Constructing Your First Home Gym

Introduction

Home gyms make fitness easy…well easier. That said there are also many other benefits to owning a home gym including: privacy, ease of access, customization, and convenience. While home gym’s may be expensive, and take up a lot of space, most people find that they are well worth it. At least, I have never heard anyone say otherwise!

My own fitness journey started in a home gym, one with only a pair of adjustable dumbbells. It took two years before I ever made it to a commercial gym, only to realize that home gyms are so much better. There is just something special about having a personal gym in which you can control every aspect: the music, the layout, the equipment.

I know that once you experience the value of a home gym you too will never go back to a commercial gym!

Home Gym Essentials

This blog post will teach you about the essentials of a beginner home gym. The essential principal of a beginner home gym is to start small. While machines are extremely nice to have they are also very specific. The strategy for a home gym should be to maximize your space by buying only equipment that can be used for multiple exercises.

Adjustable Dumbbells

There are several types of adjustable dumbbells. The simplest variety use weight plates to adjust the weight. These types of dumbbells typically come as metal or plastic handles a set of weight plates. These plate adjusted dumbbells are the cheapest versions of adjustable dumbbells. They typically cost around $40-60.

These dumbbells excel in growing with you as weight is easily added in whatever increments wanted. One drawback is that these dumbbells typically max out around 80 pounds. Another possible concern may be that full metal versions of these dumbbells are not easily found. In recent years many companies have switched to using cheaper materials, for both handles and weight plates.

Quality matters and each store will offer a different selection of adjustable dumbbells. These dumbbells can be found at retailers such as Walmart, Target, Academy, Dicks, and Amazon. This 40 pound pair can be bought on Amazon for $35 here.

Workout Benches

Any type of workout bench will instantly increase the amount and types of exercises you can do. This makes workout benches one of the most important pieces of home gym equipment. But, because there are many types, it can be confusing choosing the perfect one. The simplest workout benches only offer a a flat bench setting. Others offer inclines and declines at varying settings and angles.

The most advance types of workout benches are not only benches but also workout machines. These benches include things offer exercises such as leg extensions, hamstring curls, and preacher curl attachments. But be warned you will pay a premium for these features.

For the purpose of a beginner home gym an adjustable bench will not only drastically expand your exercise options but likely last you a lifetime. Such a bench can be found here.

Pull-up Bars

Pullups are one of the best bodyweight exercises around. Pullup bars can be used to perform dozens of toning and building exercises. Back, arms, and abs - pullup bars can work everything. Literally, an entire workout can be programed on one of these.

There are many types of pull-up bars. Some pullup bars offer only a single bar. These often come built into other pieces of equipment. While simple, these are usually not the cheapest option. Other options, such as the one above offer a variety of grip placements. These models tend to be the most popular not only because they are cheap and easy to use but also offer a wider variety of exercises.

A multi-grip pull-up bar is an essential addition to your home-gym. You can get one here.

Weight Racks

Weight racks are essential for performing heavy barbell exercises such as bench-press and back squat. These exercises excel at building muscle because they can be done with more weight. Because of this a weight rack will revolutionize both your home gym and fitness success.

Weight racks come in many different variations. The most simple, as seen on the far left of the images, consists of only two adjustable bars. These bars are moved wider or closer depending on the intended exercise. Because these models are unstable they cannot hold very heavy weights. Furthermore, they offer little in the form of protection for a failed lift. Even with these drawbacks they are a good choice for home gyms low on space. One of these models can be bought here.

A second type of rack provides more protection and stability. These, unlike the standalone bars, are bolted to the ground. This allows for more weight to be safely used on them. Additionally, these racks have better built safety bars. Not only are they longer but they are also denser. This means that they are generally more safe than the previous example. One of these can be bought here.

Lastly, the most expensive and safe type of weight rack is a power rack. These racks are made for heavy weights and heavy power movements. This specialty ensures the optimal amount of safety during exercises. On the downside this is the most expensive and space consuming model. As such a rack this size is typically not viable for a home gym. If you do decide to go for a power rack one can be bought here.

Cardio Machines

Cardio is already painful enough. But cardio at home may be the solution to this. Machines such as treadmills, exercise bikes, and ellipticals allow for easy cardio from the comfort of one’s own home. Cardio has many benefits, namely increased endurance and weight loss. Treadmills come in many forms. Standard versions are large but have a full range of incline and speed settings. They also often come with preprogrammed workouts and even built in video. If space is an issue there are also under desk ones, these can enhance your home gym by saving space while also allowing you to have a good workout. You can find a good treadmill here.

Another option is an exercise bike. Exercise bikes are good because they burn a lot of calories in relatively short amounts of times. There are two types of exercise bikes. The first is a traditional bike, these require large amounts of effort but also have one of the best calories burnt per hour of any cardio machine. Another type of exercise bike is a recumbent one. These are used while sitting down. While these do burn less calories, being amble to comfortably do cardio may lead to more overall calories burnt. A traditional exercise bike can be found Here. A recumbent exercise bike can be found here.

Conclusion

Home gyms are one of the best investments of time and money you can make. While some can take a lot of space and money a good workout can still be had with much less equipment than you might realize. I suggest you start small, buy a pair of adjustable dumbbells and a bench, and take it from there!