Commonly Forgotten Home Gym Essentials
Home Workout Bible : over 400 Exercises in this Essential workout guide
Building your own home gym can be a dream come true, but with poor planning, it can be a nightmare. It may be exciting and get the equipment that matters, like dumbbells and gym machines. But before you rush into anything, take a moment to consider some basics to make life a lot easier down the line.
Clutter can be an eye sore and a danger in your gym. One of the best tools to combat clutter is a dumbbell rack. Weights left scattered on the floor can be dangerous, as they are easy to step on or trip over. Dumbbell racks can also be used to hold other gym equipment such as resistance bands or even your towel. If you are using free weights, find a dumbbell rack with pegs to hang your plates.
Even the best gym machines and workout equipment can destroy your floor. Wood can scratch, carpet can get stained or become dented and cement can chip from dropped weights. Before the damage is done, purchase rubber flooring for your home gym area. They come in a variety of colors to match your gyms design and be aesthetically pleasing. Flooring is usually sold in long rolls or in smaller jigsaw puzzle looking pieces.
If you want to preserve your painted walls, consider repainting with a paint that enables marks to be cleaned off easily. Paint made for a child’s room usually works well. While you are redecorating, why not put up some inspirational art. Some people like to put up inspirational mantras on their gym’s walls, while others prefer pictures of body types they want to attain. A mirror can also be important so that you may study your form and make the most of your workout.
If you have some money to spend, there are also tons of additional items you can get to make life a bit easier. A small fridge or water cooler are phenomenal for making sure you are always hydrated with cold, filtered water. Music inspires a lot of people during their workout, so installing some speakers in your gym can be a phenomenal touch to your private workout space. Be sure to get a few towels to always have on hand. For that extra touch, have them monogrammed.
With all of these basic items in place, it is time to get the big ticket items that complete your gym. For help with finding which home gym machine is for you, go to Home Gym Machines Information.
Workout at Home with the Bowflex Revolution
The Bowflex Body Plan
CLICK IMAGE FOR DETAILS
Many people are motivated to be healthy, fit, and active, but doing so isn’t always easy. With busy schedules, long work hours, and other commitments, being able to make it to a gym during the week is a very difficult feat. However, with improved design and technology, one can receive the same quality workouts at home as would be found in a gym. Home gym systems no longer have to involve clunky, mammoth sized equipment. The Bowflex Revolution, for example, can provide the athlete with an excellent workout with all the benefits of the machines found in a gym.
The Bowflex Revolution allows for smooth motion. This is very important for trainers, and it is a big difference between cheaper home gyms and the Bowflex. Another key difference is the versatility, which allows one to perform practically any exercise from the local gym. Upper body workouts can be more effective with this machine than with free weights alone. The upper body station can be adjusted to various angles, allowing isolation of specific muscle groups. Lower body workouts are just as effective. Up to six hundred pounds can be added, which is unusually high compared to other home gyms. Working one’s core is vital in developing overall strength. Several different abdominal workouts are available on this one machine. Warming up and cooling down are necessary for an effective workout. Skipping these steps can cause muscles to cramp up and lose flexibility. A rowing machine is built into the design of the Bowflex Revolution, allowing one to warm up and cool down. It also provides a way to train cardiovascular health as well as muscle strength.
Don’t allow a busy schedule to be an excuse for missed workouts. One must take control of their health and lead an active lifestyle. The human body is a great and beautiful instrument; treat it with the love and respect it deserves.
If you are not sure if the Bowflex Revolution is right for you, study the Bowflex Body manual first (click the image above) to get a better idea of what this equipment can do to change the way you look.
5 Simple Training Tools Every Home Gym Needs
Thank you to Diane Raymond for this guest post.
Think you need lots of space (and money), to kit out your home gym? Think again. Some of my favorite “tools of the trade” cost very little, require minimal space, are easy to use, and in some cases, are portable, making them great travel companions too!
