At some point everyone who is serious about training will end up with some sort of home gym. While having access to a gym is nice, sometimes you just need to be able to crank out a workout without having to drive anywhere. Hell, I own a training facility that is only 15 minutes from my house and even I have trouble getting in there for a workout sometimes.
That is the other cool thing about a home gym set up – it is truly an investment since training equipment will last forever.
For some people the home gym is simply a collection of a few key pieces of equipment – like a kettlebell or two and a jump rope – that is meant to serve as an emergency back up for days they can’t get into the gym but for others it becomes a way of life. Let’s be honest – most riders feel like strangers in a strange place in most gyms. You either have the big box gym where most people are more worried about how they look in the mirror or you have a bootcamp type facility where everyone is trying to see how much punishment they can take before puking or getting hurt.
Given the choices it is no wonder that most riders I hear from are asking about what they need to do my workouts at home. For these riders the home gym has to expand a bit to include a few essentials that will make sure they are not cutting too many corners with their workouts. Here is a list of what I think are the “must have” pieces of equipment for a home gym:
– A heavy, medium and light kettlebell. What this means exactly depends on a few things but here is the chart I use to help riders figure out what works for them…
|
Male |
Light |
Medium |
Heavy |
|
< 3 years training |
12 kg/ 25 lb. |
16 kg/ 35 lb. |
24 kg/ 55 lb. |
|
Male |
Light |
Medium |
Heavy |
|
> 3 years training |
16 kg/ 35 lb. |
24 kg/ 55 lb. |
32 kg/ 70 lb. |
|
Female |
Light |
Medium |
Heavy |
|
< 3 years training |
8 kg/ 15 lb. |
12 kg/ 25 lb. |
16 kg/ 35 lb. |
|
Female |
Light |
Medium |
Heavy |
|
> 3 years training |
12 kg/ 25 lb. |
16 kg/ 35 lb. |
20 kg/ 45 lb. |
– A pull up bar
– A foam roller and mat
– A jump rope
While that list will allow you to perform a lot of quality workouts, it is the “no frills” option and I personally like to add a few more things. I recently set up a home gym and here are some of the extras I’ve included:
– Extra kettlebells
– A couple of medicine balls
– A few steps/ risers
– A Valslide
– Light, Medium and Heavy superbands
– A couple of sandbags
With that list of equipment I can add a lot of quality variety to my workouts. In fact, I can do 90% of what I would normally do at my more fully stocked training facility.
Here is a picture of my set up:
As you can see I have a rack that I use for my chin up bar and to suspend my TRX. I also have some rubber flooring (which isn’t cheap) and a TRX Rip Trainer (something I bought to play around with) so my set up is a bit more elaborate than what you need but I have also had a few years to acquire the extra stuff to make this set up work.
That is the other cool thing about a home gym set up – it is truly an investment since training equipment will last forever. You can start out with the bare bones basics and then slowly add to your equipment list each year, eventually ending up with a really nice set up.
So there you have it, my take on home gyms. How about you? Do you have a home gym set up or do you prefer to train at a facility? Anything I left off my list of “must have” equipment for a home gym set up? Anything you have in your home gym that I did not mention that you really like? Post a comment below, I would love to hear your opinion…
-James Wilson-
I greatly appreciate your explanation of how you can customize a gym to look the way you want it to and be more comfortable in it. The large rooms that gyms usually are in really make me feel anxious as I can feel people look at me or pass by as I work out. This anxiety is what prevented me from continuing my fitness routines in the first place, so if I can find a fitness equipment store that I can shop from, I’ll take these tips of yours and set up my own gym at home.