When I first started working out from home, the only piece of gym equipment I owned was a yoga mat. Slowly I have created an ideal space for my workouts and virtual fitness coaching. If you attend online fitness classes or perform on-demand workouts on your own time, then this blog post is for you. I have put together a list of the best home gym equipment to reach your fitness goals in no time. While equipment isn’t always necessary for home workouts, some pieces of equipment can bring variety and challenge into your workouts.
Yoga Mat:
A yoga mat is the most basic and the most used workout equipment. It provides cushioning on hard surfaces and a grip for hands and feet. Yoga mats provide a lot of support for your yoga practice or workouts. They come in extremely handy for any floor and core work. When buying a mat, there are several different options to choose from. Keeping your workout intention and price range helps to narrow down the possibilities.
Resistance Bands:
Resistance bands are thick rubber bands, and they come in levels or color-coded resistances. Resistance bands are a great way to add variety to your workouts. These bands can help with muscle activation and increase the Range of Motion. For example, placing the band around your legs while doing squats will activate your hip abductors.
Dumbbells:
Dumbbells are a staple of any home gym. They are versatile and can be used in any bodyweight exercise. They are great for strength training. Smaller dumbbells are a great addition to high rep workouts like Barre classes. I recommend my clients to have three different sets. One should be a medium set of dumbbells which is challenging for 8–12 reps. One set of light weights and one of the heavy weights. Heavier weights come in handy for leg work.
Ankle Weights:
Ankle weights are an excellent addition to any home gym. Ankle weights are portable and can be used for any workout like high-intensity cardio, strength training, high-intensity resistance training, or even while going for a walk.
Physio-ball:
A physio-ball is an excellent addition to the home gym. It adds stability and balance challenge to many exercises. Plus, it’s excellent for targeted core activation exercises.
Jump Rope:
A jump rope is the perfect cardio tool to have at home. It’s a good replacement for treadmill. A jump rope can give you an intense cardio workout like running. It can be added to any workout to pump up the intensity.
Sliders:
Sliders are fantastic to add novelty to your workouts. This small piece of equipment will challenge your muscles. It adds the stability factor to many exercises like mountain climbers, plank jacks, and curtesy lunges. While not an essential gym item, sliders are great for making cardio exercises challenging.
I love this list because it includes the basic and most essential items. With these items in your home gym, you can have a great workout from the comfort of your own home without breaking your bank.