Going to the gym can be a bit of a pain sometimes. You have to wait for equipment all of the time and when you do get on it, it might be covered in somebody else’s sweat. It can also be very time consuming getting to and from the gym. A good solution is to create your own home gym. While it can be expensive to set up, it will work out cheaper in the long run and it is more convenient for you. On the other hand, some people find that the motivation of a crowded gym really helps them to work out, so be careful that having a home gym doesn’t mean that you stop working out so much. If you are sure that this is the best option, there are a few key things that you need in any good home gym, and some things that should be avoided. Here are a few tips on setting up the perfect home gym for yourself.
Barbell and Plate Set
The barbell and plate set will be the foundation of your home gym, and you can build a lot of the main aspects of your workout around it. You’ll be able to do squats, lunges and deadlifts to work your legs. Bench presses for the chest and bicep curls for the arms.
You can find plenty of second-hand ones on the internet but make sure you are getting good quality equipment otherwise it may be dangerous. Also bear in mind that the bar is almost seven foot wide so you need to have a room big enough to accommodate it.
Bench
If you want to get the most out of your barbell and plate set, you’ll need a bench to go with it. There are also plenty of other exercises that you can do with it. It is better to buy a professional bench, second-hand. There are benches that are marketed for home use but these are not very robust and will start to come apart easily if you use them well. Most of them do not have incline and decline functionality either, so the amount of exercises you can do with them are limited.
Rack
The rack is something that people often miss out of their home gym because it is the largest and most expensive item. But it is invaluable when you are trying to put together heavier workouts. If you don’t have the space for a rack, you could use a home parallel bar set instead.
Flooring
Once you’ve got all your equipment, you’ll probably be eager to get working out, but you need to remember that you are doing this in your house, and you’ll want to protect it from the strain of the gym equipment. Good flooring will help to protect your home as well as the gym equipment, making it last longer. It will also reduce the sound levels coming from your home gym.
Kettlebells
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Kettlebells are a very versatile piece of weightlifting equipment. You can use them to do all of the exercises that you would normally do with dumbbells, as well as a lot more of their own specific exercises. By using them instead of dumbbells, you can maximise the potential of your workout without taking up extra space.
