Easy Ways to Set Up a Home Gym and Workout At Home
by ExerciseTV, on Thu Apr 23, 2009 2:20pm PDT

For the money you might pay for a month at the high-priced gym downtown, you can outfit your living room with everything you need for a full-bodied workout. Not only will building a home gym help you save money, it lets you exercise on your schedule – whether it’s at 3 am, while watching LOST, or doing a few quick sets before and after dinner. Use these tools to help build an at-home workout temple.

Start with A Plan. “When you’re going to make an investment in buying product, it shouldn’t be on a lark because you heard about it on TV,” says Jake Steinfield, founder of ExerciseTV. All the fancy equipment in the world won’t help you if you don’t know how to use it, or if you don’t have a good idea of the routines you can follow to achieve your fitness goals. Before you start shopping, think about when and where in your house you’ll be able to work out, what kind of results you’re looking for, and what you need to do to get there. Once you have that figured out, you can look for the equipment that best suits that need.

Stock up on dumbbells. No matter how much cardio or how many isometric exercises you’re doing, you can’t get a complete workout without adding weights. You can shell out for a fancy adjustable set for about two hundred dollars, which gives you anywhere from 5 to 60 lbs of weight per bell, or you can look on Craigs List for a used set: as long as you have about 40 lbs – sets of 5 lb, 10 lb, and 20 lb. You can add them to simple moves like lunges and squats for a more intense and productive workout.

Get on the Ball – yes, they’re bulky. Yes, they’re a pain to store. But a Swiss ball is one of the best ways to add an element of stability to your workout, while allowing you to do several moves that increase core strength and balance. “Anytime you’re on the ball, you’re adding an element of instability, which adds core strength,” says Patrick Murphy, an ExerciseTV Trainer. Any move you can do on a bench or while sitting can also be done on a Swiss Ball.

Band Together. For about four dollars a piece, resistance bands are one of the best and cheapest ways to ensure you’re getting an all-over workout. “For someone who’s doing a home-type workout, resistance bands are essential,” says Marco Reed, an ExerciseTV trainer. Home workouts often emphasize “pushing” motions, such as pushups. “To fully work the big muscles of your back, you can’t do it without having some type of pulling.” By hooking the bands around your feet and doing rows and other pulling moves, you can ensure that you’re working your whole body.

Roll It Out: After all your hard work, rolling on a foam roller is the best way to help fight against muscle soreness and inflexibility. “The foam roller adds a whole other element of relief in your body that you can’t really achieve through basic stretching,” says Lisa Austin, an ExerciseTV Trainer.