Kickstart Your Resolutions By Adding These Home Gym Essentials To Your Fitness Routine
My home gym is my absolute sanctuary! I am constantly looking for new additions for my home gym and ways to utilize the things that I already have.
Creating this post was honestly kind of difficult for me because there are so many things in my home gym that I use and love so much. It was hard to narrow it down to 15!
Whether you are just beginning your fitness journey, or you are a serious gym-goer trying to take their workouts home, there is something for everyone to add to their home gym on this list of 15 home gym essentials.
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DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS I GET A SMALL COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. THIS IS AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE TO LEARN MORE.
Home Gym Equipment Necessities
In my opinion, having some sort of exercise machine in your home gym is a must. There will be some days where your muscles are sore and you don’t want to put them under any more stress with strength training, and there will be some days that you just want to do strictly cardio.
I personally have a NordicTrack Treadmill and I use it almost every day. Whether it be a long run, some quick sprints, or just a 20 minute walk, it gets used very frequently in my house. I actually do not have this particular model, I could not find the link for it, but there is no doubt in my mind that this brand is great for treadmills.
Adding a squat rack to your home gym makes it look so official! This addition to your home gym is for avid strength trainers looking to take their gym workouts home. Even if you are a beginner, you can still use a squat rack, as long as you do your research on exercises and make sure you are performing them carefully.
The squat rack that I have in my home gym did not come with the pulley system, however, we ended up buying one that was compatible with our squat rack and it is another thing that I use at least 3 times a week. I use the pulley system more than the actual squat rack! I think this combo is great because you get the best of both worlds at a better price point.
In order to make a squat rack functional, you need a barbell and weight plates. You’ll likely need this olympic 7ft barbell to actually fit across the squat rack so that it can rest on the ledges.
If you are a beginner, the barbell may be all you need to get started, until you are ready to add more weight to the barbell.
I purchased a landmine attachment for my squat rack and use the barbell for the landmine, so it’s another utilization bonus!
Although they are a bit more expensive than traditional metal or cast iron weight plates, bumper plates have a much smoother feel to them. They allow you to add some color to your home gym and in my opinion, don’t make as much noise when you stack them together or put them on the floor.
In order to keep your home gym organized, you’ll need a few pieces of storage. Sure, you can keep all of your dumbbells and weights on the floor, but that takes away from your space to workout!
This 3 tier dumbbell rack is great because you can stack your dumbbells on it and you can also put a few kettlebells on there. I actually use this 3 tier rack for my kettlebells only and one set of dumbbells that I have that are too large to fit in my A-frame dumbbell rack.
If your home gym is just getting started, this dumbbell set and rack is for you! I have an A-frame dumbbell rack that is super similar to this but it did not come with any weights. This set is a pretty good deal for all of the dumbbells that come with it!
There are a few options you can choose from, but I would recommend getting the set that comes with the 30lb plates. That may scare you if you are a beginner, but your legs will be much stronger than your arms and you’ll be able to move up quickly if you stick with a consistent exercise program.
This adjustable dumbbell set is great for people who do not have a ton of space in their home gym. It is a hefty investment in terms of price, but it will save you in the long run because as you progress in your strength training journey, you’ll just be able to add a plate. You won’t need to keep purchasing dumbbells in order to move up in weight which is great for your wallet and for space utilization.
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DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS I GET A SMALL COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. THIS IS AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE TO LEARN MORE.
An adjustable weight bench is great for performing various strength training exercises. You can store it under your squat rack so that it saves a bit of space and just move it out when you need it.
There are so many different exercises you can do with a bench. Here are just a few:
Chest press
Seated shoulder press
Ab leg lifts
Bulgarian split squats
Leg step ups
Depending on where you are setting up your home gym, you’ll likely need some gym flooring.
My home gym is set up in the garage, so I have about half of it covered with gym flooring.
If you have carpet in the room where you are setting up your home gym, you should put something down. There is something about carpet that does not set the “fitness” tone for me!
Create an environment that you will want to stick to your goals in.
Love, love, love these extra thick exercise mats! Personally, I am not a yogi, so I really only use these mats for ab exercises and a bit of stretching every once in a while.
These mats are great, especially if your home gym is in a garage like me! Even with the added gym flooring, the ground is still pretty tough. By using one of these extra thick mats, it provides added comfort so that my back doesn’t hurt.
I don’t know about you, but I cannot stand rubber resistance bands. Maybe I don’t have the right size, but they always, always roll when I use them!
I love fabric, heavy duty resistance bands because they do not roll.
These bands are a great addition to squats. Whether you are just using body weight or using weights, they add a bit more resistance that will leave you feeling sore the next day!
Kettlebell workouts are just so much fun. You can use them in many of the same exercises that you would use a dumbbell for, and there are also a ton of workouts that are strictly for kettlebells.
This set is great because normally individual kettlebells can be a bit expensive. It starts small, so it is perfect for a beginner who is looking to progress in their strength training goals.
With my home gym being in my garage, an industrial fan is an absolute must! I use the fan every day, even sometimes in the winter if I am doing a long run on the treadmill.
There are no windows or air vents in the garage, so in the summer, it can get pretty hot and the air can get quite thick. I cannot stress enough how much I love my industrial fan.
We have a small space heater too, but I don’t use that very much. I can’t stand being hot when I workout and would much rather be cold!
I personally love aerobic steps and use mine at least once a week.
These steps are amazing for HIIT workouts! With the different risers, you can adjust the step height to fit the needs of each exercise that you do.
These are also great for beginners – there are plenty of step workouts on the internet or YouTube that you can find that are not as high intensity.
If you like using sliders or gliders or whatever you want to call them, I 100000% recommend these!
Yes, they are a bit pricey, but I used super cheap ones for years and these just absolutely dominate. The grip on them is amazing if you have a slippery surface that you are working out on. Your sneaker or hand or whatever you are using stays on these grips! It is amazing.
I also find that the cheap discs I used to have would get super scratched up very easily. I don’t find that happening with these.
Here are some exercises you can use with glider discs:
Lunges
Curtsey lunges
Mountain climbers
Ab pikes
Ab plank arm circles
There are so many more items that I could add to this list just from the things I use in my home gym every day.
Once you create a designated space in your home and start making it a habit to workout every day or as many days a week as you can, you will begin to form habits and fall in love with fitness.
The hardest part is getting started. Find a program or a specific exercise that you love, and just do that. Even if you only have ten minutes to work out, it is so much better to move your body for those ten minutes than to spend it on the couch.
I hope that my list of the home gym essentials that I love will help you create a home gym sanctuary of your own. Remember, exercise is a privilege, not a punishment!
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DISCLOSURE: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS, WHICH MEANS I GET A SMALL COMMISSION IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE A PURCHASE THROUGH MY LINKS. THIS IS AT NO COST TO YOU. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE TO LEARN MORE.
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