Gliding Discs
The little purple discs that can help you achieve great results. Gliding discs, made of high-tech polymer, resemble plastic plates, and when placed under the ball of the foot, make lunges much harder, and very effective. Because they are light weight, and can be used to strengthen and tone virtually any muscle group on the body, they are idea for travel, or for toting to the gym, as well as regular, in-home use. A set of discs that includes instructional videos only costs around $24, making them a bargain as well.
TRX
For a more challenging workout, consider investing in the TRX, which is a suspension training system originally developed for the Navy Seals. The TRX made its mainstream debut several years ago and has become one of the fastest selling strength training tools for both novices and hard-core fitness buffs. It is a total body strengthening and conditioning tool that is a snap to assemble. It weighs less than 2lbs, sets up in under 1 minute, and you can use it in the hotel room, outdoors, at the gym. Options are nearly endless.
Jump rope
Sometimes, the simple, tried and true toys make the most sense for home use. Easy to store and use, jump ropes come in varying lengths, and some are even weighted – making them a touch more difficult (insert “mean trainer” grin here). If you haven’t jumped in some time, you will definitely feel your calf muscles talking back to you. Don’t listen – they’ll become accustomed to this form of cardio in no time.
Cost: $5-$20
Stability Ball with accessories (Click image for details)
Resistance tubing
Originally designed for use in physical therapy offices as a rehabilitation tool, resistance tubing is one of the fitness industry’s most used pieces of equipment. Tubes are versatile, portable, challenging, and cheap. I even recommend to clients who are purchasing tubing to buy two or three: one for home, one for the car (you never know when you’ll be at the playground with the kids and looking for something to do), and one for your suitcase. That’s right, just stick one in your suitcase and leave it there. Next time you travel, you’ll have a great tool for toning and strengthening, right in your hotel room. Any exercise you do at the gym with either dumbbells, cables, or fixed machines…you can do with tubing.
Cost: $8 will get you a nice quality tube.
Stability ball
It looks so simple, yet it can do so much. Every home needs a stability ball. Use the ball in the same way you would a weight bench. Since balls have a tendency to roll, you will be forced to engage your core and improve your balance – or fall off. Use the ball alone, or with weighted resistance, such as BodyBars, dumbbells, resistance tubing, cables…you get the picture.
Diane Raymond is an ACE-certified personal trainer and the owner of Blue Sky Gym, a personal training business specializing in outdoor and in home personal training, lifestyle and weight management coaching, workshops and educational resources. She is a noted consultant, workshop presenter and freelance writer. Check out her daily musings about training, health, and personal fitness at Diane Raymond’s Blue Sky Blog and Fit Girl in the City
27 Ways to Get Fit for FREE
If you’d love to get fit but don’t have any funds just now to join a gym or buy the latest fitness equipment, don’t despair – you can get fit without spending money at all.
(For those with a little cash to splash out on a few bits and pieces take a look at our $100 home gym project page where we review some of the best equipment for getting in shape that you can get for very little indeed. )
Cardio Fitness
1. Walk
Actually save money by walking everywhere within a reasonable distance. You save wear and tear on your car. And you’ll save gas costs and parking charges and/or cab, bus or subway fares. All you need are comfortable shoes (take your dressier shoes with you if necessary) and walk, walk, walk.
Pick up the pace as you get fitter to make those short journeys even quicker and smile at all the traffic travelling bumper to bumper in the rush hour. If there’s nowhere suitable to walk in your area try mall walking (but don’t get tempted to buy stuff!)
2. Cycle
If you have a little further to go and access to a bike, try cycling – it’s a great way to get about – just make sure you have all the safety gear you need and take care on the road.
Of course, if you have to buy a bike and safety gear this one isn’t free for you but how many of us have these things at home and rarely use them?
