What Is The Best Home Gym Setup?

There are hundreds of different kinds of fitness appliances. When you are building a home gym, you want efficient equipment, which will help you make lots of progress. When you have so many different appliances to choose from, it can be challenging to decide what equipment you need.

There isn’t a one- size- fits- all answer when it comes to building the best home gym setup. To get as much out of your home gym, at least have tools that will build both strength and cardio, and while buying your set up, keep in mind what your experience, budget, and space are. 

When you are building a home gym, you either want to stay active, lose weight, or gain muscle. There are different ways to set up your gym. To be successful, it is recommended to look at the result you want to achieve and the budget you have to spend. 

 

Setting up The Best Gym at Home

It isn’t as easy as saying: if you buy this equipment you will have the best gym. It is personal, and it depends on the amount of space you have and the goal you want to achieve. Do you want to do a lot of strength training or cardio? Are you used to lifting heavy weights, or are you just getting started? Or are you the kind of person that gets bored quickly and that wants to have variety? 

If you want a gym that will be useful for a long time, it is essential to have variety and the possibility of expanding with new equipment when you need to. To give you an impression, I made a list of equipment for your home gym set up with everything you need to get yourself started.

 

Basic equipment every gym should at least have:

• Yoga mat

There are so many exercises that you can do without equipment. Think about pushups, sit-ups, squats, burpees, jump lunges, walkouts, etc. Therefore a yoga mat is the number one tool when setting up your gym. It costs next to nothing, and it is easy to store. You roll it up after your workout, so it takes up almost no space in your home. The benefits of a yoga mat are that you don’t get a bruised spine or hip from doing your exercises on a hard floor.

• Dumbbells

Dumbbells are multifunctional and don’t take up a lot of space. These handy helpers will give you just that extra amount of weight to train your arm muscles to the next level, especially when looking for more muscular biceps, shoulders, and arms. Depending on if you are a beginner or have more experience training with weights, you can easily choose from a wide range of weights per dumbbells.

• Kettlebells

Kettlebells like dumbbells are multi-functional, and they have a wide range of different weights per kettlebell. The main difference between kettlebells and dumbbells is that with kettlebells, the technique is essential. Especially if you are looking to build your athleticism and explosive strengths, kettlebells will help you improve both of them. Because kettlebells require concentration and technique, they can make your workout challenging, fun, and diverse.

• Jump rope

We all know jump ropes from grade school. We would play outside in the schoolyard with friends and taking turns jumping the rope. Jump roping is a great exercise to warm up and get your heart pumping and blood flowing. Most athletes use it as a cardio exercise. Personal coaches love making time in the training schedule for their clients to rope jump, especially if their client wants to lose weight. Jumping up and down and catching and lifting your weight will help you build your leg muscles. Another great benefit is that it is cheap and takes up no space in your new gym.

• TRX

TRX isn't as popular as the above tools I mentioned. A TRX, aka total resistance exercise, is a form of suspension training. Using your body weight will help you build strength. The TRX is excellent for beginners and professionals. Because you only use bodyweight, the chances of getting an injury are significantly less likely. When you are looking to build balance, flexibility, core stability, and strength, this is the 'must have' tool in your home gym setup. The suspension trainer comes with a hook, so you can hang it up where ever suits you best.

• Pull up bar

Pullup bars have been used for decades to build upper body strength. You can still find this tool in every gym today. A pullup bar is one of those things that should be part of your home gym setup. Pulling up can benefit your strength without having to buy a big machine. You can hang the bar in-between the frame of a door, for example. This is again an excellent tool space-wise.

• Ab roller

Abs, Abs, Abs, the one muscle both men and women want to train and preferably show off afterwards. Imaginable because training them can really sting. The Ab roller is a great tool to get yourself beach-ready. In all seriousness, an ab roller is a small tool, easy to use and builds your upper body strength using your body weight. It is easy to use for both beginners and professionals. You can do the exercise on your knees, rolling out as far as you can, or when you are more advanced, you can do the exercise from a standing position. The ab roller is, in my opinion, another tool that you should have in your home gym setup because it is small, you can purchase it for a small amount, and it will get you the result your looking for.

• Resistant bands

Resistant bands can be helpful with many different kinds of exercises. The bands often get used to help you improve technique and build strength. You can use them around your legs and arms. They are also easy to take with you if you feel like doing some exercises outdoors.

• Gym skin gloves

 

When lifting weights or doing pull-ups, blisters and bruises are common. Some athletes say that you’ll get used to it, or they just rap their hands in sports tape. The great news is this is no longer necessary. These gloves will protect your hands from the discomfort of bruises and blisters. 

CARDIO

To boost your cardio strength, I would recommend buying either a rowing machine, stationary bike, or treadmill. All three devices will help you build your cardiovascular strength. 

• Rowing machine

If you also want to train your back and shoulder muscles, I would recommend a rowing machine. 

 

• Stationary bike

If you are looking to build upper leg strength, then the stationary bike is probably your best bet.

• Treadmill

The treadmill is great for your overall body strength. All three of them will help you build cardio strength, build muscle, and help lose weight. 

 

WEIGHTS

Like I mentioned above in the basic equipment list, dumbbells and kettlebells are good tools if you want to gain muscle strength. If you are looking to take the next step, these machines can help you do so.

