The Essential Home Gym Guide 2022

We are well aware that building a home gym takes a lot of time, and honestly; it can be a bit expensive. But in this Home Gym Guide, we’ll not be only talking about all the necessary info that you should know but also give you the best selection of home gym equipment on a budget.

You might be thinking, why should you have your own home gym;

• the global pandemic!
• It’ll be a long-time investment to your body and mind!
• You don’t have to leave your comfort zone to accomplish your goals!
• Your body gets stronger thus you can take on tasks you couldn’t before
• It’s efficient and also economical.
• You improve the way you look; therefore, your self-esteem grows.
• You’ll be closer to your family.

And the list goes on!

Is Home Gym Worth It?

Yes, absolutely!

Imagine working out in a nice environment that you own; you can workout anytime you want and there won’t be anybody bothering you. Having a home gym is an investment in your body and your wallet.

How come you might ask, the average cost of a commercial gym membership over ten years is 6,960 Dollars! (1) On the other hand, the average cost of a home gym is 1,330 dollars! Why rent it when you can buy it? This is exactly why our home gym guide is for you. And believe us, your home gym is going to cost much less than the average with the exercise equipment we recommended.

Home Gym vs Commercial Gym

Preparing to go to a commercial gym takes a lot of time compared to a home gym which is so much more accessible. Also, in your home gym, you don’t have to go through the rules and obey the gym etiquette as well, most of it’s annoying anyway.

Speaking of annoying, some people in commercial gyms are unbearable, as you know. We all had that one dumb incident with some gym-goer. Now that you have your own home gym, that means you can work out alone or if you prefer some company. You can invite other people that you like to work out with you.

Compared to a commercial gym, your home gym can be a very inviting space once you personalize it. You can put up inspiring posters on the walls, get a nice stereo system, and even some lighting that motivates you by making you look good.

Let’s start building our home gym, first, the essentials:

Home Gym Guide – the Essentials:

Barbell

This is a piece of essential exercise equipment to build strength. Yes, dumbells are great, but for your big lifts, you have to have a barbell. You can perform big movements such as squat, deadlift, and bench press.

Check it Out

Squat Rack with Pull-up Bar

The centerpiece of any home gym is a squat rack. Your barbell needs to be in place for you to do squats. You can’t and shouldn’t try to lift your barbell from the floor onto your shoulders all the time. Also, most squat racks come with a pull-up bar; you can work out your back, biceps, and more! It allows you to do chin-ups, pull-ups, hanging leg raises and dips for your triceps. The workout program you do probably has one of these exercises. Now that you have a squat rack, that means you can adequately work your lats.

Check it Out

Bumper Plates

We prefer bumper plates instead of iron plates because they are multi-functional, much quieter than the clanky iron plates, and also much safer for your floor. You need bumper plates to perform big exercises such as bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press, etc.

Check it Out

Weight Bench

So you got your squat rack, barbell, and all. Now, to perform some of the exercises that work your chest, you need to have a weight bench. If you want to expand the variety of exercises you can perform, we also recommend you have an adjustable bench instead of a regular one.

Check it Out

Dumbbells

You can perform pretty much all the workout exercises you can imagine by simply owning two dumbells. Dumbbells is an absolute must-have for you because you’re starting your own home gym. Some of the easiest home workouts with dumbbells you can do include hammer curls, triceps kickbacks, and triceps french press.

Don’t forget to check our Adjustable Dumbells Guide to see if you need a fixed dumbbell or an adjustable one.

Unless you’ve already bought an entire set of regular dumbbells, we recommend you purchase an adjustable dumbbell. Owning only traditional dumbbells is not very suitable since you’ll make progress consistently; you won’t be able to increase resistance properly. Compared to regular dumbbells, adjustable dumbbells allow you to move up the amount of weight it holds while being super-efficient in terms of space. Adjustable dumbbells are good dumbbells for home workouts.

Check it Out

Kettlebell

Owning a kettlebell helps you perform some of the exercises that are more convenient to do with a kettlebell than a dumbbell. You can use them for strength building, conditioning, and rehab purposes. Also, know that holding a kettlebell is much easier than holding other exercise equipment.

Check it Out

Check our guide to learn more about kettlebells: “Exercising with Kettlebells is the Best Way to Burn Fat! Find Out Why“

Jump Rope

Having a jump rope is an absolute must because if you’re on a budget and need to do cardio not only to lose fat but also to take good care of your heart, this is the cheapest option. It works great with HIIT- style cardio workouts. They are very affordable and don’t take up any significant place compared to other exercise equipment on the list.

Check it Out

Training Mats

If you don’t like breaking your floor, you kinda have to have training mats. Accidents happen, you might drop your barbell or anything that has a significant weight. So be aware of that.

Also, when you drop your weight, the training mats will absorb the impact and lessen the sound. Your neighbors won’t be nagging you after you’ve got yourself training mats.

Check it Out

Yoga Mat

Some of the exercises you do should be performed lying on the floor, and you wouldn’t want to perform those exercises on hardwood floors. That’s exactly why you need a yoga mat; you want to protect your knees and elbows.

