Building the home gym

[Lark]

I was thinking about what could be considered a minimum or maximum for a home gym?

I'm planning on creating/building a gym when I get a place of my own, I've got dumbells of different weights and a bar bell bar, some kettle bells but I sold my step machine and my cross trainer.

What do you need really? What cardio machines and how many and what sort? What weights?

I have a gym membership but remember reading in a book called Real Men Eat Puffer Fish that home gyms are more effective than gym membership for beginners in body building anyway.

 

[Metamorphosis]

I think the two biggest factors are going to be:

1. How much money are you willing to spend?
2. What are you looking to achieve physically? and/or What kind of working out do you like to do?

 

[kyuuei]

^ Those two questions are really good points to start with.

I'll juse use myself as an example because it'll really be personal.

I started out with nothing except a DVD. It was Jillian Michael's 30 day shred. I didn't even have dumbbells when I started. I did the video, and then did it again. I went outside to run every other day back when I had the time for such things.

Now?.. My gym isn't THAT much bigger. I have 5's, 10's, and 8's in dumbbells, and some stretchy rubber things with a ball-stopper that you use to wedge into the door so you can have resistance, an exercise ball, a small weighted ball, 2 yoga blocks, a stretching-assistance rope, and a 20$ pull up bar for the door frame, a yoga mat, and a 15 lb kettlebell. I got all of these items for cheap/free from thrift shops and flea markets or friends.

I use Fitness blender and other youtube shows, a copy of every P90X series (still highly recommend those.. and I got these from friends so I didn't pay for them myself).. and that's about it really. I still run outside, but only in warm weather now.

My general goals are to stay in shape no matter what the weather is like outside (considering I have cold urticaria which makes exercising outside difficult most of the spring, winter, and fall here) and vague instances of "becoming stronger". As long as I feel like I am progressing or maintaining I feel alright with it.

If I were you? I'd start out with nothing, work your way up. There are a lot of things that require no weight at all, no equipment to get started.

A good set of dumbbells will get you where you need to go. I really like the fancy bow-flex style ones that you can adjust the weight on.. one day I'll splurge on them. you can go from 5lbs to 90 lbs pretty easily, and it all takes up one single space. But a good set of something that feels a hair too light (for when you burn out), and a hair too heavy will suffice. You can usually find adjustable sets with the circle weights on craigslist from people getting rid of their old stuff.

A yoga mat and block is pretty cheap, and would be my next suggestion. You can get away with a couple old towels for a while, but a good cushion makes ab work much better on your tailbone. You don't need to do yoga to benefit from these items, but stretching is very important and good form is easier to achieve with a block to assist and 'bring the ground up to you' so to speak.

After that, I'd get a pull up bar because there are sooo many exercises you can do with them. The one I have lets you swing it out and around, so you can do modified pull ups when you burn out (which is very very fast for most females so I like it).

Then you can start branching out with what you think will do for you.. for me, this is about all the equipment I really need. Maaaaybe a work out bench, just a plain old bench. The rest is fluff. Between all the exercises one can do without weights, with some light or heavy weights, and a pull up bar, the rest is just because I happened to have it or get it from someone. For you, you might want to start bench pressing weights, or squatting with heavier weights and you might want to consider an adjustable bench bar with some weights to stack onto it. Or you might realize you can just use a big old block of wood outside.

Whatever is going to keep you motivated and moving.. that's the essential equipment.

 

[Beargryllz]

Short answer is don't bother

You can get away with some regular carpeting or a yoga mat and do bodyweight manuevers. Move the coffee table and turn on sports or some music if you must

Otherwise you'll maybe break even after 30 years by equipping your home and sacrificing a substantial amount of living space instead of just ponying up a gym membership fee

 

[that's not my name]

Get a power rack and an adjustable bench.

 

[Lark]

I think the two biggest factors are going to be:

1. How much money are you willing to spend?
2. What are you looking to achieve physically? and/or What kind of working out do you like to do?

For the sake of interest assume unlimited budget and goals.

 

[Metamorphosis]

For the sake of interest assume unlimited budget and goals.

I forgot to respond to this thread until just now.

I think that, like other people have said, you can work out without anything (programs like Insanity are built around this).

When it comes to equipment, I think that the most important would be a power rack and olympic bar and plates (followed by a bench) because just doing the major power lifting or weight lifting lifts can make a huge difference. Even better if you can get a power rack with a pull up bar.

I use a relatively simple pulley system that I attach to my rack too so that I can do additional machine type exercises. Dumb bells obviously would help as well as kettle bells and a yoga mat. Then you start getting into more obscure items like ab straps, medicine balls, ropes, dip bars, etc.

As far as cardio, you really don't need anything since you can run or do plyometric stuff but a good treadmill (that can withstand running), or an elliptical or stationary bike would help (especially for bad weather or when you feel lazy).