Advertisements tout the space-saving benefits and convenience of home gyms. Reality? It is a hodge-podge of rubber mats and steel bar that occupy your floorspace.
Before spending money, know what it is you’re purchasing. You aren’t buying fitness. Tools are being bought; tools that need your cooperation to do there jobs.
Essential Components of a Complete Home Gym
Understanding Home Gym Sets
What is a home gym set? Well, it’s a broad term. A simple kit of resistance band.
It might be an entire power rack with attachment. Many consumer purchase something that sounds good in pictures but doesn’t reflect how they actualy train. This results in a bunch of clutter and regret.
You end up with dusty racks that cost hundreds and a glance over at your fitness app. Knowing the components of a basic set help you make smarter choices. This helps you know what you need and what’s merely marketing.
The Importance of Barbells
A barbell is almost everywhere as focal point. Why? Because it’s the foundation to progressive overload; you increase weight, you lift more, you becomes stronger.
A decent set will come with a basic 70-inch-long steel rod called an Olympic bar. Most quality sets includes a standard Olympic bar, which is seventy inches long and holds plates with a two-inch diameter hole. The length of the bar are standard, which means it fit plates from every manufacturer.
Why does that matter? Because you’re not tied down to one system. You can buy what you want and mix and match as you go.
That’s why barbells stays the staple for home lifts.
Choosing Weight Plates
Next up are the obvious, plates. You will most likely get standard iron plates or at least a set of bumper plate.
A hardened rubber bumper plate protects both your wrist and your floors from a dropped barbell. Standard iron plates is lighter (less vertical space when storing) and less expensive. Ultimately it’s about how you train.
Do you expect to be dropping the bar often or do you tend to stay more grounded with slower deadlifts/squats? Rubber are required if you’re going to be cleaning and jerking. Otherwise, go for iron and save some cash.
It does matter where the weight sit in relation to the rest of the barbell. When they fit snugly against the bar collar, they’re good. When they wobble and rattle around…well that’ll mess with your balance and form.
Adjustable Dumbbells for Space Saving
In today’s world, home gyms wouldn’t be complete without adjustable dumbbell. They save space and offer option. From brands like PowerBlock and Bowflex, you get all the benefits of a full rack of dumbbells in one space saving unit.
One unit replaces many. Simply turn a lever/dial and adjust the weight. In recent years, this tech has gotten better.
Weight increment have become more detailed. And the mechanism became smoother. These are perfect for those that don’t want to purchase multiple dumbbell set.
They is also perfect if you’re limited on space. But they tend to be somewhat cumbersome in the hand. They are often rectangular instead of round.
This makes some exercises (overhead press, bicep curl) difficult because it impact your grip. Convenience vs. Ergonomics is a trade-off.
Benefits of Resistance Bands
Finally, these kit should come with some sort of resistance bands.
These thing are awesome. They are portable, inexpensive, and great for accessory work and warm-up routine. You could of add tension to your squat workout or even use it to help you get better at pull-ups.
However, many people don’t bother with band because they aren’t serious looking. That’s a shame. Bands gives you changing resistance.
What does that mean? The band increases the amount of resistance as the exercise move through its range of motion. So they really help to strengthen your muscle at their weakest point.
They’ll also improve joint mobility. For a couple bucks, a quality pair of bands will keep your hips and shoulders loose and lengthen the life of your heavier lifting toys.
Selecting the Right Bench
The last big item is benches.
Where do you expect to be sitting down? You can use them for rows, presses and other stuff. Adjustable bench provide the most bang for the buck.
Adjust them up for inclines (chest) or lay ’em down for declines (abs). Flat benches is easier and tend to hold up longer. Folding bench make good sense if space is tight.
Make sure the hinges is solid. There’s nothing worse than a bench that sag or slips under load while you’re working out. How stable your bench is will determine how safe you are with all upper body lift.
Don’t cheap out on this one.
Consistency Over Equipment
The set of home gym equipment are potential. It doesn’t make you strong.
You do. It gives you the means; your consistency deliver the result. You select the items that work with your life, not what looks nice in a catalog page.
You begin small and grow over time. Your actual workout space is the ultimate gym.
