Exercising in front of other people or not having the motivation to leave the house every day can make getting in shape feel like an impossible task. While some people live at the gym, that isn’t the case for many of us.
Believe it or not, you are part of the majority. According to realbuzz.com, only 14 percent of the United States has a gym membership. In comparison, in the United Kingdom, only around 7 percent of the population owns a membership. Whether or not they actually visit the gym is a different story altogether.
Nevertheless, you want to get in shape, and while you haven’t kicked your fear of exercising in front of others. It doesn’t mean that you can’t. An in home gym is an excellent option with many benefits.
Benefits of a home gym
The main draw of a home gym is convenience and ability to exercise in the comfort of your own home. It also offers flexibility since you won’t have to travel to a gym. You can work around your schedule. It also helps with your motivation.
Everyone is different, and some people find being around other people working out can help motivate them to exercise more. However, for others being in an environment where they feel comfortable can help them to improve their motivation. Depending on your use, you may actually come out financially ahead by investing in quality equipment and skipping the ongoing membership fees.
Tailor your home gym to the type of exercises you want to do for additional benefits.
Different Types of Exercises
Since you can tailor your home gym to what you want, you’ll want to discover the different types of exercises you can add to your workout. YouTube’s exercise community is an excellent reference for this type of information. They offer exercises covering a broad spectrum for all disciplines and experience levels. There are four types of exercises:
- Endurance: Exercise is aimed at improving your stamina, such as walking, running, jogging, and other cardio-based exercises.
- Strength: Exercise includes any weight lifting training, whether it’s dumbbells, kettlebells, pushups, and others.
- Flexibility: Exercise including stretching or yoga to improve range of motion.
- Balance: Exercises such as standing on one foot, heel to toe walking, and other balance-based workouts.
Best Home Gym Equipment
The best home gyms will cover some or all of these exercises. Depending on the type of workout you want, it is worth checking out exercise equipment retailers. One example is IRONCOMPANY.COM which offers equipment and exercise blogs. If you want to start small, here are some pieces of exercise equipment that can get you started:
Dumbbells
One of the most common pieces of equipment used in a home gym, dumbbells are great for weight training. They come in a variety of weights, starting at 1kg to 100kg (2-200 lbs). For a home dumbbell set, begin with 2-5kg or 5lb – 10lbs (for women) and 5kg-10kg or 10lbs -20lbs (for men).
Kettlebells
A versatile piece of equipment used for weight training is kettlebells. Much like dumbbells, they are used to help with weight and strength training, especially in the legs and lower back. Men should aim to use kettlebells weighing 10-12kg and women use 6 – 8kg for beginners.
Exercise Bike
For help with your endurance and strength, exercise bikes are great for building up your stamina. Exercise bikes help you work and strengthen different parts of your body, such as your calves, glutes, lower back, and hamstrings.
Treadmills
Treadmills are one of the most popular types of exercise machines. It can help you build your endurance and strength. Treadmills are considered cardio machines as they help to raise your heart rate. According to Everyday Health, 30 minutes or more on the treadmill can help to reduce heart disease.
Wrapping up
There are many more types of equipment you can add to your home gym, such as a workout bench, which can help tone your upper body strength. Jump rope sets can help improve your cardio and endurance and Yoga, which can help with your flexibility and balance. Remember that there is a wealth of information available to you; start small, work your way up, and most importantly, have fun.
Check out 4 Steps to Reduce and Prevent Low Back Pain and The Main Reasons for Neck Pain.