If you use a bike instead of forking out for transport costs then you might find this way of getting fit actually works out as better than free – it will save you money. (Might even be worth buying a reasonably priced or used bike for those savings)
3. Run
If you already have good running shoes you can start a running program – you’ll find a great free program to take you right from beginner level over at Cool Running. I used this one to train for a 5K race from a standing start this year. If you don’t have (or can’t afford) good shoes, give this one a miss as you’ll damage your joints running without them.
4. Play
Take the kids to run around in the park (or a game of football or baseball) and JOIN IN instead of watching them. If you don’t have any kids then you probably know a parent or two who would welcome a break while you take their kids to run off steam. Flying a kite is great fun too and good exercise especially if you climb a hill to reach the best spot.
You’ll find more active play ideas over at this site such as Obstacle courses, Den building, Apple bobbing, Leap frog, Puddle jumping, treasure hunts and welly wanging.
Of course if you are lucky enough to have snow in winter the possibilities for play are endless.
5. Man’s (and Woman’s) Best Friend
Take the dog out for exercise twice a day and run about too instead of just throwing a ball to fetch. If you don’t have a dog offer to walk your neighbor’s dog for free. For more great activities you can enjoy with your dog, take a look at this Dog Play website. Who knew Fido could offer all these opportunities for exercise?
6. Step it Up
Use the bottom stair of a flight of stairs in your house as a step and step up and down to music. Or run up and down the whole flight. You can try this in an appartment or office building too (as long as your neighbors/coworkers don’t mind). For more about using stairs for free exercise take a look at this article on Fit Sugar.
7. Fitness DVD
Borrow a selection of fitness DVDs from you local library or a friend and follow them at home (or get out those you have lurking in the closet, basement or garage from the days when leg warmers were in fashion the first time). If you’re already a member of one of those DVD clubs you can always choose a fitness DVD as one of your selections and change it each month when you get bored with it.
8. Skip
Jump rope in your lounge or back yard using an old piece of rope or clothesline. For inspiration take a look at this rope jumping video on You Tube by a Ford Fitness model
You can also get a free rope jumping workout at ivillage.
9. Dance
Play music and dance the night (or day) away – around your bedroom – you can try out your best moves with nobody watching and pretend you’re Madonna.
10. Clean Up
Clean your place from top to bottom once a week for a vigorous workout. In fact you can burn 50,000 calories a year (that’s 14lbs of fat) just from cleaning up according to this article
11. Dig for Victory
If you have a yard get your garden in shape while you get in shape yourself. Here is a whole free plan for using your garden to get fit at Gardenfitness.com
12. Community
Get fit while making a contribution – you’ll feel great in more ways than one. Join a conservation project where there are usually plenty of activities to get involved in such as cleaning beaches, clearing overgrown beauty spots, planting trees, building walls etc Or join a volunteer project for a disadvantaged group where there’s always something to be done. A great way of making friends too. Do a search on Google for volunteering in your local area.
Strength Training
13. Isometric Exercises
You can tone up and build strength without any equipment at all – just using the weight of your body. Here is a whole series of exercises you can print for free (select those which don’t require any equipment)
And here is a complete 15 minute multi-sequence routine you can print out and use anywhere without equipment
14. Callanetics
Callanetics has been around a long time though it is not that well known but I know it works! It tones up your muscles at a very deep level using tiny ultra-slow motion pulsing movements without using equipment (other than a chair or makeshift barre). See if you can borrow one of these Callanetics books or DVDs
15. Pilates
Pilates is another great exercise system which you can do without equipment to tone and strengthen your muscles and which is highly respected. You might have more luck with getting your hands on information about this because it is a bit better known and there are free sources of information about this on the web.
Here is a FREE Pilates ebook to download. (Right click on the link and choose “Save target as” or “Save Link as). The accompanying Easy Vigour site is also useful.
And here is a series of free beginners pilates videos
16. From the Kitchen
Use the equipment you already have at home as small hand-weights. You can use soup cans (still with contents intact!) or water bottles (filled with water or sand). You can use these for any exercises where you would usually use small hand weights.
