Make Your Own Home Fitness Gym

The great thing about have a gym at home is that you can personalize it to whatever your specifications are.  When you belong to a gym, you end up paying for so many services that you don’t even use.  Your home gym can be catered to exactly what you need.

The important thing is to really assess what you are looking to focus on.  If you just want to tone and keep in shape, some simple lighter items such as resistance bands, balance balls, and light dumbbells may be all you need.

But, on the other hand, if you are looking to lose a lot of weight, a cardio machine is what you need most.  There are several options ranging from a treadmill to a stair climber to an elliptical machine to name a few.  Or if you already have a bicycle, you could just get a bike trainer, which locks your bike in place and allows you to use it indoors.

If bulk is what you are after, you need to invest in bigger weights and a large barbell to go with your dumbbells.  Along with the exercise bar, you should also make sure your bench has an attachment to hold the barbell, allowing you to perform bench presses.

Now, if you are thinking of going even bigger than that, you have to worry about working out at home, alone and without a spotter.  Heavier weights become extremely dangerous, so if you the room you should buy some helpful workout equipment like a power rack or something like a smith machine to make sure you are being as safe as you possibly can.

There are also fantastic multi gyms out there if you have the money and room for one.  But it is more important to start small.   I have had so many friends feel momentarily inspired and spend thousands of dollars on home fitness gyms but then not use it at all.  By starting small and seeing how you feel when you work out home, you can judge better when you may want to expand down the line.  And if worse comes to worse, you can always sell our used home fitness gym equipment in the newspaper or on craigslist.com.

Depending on your goals, there are hundreds of options for creating a home fitness gym.  Variables such as how much you want to spend and how much room you have can reduce your options, but it can still be confusing to decide what is important and what is not.  No matter what kind of home gym you are looking to build, there are still certain items that everyone should have.

A mat is an essential item for several uses.  First, many people neglect to stretch before and after their workout, but it is such crucial component of a healthy lifestyle.  Yoga is a fantastic way to stretch your body and improve your flexibility and also requires a mat.

Balance balls, also known as exercise balls, are also a wonderful way to stretch, particularly your back.  They are also fantastic for several other home gym exercises.  Working your abdominal muscles is more effective when done on a balance ball.  Even exercises like shoulder presses and chest presses are more effective if you incorporate the balance ball as the item you are sitting on or laying on.

To do those kinds of exercises, there are a few other important items required so you aren’t just lifting air: weights.  To start, though, you may want to consider getting a few sets of resistance bands of different elasticities.  They are one of the most versatile gym exercise equipment you can get because there are so many different uses for them.  Attach to your door and you have a mini multi gym.  In addition, since they are so lightweight and compact, they make a great travel item to make sure you are keeping healthy on vacation and business trips.

The last absolutely required item are dumbbells.  Resistance bands are great for toning, but to build muscle you need to bring out the big guns.  The two schools of thought on this topic are set weight dumbbells or adjustable free weight dumbbells.  The former is a bit more costly and takes up more space, while the other is slightly cheaper but requires you to take the time to change the weights between exercises depending on your intended weight.

There are also incidentals that you will need to get to be prepared for your workout.  First, you must be dressed for success.  Few people take into account how important is is to wear proper workout clothes.  You want comfortable clothing that can absorb well.  Be sure to have plenty of towels around as well to keep yourself as sweat-free as possible.

Keep your fitness home gym smelling nice by placing an air freshener somewhere in the room.  Don’t forget the water bottle (not plastic if possible) and be sure to keep hydrated.

Once you have all of these items, you are ready to tackle some bigger items such as home exercise gyms and home gym machines.