Best Budget at Home Gym

The purpose of having home exercise equipment is to avoid having to pay ridiculous monthly fees at a gym.

In this post, I want to share with you some basic equipment that will go a long way towards helping you achieve your fitness goals. In the end, I’ll tell you what I think is the best single piece of home exercise equipment.

Also, this equipment isn’t going to be full-on home exercise equipment that costs an entire paycheck.

I mean if you’re willing to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for home equipment more power to you, but the essentials I’m going to be purposing to you, are inexpensive and have a wide range of uses.

Hello, my name is Nicole and I’m a fitness enthusiast. If you’ve read any of my other posts you know by now that I’m a personal trainer who loves to share information about living a healthier better life.

“The only bad exercise is the one that didn’t happen.”

Home exercise equipment is a convenient luxury to have.

People tend to have one or two pieces of equipment, but as fitness has increased in popularity, more and more equipment is available.

This is a good thing since the equipment has become even more effective with the use of technology. That being said you can’t turn on a late-night show without some company/person hawking some “new revolutionary” piece of equipment that will allow you to use it once and be on the cover of a magazine the next day…kidding of course.

But sometimes I really do roll my eyes.

At-Home Exercise Equipment

So technology has allowed us to improve the equipment we use to get in shape. But something I want you to be wary of is, that no piece of equipment is going to work like a magic pill.

They may claim that their machine will do wonders that no other machine can do, but truths get stretched easily.

They also usually give numbers or stats to back up their statements. Keep in mind these stats are hand-picked by the company and are most likely used to their advantage. I’m not saying they are lies, but they are definitely used to their benefit.

None of the equipment I discuss below will be revolutionary, nor will it be “the only machine you’ll ever need.” In fact, most of these items you’ve used or have heard of.

But if you’re tired of feeling the same year after year and not achieving your weight loss goals, maybe a home gym will be best for you.

It will save you time vs having to travel to and from the gym.

You don’t have to worry about being judged by others at the gym, and it will save you money. Monthly membership fees can be expensive, not to mention if you decide to hire a trainer.

If you want to start slow and see how your body reacts to exercise, these few home exercise items will do just that.

The items below are simply home exercise equipment that will allow you to do a greater number of exercises while providing and/or a variable amount of resistance so you can increase your strength.

The Home Aerobic Exercise Machines

First, let’s discuss the aerobic exercise machines that are geared toward running activities. These machines are treadmills, stair steppers, and cross country ski machines.

The treadmill is the industry standard for at-home equipment. They usually fold down for easy storage and can be set up conveniently in any room.

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you!”

Treadmills are usually outfitted with electronic gauges that will keep track of how many miles have run and how many calories have been burned during the run.

Some may even provide heart rate information and VO2 information.

The really fancy ones have pre-programmed courses and will automatically raise and lower to simulate hills. Not bad huh! While these machines are bad a$$, they are also really expensive. I say if you have space, the discretionary funds, and will use them, I’m all for it.

Meanwhile, some machines or equipment can be as simple as a pullup bar. And this is the type of equipment I want to discuss with you.

Best Home Exercise Equipment For Weight Loss

Jump Rope – did you know compared to jogging, jumping rope burns more calories?

It’s completely portable so you can take it anywhere, and improves coordination. Jumping rope also increases strength in the muscles surrounding your ankle and in your foot, decreasing the chance to injury in those areas. This is particularly helpful for anybody that is already active (hiking, running, tennis, basketball, etc..).

Foam Roller – using a foam roller regularly has many benefits. It will help prepare muscles for the workout ahead as well as post muscle recovery.

Breaks up scar tissue and adhesions between the skin, muscles, and bones. Simply put, it helps with tight muscle soreness and increases muscle health. Foam rollers can also help with range of motion. Since the muscles are looser it provides a longer range of motion. Adding resistance to the muscle throughout the range of motion helps them grow. For example, if you’re doing body squats (How To Tone Legs Without Bulking Up) and not going all the way down, because of muscle tightness, you’re not working the full range.

Workout Bands – one of the most versatile, convenient, safe and effective tools you can use for home workouts.

They are cost-effective, easy to store, and can be taking with you everywhere you go. They come in a variety of resistance levels, so you can continue to adjust the amount of resistance. Bands also allow you to add variety or modify familiar exercises. Your body is smart, and over time it will find the most efficient way to work. This is good, except for it the world of fitness. You need to adjust your workout, even if it’s only marginal to prevent the body from becoming complacent. You’ve probably heard that it’s good to mix up the routine and the weight. With varying levels of resistance bands, you can change it up consistently.

Pull-up Bar – ask any personal trainer their three top exercises for the upper body (Arm Workouts For Fat Loss) and a pull-up will undoubtedly is one of them.

The pull-up is a compound exercise, meaning they engage several muscles all at once. Trying to mimic the effects of this one exercise would entail doing something like 7 different exercises all at once.

They are convenient, do wonders for grip strength, and burn a lot of calories so good for weight loss. A must need for any home workout gym. Now for the ladies that say they can’t do a single pullup, why should they get a pullup bar? To this, I say think long-term. How awesome would it feel, if in a few months you could do five pullups? The sense of accomplishment after being able to do one would be great. But picture a year from now and doing 5! Go buy a big slice of pizza and a dessert to celebrate and tell me how good it tastes!

Exercise Ball – so this item will probably take up the most space of all the items, but I say it’s worth it.

A stability ball is great for the core, and having a strong core is essential to preventing injuries. Not only can you do a great ab workout on them, but sitting on the ball while doing upper-body workouts will change the workout. Maintaining balance while doing something like a shoulder press causes you to engage your core the entire time. Even doing curls or chest presses while altering the exercise just enough to engage different muscles.

Adjustable Dumbbells – when you are first starting out doing pushups with just your body weight will work. But at some point adding some resistance to your workouts will be necessary.

You don’t need to go buy a bunch of weights and bars, but a nice set of dumbbells that you can easily change will take you to the next step. It may not be something you need immediately, but even after a few weeks of sticking to a program, you’ll notice your strength increase. You’ll see and feel the difference. Don’t plateau at this point, keep it going.

And don’t believe in the myth of “adding too much muscle for women.” I assure you, the women who look like they can lift a lot of weight….actually lift a lot of weight. If you don’t use the muscles they will atrophy.

Conclusion: Best Budget at Home Gym

The best piece of equipment you’ll have is whichever piece of equipment you use. This may seem obvious, but a large majority of people that don’t reach their fitness goal give up to early, because they don’t see immediate results. If you don’t see immediate results and don’t have the determination to persevere, you’ll stop using the equipment and quit.

As I mentioned in the opening, these items are pretty standard exercise equipment. They won’t break the bank, and they’ll last you a long time. Use these weight loss tools in your home workouts (Bodyweight Burn Review). The key here is to actually use them! Don’t use them for a couple of months and then let them collect dust in the corner. Set your goals and work towards them!!