Equipping A Home Gym

So you've decided you're getting a home gym. You've considered all the cons and things to consider. You've got the space, money and time to make the most of it. What do you need?

It depends, what your goals are, what the gym is for? Are you just starting out or a long time serious fitness fanatic? Are you looking for a place to do cardio when the weathers taken a turn for the worse? Are you looking for a place to lift weights?

PTI

To be trained by a PTI in the privacy of your own home. It depends on what you want. It may be best to discuss this with a potential PTI if you have one already lined up. Variety is a good shout to keep yourself interested. Variety does however cost more as you'll need to get more.

Cardio

To keep up the cardio a classic treadmill could do the trick. Simply running like you would outside. However, perhaps you'd prefer a little variety in your cardio yourself. A Cross Trainer is easier on your joints as you're not landing with every step. A Cross Trainer let's you use your arms too giving you more of a full body workout. Unfortunately, these can be both expensive and bulky. A bike could be the thing you're looking for, but not all of them allow you to work your arms. What if you don't do much cardio, just every now and then, when you're warming up or cutting or you're weights are going to take up most of the space. A rowing machine could be the ultimate choice for you. Some can stand up tall out the way when you're done (as long as you have the head room). Rowing machines work the legs, back and arms giving more of a full body workout than the treadmill while taking up less space and costing less money.

Weightlifting.

What are you? BodyBuilder? Powerlifter? Olympic Weightlifter (Oly-lifter)? Crossfitter? Fighter? General Gym Go-er? Clearly the gym could by tailored many different ways.

Barbell

Whatever way you lean, you can't go far wrong with a barbell. Ranging in price drastically from around £50 to £1,000 you have a fair few to pick through. Those doing cleans and snatches commonly found in crossfit and of course olympic weightlifting, may benefit from a bar that is designed to spin well. A good whip is another consideration and a bar that won't break when dropped as these lifts will inevitably involve dropping the bar. Others will require anything they can squat, bench, deadlift and shoulder press. Without a barbell you'll likely need dumbells instead.

Weights

Cheap standard steel for most but bumpers for the oly-lifts (bumpers may be beneficial to anyone looking to keep the gym noise down). You'll want a range of weights such as: 1.25kg, 2.5kg, 5kg, 10kg, 15kg, 20kg, (up to 25kg for oly-lift bumpers). How much of each depends on who's training and how many are training at a time.

Rack

Racks can be small and cheap or massive expensive monstrous contraptions. In our opinion, the power rack/cage is the safest option. If you're training on your own you don't want to fall forward or back without those safety bars there to stop the weights crashing down on you. Most racks have a pull up bar, some racks have dips bar attachments and some have arms to hold your weights. Some racks have a cable pully system to increase the variety available. Whatever rack, half rack or stand you decide to go for, make sure it's strong enough to handle the weights you lift and the weights you'll lift in the future. Without a rack you'll struggle to lift heavier weights with the squat and shoulder press.

Benches

Those with the space and money may go for a separate bench with rack but this largely won't be necessary. An adjustable bench on wheels will give you more bang for your buck as long as it's strong enough. Without a bench, you can still do floor press with a shorter range of motion.

Dumbells

Not necessary for everyone, but a great asset to have. If you do decide you need/want them you'll have the choice between adjustable, or set weight dumbells. You'll need to make sure adjustable dumbells are heavy enough for your lifts. Alternatively for set weight dumbells you'll need to make sure you have a wide enough selection of weight. We recommend a barbell and plates over dumbells due to being able to stack up more weight for key exercises like the squat, however

dumbells are still great and a lot less expensive.

KettleBells

Many will do without these, simply using dumbells or plates instead. But the odd kettlebell won't do much harm if you're into them. Choose the appropriate weight and consider you may want a heavier one in the future.

Flooring

You'll likely need some form of rubbing matting to protect the floor and equipment. Horse stall matts are a common choice but some may decide to go big and also get (or make) a weightlifting platform. It depends what you'll be doing. Some will opt for a softer floor as they don't plan on dropping heavy weights.

Accessorise

Are you sure you've got everything you need?

Gloves? Straps? Lifting Belt? Weight Addition / Chain Belt? Skipping rope? Chalk? Music Player and Speakers? Posters / Pictures? T.V.? Resistance Bands? Heavy Chains? Weight Plate Tree? Heavy Bags?