The ultimate guide to starting your own gym at home

Many countries are beginning to reduce restrictions imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. With these restrictions gradually drawn back, gyms have once again opened, and it seems life is returning to normal. There is one problem; however: people no longer feel safe in the gym. Gyms are a hotbed of germs and bacteria, with every surface likely teeming with them. While the restrictions are being lifted, the virus itself is still as active as it was before, with hundreds dying every single day, and many fear that by returning to gyms, they will contract the virus, and the lockdown will be reinstated.

It is because of this fear that many people are now, rather than returning to the gym, setting up their own gyms in the comfort of their own home, whether in the garage or in the spare-bedroom. Setting up a gym from the comfort of your own home is a great way to stay in shape and reduce the risk of contracting any viruses or illnesses. It is time we all became more health-conscious and realized the risk that gyms pose, more now than ever.

Read more: Building the ultimate gaming den

Setting up your own home gym is difficult if you do not know where to start, but this page will hope to offer the ultimate guide to starting your own gym at home and taking a step toward fitness independence. Once you open your own gym, you will be saving money, travel time, and more importantly, your health.

Getting Started

Getting started setting up your home gym can be difficult, admittedly. It is first important to know which machines you will require, and which exercises you will be focusing on the most. If, for example, you want to focus on your upper body, it may be worth investing solely in machines that work-out your upper-body, as the rest of your body can be exercised through cardio and bodyweight exercises. Here are a few tips on getting started on your home gym, firstly.

Space

The first thing you will need to do when you are setting up your home gym is to find space to do so. A home gym should have enough room for you to move around freely in and should not feel tight or restrictive. It is best to set it up in an area that you will be undisturbed in, also. Footfall coming in and out of your exercise area while exercising can be very distracting. A perfect place to set up your gym, as mentioned previously, would be a spare-bedroom or in your garage. Both of these places are unlikely to attract visitors and guests and should offer ample space for you to exercise without bashing equipment into walls.

Routine

The second thing you will want to do after establishing an area to exercise is to establish a routine. Many people go blindly into exercise without having any real goals other than to get in shape. The routine that you adhere to when exercising will determine which parts of your body are exercised and which parts become defined and muscled, and which do not. A routine is essential when exercising if you want to see any significant changes, and a routine will also help you adhere to it. The only downside of home exercise is that it can be hard to motivate yourself, but with a routine, it will be far easier, and you will be better able to keep going and stay determined. Write your routine down on a piece of paper and stick it to the walls in your home gym. Never deviate from your routine.

Technique

Once you have your routine nailed down and are certain of how you want to progress with regard to exercise, you need to study the technique of the exercises you will be doing and machines you will be using. It is very common for people to misuse exercise machines and to improperly perform bodyweight exercises, thereby hindering their progress. These same people often see no significant changes, largely as a result of their poor technique, and are deterred from exercising. You can study the technique of the exercises you will be performing online and offline, with blogs and libraries, respectively, offering a lot of exercise manuals and help guides.

Equipment

You will find a comprehensive list of equipment that you will need to get your home gym started below, but first, it is important to establish how you will be funding your equipment, and through what channels you will be purchasing them. Exercise equipment can be found very cheaply if you are open to buying second-hand equipment, although if you want a more state of the art home gym, then new equipment should be considered.

For most exercise equipment, as with many things nowadays, you can purchase them on a finance scheme wherein you will only be required to pay monthly rather than all upfront. This can have its benefits and can mean you are able to buy more expensive equipment and make the most out of your exercise. Second-hand equipment, au fond, is also very good, but most of the exercise equipment offered on second-hand websites is antiquated and has been used extensively. It is entirely up to you with regard to how you acquire your equipment, but you must give it serious consideration.

Setting Up

Setting up your home gym is the next step once you have established all of the logistics and put a plan in place. Setting up your home gym is the easiest part of all once the theory is out of the way. You need only make the purchases you have decided upon and get started exercising. When assembling your exercise equipment, be sure to do it safely and properly; if you do not, you risk seriously injuring yourself during your exercise or injuring anybody else who will be sharing the gym with you, for example, a relative or friend. Below you will find the machines that are most often purchased for home gyms.

Fixed Barbell Machines

Fixed barbell machines are a common feature in every home gym. The fixed barbell machine, or the Smith machine as it is more commonly known, is a machine that can be very beneficial to your exercise and can work out many parts of your body at once. They are upper-body and lower-body machines that are very versatile and can be highly useful. These machines can be very expensive, so maybe worth buying second-hand if you cannot afford the upfront cost.

