With most people working from home in this post-covid world, many have resorted to building home gyms and working out at home.
You can certainly get a good workout at home with just a few pieces of equipment. Here are a few affordable (for the most part), easy-to-find pieces of equipment I would recommend purchasing if I was limited by space and budget.
1. Yoga Mat
This is a simple addition to your home gym, but one that gives you an area to lay down with some padding without having to worry about getting sweat on your carpet or hardwood floors. Not to mention, no one really wants to lay on carpet or hardwood floors while working out.
I love using dumbbells as you can train any part of your body with them and continue to progress certain exercises by adjusting the weight over time. I’d recommend purchasing adjustable dumbbells to maximize your space, like the powerblock.
3. TRX
A TRX is a fairly cheap piece of equipment that’ll help round out your home gym, giving you a great option to program a variety of rowing variations to train your back. Really, this piece of equipment can be used to train a variety of body parts efficiently.
Again, resistance bands are going to be a wonderful addition to your gym without breaking the bank. Resistance bands are versatile and can be used for a variety of options, such as using them as a warmup, a finisher at the end of your workouts, or simply to add some more resistance to a specific movement.
5. Physio-ball
Although this may take up a bit more space, you can simply tuck it away in the corner of your gym. You can get pretty creative with the physio-ball but I personally love using the physio-ball for core exercises!
6. Airdyne Bike
Aidryne bikes can offer a hell of a workout when you push yourself. It’ll spike your heart rate, build up a good sweat, and burn some serious calories. However, there may be days when you’re just looking to do some sort of light movement. Whether you’re doing high intensity intervals or simply looking to get your body moving for 30 minutes, the airdyne bike offers both.
Talk about taking up limited space, this is something you can tuck away in the corner that allows you to perform a wide variety of movements. From core movements, blasting the lower body, or giving you a good option for some pressing movements, this is a great addition to your home gym.
8. Adjustable Bench
This one is fairly simple, but having an adjustable bench to perform exercises on is an important addition. You can certainly perform exercises on the floor, but you’re probably better off performing them on a stable bench to assist you with efficient setups and safe movements.
9. Ab Wheel
A ten dollar investment that gives you a GREAT ab workout, say no more! The ab wheel is by no means easy, however it can be adjusted and made a bit easier by setting it up on a slight incline on your adjustable bench!
10. Barbell with Bumper Plates
This is by no means necessary, but a great idea if you’re more into Olympic lifting. You can find a barbell fairly cheap, however the bumper plates will probably cost you a bit.
Now, keep in mind, you absolutely do not need to purchase all this equipment brand new. It’s probably a better idea to look for these items on sites such as Facebook marketplace and craigslist.
You’d be surprised what you can find on there for a good price!