Hey, gents! Your big bro, Nelson, reporting for duty. We have talked about in the past regarding keeping up with your fitness goals amidst the pandemic. It cannot be overemphasized that staying fit and healthy is also what will keep your immune system strong. But you also need the right tools to do the job. With that goal in mind, building your own home gym can benefit your efforts greatly!
No Gym Membership? No Problem.
Gym membership has its perks. After all, it comes with not just the equipment, but also the supervision of a physical trainer. However, this requires traveling outside. And then there are the other factors that make this a chore. If you live far, the traffic may be an issue. If the gym sees a lot of activity, you might not have access to the equipment when you need it.
Furthermore, given the limitations imposed by lockdowns and quarantines, this adds to the difficulty. From simply being a challenge, It may even be impossible in certain areas and regions.
Now, if you have a home gym, this inconvenience disappears. After all, you will have access to the equipment at all times. You can set up your own training time. And you will save money in the long run by avoiding the regular gym membership fees.
However, there are disadvantages to consider. Mainly, you would not have the benefit of an expert’s supervision. While a home workout on your own is doable, there are still advantages to having a physical trainer present to ensure you are doing things properly and safely.
Another factor to take into consideration is your available space. If you have a garage or an unused guest room, that’s great. But if not, then you would not want to go around buying gym equipment and then find you do not have enough room in your home. So hold off on getting that set of power workout equipment setups.
Finally, the most common pushback against building a home gym is the cost. While it is nice to have a home gym that is thousands of dollars in value, it is not a necessity. You can build a perfectly effective home gym with having only a small budget.
The Essentials for Your Home Gym
To begin building your home gym, you should first prioritize your workout regimen. For your warm-ups and cool downs, you really do not need any equipment. As these will mostly comprise of push-ups, sit ups, lunges, and hopping, the only investment required is a good and durable mat.
I would recommend a good Yoga mat. It’s good for floor exercises and body weight exercises. Aside from the standard workout, this will pull double duty if you have any interest in Yoga. Here are further suggestions as to the essential pieces of home gym equipment you should invest in:
- Jump Rope – The classic jumping rope can be a bit of a challenge for some. In fact, many who started with the jump rope gave up on it early on before learning its timing. However, it is a very effective aerobic and cardio implement once you get the hang of it. Best of all, it is inexpensive, with the most basic jump rope costing less than $10.
- Dumbbells – Don’t get enamored by the heavy lifting through barbells. Aside from taking up a good amount of space for a barbell set, it has a limited application. By comparison, dumbbells provide a wider range of upper body strength training.Dumbbells work well for developing and defining arms and forearms. If you want the “ripped” look to your extremities, dumbbells provide a means for low weights, high reps workouts. An alternative to dumbbells is a kettle bell or two. A kettle bell can provide a heavier weight, should you prefer it.
- Medicine Ball – A good 1kg medicine ball will provide a means for core, abdominals, strength, and dexterity training. Any fitness professional will tell you a medicine ball will do wonders if you know how to use it properly. Burpees, Squats, and sit ups will be even more effective when assisted by a medicine ball.
- Resistance Bands – This elastic band provides wide array of motion and muscle developing exercises. Smaller bands are good for thighs, glutes, and biceps. Meanwhile larger bands can mimic many of the larger equipment resistance training. And this is another piece of equipment that costs less than 10 dollars from your budget.
Conclusion
These are the core essentials for your home gym. However, if you still have extra room and the budget for it, additional dumbbell weights, a pull up bar, a proper bench, and even a stationary bike can be included. All these can contribute to your fitness journey greatly. Again, I reiterate fitting your purchases with your available space and budget.
On that note, you can get even more powerful fitness suggestions from Tom Venuto’s Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle system. You can check out the full review right here! And come back next time for more MaleMatter information, news, and suggestions to build the beast in you!
