Are you the kind of person who feels like throwing up at the thought of getting your funky sweat on in publicity? Or do you hate the thought of other people looking at you when you’re struggling while lifting 2 pounds? Or maybe you simply never seem to get enough of your cozy sheets on those chilly mornings when you had actually planned to hit the gym? Well, I’m not an expert in either sleep or laziness—but trust me when I say; you’re not alone in this.
But luckily there is a sizable menu of options to choose from when it comes to home gym equipment—and that is what this entire guide is all about; well, at least substantially.
Enough of stories—let’s dive right in.
Don’t be fooled by the long complicated name. The equipment is simply a mixture of cords, straps, and buckles that come in a less than two-pound weighing bag.
The suspension trainer is an essential tool to your at home exercise equipment tool-pool with the capability of offering over 300 muscle-targeted exercises. Terrific, right?
Pioneered by Randy Hetrick, the product hasn’t been a disappointment when it comes to durability and versatility. What’s more, a suspension trainer will only cost you a mere $200—too little a price to pay for your fitness sanity I’d say.
And if you do not want to splash the cash you could even build one your self! There are a lot of excellent DIY suspension trainer instructions out there. One simple Google search will give you dozens of results.
This is simply something you have to own if you're serious about working out at home!
If you’re looking for an efficient tool for your upper body exercises, this is your guy. The equipment is easily mounted on your door frame and voila… you’re up and running!
The notable thing when it comes to pull-ups is that it works your V-shaped upper back muscles at the same time as it challenges a whole range of other upper body muscles including the shoulders and chest.
A good doorway pull bar typically retails at an average of $50 in most Sports Equipment Shops. But as with the suspension trainer, there is also a lot of DIY alternatives available.
No workout program is complete without pull-ups included!
The resistance band is one training tool that dates back to over a century ago—but notable, is their phenomenon resurgence over the last 20 years or so.
The bands come in different resistance levels as well as materials used in their manufacturing—with most of them being made of latex material.
Some common types of resistance bands include the 8-Shape expander, Flat resistance band and Resistance tube bands with most of them not going for more than $20 on Amazon.
With the resistance bands, you got all your gifting needs covered. With a range up to over 300 pounds, these bands will surely challenge even the strongest bull in town.
Squats, chest press, deadlifts -the resistance band got your back!
No home gym is complete without a pair of adjustable dumbbells. They enable you to work out every muscle group in your body—and can even be a real boost to a range of cardiovascular exercises.
The best thing about adjustable dumbbells is that it’s dead easy and quick to add or remove resistance. -You can always adjust to your preferred weight as you gain more power and they go easy on your pocket too.
The prices vary depending on weights; be sure to know your preferred weight before shopping around for a pair.
As with some of the other equipment on the list dumbbells can also be made using household items and your imagination:
Use the Google search; “DIY dumbbells” and start crafting!
This is another ancient training tool. Used to exercise the abs and the lower back to mainly strengthen and tighten the core this is also a great piece of exercise equipment.
The equipment is great for improving lower back problems—and of course, the erector spinal muscles. In simpler terms folks, it helps improve your overall posture.
NB! The ab-wheel requires you to have some basic core strength before you start utilizing it... Be sure to keep your form during your ab-rolls. If your back is “sagging” you will actually do more harm than good!
I bet most of you didn’t see this coming!
Well, imagine a city with no street names—tragic right? As much as you can know your way around the town, you still need the street names when for instance directing someone. Similarly, that’s how essential these beauties are to your workouts.
The exercise may give you a comfortable surface to conduct your exercises, gripping the surface in place to minimize the annoying shifting of the mat when working out.
Tip: You want to go for a mat that doesn’t keep sliding as you exercise.
The list of training equipment goes on and on but I would be damned if I didn’t include the following:
A stability ball (as seen in the picture above)
Skipping rope
Agility ladder
Two sturdy chairs for your deep ups among other exercises
A low bench
As a final word, it would be essential to incorporate some onscreen motivation like a DVD or Youtube video when training to keep you intensified. Trust me; you’ll need all the morale you can get when working out, -especially when alone.
As a golden rule, I always say, “keep doing it for 21 days and it becomes a habit”.
Well, there you have it.
If you liked this guide, be sure to drop a comment about any other training tool you feel deserves to be on my coveted list.—Otherwise happy working folks.
The hometraininghero do not hold a PT certificate. Do not work at a gym. Do not have a degree in nutrition. But what I do have is passion. A burning passion for time-efficient bodyweight workouts. I’m a firm believer that anybody can get in the shape of their life -without ever going to the gym.
Join the movement! Become a hometraininghero, burn that gym membership card and never look back!