Compact home gym has become a rage after the CORONA pandemic and rightly so. Even though gyms have opened in select localities the risk associated is not completely gone as yet.
As far as working out is concerned, we must get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise in a week with two full body strength training sessions and at least two sessions of stretching exercises /yoga.
A lot of people think that home gym is expensive to set up or one should have all those fancy equipment that you see in a gym, but this is not the case.
There are three aspects to complete physical fitness:
- Cardio
- Strength training
- Flexibility or yoga
And you can get an amazing workout with just a couple of equipment fulfilling all these aspects of cardio, strength training and flexibility or stretching.
Before you begin to plan about the compact home gym equipment that you might need, it’s important to keep a few things in mind.
Your goal: different people have different fitness goals in mind. If you are looking to get bulked up in your compact home gym, it’s no point buying the equipment that will just tone you up. If you are more of a jogger you will need different home gym equipment. Ideally you should be looking towards a well-rounded work out but whatever your fitness goal may be, the home gym equipment that you buy should be able to support your fitness goals.
Your space: The next important thing that you look for while deciding a compact home gym is your space available. Most exercises can be accomplished in a small 6×6 area. However if you want to accommodate treadmill/rowers it might take a larger space
Your budget; How much are you willing to invest in your compact home gym? You can do your cardio workout with $10 rope and you can do your cardio workout on a $1000 treadmill too.
Let’s go
Want to do intense cardio in your compact home gym but can’t afford $500 treadmill? Think out of the box, get the humble jumping rope. It not only gives you a killer workout but 10 minutes of jumping rope gives you same benefits as 60 minutes of speed jogging.
- Cardio does not mean jogging or working out on treadmill only.
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In fact jumping rope gives you one of the best cardio workouts and is fun.
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Easily adjustable depending upon your height
- The rope is tangle-free
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Is super lightweight and gives you a killer cardio workout.
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It is super easy to store, you can carry it in your bag/purse or backpack so that you can get a workout anytime.
- The only con , which is a plus actually,no more excuses for not working out
#2-Dumbbells for strength training.
As discussed earlier strength training or muscle build-up is essential for a well-rounded workout. A set of dumbbells will be fine a lightweight and a heavier one.
- You get a set of total 6 cast iron dumbbells in 3 strengths/capacity with a storage stand.
- Perfect for beginner and advanced work out alike.
- The neoprene coating ensures non-slip firm grip.
- Ideal for small workout spaces.
- Has received more than 1500 five star ratings in recent past
#3- A Set of Resistance Bands:
Adding variation is also important in your compact home gym so getting a set of two arm resistance bands (the one you can easily attach to a door frame) will really help. These bands are sturdy and mimic the workout of a cable machine.
- The small bands are perfect for gluteus and squats
- Five levels of intensity is available you can increase or decrease the strength according to your workout.
- These are super portable..
- You can get a complete strength training workout with this
- Perfect for “at home workout”.
#4-A Reliable Fitness Tracker:
If you appreciate a reliable product within a budget, this is it. Since you are putting in a lot of effort you should be able to track your progress. A fitness tracker is undoubtedly an important item in our compact home gym list.
- It has a multisport activity tracker.
- Records all day’s activity
- You can receive calls and messages on your wrist itself
- It also has sleep tracker
- Charges for 7 days
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Has received more than 6100 five star reviews.
#5- An Exercise Ball
- This ball is extra solid and can resist up to 2200 lbs. of weight.
- It’s anti slip and nontoxic material
- It’s multi-purpose and can be used for yoga, Pilates and other low impact exercises.
- Has received more than 6000 five star ratings in recent past.
#6-Balance From GoYoga Mat: No workout is complete without yoga and this mat is another important item from our home gym essentials list.
- This yoga mat provides double side non slip material.
- It’s a multi-purpose mat. You can do yoga ,Pilates and pushups too on this mat.
- The thickness supports back, knees, ankles and arms etc.
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It also comes with 2 years Balance From warranty.
Conclusion:
Now, let’s have a look at the price of these items respectively:
- A jumping rope is around $10
- A Set of dumbbells around $39
- Resistance band set around $29
- Yoga Mat around $28
- Fitness tracker around $19
- The Exercise Ball around $19
Everything combined on this compact home gym list is around $144. If you still want to squeeze your budget and you are a beginner, I suggest you can skip the set of dumbbells and exercise ball.
I know a lot of people may not agree with my suggestion of skipping the dumbbells but when you are a beginner the cable/resistance bands are easier to get the correct form in comparison to dumbbells. Also, don’t forget to get a good pair of sneakers.