loss while allowing for convenience and privacy. Cardiovascular machines like these must be in your home gym if you want to improve your stamina, endurance, metabolism, and achieve your weight loss goals. Don’t forget to add weight training for maximum health benefits.