If you use water bottles start with water and then as you get stronger you can progress to sand and then maybe to small pebbles or coins. Another alternative for kitchen hand-weights are those plastic milk or orange juice jugs filled with water. They are great because they have a handle to hold.
17. Improve your Grip
Don’t buy an expensive hand grip trainer – squeeze a rubber ball or tennis ball as hard as you can instead.
Flexibility
18. Yoga
Borrow a yoga DVD from your library or use information available for free online and practice the movements every day. You’ll build strength along with getting more flexible. Download a free 73 minute yoga DVD from yoga.org.nz to get started.
19. Simple Stretching
If you prefer classic stretching exercises, you’ll find a selection of simple stretching exercises (along with some to build strength) in this illustrated stretching guide.
General
20. Make Exercise Your Entertainment
Although not exactly free it’s often cheaper (and therefore free in a way) than meeting a friend for a coffee or a meal. Why not meet up and go swimming or ice skating instead? Or take a class together such as belly dancing or tai-chi?
21. Use Local Facilities
Make use of what you can find locally and save travel costs too. You can walk in local beauty spots such as hills and beaches – you’ll often find nature trails already marked out for you. And some local authorities offer free classes and program to help promote health in the local community.
22. Free Gym
Take advantage of open days at local gyms – as long as you’re strong willed enough (or poor enough) to avoid signing up for membership.
23. Websites
You will often get a free selection of exercises of every type at membership sites which provide online fitness guidance. For example, the Workout Pass site which offers specific training suited for every kind of sport and situation imaginable offers a sample of 15 exercises you can download without joining the site including the best 4 exercises for a rock-solid abs, a fat-blasting workout and a 15 minute workout you can do anywhere.
You could build up a whole routine with a little searching.
Also check out government advice on the websites such as http://www.healthierus.gov/. Though the information is generally targeted at beginners you might find a suitable routine.
24. TV
You’ll find many exercise programs on TV these days – find a few that suit your schedule in the listings – or record for later use.
25. Charity
Charities often use fun activities (and sometimes really tough ones) as fund-raisers. Although it normally costs money to join you may be able persuade a whole lot of people to sponsor you and cover your entry fee for a good cause.
26. Freecycle
If you ask or keep an eye out you may find exercise equipment or a set of weights that someone is glad to get rid of on Freecycle.org – they are the kind of things which people buy with high hopes and then the the equipment lies around gathering dust ready for you to happilly take it off their hands.
27. Become an Opportunist
Find opportunities for exercise throughout your day. Use the stairs instead of the elevator (“That old chestnut”, you say, but do you do it?). Park a little further away than you normally would. Stretch at your desk. Hold your tummy in when waiting in line. It all counts. Do whatever you can to be more active wherever you are. It costs nothing.
28. Flat Abs fast – 5 Easy Ways to a Washboard Stomach
Bonus No 28 just added – my easy abs exercises course – no crunches required. Pick up Flat Abs Fast for free.
If you can think of more ways then please share here in the comments. Thanks
$100 Home Gym Project
Fitness equipment can run to thousands of dollars. And for some kinds of equipment, it’s true, the more you spend the better experience you have with it – and therefore the more likely you are to use it.
But what if you don’t have thousands of dollars (or even hundreds) to spend on home gym equipment? What if funds are too tight to afford a quality treadmill or elliptical trainer or even to join a gym? What can you do then?
The $100 Home Gym Project is for you – because you CAN get all the equipment you need to shape up and gain stamina and strength at home without shelling out a fortune. And the beauty of this equipment is that it
- takes up less space – a shelf in the closet may be enough to hold your home gym
- is often portable enough to slip into your suitcase and take with you wherever you go
If money is a bit tight at this time of year but you want to get in shape, think about taking a budget of just $100 and investing it in a small kit for yourself that you will use over and over again.
See the $100 Home Gym Project page for more details about putting together your ideal $100 home gym kit.
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