i love working out at home.. i think there's nothing better than working out all alone, having all the equipment for yourself, you save time cos there's no need to drive to the gym and back, you take a shower in your own bathroom, you can work out at any time... for us setting a gym at home was a real necessity because we wake up very early in the morning to get our workouts done and the gyms here in italy open at around 9am (yeah, i know.. don't tell me! lazy people!). by 7.30am i'm more than done and i can wake noah up and take him to school. for me it's perfect. andrea did all his contest prep at home (except the legs)... so if you work hard and do the right exercises, you can get great results by saving money and time.
don't you think that setting a gym at home is very expensive... well, it is kinda expensive... but have you ever thought how much you spend on a gym membership + fuel?!
i know many of you already have some equipment at home... like a couple of light dumbbells, probably a cardio machine... ok, you don't need that... so sell it on your yard sale and invest the money in real equipment.
the pix above are of our gym. as you can see you don't really need a lot of space. the lat machine is optional, you don't really need it if you already have a pull-up bar. the lat machine was the first thing we bought when we moved to italy (yes, we were sleeping on the floor but we got the lat machine... that's so us ) so we keep it.
ok, here's the list of the essentials you need for your very own home gym:
-a bench: a good one that doesn't rock! a stable one that you can also use as an incline or decline
-a pair of dumbbells. i really recommend the bowflex ones. these are fantastic! they are kinda expensive but still cheaper than getting a whole range of dumbbells. plus, they really make the difference when working out and help you progressing very quickly. money well spent, really!
-a squat/ bench rack. again, choose sth stable and safe. don't save on these!
-a barbell
-an EZ bar
-a range of plates. we've got 2x20kg, 2x10kg, 8x5kg, 8x2kg, 14x1kg.. get some heavy ones and some lighter ones and buy new ones when you need them
-a pair of dumbbell handles
-a pull-up bar
-mats
-a spin bike. why a spin bike and not a a treadmill? simple... the spin bike works if you work. the treadmill works if you turn it on. a treadmill has nothing to do with running... i mean, you are jumping on that thing, not running! the mat is running, not you! on a spin bike you may not work the whole body but that's actually a pro. there are days when you need to give your muscles some rest to recover so if that's the upper body case, you can still do your cardio (if you need it!)
don't waste money on cheap equipment or on a very expensive equipment. go for sth in the middle. when you'll become a little expert, you'll learn what you really need and what works better for you. this is why it's better that you buy used equipment which is in good condition. i got my spin bike for only 200 euros instead of 2,000 and it's in perfect condition. plates, bars, all that stuff made of iron will never break so there's really no need to buy them new. save your money and invest it in a good stable bench and squat rack or bowflex adjustable dumbbells. you can find many online stores that sell old professional gym equipment that has been fixed. those are the best deals!
#homegym #training #gym
Is there a specific brand that you would recommend as far as the incline/decline bench goes? I have been looking on Amazon but I'm not familiar with which brands are of better quality than others. Thanks!
ReplyDeletehi there, i recommend that you go to a store to buy gym equipment because in this way you can test it and see how it's built. when you decide to buy it, check the prices for that same article on the web. there are also web stores that sell used professional gym equipment. in that case you are pretty sure that the equipment is good, especially if they give you a warranty. but going to a store, is always a good idea because we are all built differently and have different needs. so testing your bench inclines etc is the best you can do.
ReplyDelete