Making Your Home Gym
Since the pandemic - a lot of people are looking to stay home more for working out since many have converted to remote work. If you were looking to build up your home gym, keep reading for what to get for your essentials, and then MORE if you want to really make your home gym a place where you reach your goals!
This blog was written with the help of @whatgracebought. Go to her page for ALL your essentials (and not just home gym essentials).
Essentials:
Dumbbells - medium to heavy. Unless you’re a beginner you can probably start at 8#s as the lowest. Adding weight to movements like squats, lunges, sit ups, etc, is a great way to intensify any workout. Using dumb bells will also give your workout SO MUCH more variety than just having to do body weight exercises. Plus your upper body workouts are very limited if you only use body weight.
Adjustable dumbbells are great and they save a ton of space - but they are expensive. BUT they might be worth the investment if you are thinking of really using your home gym long term.
Bands - a couple strengths of bands will give you an alternative to always using dumbbells. With bands you can also do more pull moves if you have something to anchor it to like a pole, heavy piece of furniture, or doorway.
Booty Bands - a great way to target the glutes and lower body without needing a lot of equipment. PLUS it travels (as well as the bands above) great!
Mat - For all your floor exercises and stretching.
But you might want to have a bigger area that is cushioned if you have the room. Fitness foam squares are a great option and you can customize the size and move it around as needed.
Sweat Towels - to wipe yourself down from the great workout you’re getting in your home gym!
Not necessary but ideal
Barbell with weight - this will help you bring your workouts to the next level. If you are really trying to create a home gym - I would highly recommend looking into a squat rack with a bar (usually 45#). You can do some much and target some many areas and get an overall great workout if you have a bar.
Cardio Machine - this one is trickier because not everyone has the space for a treadmill or elliptical or something of that size. BUT a spin bike does not take up as much room and you can get a GREAT cardio workout with it. Rowers are also a little more on the space saving side and can be stored vertically for more space.
And if you are looking to level up and go for the treadmill route - here are some of our favorites
Kettlebells - try to get just as heavier or heavier than the heaviest dumbbells you have (ie: if you have sets of 8, 10, and 15# dbs, get at least a 25# kettlebell or heavier). You can also get an adjustable kettlebell - again a little big of an investment - but worth it :)
Adjustable Kettlebell (the one I have and LOVE)
TRX Straps - this is a great portable, and space saving piece of equipment to add to your gym or travel bag. TRX straps help integrate pulling moves into your routine that are hard to get with dumbbells.
Pull up bar - this is not something you should be expect to be able to do right off the bat, but something to work up too! You can attach one of your long bands to it and to help reduce resistance. You can also use a chair or step to jump up and then work on the down motion. You can also use it as the anchor point for your bands to do any high point pulling motions.
Bench/step - Having something you can step up onto will give your workouts a lot of variety! You can go for the standard bench, or a step that you can still utilize the same way you would use a bench but just smaller (and cheaper)
Extras for fun:
Jump rope - to change up your cardio and get your heart rate up during circuits!
Sets!
These are nice if you’re not ready to pull the trigger for a weight bench and squat rack.
Misc:
If you’re into lifting heavier I would suggest both wrist straps for deadlifts or any move you’ll be holding heavier weight. As well as a barbell pad, mainly for hip thrusts. And if you’re not doing hip thrusts, you are missing out and some serious glute work!
Scales
You should have some way to measure progress, however - total body weight isn’t always the best way to do that. If you are only looking at total weight - you should also be utilizing pictures and circumference inches. OR you can get a smart scale that breaks down your total weight into fat, muscle, and water!
Please note: exercise equipment is a hot commodity right now so a lot of things sell out (temporarily). If you are searching for something you can't find here - contact Grace through her Instagram DMs and she will gladly send you the links to whatever you are looking for!
Happy exercising! :)
