Tag: Home Gym
Why Owning A Home Gym Is A Great Choice For Gains
Owning your own home gym, either complete or with various equipment, can greatly influence gains and is a great choice.
You may love going to the gym, but have you ever considered owning your own home gym? Gyms can be a great place to see gains for they offer the best equipment around and you never lack engagement in your workouts. Plus, you get some camaraderie among fellow lifters and bodybuilders. But a home gym can offer comfort and versatility and can be fully customized to how you want it. Don’t limit yourself on the possibilities for growth and look to invest in owning your own home gym.
Having your own home gym can prove to be worth your while and you should absolutely consider this as an option if you have the space. While it may be more expensive up front, in the long run, you do save money and can just enjoy a comfortable workout in your own home. Whether it be a complete home gym, or a variety of fitness equipment, you can work to set yourself up for the utmost success.
Benefits Of Owning A Home Gym
Owning a home gym certainly has its perks and while a full gym membership may give you a lot of amenities, your own can offer that as well. Working from the comfort of your home can give you space and convenience, which is exactly what you want most, and being in a comfortable environment can allow for those gains to thrive.
Benefits of owning a home gym include:
Gives you space and comfort: Your own space can be great and you don’t have to wait to use those machines you need most. Offering comfort as well can be great for your gains because its just you and the weight.
Better hygiene: You never have to worry about other peoples’ germs and can keep your gym as clean as you would like.
Save time and money: With a gym in your home, you save travel time and can get your workout done quickly. You also save money on a membership, gas to get to and from the gym, and other expenses associated with having to go to a gym.
Customize to how you want: You can get the equipment you want so you have full rights to customize however you want.
What Your Home Gym Could Include
With so many options for fitness equipment, knowing what you can include in your home gym can give you a better understanding of what you need to maximize all gains. The right equipment at the right price can boost all areas of your growth and give you a physique others will envy.
Resistance Bands For Warm-Ups, Workouts & Rehab
Resistance bands are awesome for they can work to aid in your warm-up, actual workout, and even post-workout recovery. By working on building mind-muscle connection and improving your range of motion (1,2), you do build muscle and can seriously increase strength. The right set will allow for proper weight adjustment with differing bands so you can adjust to whatever your needs may be whether it pre-, mid-, or post-workout.
Check out our list of the Best Resistance Bands for more great products!
Kettlebells For Strength & Functional Fitness
Kettlebells work for a variety of exercises and offer the ability to get a full body workout while also working on conditioning for better training and performance. Promoting strength and power (3), kettlebells also work to improve balance, stability, and coordination to improve form. As simple and convenient tools, these are versatile for any workout.
Check out our list of the Best Kettlebells for more strength training and functional fitness products!
Barbells For Heavy Training
Barbells are great for enhancing athletic performance and offering a full body workout as well. But barbells are perfect for your heavy training needs and can greatly improve your big three powerlifts, being the squat, bench press, and deadlift. Having a barbell in your home gym can support increased strength, while also working on functional movements (4).
Check out our list of the Best Barbells for more great products for heavy training!
Dumbbells For A Variety Of Workouts
Dumbbells are perfect for muscle growth and add amazing versatility to your workouts. Many exercises can be done with dumbbells to provide for effective alternatives and can really challenge your workouts for the better. The nice part about dumbbells are that you can work on fixing any muscle imbalances so you achieve perfect symmetry (5), something all bodybuilders want and need. Safe and effective tools, you can use fixed dumbbells or adjustable dumbbells to add even convenience to your workouts.
Check out our list of the Best Dumbbells to add great variety to your workouts, as well as our list of the Best Adjustable Dumbbells to add more convenience and save time!
Complete Home Gyms For Ease & Huge Gains
Complete home gyms may be on the more expensive side, but what you get is a full gym with tons of workouts. The ultimate convenience, this long term investment can increase privacy, build strength and size, and give you the most bang for your buck when looking to capitalize on all workouts. With key pieces of fitness equipment included, you get a quality and durable machine able to tackle all your needs and if you have the space and money to invest in a complete home gym, you won’t be disappointed with the results at all.
