We all want to stay in shape and live a healthy life, but with all of the commitments of family and work, finding the time to get to the gym is not always easy. After factoring in the commute time, the hour or so you need for exercise, and how long you often find yourself waiting for machines, a daily workout can require a three-hour commitment. On top of the time commitments, memberships at popular gyms can be very expensive, costing thousands of dollars a year. While setting up your home gym may seem like a costly endeavor, it can actually be done without spending very much money at all, and the cash you will save on a gym membership will easily get that back over the course of just a few months. Creating a home gym needs a little planning, but as long as you buy the right equipment, you can get in a great workout at home. 

Here is a guide to everything you need to set up your own home gym. 

1. Purchase Some Key Versatile Equipment

The first thing you need to do to set up your gym at home is identify the key pieces of equipment you need to meet your workout goals. You will be surprised at how many different exercises you can do with just a few pieces of versatile gym equipment. One really useful machine for a home gym is a functional trainer because it has so many different uses to target various muscles in your body. There are various models available, and you can look for a functional trainer guide to get some detailed advice on how to use it effectively. Make sure that whatever exercises you are doing with your functional trainer, you always have proper form, because this will help you make solid gains and prevent injuries from occurring. If you are struggling to maintain proper form, then you may need to drop the weight a little. Try setting up a mirror in your home gym so that you can watch yourself as you work out to ensure that you are doing everything correctly. 

2. Buy a Quality Weights Bench

A weight bench is another key piece of equipment that every home gym requires. Weight benches are primarily used for bench press variations that target your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core. It is worth investing in a bench that can be adjusted to different angles so that you can do incline and decline bench presses. These focus the weight on different muscles so that you will get the perfect gains and have a well-sculpted physique. If you want to add solid muscle, then you will need to lift heavy, so make sure you buy a bench that is sturdy enough to support a lot of weight safely. Having a heavy barbell fall on your chest and neck is incredibly dangerous, so if you are planning on lifting heavy, you should consider working out with a friend or someone else in your home gym. 

3. Buy a 20kg Olympic Bar

Olympic bars are stronger and heavier than standard barbells, and they are well worth spending that little bit extra on. An Olympic bar will enable you to put more weight on the bar and also provide a better grip so that you can lift heavier when bench pressing, squatting, and deadlifting. 20 kg is a good weight for most people for warm-up sets and for training the smaller muscles in your shoulders with straight arm lifts. You can also use a 20-kg Olympic bar for HIIT workouts in your home. More reps at 20 kg can help you cut unwanted fat, increase your strength, and improve your cardio.

4. Get Some Quality Dumbbells

Many people think that dumbbells are only for bicep curls, and while they are ideal for working out your biceps, there are so many other exercises.Dumbbells can be used for those raises. They are great for working out your chest with dumbbell bench presses, your legs with dumbbell squats, your shoulders with dumbbell raises, and your core with weighted crunches and Russian twists. Professional gyms will have racks with non-adjustable dumbbells in a range of weights, but all you need to buy are dumbbells that you can change the weights on for different exercises and for when you are making strength gains. Sumo Strength has a variety of equipment for your home gym, You can try their dumbbell equipment for your daily workouts.

Building a gym at home has so many advantages compared to paying for a professional gym. It will save you time and money and enable you to work out at your own pace. The gains you can make at home are just as good as those you can make at a professional gym, but they are far more convenient. Follow this simple equipment guide, and you will have everything you need for a great home workout. 

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