It’s been a while since I cancelled my gym membership and moved into my home gym, and I’ve never been happier! It’s perfect, I don’t have to pay for an expensive, overcrowded gym membership, I can do what I want when I want and no-one looks at me. I have freedom. Feels good.
You don’t have to have a lot of room to do this, our gym is set up in the gym. After we use the gym we pack it back where it belongs and then my car replaces where the gym used to be. We’re just using the space efficiently.
When it comes to a home gym, you must ensure that this gym inspires you to do what you love, make sure that you have all the gym equipment that you need.
This does not have to be expensive. You just need to make sure that your gym is set up in such a way that it is easy for you to do like I said what you want and when you want.
1. Choosing where to set up your gym.
This is the fundamental step in designing your home-gym!
You need to know what you want to do, and roughly how much space your going to be using. For example, when I do strength training, Yoga and HIIT training I only need
one garage door floor. When I want to do some dancing and need a bigger space (like a mini studio) we move my boyfriends car out of the way. Most home workouts require minimal space. If you’ve had a gym membership at an overcrowded gym, you would be used to working out in small spaces. You can easily fit in your home-gym into your living room or study room.
Resistance training does require a bit more room (for the equipment). However, HIIT Training and yoga has little to no equipment needed just body weight. Have a goal in mind when choosing your space. This will help you choose your workout space more efficiently.
2. Let’s talk Home-Gym Essentials
The next step is to make sure you have everything you need for your home-gym. Luckily, there are many alternatives you can use to achieve the same results as with
machines. Your gym equipment depends on the type of workouts you will be doing.
Things you need for Resistance training:
There are several items you can invest in that will last for years. These items will help you get the most out of your workouts.
Kettlebells
These are bomb! Kettlebels are great for lower body workouts and very useful to incorporate into your HIIT session.
Dumbbells.
You can easily get variations on weights when you do pyramid training. Dumbbells are an easy way to add resistance and weight to almost any movement making you
burn more calories when working out.
Barbell
Okay, a Barbell takes up more space, however if you can add this I would highly recommend this item. You can incorporate Barbell exercises in both upper and lower body workouts and get stunning results from using them
Resistance bands
Yes, yes, yes. These are a must! They do not take up a lot of space, they work for both upper and lower body workouts while providing you with a good challenge
while working out! My new favourite is my resistance band that goes around my legs. It works my legs like never before, I feel the same burn as I do on a
machine and that’s why I love it!
Bench
You can incorporate a bench in a variety of workouts in both resistance and cardio workouts! Think of lean legs and a flat tummy. Yes you will get this whit
bench jumps and leg ups.
3. Let’s Talk cardio: what do I need
You thinking I am going to say go for a run. No. Me, I don’t particularly enjoy running. You can easily do amazing cardio and get great results from the comfort
of your home without stepping a foot outside to run.
Skipping rope
Love, love, love skipping! It’s so simple and yet so fun. You can easily incorporate skipping into your HIIT workout! Or make your entire cardio session focused
on just skipping for 15-20 minutes. This is also a great warm-up exercise (just 3 min) following dynamic stretches.
Kettlebell
You can easily incorporate kettlebel moves within your HIIT workouts to increase the challenge and burn more calories.
Resistance Training
Add in a bit of resistance in your cardio for an extra burn.
Good Music
Make sure you have good music while working out. I love my in-ear earbuds while I workout then I blast through my workout especially when I do cardio.
4. Let’s talk flexibility & Recovery
Working on your flexibility is so important for your muscle recovery. Your post-workout routine is just as important as your pre-workout routine.
This minimises your chances of inuring yourself and additionally give your body the love and respect it deserves.
Yoga mat
This is a useful item when you do stretches after your workout or on your off days. A yoga mat softens the surface area while providing you with extra grip.
Foam roller
A foam roller helps you literally roll out your sore muscles. This process hurts while you do it, however the reward afterwards is amazing. The soreness is almost if not completely gone. Love my foam roller.
Set up your Home-gym
Now that you’ve determined what you need and where you need it now’s the time to actually set it up.
Very important is to check your form consistently while you working out, one easy way to do this is to set up a full length mirror up in your gym. check your form while working out.
Make sure your gym is organised. If it’s a small area make sure that you have a storage area for some of your items, making it easier to keep your area neat and organised. It’s important that your gym equipment has a permanent storage area so it makes it easier to form a habit of removing and putting the items back.
Make sure your items are ready to go. Majority of the items discussed are static, they cannot change their weights or shape. However, if you using a barbell make sure its at the weight you’re comfortable with starting every time and as you need to increase the weight while excising it’s easier.
5. Keep it hygienic
This is so important, usually at a gym you don’t have to worry about this part, because they have people cleaning the gym.
Keeping your Home-Gym is easy.
My routine consist of sweeping the gym floor, removing any leaves that blew in, removing any excess dust from or close to the wall.
Cleaning my Yoga matt and gym mat with a special self-made cleaner. (so quick and easy).
Easily wipe down our weights with a multipurpose cleaner and wipe.
This whole process is not even 10 minutes, plus you burn a bit of calories while you do it.
BONUS: Keep it consistent
Now you need to get into a routine. It’s not that hard considering the fact that as women we spend a lot of time caring for others, working out at home is a gift that we give to ourselves. We can do a quick 20-40 minute workout thereafter make food for our family. You save a lot of time when working out at home. It’s time well spent.
You need to find out what works best for you.
When I workout in the morning I love doing yoga.
When I workout after work I love doing resistance or HIIT workouts.
