When planning your home gym, the equipment you purchase is dependent on personal fitness goals and getting the best value for money. Over the years, I have kitted out a huge number of home gyms for professional sports people, through to everyday trainers who do not want to join a mainstream gym. My key messages is to make sure that everything you buy can be utilised to the maximum for your training goals.
Purchasing equipment which enables you to create a balanced training programme is key to this, so let’s drill down into this a little further –
Strength Equipment – This will make up a large proportion of the equipment you will need. To break this down, I would suggest the following:
Power Rack and an Adjustable Freeweight Bench – Budget will dictate what you select, but having a training system that allows you to do the following key exercises will help you achieve overall fitness goals:
- Squats
- Bench Press
- Pull Ups
Should there be space and budget constraints, then a quality set of squat stands and a wall mounted pull up bar, along with a bench will also allow you to cover these exercises.
Bars, Plates and Dumbbells – An olympic bar and plates plus a pair of dumbbell handles (or adjustable dumbbells). If you have the budget, then a full set of rubber or cast iron dumbbells would be ideal.
Kettlebells and Medicine Balls – The sheer number of exercises that can be done with these versatile items of equipment makes them a must for any home gym.
Cardiovascular Equipment – Now this is where you can spend a huge amount of money so lets keep it simple; here is my list of preferred machines –
Treadmill – I would suggest looking for a quality used/refurbished commercial treadmill. These are far superior to light weight options that are targeted at the home market.
Concept 2 Rowing Machine – A number of options are available, but none is better in my opinion than a Concept 2 Rower. Contact us for refurbished machines
Spinning Bike – I love cycling and find an indoor spinning/studio bike is a better solution than a commercial exercise bike; obviously you will not get the various digital programs but, in terms of value for money, studio bikes are superb. Should you wish to crank up the intensity, then a dual action air resisted bike is a magnificent option.
If you need assistance with planning, deigning and kitting out your perfect home gym then contact us today.