Check out our list of the Best Complete Home Gyms for a complete set to increase gains!
Wrap Up
There are great benefits to owning your own home gym and that can greatly affect all areas of your gains. By saving you time and offering space and convenience, you get a great set-up to see the growth and development you want most. With so much to offer, a home gym is something you deserve, and if you can make it work, it is something you should absolutely consider investing in.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
References
McMahon, Gerard E.; Morse, Christopher I.; Burden, Adrian; Winwood, Keith; Onambele, Gladys L. (2014). “Impact of range of motion during ecologically valid resistance training protocols on muscle size, subcutaneous fat, and strength”. (source)
Calatayud, J.; Vinstrup, J.; Jakobsen, M.; Sundstrup, E. (2016). “Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training”. (source)
Beardsley, Chris; Contreras, Bret (2014). “The Role of Kettlebells in Strength and Conditioning: A Review of the Literature”. (source)
Thompson, Brennan J.; Stock, Matt S.; Shields, JoCarol E.; Luera, Micheal J.; et al. (2015). “Barbell Deadlift Training Increases the Rate of Torque Development and Vertical Jump Performance in Novices”. (source)
Franettovich, M.; Hides, J.; Mendis, M.; Littleworth, H. (2011). “Muscle imbalance among elite athletes”. (source)
5 Home Gym Essentials To Build A Great Body
Introduction Home Gym Essentials
So far, 2020. was a hectic year, and it will undoubtedly be remembered in history primarily because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus took us all by surprise, and it hit many industries hard, including travel, airlines, but it also shook the fitness world. Gyms were always an oasis of health, but all of a sudden, they became unsafe, and in many countries, they are still closed. Even if they are open, exercising with masks and latex gloves is anything but pleasant. Because of all this, many people are turning to working out at home with Home Gym Essentials.
While you can do a lot with just your bodyweight, having some home gym essentials will make your workouts much better, helping you build a great body from the comfort (and safety) of your home. In this post, we will give you five pieces of equipment that will allow you to hit every muscle in your body but won’t hit your budget too hard, so make sure you read it through.
Related Article:: Top 20 Score New GYM Shoes for Under $100
#1: A Pull-up Bar
Buying a pullup bar is an absolute must for any home workout. Without it, doing pullups and chinups is next to impossible. Sure, you can try doing them on a door, or on a tree branch outside. But, considering that you can get a decent pullup bar for cheap and that it lasts a long time, it is one of the best fitness investments you can make.
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The most obvious thing you can do on a pullup bar is pullups and chinups. These exercises are hard and are one of the best ways to train your back, primarily lats. Having developed lats will give width to your frame. Besides lats, pullups, and especially chinups, hit your biceps and will help you build nice looking hands. Also, you can do scapular retractions on a pullup bar, which will help your posture.
Besides pullups, you can use the bar to do hanging leg raises, which is one of the best exercises to target your lower abs, but it hits the full six-pack.
And of course, you can use the pullup bar for hanging and stretching. Hanging from a bar is one of the best things you can do for your shoulders, as it decompresses them. It also stretches your lats and is good for your spine. Hanging from a bar is something you should definitely include into your routine, and if you install a bar in your doorway, you can do it every time you get in or out of your room.
#2: A Pair Of Adjustable Dumbbells
The most versatile piece of exercise equipment you can buy is certainly a pair of dumbbells. Even though you can technically do all the exercises with one dumbbell, it is not convenient, and a workout will take you twice as much time as you will have to switch sides all the time, so get a pair.
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A single pair of dumbbells will hit every single muscle in your body. Also, exercising with dumbbells enables you to do one side at a time, and will fix imbalances as the stronger side will never take over the load.
