Life can be a lot of fun, but if you’re busy, it’s hard to get a good workout in. That’s why a lot of people are building a home gym instead of paying fees for a local gym. You can own an amazing gym at home without depending on commercial gyms for less than you might realize.
We talked to our friends at Vulcan who suggested the following five essential training pieces of equipment are best for the home gym.
Before you do, take care of the environment
If you can’t stand the annoying commercial gyms that constantly curtail your freedom to have fun, you need to build the gym of your dreams. Your desire for a personal gym starts with creating space for it, and this is where your equipment will stand when they arrive.
Barbell & Weights
Getting a good barbell is very crucial to your home gym, and it’s easy to find. There are two types of barbell equipment – Standard and Olympic. The standard diameter is in one inch; it has a hole through the plates, and you can use this type for a light workout.
For the Olympic bars, they are usually 7 feet in length and have a rotating 2 inch diameter sleeve. This equipment is massive; they are quite big and awkward looking, but ideal for heavy weight lifting.
The typical cost per pound of weight plates is $1 for new “in-store” variety, but you can shave off about 50 cents per pound if you buy one used.
If you are lucky with the sale, you can buy a 900 pound set for $180. You can get a 300-pound barbell set that sells for $200 for a small $60 price on clearance sale.
Rack it Up
The centerpiece of every home gym is the power rack. It’s the backbone of your gym, where you can do practically anything. During training, the pins on the stand are lifesavers when you miss a lift. Although rack takes too much space, why not get one if you could spare the space?
You can get a new rack for less than $500. Consider the following when buying your power rack: the hole-spacing, strength and accessories, and dimensions. Holes spacing vary from 1 to 4 inches. The strength of a 1000 pound is ideal; do pick one with different types of accessories. Dimensions determine the space you have for your rack; choose one that can fit the available space.
Bench It
A bench is needed when you need to lie down during training. When shopping for the right bench, be aware that not every bench can support the high-end load. Therefore, be careful when buying and don’t fall for the cheap ones. Vulcan makes a great incline, decline, and flat bench combo.
Dumbbells
Here is where you need to make lots of options and the right ones at that. Dumbbells come in a variety of types and prices; you need to consider the differences between standard and Olympic and their prices.
Select your barbell plates of different pounds like 2.5 and 5-pound plates to build the ideal weight for training.
Get Power-Up Platform
Find a simple platform to protect your equipment and floors; equally, it will deaden the clanging weight when dropped. The platform is necessary if you plan on using the deadlift or Olympic movement. Platforms are a couple of sheets of a plywood base with rubber top to protect your floor from cracks.
Final words
Have your home gym for a comfortable workout and lift your way to fitness and health.
