Equipments for exercising at home

Author- Asmita Shah

With the rise of work from home, there’s been a huge demand for home fitness solutions. The virtual training and home workouts have achieved a new cornerstone in personal fitness, even as the gyms slowly begin to welcome back their customers around the country. We're all busy people with our jobs, family, meetings, cooking, etc, and the majority of us are fairly adept at coming up with excuses to avoid going to the gym. However, being active is crucial. Not only can it help you accelerate your fat loss goal if that’s the goal, but it also provides plenty of other health advantages, from strong bones and muscles, and keeping your sanity sane to reducing stress and anxiety.

Exercise is important for your physical and mental health, and equipping your house with the best home gym equipment is a simple and handy way to get started. What's the best part? It doesn't have to be extremely expensive. Building a home gym may appear to be a challenging task, but it is possible to do it on a budget. Focus on a few essential types of equipment that are inexpensive, compact, and fulfill your fitness requirements. Furthermore, having a decent home gym setup may save you money on a costly gym subscription.

However, before you go out and buy f ree weights, adjustable dumbbells, kettlebells, a yoga mat, a treadmill, and a cycle, think about the forms of workouts you want to practice. Then decide how much area you'll need and what kind of equipment you'll need to get them executed.

Essential Home Gym Equipments:

Pick up some basic, multifunctional equipment to get started.

• A yoga mat : A yoga mat is needed to perform core exercises and protect from hard surfaces.

• Skipping Rope : Using skipping rope can give you a challenging full-body workout. It's an excellent cardio exercise that works on cardiovascular fitness and is also good for maintaining balance & coordination. They're inexpensive, and very small equipment to store.

• Adjustable Dumbbells/Kettlebells : Dumbbells can be used for a variety of workouts. They are inexpensive and typically adjustable, allowing you to vary the weight to suit the strength levels. The dumbbells can be adjustable or fixed-weight.

Our body has different muscles, some are stronger, and some are weaker. Using the same weight might be suboptimal for all the exercises. It’s better to invest in some different weights to accommodate the various exercises. The only con is to keep adjusting the weights in between the sets which can be cumbersome for many. Go for fixed weights if you don’t like adjusting dumbbell weight.

• Resistance bands : These are multi-colored flat or tubular bands having different resistance. It is quite affordable, doesn’t require a lot of space, and is very convenient to carry. It aids in the performance of some isolation exercises when free weights or machines are not available or limited. It has handles to make it easier to hold but it can get difficult to choose anchor points properly.

The bands should be resisting the motion in the exact opposite direction for any workout to be effective. For example, the anchor point for vertical pull (pulldown) should be higher than your head. Analyze the motion and select the appropriate anchor points on the opposite side of the push/pull. It’s important to stretch the resistance band a little before it begins to provide resistance. If it is relaxed, one would not feel resistance in the beginning of the exercise, making it easier and limiting the range of motion. To avoid slag in the band, always stretch the band away from the anchor points. The band should be tight right at the beginning.

• Barbells : A barbell is an equipment with a long bar that can be equipped with weight plates on both ends. Straight barbells, EZ curl bars, safety squat bars, trap bars, tricep bars, thick grip bars, axle bars, swiss bars, and farmer's walk handles are the different types of barbells. For home workouts, a straight barbell is a good option as it allows you to lift more weight than the dumbbells. Many compound movements like squats, deadlift, bench press, bent over row, etc can be done using a barbell. If you already have basic essentials, consider having a barbell in the home gym set-up.

Advanced Equipment:

• Bench: A flat or an adjustable gym bench can help you perform a variety of free weight exercises with increased range of motion and stability. It can be additional equipment if you are planning to expand your setup or if the budget allows otherwise a couch at home can make an excellent substitute if you aren’t ready to invest as of now.

• Cardio Equipment: Treadmill, Stationary bikes, elliptical machines, rowing machine. These equipment provides a good cardiovascular workout but is expensive and needs space to set up. Many people believe that running on a treadmill or using these machines is the most efficient method to lose weight, but taking a walk in nature is equally effective.

Consider stocking up on particular equipment based on the training style and goal when you set up a home gym. Purchasing all high-priced equipment is not necessary. Carefully tailoring your home gym setup ideas to match your fitness level, budget, and space will guarantee that you have the appropriate equipment and that you can progressively add more equipment as your fitness improves.