Cycle Machine

Cycle machines are another very common feature in most home gyms, and they can be a great asset. The cycling machine is an intense lower-body cardio work-out that can be highly effective in burning fat and building muscle. Cycle machines can be used as part of your warm-up exercise or warm-down. If you do not like going jogging or live somewhere where the temperature does not allow you to (for example, extremely cold or hot temperatures), then a cycle machine may be a great way to get your daily cardio work-out. Cardio is an essential component of any work-out, and it is important that you do not every perform a work-out without a cardio warmup.

Rowing Machine

The rowing machine is similar to the cardio machine and is a point of contention for gym fanatics. Both machines have a similar effect, and both work similarly. The general consensus after years of debate is that the rowing machine is slightly better, as unlike the cycle machine, it works all of the muscles in your body and can even provide an upper-body workout, albeit a minor one. Rowing machines are ordinarily quite reasonably sized and can fit in most homes without a problem. You can use your rowing machine and cycle machine interchangeably if you are going to purchase both, but it would be recommended that you purchase one second-hand to save money, as otherwise, you would be gratuitously throwing it away.

Free Weights

Free weights are another very common feature in most home gyms and are the most widely owned and purchased pieces of exercise equipment across the world. Free weights can be found in all sporting stores and can even be found in some grocery and home appliance stores. They are also the most widely coveted piece of equipment anytime you go into a gym, and when arriving at the gym, you will be hard-pressed to find free weights as they are often always in use. Free weights can be a great asset in building upper-body strength and should definitely be considered for your home gym. They can be used as part of a circuit workout and can be highly beneficial to upper-body muscle workouts. For most people, the first thing they want to do is get a defined and chiseled chest; with free weights, that is a definite possibility and a great way to achieve it.

Bodyweight Exercises

Bodyweight exercises are unquestionably one of the best ways to work out, and one of the healthiest. Reliance and dependence upon exercise machinery can hinder fitness progress, as, without it, you will not know what to do. Many of the world’s greatest martial arts legends, such as Bruce Lee, for example, are massive proponents of bodyweight exercises and could scarcely be seen in the gym. Achieving your body goals through bodyweight exercises is awesome and is a great way to do it. Below you will find a few bodyweight exercises and what you will need to do them.

Mats

Unlike other forms of exercise, all bodyweight exercises need are some mats on the floor; if you cannot afford mats or cannot find any, then blankets will do. If blankets are unavailable, you can simply do it straight on the floor, although you may chafe your skin, so this is not recommended. Once you have your bodyweight area determined, you are free to start. Most gyms have bodyweight mats for you to use, so you can definitely put mats inside your home gym and do bodyweight exercises as well as machine workouts.

Push-Ups

The most traditional and conventional bodyweight exercise and the most widely performed. Push-ups are a great upper-body workout and a great cardio exercise. Push-ups are very effective in building muscle and shedding fat, and while some fitness trainers insist you cannot gain a defined and chiseled upper body from push-ups alone, this is wrong. It has been proven, undeniably, that push-ups can contribute to a strong and defined upper body, as well as building your biceps and improving your cardiovascular system. Try to perform a hundred push-ups in five minutes, then work from there onwards.

Sit-Ups

Sit-ups are another bodyweight exercise that is widely performed and is very beneficial. Sit-ups work your abdominal muscles, and when performed in combination with exercises such as squats, dips, and crunches, you can find yourself with a defined six-pack. Sit-ups are very easy to perform and need little explanation.

Moderation

When you have a home gym, at first at least, you may find yourself spending all of your time there. It is very important that you exercise moderately and do not push your body further than it can go. Overexerting yourself can make you very unwell and cause serious health problems. Not only can it cause physical problems, but mental problems, too. You can find yourself unmotivated and unable to exercise if you constantly overexert your body. By over-exercising, as quickly as your home gym was set up, it will be closed, and you will find yourself listing your gym equipment for sale.

Exercise in moderation and never push your body farther than it can go. It can be tempting, but you must not, and you must make sure that you take rest days to allow your body to regenerate and to build muscle. Take at least two days off a week, as told by the experts.

With the help of this guide, hopefully, you now know how to start your own gym and have the motivation to do so. A home gym can, as described by this guide, provide you with many benefits, especially now more than ever, as you will not be exposed to potentially life-threatening viruses.

Exercise safely, properly, and moderately.