Let’s be honest: a gym membership may often cost *much* more than it’s worth. It’s easier and cheaper than ever to develop endurance and strength from the comfort of your own home, thanks to the emergence of online workouts from your favourite studios and trainers.
So, if you’re serious about cancelling your monthly exercise plan and committing to a 100% at-home workout regimen, you’ll need a total gym setup that will help you achieve your objectives.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to putting up a home gym in any space and on any budget.
#1. Choose a suitable location.
You must first determine where you want to set up your home gym before you can start swinging kettlebells and doing burpees. At least, the area should be large enough to accommodate a yoga mat, which is all you’ll need to stretch and do core exercises.
A HIIT exercise may need more room and a firm (but not too hard) jumping platform, while a yoga session may require somewhat more space than a yoga mat. A full-fledged heavy lifting routine with all the bells and whistles would almost certainly need its own space.
If you live in an apartment with a space larger than a walk-in closet, set aside an underused area of your living room or bedroom for your sweat sessions.
#2. Create a home gym.
You don’t need much equipment or big machines to make your home gym an efficient location to work out.
Cardio
If you’re short on space and funds, put the money you’d spend on a bulky treadmill toward your vacation fund instead and get some exercise with a jump rope. To increase the intensity, use a weighted jump rope, which is a little bit heavier to turn, requiring more effort from your wrists and forearms to keep it spinning,
Strength
There’s no need for gigantic cable machines to obtain a good strength exercise. Instead, get a single kettlebell, a pair of adjustable dumbbells, a complete set of dumbbells, and/or a set of best resistance bands. These will provide you with the same muscle training without the huge storage issues.
Recovery
Recovery equipment is vital for your home gym, whether you’re #TeamStrength or #TeamCardio. Foam rollers are my favourites since they can be used for ‘kneading’ out muscles, strengthening your core, or as a support for yoga postures.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to purchase everything for your home gym at once. Begin with a few essential components and work your way up from there. Put some things on your Christmas or birthday wish list, shop at used sports shops or garage sales, search Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace for pre-owned goods, or switch out with friends to rotate your equipment for free.
#3. Create a Plan for Your Setup
You know how crucial the physical setup of a workout facility is if you’ve ever gone to a gym that’s crammed with equipment and no space to see yourself performing bicep curls. Make sure your home gym has enough light—either natural light pouring in through windows or light bulbs hanging from the ceiling—so you can easily keep an eye on your form.
If you’re fully turning a spare room into a home gym, you may choose to cover the carpet with gym flooring that keeps your floor from becoming slick from sweat drops.
