The Home workout

Many women think that creating a home workout gym is either too costly or too difficult. Instead they invest hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars in a gym membership not realizing that for the same amount of money (in many cases less) they can set up a very effective gym right in their own home.  

So why set up a home gym? Well, here are some good reasons to train at home:

No having to fight rush-hour traffic
No lining up to use the equipment
You can workout on your schedule, rather than when the gym is open
No monthly membership fees or long-term contracts
Motivation to workout as you see the equipment every day  

The key to setting up an effective home gym is a little bit of planning. Don’t fall for those gimmicky exercise machines you see on the home-shopping network. Most are a waste of money. Likewise that great “sale” at your local fitness store is probably not all that great. The end result of buying from one of these sources is usually a house filled with equipment that only gets used as a clothes hanger or dust collector. This often happens because the equipment is either poorly constructed or doesn’t produce the desired results quick enough.  

Don’t think you need to spend thousands of dollars either. For as little as $50 to $100, you can have a very effective weight training gym at home. Regardless of what your fitness goals are, there is a whole range of equipment options to consider. For building and toning the muscles, nothing beats free weights (i.e. barbells and dumbells. For cardiovascular stimulation, there are even more options. They range from cycles and treadmills, to elliptical trainers and rowers.  

Before heading to Wal-Mart or your local sporting goods store, check out one of the best sources for home workout equipment – flea markets. Just about every teenage male receives a barbell set for his birthday or Christmas. It’s also one of the first things that mom and dad sell when junior moves out. For as little as $10-$20 you may obtain a barbell, dumbells, weight plates, and an adjustable bench. And unlike expensive electronic equipment, there is very little to go wrong with iron bars and iron or concrete plates. It’s a safe purchase. 

 For those who want a home gym specifically for toning muscles (or just can’t afford cardio equipment at this point in time), consider the following:

Adjustable dumbbell set  

Flat bench
Fitness Ball (also called a SWISS Ball)
Skipping Rope – Offers very challenging cardiovascular fitness workouts for mere dollars  

Resistance Band 

If money is extremely tight and you can only afford one of the previous items consider buying the Fitness Ball. With just this one item you can get an upper body workout, a lower body workout, very challenging abdominal workouts, and a flexibility workout. And, you get all of this for around $20-$30!  

Also, don’t underestimate what you can do with common items that are already in your house, like milk jugs, chairs, and stairs. In fact there are a lot of exercises that require no equipment at all. For example, push-ups, triceps dips, squats, calf raises, can be performed just about anywhere. You can even make your own “dumbells” through milk jugs filled with water or sand.  

One thing we will recommend is that you seek the advice of a qualified personal trainer to start you off on the right track with your home workout. Books and magazines are good but they’re two-dimensional and won’t give you feedback. A personal trainer can answer questions on the spot and demonstrate proper technique.