While you’re laying on top of a yoga mat, you can do abs or if you want you can even do yoga, right? A yoga mat will cushion your back to prevent any injury that might occur; it’s quite essential to prevent injuries as much as possible.

Don’t forget that this equipment is yours; you are not renting it for a limited time. You can even sell them in the future to get better equipment you think you should have!

Check it Out

What Workout Equipment is Most Effective?

This is an excellent question, and the answer is; It depends. If you want to get stronger and bigger, the barbell is your best friend. But if you’re going to do cardio, the treadmill is the answer because no cardio exercise can beat up walking. What home gym equipment do you think is the best?

The real most effective workout equipment is one you can stick up to do for a long period of time. If you’re not going to enjoy the process and all your workouts feel like a drag; you won’t be making any progress. Period. Work on your mentality first, because if you don’t, you’re going to work out unfocused, unhappy, and not motivated. This is going to affect your progress as well; you won’t get any better, so, you’re going to be unhappy.

See how it comes full circle? Don’t get on this vicious cycle. Or else you’ll quit before you see any changes on you. Once you change your perspective, you’ll start to make significant gains.

Who knows, maybe the most effective workout equipment is our mentality.

What Exercise Equipment Burns the Most Fat?

To answer this question, we’ve compiled the best four cardio exercise equipment for you to choose from.

Elliptical Machine Cross Trainer

If you need a full-body cardio machine, you can’t go wrong with the elliptical. You can easily adjust the intensity of your workout with the options you have on it. It showcases and monitors your time, speed, distance, calories, and pulse. That means you can track your progress easily, which helps you burn fat too.

To learn more please check our guide; “Best Elliptical for Home 2021 – The Ultimate Guide”

Check it Out

Treadmill

Yes, you can run and walk on your own. But, sometimes the weather is not good for you to go out and exercise. That alone should make your mind on getting a treadmill. But, if you’re not big on treadmills but still want to burn fat. Don’t worry; we got that covered as well. Continue reading our home gym guide.

Check it Out

Also, check our “7 Best HIIT Workout on the Treadmill That Will Make You Lose Fat” out.

If you want to learn and see more treadmills; check our guide on: “Best Treadmills for Runners 2021 – Ultimate Guide”

This is one of the most underrated exercise equipment that burns fat. We think that it’s the cardio equipment everyone should consider having one because of how convenient it is. Biking was a lot of fun that when we were children, why not get back to it!

We should also add that, they are low impact and won’t put a strain on your knee joints like some other kinds of cardio.

If you want to learn more about stationary bikes, check our guide on: “The Best Home Exercise Bike to Burn Fat Like Crazy”.

Check it Out

Rowing Machine

A rower is a bit different than other exercise equipment. It simulates canoeing sport, which works out your back and arms. Nevertheless, it’s great for cardio, different “strokes” for different folks.

Check it Out

Do you want to see more rowing machines? Check our guide: 8 Best Rowing Machine for Home – Ultimate Guide

Workout Plans at Home

Let’s build a simple workout program with the equipment now you have;

Chest, shoulders, and triceps (The Push Movements):

1. Use the bench press to lift your barbell, 3 sets of 12.
2. Lift your barbell overhead to do a press, 3 sets of 12; this is great for your shoulders.
3. For triceps, get one your dumbbells and do the french press exercise, again 3 sets of 12

Tip:

Don’t focus on how many reps you do; try to actually focus on the movement itself.

“Control the weight, or it will control you.” Tweet this

Quads (front part of your legs):

• Use the squat rack you bought to do the good old squats. 3 sets of 12
• Also, you can differentiate the way you hold the barbell so you can challenge yourself. Do a front squat.

Butt and hamstring (back of your legs):

Now that you have a barbell, you can perform one the big movement, deadlift. Watch a bunch of tutorials on how to do deadlifts, because this is one of the most dangerous exercises you can do if you don’t know how to perform it properly.

Deadlift 3 sets of 12

Back and biceps (The Pull Muscles)

Do rows, with a barbell or dumbbells. If you are planning to get a row machine using that is great too.

Also, doing pull-ups is a great way to build your back and lats by using your body weight. Use the squat rack for pull-ups, if you can’t afford it just yet, you can get this pull-up bar from here.

Core (Abdominals and Lower Back)

1. Use your yoga mat to perform planks for a minute.
2. Hold the kettlebell in your hands while you do sit-ups, do 4 sets of 12 for sit-ups.
3. Also, use the jump rope for a minute, keep skipping as efficiently as possible. If you have one of the cardio machines that we’ve recommended, you are guaranteed to lose a lot of fat.

Before you do all of these exercises, don’t forget to warm up properly. Simulate doing the exercises without the weights, also don’t stretch too much, so you don’t pull any muscles. Injuring yourself is the worst thing you can do to yourself in this sport.

In Conclusion

Well, in this home gym guide we’ve talked from the mentality of having your own home gym to the best exercise equipment you can have. Have you enjoyed our home gym guide? Let us know in the comments if you want to help us like we’ve helped you share this article on your social media!

As always, don’t forget that fitness is a journey. Starting means winning half the battle. So what are you waiting for? Start winning.

Also, if you want to help us please share this image!

References:

(1) https://www.statisticbrain.com/gym-membership-statistics/