Home Gym Ideas - Getting Started

They come in all shapes and sizes but regardless of their setup, one thing all home gym owners have in common is pride. In their work and in their workout. If you’re ready to take the leap into the exclusive club of home gym members - and let’s face it, this has been the year for it - we’re here to share some of our tips to help you get the most out of your workout.

What are your fitness goals?
The way you answer this question could change everything about your setup. Is your focus cardio? Weight loss? Flexibility? Toning? Maybe just pure strength and muscle development. That might just mean lots and lots of weights, which brings me to my next question...

How much space do you have?
Or rather, how much space are you willing to dedicate to your home gym? The home gym could take up as little room as a yoga mat rolled up in the corner and as much as an entire garage filled with enough equipment to populate a commercial gym. So take a look at the space you’ll be working out in and think about how much of it you want to use.

Your response to these two questions will be the most significant factors in setting up your home gym. The third most critical factor is how much you’re willing to spend, but Rome wasn’t built in a day and chances are your home gym won’t be either. There’s no harm in starting with the basics and working your way up from there. So, let’s start with the basics.

The Basics.

Working out with limited equipment is possible. It might be in the form of yoga or maybe even a body weight routine. If that’s the route you want to go in then a nice yoga mat will go a long way to making your floor routine more comfortable. On the topic of mats, it’s not the most essential thing to be thinking about but something that’s definitely overlooked; you might want to think about investing in some floor mats for your gym, especially if you have delicate floors and heavy weights.

Heavy Weights.

Let’s get serious about weight lifting. If your goal when you workout at home is to put on muscle and gain strength then you’ll definitely want to start with weight plates, preferably something versatile like a customisable dumbbell or barbell set. If you’re tight on space, a pair of adjustable dumbbells is an amazing way to add variety to your workout with a limited footprint. The weights are a great place to start but if you’re committed to getting ripped at home you’ll want to add something bigger. The best option is to get a power rack and a standalone bench. You can go after basically all of your weightlifting goals with just those two pieces of equipment and more weights. If you’re tight on space, a smaller squat rack could make all the difference. If you’re new to the gym a multistation might be just what you need to get started.

Get That Heart Rate Up.

If you’re focused on taking off the weight rather than putting on muscle, then you’ll want to add at least one piece of cardio equipment to your gym. It’s all just a matter of what kind of cardio you like. You can’t go wrong with a quality treadmill, exercise bike, cross trainer, or rower for increasing your heart rate and burning excess calories. Supplement your cardio workout with more equipment to get your blood flowing like Plyometric boxes for squat jumps or a set of kettlebells to achieve a huge range of toning exercises. 

Start Your Workout.

In all honesty, this guide barely scratches the surface for how deep you can dive to kit out your own home gym, but hopefully it’s enough to give you an idea to run with. Otherwise, we are always up for a chat - to give you tips and guidance and get you on the right track for your very own customised home gym setup. Once you know what direction you want to go in and how far you’re willing to take it, the possibilities for your own niche gym environment are endlessly exciting. Good luck - we’re eager to see what you end up with! For even more inspiration check here.