If you know you don’t like running but want to include cardio, consider the exercise bike. For those of you who do it all, multigym machines are compact and versatile. Your needs should determine what gym equipment you can’t live without. Read on to discover what is the most necessary home gym equipment for you.
Basic equipment for your home gym
Let’s get back to the basics with the most essential home gym equipment. These tools and gym machines are a must have for a simple addition to your home gym. Select these tools with a well-rounded workout in mind: kettlebell, gymnastics mat, dumbbells. Kettlebells require grip and can help you build your forearms. A gymnastics mat will give you support during your exercise. Dumbbells can add extra resistance to many workouts.
Now that we covered the basic tools, let’s not forget about the basic machines. Here’s a list of the top 5 home gym machines: treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical, multifunctional bench, and rowing machine.
Treadmills or exercise bike
Both the treadmill and the exercise bike hardly take up space but if you’re low on square footage, you might consider the exercise bike over the treadmill. It takes up less room and still gets the job done.
Also, think about your joints! The most important thing is that running and walking can be hard on your body. The treadmill is harder on your lower body but absorbs impact efficiently. The exercise bike on the other hand is more suitable if you have joint problems. These machines were made with your body in mind and your choice between them should, too.
Elliptical
Ellipticals are great for burning calories and gaining muscle mass. Plus, they’re just cooler all-around. One of the benefits of this machine is that it doesn’t place a lot of pressure on your joints. You’ll get a full body workout as your arms move back and forth with the handles and your legs power the machine. It’s weight bearing, which means you’ll burn calories quicker and toned muscles aren’t as far away as you think. Much like the exercise bike, the elliptical creates an intense workout without feeling like you’re working hard. Add this machine to your home gym if you want your workouts to feel like a piece of cake.
Multifunctional bench and weights
The multifunctional bench earned its name because it comes with hexagon dumbbells, resistance bands, and the bench itself. There’s almost no limit to the variety of workouts you can do with this one machine. How is this possible? It’s because benches have fewer limitations than regular resistance machines.
Use it as the traditional bench for workouts such as dumbbell press or dumbbell row. Strength, resistance, and core are the three types of training for this bench. Use your body weight to focus on toning up your muscles. The multifunctional bench will be your biggest supporter.
Small tools that you won’t want to leave out
Here are a few effective ways to incorporate these tools into your home workout:
- Elastic bands – usually color coded with lighter colors having lighter resistance and vice versa. Elastic bands build strength by using resistance to require more muscle force when stretched.
- Foam roller – this tool is useful during your warm-up or cool down. Use it to massage your muscles and help release any tightness.
- Gymnastics mat – gym mats are generally used to prevent slipping but are a must have for floor workouts such as crunches. They also help to prevent injuries.
- Mobility ball – Great for tough to reach spots, you can use this tool to massage muscles that have become stiff.
Other small but mighty tools to add to your home gym:
The best thing about small tools is that they can complete your home gym by themselves or they can be combined with your other home essential gym machines.
Possible solutions for small houses
Just because you have a small space doesn’t mean your workouts won’t be epic. There are many options out there for your home exercises and quite a few of them are built for small spaces. Make the most out of your small home gym with these solutions:
- Get equipment that folds and can be stored easily. You might have overlooked this one, but many gym machines are made with optimized storage solutions. For example, our rowing machine is light and foldable, and suitable for any space.
- Look for equipment that can give you a total body workout and add small tools such as dumbbells and elastic bands for increased strength. They take up the least space and will be essential to your home gym.
- Make your favorite workout a priority, whether it is completely guided and has several exercises included or is simply the motion of riding a bike. Use equipment that you love and leave out the ones you won’t use.
- Multifunctional equipment is a great option for houses with smaller home gym spaces. These machines can be the most essential to your home gym because they are compact and can be utilized to do many workouts to achieve many goals. If your home gym is small, you’ll want to focus on getting the most bang for your buck and that means using one machine that functions in a variety of ways.