• All in one trainer
  There are all-in-one trainers on the market that include: a power rack, functional trainer, smith machine, dip station, chin-up station, core strainer, low row, leg press, barbell, and weights. This machine will help you improve your muscle strengths. It is multi-functional what makes it a great buddy if you want to build muscles in all parts of your body. Be aware though they do come with a price tag. 

• Squat rack
  Squat racks are tools often used to build leg and butt strength. Like the name says, its purpose is to help you perform your squats with weights. Weights come in a wide range, making it a fun tool if you want to be aware of your improvement.
  
  

Like I mentioned before, it isn’t easy to describe the best home gym setup. If you pick a few of the above-described equipment, you will be well on your way to improve your physical and mental strength.

What Home Exercise Equipment is The Most Effective?

This really depends on what you want to improve. To be honest, if you have a yoga mat, dumbbells, or kettlebells in different weight categories, and a TRX, you can build physical strength without buying the big tools. Will they be as efficient as the multi-weight and cardio equipment? Maybe not. But research has shown that it is better to build your strength slowly rather than quickly. When you build up gradually, you will prevent injuries, and you will enjoy your workout more what makes it easier to keep exercising. If you are missing cardio equipment, I would recommend buying a pair of running shoes and going outside for a run. 

Can Home Workout be as Effective as Gym?

Again this depends on what your desired outcome is. I believe a well-thought-out home workout can be just effective as a gym workout. Including push, pull, squat, hinge, and lunge exercises, you will have the strength training complete. Jump roping or going for a run will help you build your cardio strength. So gaining strength, building cardio strength, and losing weight shouldn’t be a problem in your home gym with a basic setup.

The main benefit of going to a gym is when you are looking to build a lot of muscular strength. The gym most likely has more equipment and a wider range of weights than you will have back at home. People say that a gym is more effective because you will be surrounded by other people, making it easier to motivate yourself. Also, joining a group class or getting a personal coach can help give that extra edge that you won’t find at home. 

How Much Does a Good Home Gym Cost?

I wish I could give you a different answer than that depends on your gym, but that is the truth. If you buy the basic equipment, I described above. You will be looking at a price somewhere around $350-. This only includes the basics; you will have one or two dumbbells or kettlebells included in this price. If you want more weights, the price will significantly increase, especially if you are looking for high amounts of lbs/kgs. 

 

 A Rowing machine is as cheap and expensive as you want it to be. The price for a rowing machine starts at $150 but can also cost $1500 depending on what functions you want on it. 

A Stationary bike has the same story as a rowing machine. You can buy a stationary bike for $180. You also have stationary bikes that cost approximately $700

A treadmill is the most expensive of the three cardio exercise machines. The price of a treadmill ranges from $150 to over $3000-. 

The all-in-one trainer has a price of around $3000- this often doesn’t include the barbell and weights. The barbell will cost about $200. The weights can range from $50 to over a couple of hundred dollars, depending on the material, brand, and amount of weight you want to buy. 

 

 You can buy a squat rack for about $300. This again doesn’t include the barbell and weights. Like I mentioned before, the weights are often the few extra hundreds of dollars that make your home gym expensive. 

In the end, it is hard to say what a home gym will cost you. It really depends on what you want your home gym to include and how professional you want it to be set up. Everyone can build their own gym at home even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend. Looking at the basic equipment, you will have your gym set up for only $350. If you want to expand and buy more weight and bigger machines and equipment, the price will significantly increase. 

What Exercise Machine Burns the Most Belly Fat?

There are many different opinions about what exercise machine will burn the most belly fat. The great thing about this is that if you are looking to burn belly fat that there are numerous exercise machines, you can pick from. The two devices that come out of the test being the most efficient are the:

1. Treadmill

 This cardio exercise is an easy way to lose calories what automatically will result in less belly fat. 

2. Stair climber

The stair climber is known for losing weight quickly. It is a machine that makes you walk up a never-ending flight of stairs. Continually carrying your weight and increasing your heart weight will for sure help you kick some of that belly fat out the door. Research has shown that walking a flight of stairs each day is the quickest way to lose fat. 

How Can I Light my Gym at Home?

It’s safe to say that a very large percentage of home gyms get built in the garage. Most garages have a small dim light so you can see just enough when you park your car. Especially when working out early in the morning or at night, good lighting is essential. I mean, you don’t want to have to drag all your weights into the light every time because otherwise, you can’t read the number you’re picking up, right? To help you with this, here is a list of lighting suggestions that help you get the job done. 

 

1. MPI
   
   
   The MPI is an easy-to-install light that creates five points of light. The five points will spread light to all corners of the room. If you have a big gym set-up and want the light on all your equipment no matter where you stand in the room, this light might be just what you’re looking for.
   
2. Trilight
   This light has LED lighting built-in. With this LED- light, you will be set up with much brighter lighting than if you buy a standard light. Most influencers that film their work out or take photos like to use the Trilight. It gives them the right amount of illumination for their footage. 
3. Trilight Shoplight
   Like the Trilight, the Trilight Shoplight has LED- lighting. The difference between the two is that the Trilight Shoplight is somewhat portable using an extension cord. Also, it comes with a hook making it easy to hang wherever you want it to. 
4. Mobile Task Light
   This little friend will help you set up a light wherever you want. The Mobile Task Light is a rechargeable portable compact light. This light is excellent if you don’t want to change the lighting you have on the ceiling, but you just want to have an extra light that you can also take with you.
   
   

Conclusion
Now that you have read this article, you will know the best setup for your home gym. I hope you enjoyed this article and that you are now even more motivated to set up your own gym at home.