Most of the runners I work with will only strength train if I give them a routine they can follow at home. Having a home gym is convenient and makes strength training easily accessible. However, it can be alot of work and become costly to develop a home gym. While there is a range of equipment you can include in your space, I am going to share some ideas to start and expand your home gym.
This post contains affiliate links to some of the items I have or to similar items I could find.
When I moved into my house almost 10 years ago I knew that I eventually wanted to create a home workout space. My previous gym was 30 minutes away and there was nothing else nearby that I wanted to join. I knew I would be much better about strength training and cross training if I could do it inside my house.
Before moving here I was living in a tiny apartment. During that time I collected lots of resistance bands, a few free weights, foam rollers, and exercise balls. My husband also had a bar and plates that he had bought many years ago.
So when I started developing a workout space I wasn’t starting from scratch. Think about what you already have. You may have various exercise tools around your house, but it order to use them regularly you may want to create a specific workout space in one place.
How to Start Your Home Gym
Identify a space that will work for you and whoever you live with. If you plan to have large pieces of equipment or if you want to play loud music make sure this space is away from where anyone may sleep. Consider getting some mats to protect your floor or carpet if needed.
Here are a few basic items that you can initially use in a home gym
Resistance bands (inexpensive, versatile, and don’t take up alot of space)
A few free weights or kettlebells
If you need a few more items that don’t take up much space you can consider adding on with these items:
a TRX system or similar suspension training system
Kettle Gryp (to turn your dumbbells into kettlebells)
How to Expand Your Home Gym
Once you have a few basics you don’t need to get everything all at once. You can add one or two more items a year. As your gym grows, you may need to put an organization system in place (like a rack for dumbbells).
Here are some items to help you expand your home gym:
Bench
Bar with plates
Box
Treadmill
When I was working on creating my home gym I waited a few years to purchase a treadmill. I knew I could run outside most of the time (and this was before I had kids). Since I was dealing with injuries at the time we opted to get a bike for cross-training. Now, it’s more important for me to have a treadmill because I can’t always run outside due to childcare. So consider what your priorities are now and what you may need more in the future.
A bonus is to add a mirror somewhere in your home gym to help with using proper form.
Final Thoughts On How to Easily Start and Expand Your Home Gym
Developing a home gym is a great investment if it’s something you will use. Over time, it can help you save money if you no longer need a gym membership. A home gym can be created in a way that best meets your needs. You don’t need to do everything all at once and can prioritize what is most important to you.
You may also like:
Home Gym Tour Plus Workouts You Can Do At Home
The Benefits of a Home Treadmill and Initial Thoughts on the NordicTrack 2950
Tips for Getting In Your Workout While Working From Home
Like a Fish Out of Water
Do you have a home gym?
What is most important to you for getting started with a home gym?
And we all discovered during the pandemic how handy it is to have a home gym. I think a lot of people didn’t go back after that. I just have the basics, weights, a stability ball, bands, but it’s still possible to get in a good workout with just that. Fortunately, my gym is about 2 miles away (or I can work out at work).
Great ideas! We live in a small apartment in Switzerland and we have to be flexible with the space. If we want to strength train, we pull out our mats, resistance bands and weights.
I do like the idea of a pull-up bar! We used to have one in our doorway and it was so easy to hang yourself from and attempt a pull-up now and then!
Well you know I am a huge fan of a home gym. I slowly added equipment as time went by. A good set of dumbbells is a great start
This is great.
I often thing I want a home gym, but I also think I won’t use it if I do. For me, I seem to function better and be more consistent if I go elsewhere.
But this is a great way to build and add to one!