Fitness Home Gym Essentials
There are hundreds of items that you could purchase for your fitness home gym. But if you are really serious about it, there are certain items that are a must have. Used together successfully, they can give you an effective home gym exercise.
1. Dumbbells or free weights. Without these, you can’t really do a whole lot of exercises. They add weight to your workout routine and help you to develop muscles. An alternate option would be something like resistance bands or kettle bells, but adjustable free weight dumbbells are the best way to go.
2. Exercise bench. A lot of exercises require you to sit so that you can focus on a particular muscle. You may be able to skirt around buying a bench by using a chair or a balance ball, but once you start using heavier weights, a bench will be required for more realistic gym exercises. It is worth it to get one with a rack for your barbell to assist you during bench presses.
3. Flooring. Heavy weights can reek havoc on hardwood, tile, carpet, linoleum… well, all kinds of floors actually. Plan ahead before there is any damage by purchasing some inexpensive rubber mats. They are sold in long rolls or square sections with jigsaw puzzle-esque edges that interlock. The smaller ones come in more of a variety of color if you worried about your gym area being visible from other parts of your home and want to make it less of an eyesore.
4. Barbell. There are certain exercises that need something bigger than dumbbells and a barbell will do the trick. You should plan ahead and buy adjustable dumbbells that use the same size plates as your barbell.
5. Music. Without music, I couldn’t work out. Pick up tempo songs that will help you kick it into high gear during those last few reps. Since it is your home gym, set up some speakers and have whatever music you want to hear.
6. Decoration. Nobody likes working out in drab or dirty surroundings. Customize your home fitness gym with a new coat of scuff resistant paint. Chose a bright color to help keep you energized. A mirror is a vital decoration. It allows you to watch your form during your workouts to be sure you are exercising properly.
7. Organization. A workout log book is a good idea to keep track of the weights you are lifting and how many reps you can do. By not keeping track of these things, you may not advance as quickly because you are not lifting the right amount of weight.
With these few items, you’ve got a fitness home gym ready to go. You may also consider upgrading down the line to a multi gym or some home gym machines.