Setting Up a Home Gym
If you prefer to exercise alone or if a commercial gym is not an option, you can set up an adequate gym at home with just a few pieces of basic equipment. Before you buy anything however, think about where you're going to set up your gym as well as where you're going to put all your equipment.
Some things to consider in setting up a home gym include:
- Make sure you have enough room to move around in. You really don't want to knock over a lamp every time you do a leg press.
- Take steps to protect your floor from any marks, scuffs, or scratches your exercise equipment or activity might leave, especially if you have hardwood or tile floors. If you have carpet, bear in mind that you really don't want to be sweating all over your carpet every time you exercise.
- Leaving your exercise equipment out and ready for use is the ideal situation but may not be possible, especially if you have small children or if space is limited. Consider storing your equipment in a closet, either a portable one or a built-in one.
- Your exercise area should have good ventilation to keep you from overheating. This may require the addition of a ceiling fan or the use of a portable fan.
- Exercising at home is pretty boring so make sure you include some visual stimulation in your exercise area like a TV set, a window that you can look out of, or a book rack where you can set a novel. Listening to music while you exercise is another alternative.
Once you've got an area set aside, you can begin shopping around for some basic pieces of equipment. At a minimum, your home gym should include:
- For your Warm-ups and Stretching, a good Exercise Mat. This will allow you to perform floor exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups, and so on as well as stretching exercises. Make sure your mat is non-slip. A standard Yoga mat is ideal for this.
- For Strength, a basic Weight Set. Although you can start out with a set of resistance bands or fixed weight dumbbells, you'll eventually want a full weight set. If your budget is really tight, you can start out using any kind of weights including soup cans or plastic gallon jugs that you've filled with water. However, substitutes like this may not be as easy or comfortable to grip and control as a balanced weight set. Also, you won't be able to easily increase the amount of weight like you can with a weight set.
- For Cardio, a Stationary Bike. If the idea of a pedaling a bike and never going anywhere doesn't appeal to you, select any type of cardio machine (treadmill, elliptical trainer, etc) that's low impact. You can get a great cardio workout with a simple jump rope but if you've got weak joints or are significantly overweight, you'll do more damage than good to your joints with such a high impact routine. Tight budget? Find a sports stadium or a public building and get a great cardio workout by climbing several flights of stairs.
Optional equipment can include other types of multi-purpose machines, cross trainers, benches, balance balls, or similar. You can obviously get as fancy as your budget allows. And speaking of budgets, make it a point to always purchase the best quality equipment that you can afford, even if this means that you only come home with one piece. Poor quality equipment will not last, may not work as advertised, is usually more difficult to use, is more likely to slip, crack, or break, and in short, is just not a good investment.
The Bottom Line on Exercise Equipment
The bottom line is that no matter what type of equipment you use, whether at a commercial gym or at home, you need to keep the following two points in mind:
Your Next Step
Now that you understand the types and uses of exercise equipment, your next step is to look at the various types of Exercise Routines that should be a part of your exercise routine, or you can return to the Physical Health page.
Page Updated: 10/25/06
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