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There’s perhaps nothing quite as convenient as curating your own home gym. It’s the ultimate achievement someone can curate for their home, because it means they have enough space, enough time and enough willingness to make sure exercise is not only a part of their lives, but an integral necessity within it.
When hoping to curate your own home gym, it’s easy to feel a little overwhelmed. There are so many options and pieces of equipment out there that it can feel as though if you stock one item, you’re in effect nullifying your chance to use all others.
That said, even the most experienced athletes don’t always need highly specialized equipment in every direction. Sometimes, the basics are all you need, as a circuit of working out can often be completed using a simple piece of equipment. If you have enough room for a barbell and some weights, for instance, you can get fit and strong with that alone.
So, what advice would we offer for building this home gym properly? Let’s consider that together:
Cardio Equipment Is Necessary
While you might be a very intensive and experienced weightlifter, or perhaps you have experience working out with programs like Crossfit, it’s good to have the best cardio equipment on hand. This means that even on your rest days, you can commit to a twenty minute walk on the treadmill while it’s raining outside, or perhaps wind down after an intense workout from your original plan.
Not only this, but cardio equipment tends to serve as a great investment. No matter what other plans you’re following or what specialist equipment you use to train, a piece of cardio equipment will always keep you fit and healthy no matter what. This means that if you weight train and notice that you’re getting a bit bulky, you can lose some of that extra weight by rowing, cycling or running. In the long run, this will make a tremendous difference.
A Free Weight Area
It’s a great idea to curate a free weights area in your home gym. This is true even if you don’t plan to bodybuild. Strength training is one of the best exercise regiments you could ever follow, because not only does it help you functionally train for a purpose, but it does so in the most ergonomic manner possible.
A barbell with plate weights at either end, used properly and with compound movements such as squats, overhead presses and deadlifts not only trains your body, but helps shift the architecture of your musculature in a manner that aids your posture, improves your body’s natural use of HGH, and more.
Furthermore, a free weights area offers perhaps the best investment you can make in a home gym, thanks to how cheaply a competent bar with competent plates can often be found. Provided the lug nuts are properly fitted on the barbell, and its bar is secure and straight, then it’s usually a good purchase.
Mats & Pads
Of course, home gyms have the unique quirk of being located in the property you own. For this reason, odds are, you’re more concerned about keeping your property safe and free from damage than you may be when throwing weights around the gym, although of course, common courtesy always applies.
A great way to ensure that even the heaviest lifters are safe is to install mats and pads within the room. This involves gym flooring that can be placed in segments, as well as lifting pads that allow you to drop the barbell or dumbbells if necessary without causing floor damage. If you wish to make the investment, a set of rubber plate weights can also help you avoid the damage that may otherwise come from dropping a barbell. This can also reduce the impact of running on a treadmill which can help if your home gym is on a second floor. However, we would recommend building your home gym as close to the ground as can be.
Ambiance As Necessary
It can be a nice idea to encourage some ambiance in your home space from time to time. This also goes when working out. While it’s unlikely you’re going to fill the room with candles and incense as you might do a living space, a good speaker system, a fan or air purifier to keep the space fresh, and some decoration that reminds you to ‘get after it’ or perhaps printed progress pictures of your weight loss can make a massive difference.
With this advice, you’re sure to equip a great home gym, not just in general, but for you as well.