Also, it is very important to get a pair of adjustable dumbbells, unless you have the budget to buy a whole set of fixed-weight dumbbells. Adjustable ones will save you a lot of space, and will still allow you to perform the exercises with optimal weight. Yes, you won’t be able to switch between exercises instantaneously like when working out at the gym, as you will have to readjust the dumbbell. But if you plan your workouts well, you will be able to do more than one exercise with the same weight.
Must read:: The 10 Best Fitness Products for 2020
#3: A Jump Rope a Home Gym Essentials
With a pullup bar and a pair of dumbbells, you will be able to hit all of the muscle groups in your body, which will help you gain size and strength. However, one big thing will still be missing from your workout – cardio. Unfortunately, most cardio machines such as treadmills, stationary bikes and rowing machines are very expensive, and they take up a lot of space, requiring a dedicated exercise room. But, there is one piece of cardio equipment you can buy for cheap, and carry around with you anywhere you go – a jump rope.
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Rope skipping is an excellent form of cardio which will burn a tone of calories, helping you trim down fat. Also, it is very safe, especially if you jump with two legs. Because you are not jumping high, the impact on the ankles and knees is minimal, and you won’t have any issues with a jump rope even if you are a bit overweight.
Also, jumping a rope helps your hand-eye coordination, and is an enjoyable activity, especially because you can try different jump rope techniques and figures.
Furthermore, you can combine it with other types of bodyweight cardio such as burpees, to create intense HIIT sessions that re guaranteed to burn a lot of fat, helping you get shredded.
#4: An Adjustable Exercise Bench
Although you can perform most exercises on the floor, yoga mat, or your furniture, an adjustable gym bench will make your workouts more convenient. You will be able to exercise correctly and with proper form, which will reduce the injury risk, and also promote muscle building.
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If you can, buy an adjustable bench. This will allow you to do more exercise by changing the incline. Training muscles from multiple angles will trigger even more growth, and you will start noticing results in no time at all. A good adjustable bench will allow you to go decline as well, which will open new possibilities, especially when training abs and chest. But, any kind of exercise bench is a much better option than using home furniture, as the improved stability will decrease the injury risks.
Also, if you get a foldable bench, as soon as you finish your workout, you can store the bench under your bed, or in the closet. That will save you a lot of space, which is important if you don’t have a dedicated exercise room.
#5: A Set Of Quality Resistance Bands
We talked about how dumbbells are the most versatile piece of gym equipment, and that is something you can say for resistance bands too. In fact, because resistance bands weight much less than dumbbells, they are an excellent travel companion, and you will be able to carry them anywhere with you. Also, they are much more affordable than dumbbells, which is also worth mentioning.
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What makes resistance bands unique is that the tension increases as the band stretches. This allows you to train your muscles in a new way, quite different than free weights. So, even if you own dumbbells, combining them with resistance bands will make your workout perfect.
Also, some exercises such as band pullaparts are a great way to improve your posture, and you can only do them with bands. Furthermore, bands are one of the safest ways to train your muscles, and the injury risk is minimal. They are an excellent option for rehabilitation and will help you work around your injuries, which is why you can see them in rehabilitation centres around the globe.
Conclusion
If you buy a pullup bar, dumbbells, jump rope, adjustable bench and resistance bands, all this Home Gym Essentials, you will have more than enough equipment to start working out from the comfort of your home. This will keep you occupied until the gyms reopen, at least. And who knows, maybe you will decide that you like working out at home more and decide to continue doing so even when the COVID-19 pandemic passes.
Of course, you can invest in bigger pieces such as home gym machines, but they take up much more space and are more expensive. There are also many other budget accessories you can buy, such as foam rollers, that are a good investment, but you can hardly consider them as an essential.
Overall
In fact, if you are really strapped for cash, get only the first three items from the list. With a pullup bar, two dumbbells and a jump rope, you will be able to do a great workout, building both strength and endurance. An adjustable bench and resistance bands will only push that workout to the next level, so get those when you can too. Just remember, hoarding the equipment won’t replace working out, so no excuses – get some Home Gym Essentials, and start working out today!