Best Equipment For a Home Gym

Gym memberships aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be. Depending on the type of gym, the membership package, and how many people are covered in that package, one might find themselves paying an exuberant amount all for the sake of fitness/health. Well, I'm here to tell you that if you’ve ever considered setting up equipment at home, it might be the best decision for your wallet.

I'm going to break down some of the essentials when it comes to establishing an affordable home gym. You don’t need large, expensive equipment to get a good workout. In this article, we will go over how you can have access to a variety of exercises with the least amount of equipment. I’ll also try to point out which equipment will help you to build the best home gym for small spaces.

Essentials

Set of Tube Resistance Bands with Door Anchor, Ankle Straps, and Handles

Of the equipment on this list, this particular piece opens up the most amount of exercises, and even some stretches, for the price you might spend on it. Resistance bands are extremely versatile, offering a variety of angles to work with (literally and metaphorically). Using the door anchor allows you to apply adjustable resistance to yourself from the top, side, or bottom of the door frame (similar to many cable machines). Standing on the bands while holding on to the ends gives you a resistance similar to having a weight in your hand. Keep in mind that the resistance isn’t exactly like a cable machine or a dumbbell which both apply a consistent amount of resistance. Similar to a rubber band, the band’s resistance increases as the length of the band increases.

Prices start at $15 and can reach upwards of $100. Many good starter sets will cost between $20 to $30. This is because typically the bands are paired with other accessories that can be useful, but oftentimes gimmicky. Also, because there are a large variety of resistance levels, one may see sets available for purchase with resistances they may not have a use for at their fitness level. When considering a set, think of the levels of resistances that are the most practical for you at your fitness level and what you may be using the bands for.

It’s also a great candidate for homes with a smaller amount of space, due to how portable and compact the set can be. If you want it out of sight, the equipment set can be packed away in moments.

Doorway Pull-up Bar

Pull-ups are an amazing exercise for the body! It is one of the best functional exercises out there. If you can’t do them, work towards getting them down. Assisted bands may be something to consider if you struggle with pull-ups, although there are ways to progress without assistance from other equipment like isometric holds and negative pull-ups.

Depending on how you grip the equipment, you can work your back in an assortment of ways. On top of that, having this equipment allows for many of my favorite ab exercises. These core exercises require you to hang from the bar, so if you haven’t developed much grip strength yet, you may want to invest in a bar that comes with a tool that supports you by taking a portion of your body weight from your hands.

Most prices can be seen in the $20] to mid-$50 range.

In truth, any reliable pull-up bar is a good one, but I find that many people don’t want to drill a pull-up bar into their walls, especially if space is scarce and they want to be able to remove the piece of equipment with ease. I recommended pull-up bars that use a hinging mechanism. The hinging mechanism utilizes the door frame as well as your body weight to lock the equipment in place through a gripping mechanism.

The alternative is a pull-up bar that relies solely on grips. These can be dangerous because the grips the equipment relies on may wear down and lead to an injury due to a fall. The biggest complaint I’ve seen with the hinging mechanism is that it may leave marks on the door frame. Also, if your doorframe isn’t sturdy, that can be another potential danger because the bar’s stability relies on the foundation of the doorframe. This is another good piece of equipment when considering a home gym in a smaller space. Although it is not as compact as the resistance bands, it can easily be taken off your doorway and put away.

Yoga Mat

If you’re a fan of yoga, you might already have a yoga mat and know how practical this piece of equipment can be. Outside of using the mat strictly for yoga, many stretches and static exercise leave our elbows and knees to support quite a bit of our body weight. Protect your joints with a cushion. This could leave our wrists and elbows a little less achy after a tough set of planks. The mat can be especially helpful if you're consistently exercising in an area of your home with hard floors. It can be folded to increase its cushioning properties as well. Outside of the mat’s cushioning, yoga mats afford you more grip than the flooring you are currently using. This can be useful when working movements that require you to be a bit more rooted like the classic exercise the wall sit.

Prices can range between $9 and, on the excessive side, in the triple digits. Personally, I think $20 to 50 is a good price range for something of quality. The ability to roll the mat up makes it relatively practical to carry around if you feel like laying out at the park or storing it in a closet space.

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