6 Things Every Home Gym Needs

Posted On Dec 10, 2014 By Tom Holland

Tom Holland's top picks for your home gym

If the No. 1 reason people have for not exercising is lack of time, then it stands to reason that more people should be doing it at home. You can get in a great workout in the time it takes you to drive to and from your local fitness club.

When you have the ability to exercise at home, you can squeeze short workouts in whenever you have 10 or 20 free minutes, you never have to wait to use an elliptical or weight bench, and you can wear your favorite shorts and shirt from the 80s without any fear of reprisal.

Want to put together your own home gym? All you need to get started are these six simple things:

  1. A MAT: For stretching, abdominal and core work, yoga and Pilates videos.
  2. DUMBBELLS: Strength training is an essential component of every fitness program, and dumbbells, like the Bowflex® SelectTech® dumbbells, provide an unlimited number of exercise options for your entire body, whether you are a beginner or advanced exerciser.
  3. A STABILITY BALL: Inexpensive yet incredibly versatile, a stability ball can be used for core work, as a bench, for upper and lower body exercises, stretching and more.
  4. ONE PIECE OF CARDIO EQUIPMENT: It doesn't matter what it is: elliptical, treadmill, stationary bike, Bowflex Max Trainer® – what matters is that you like it and will use it. Research shows that three 10-minute cardio sessions have the same beneficial effects as one 30-minute workout, so having the ability to get in shorter workouts at home will lead to big gains over time.
  5. WORKOUT VIDEOS: The benefit of exercise videos is threefold: They give you a workout to follow, they provide you with ideas for new exercises, and the good ones help ensure you are performing the exercises correctly. You can buy DVDs, download apps or stream them online now – access to an incredible amount of content has never been less expensive, often free and so convenient.
  6. A FOAM ROLLER: Flexibility is one of the five components of fitness, one we lose as we age if we don't work on it. A foam roller allows you to quickly and effectively loosen up tight muscles, keeping your joints healthy and helping maintain your normal range of motion

For a minimal investment, you can assemble your own private home gym — one has no membership dues, opening and closing times or sweaty guy singing on the treadmill next to you.