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As we come up on Thanksgiving, of a VERY unusual year, I find myself being more and more grateful that I’ve always been a homebody. I began building a home gym by collecting workout gear back in 2016 when we got our first condo. I didn’t have place to really workout since we lived upstairs but I made the spare bedroom work. Now, we live about 40 minutes south of St. Louis and the closest gym is 12 miles north of here. It was incredibly difficult to motivate myself to drive 15-20. minutes to the gym everyday. Fast forward to the end of 2019 and I was finally able to cut ties with the gym forever. No regrets.
Building a home gym has given me a safe haven. My basement lair is my happy place, equipped with mostly used, second-hand and homemade equipment. I no longer need to talk myself into driving to the gym when all I have to do is throw on some trainers, grab my headphones, go downstairs and get to work.
Top Five Home Gym Necessities
- 1 – Resistance Bands : These are seriously some of the most versatile and portable fitness tools out there. If you don’t know how to use them, just look to Instagram – there’s SO MANY videos to show you how to use them! Resistance bands (aff link) can be used for lower body, upper body, core, progression work, you name it!
- 2 – Set of Moderately Heavy Dumbbells or a Kettlebell : These can be used in place of a barbell in so many situations for a fraction of the price. My suggestion would be to find a weight that isn’t too light, but not too heavy. Kettlebells (aff link), especially, are super functional for a variety of movements for a total body workout.
- 3 – Jump Rope : No one enjoys jump roping (aff link), but it is such a simple and cheap way to get your heart rate up and blood pumping. Throw in a minute of jumping rope between reps and you’ll get a solid workout. Solid, yet very affordable, gym investment.
- 4 – Used Treadmill or Bike : Self explanatory since I’m a runner. I can get in a training run 24/7/365!
- 5 – Five Gallon Bucket : Okay, hear me out. They’re cheap and you can pick them up damn near anywhere. Grab one and hold your dumbbells (or kettlebell) then get to stepping.
These five things will give you a solid foundation for a home gym until you’ve determined your fitness goals. Once you’ve decided what you want out of your workouts, you can start to hunt down more niche equipment.
Programming
At the very, very end of last year, I joined Street Parking after lurking their Instagram page for a little over two years – and man, my only regret is not joining sooner. They literally give you everything you need to succeed in becoming your best self: daily programming, maintenance, nutrition templates and all of a camaraderie you could ever wish for in the form of a Facebook group and simple Instagram hash-tag. I won’t ramble on too long about Street Parking, but just know that it is worth every penny.
If you’re not ready to commit to something like Street Parking, you can search Instagram, YouTube or Pinterest for workouts. There are so many videos and posts that can help you find some structure for your day to day workouts. Seriously, the internet has a seemingly endless supply of workout information and videos!
If you’re interested in seeing more of of my home gym, check out the video below from my YouTube!
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