Workouts

What You Need in Your Home Gym

Hill, PT, CSCS

More people are doing home workouts than ever before. But don’t think you need to buy a lot of equipment for your home gym. With a few key pieces in your home gym, you can get a great workout.

With so many options being pushed at us on social media, it can be difficult to wade through what is necessary for your home gym. Just remember, you can get a really great workout with no gym equipment. If it’s in your budget, getting a few key pieces can bring additional variety and challenges to your workout routines. 

Home Gym Basics

What are the must-haves for your home gym? Don’t rush out just yet to buy a treadmill, as you might not need to take up space with a huge piece of cardio equipment. There are a few simple exercises you can do at home to get toned, and you will want just a few key pieces of equipment to be able to do these exercises:

  • Dumbbells (5-20 lbs)
  • Kettle bells (5-20lbs) 
  • Resistance bands (different resistance levels)
  • Resistance loops
  • Foam rollers for stretching
  • Yoga mats 

With a few gym essentials, you will be able to build up your home gym in no time at all.  Don’t get caught up competing with your friends, or chasing after social media dreams. Remember what you are trying to do with a workout, build muscle strength and get a cardio workout. You can do that just with some basic equipment. 

Cropped image of woman in leggings and running shoes next to a pair of dumbbells, a water bottle, and a yoga mat.

Workout Goals

There are three key areas where you should focus your efforts. Think less about specific weight loss goals or muscle mass and more about how to help your entire body. 

  • Build strength — You do not need to be the next Arnold Schwarzenegger, but you do want to think about building muscle strength and getting toned. Muscle strength goes a long way to improving your metabolism and your overall health
  • Get a cardio burn — This is less about how far and how fast you can run and more about the overall health benefits. A cardio workout is going to improve your heart and circulation and help you stay healthy longer.
  • Stretching — Don’t underestimate the benefits of stretching. A good yoga routine is going to keep you limber and light and improve circulation, which adds many benefits to your overall health. A good foam roller can also work as a massage tool to help you stretch out any tight muscles, which will give yourself additional flexibility. 

With these goals in mind, you can see that you don’t need much, if any, equipment. You can do your cardio work outside by going for a walk or a run around your neighborhood. With some dumbbells or a kettle bell you can do your strength workout, and with the right resistance bands and yoga mat you can create the perfect stretching routine to help your body recover. Overall, you can get a total body workout without investing too much money into a lot of gym equipment. 

What Next?

The goal of working out at home should be to improve your health or to stay healthy. It’s less about how you look or chasing a 6-pack of abs and more about staying healthy so you can live a long, happy life. Remember to keep your priorities in mind when you are building your home gym.

Now that you have your home workout equipment setup, try Sworkit’s Dumbbell, Kettlebell, and Resistance Band Workouts! You will feel healthier and notice more toning after just a few workouts!

You do not need an entire gym to get fit. With just a few core pieces of equipment with varying weights and resistance levels, you will be able to not only stay in shape but get stronger too!

Hill, PT, CSCS

Steve is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Physical Therapist, and one of Sworkit's Fitness Trainers. His favorite activities are working out, hiking, four-wheeling, and body surfing. Steve loves helping members with injury prevention, exercise modification, and strength training.
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