A lot of people want to get in shape nowadays. It’s common to find influencers on social media promoting exercise and fitness to their audiences. Influencers have a lot of influence over people today, with many people’s interests, hobbies, and passions being inspired by them. Fitness is definitely something that online influencers have inspired a lot of people to do. Whether you have decided to get fit because of influencers or for health reasons, then instead of going to the gym, why not build your own?
This post will tell you everything you need to know in order to build a home gym.
Using Machines
If you want a proper home gym, then you’ll need to invest in some machines. Unfortunately, though, exercise machines can be very expensive. Some of them can sell for thousands. If you are on a budget and are unable to afford exercise machines brand new, then you could buy older models second-hand.
There are literally thousands of people selling used exercise machines online. Before buying anything used, make sure that you go to the seller’s house and inspect it. If you do not expect an exercise machine before buying it, it could turn out not to work properly. If the seller listed the item and made it clear they weren’t going to accept returns, then you could be unable to get your money back.
Buying Weights
In addition to buying machines, you might also want to buy some weights. Weights are typically used by people who’re interested in strength training. Make sure to pick up a body solid weight bench, too as this will help you to keep good form when you are doing lifting exercises.
A lot of people try to bench press lying on the floor or on their sofa, but this usually leads to neck strain and bad form. Weights can be picked up for next to nothing online. If you buy them second-hand, then you could get a huge discount.
Floor Padding
Floor padding is essential. When you are building a home gym inside your house, floor padding needs to be used so that your home’s flooring doesn’t get damaged, scarred, or marked. If you are lifting heavy weights, then you are bound to drop them once or twice.
If you do not have padding, then the weights could cause serious damage on impact. If you are living in rented accommodation, then damaging the floor could lead to your deposit being taken away from you at the end of the tenancy. If you own your house, you’ll have to pay for repairs.
Enough Room
Make sure that you give yourself enough room to move around freely when you are building your home gym. If you do not have enough room to move, then you might not be able to complete your routine comfortably. Ideally, set your gym up in a spare bedroom or living room.
If you own a garage, then you could set it up there. However, if you intend on setting a gym up in your garage, you need to make sure that you’ve properly cleared it out and that it’s safe for you to do so. If your garage is cluttered, exercising in there could be dangerous. You could trip over or walk into something and hurt yourself.
Calisthenic Exercises
Calisthenic exercises are a great type of exercise to take up if you are exercising at home. Until you have your own gym set up, you can perform calisthenic exercises. The good thing about them is that you do not need equipment to do them, but they can still help you to build lots of muscle and get in shape.
One of the best calisthenic exercises that you can do is the push-up. The push-up can build a lot of chest muscle and upper body strength.
Creating Routine
Once you have set your gym up, you will need to work out a routine. If you do not have a routine then you may find it hard to motivate yourself. A lot of people freestyle in their home gyms, but this is a bad idea. Freestyling will lead to you forgetting to work specific muscle groups and areas of your body.
It’ll also probably lead to you eventually quitting because you have no clear direction. Work out what muscle groups you want to exercise most and then create a routine that ensures they get the attention they need.
Exercising at home can be a lot cheaper than going to the gym. It can also be a lot more comfortable since you don’t have to worry about other people’s eyes being on you all the time. However, you do need to make sure that you properly equip your home gym. You can do that by following this post’s instructions.
