8 Affordable Basics for your own HOME GYM!
As you probably already know, I love sharing great workouts with all of you on my Youtube Channel, which I film from our (new) Home Gym! Aside from the fact that I just love SHARING – the truth is, it has really helped to keep me motivated and inspired during this whole pandemic-don’t-go-anywhere-ever, thing. I mean – it can get kinda depressing, don’t you think?? We all need each OTHER!!
Right when the pandemic was hitting (mid-March), there were rumblings about all of the gyms closing – and ummm, we “panicked.” Lolol. Yeah I’m serious. We’ve never been “Home Gym” people, which meant that we didn’t have anything in the way of gym equipment, save for a set of dumbbells. Weights, that is.
So….. Necessity being the mother of invention, we carved out a 13×10 foot area in our garage, specced it out – then started ordering equipment faster than, well – I don’t what. Just FAST. And good thing, because everyone else had the same idea. If you sell or manufacture gym equipment, this is a GOOD time for youuuuu!!!
We carved out this 13′ Wide x 10′ Deep space in our garage, and made it the “Main Gym Area”. I’ll show you the 8 Basics for this type of space.
By Request….. How I Set Up (our) Home Gym
The (8) Basics
I’ve had a number of questions about our Home Gym,
that essentially boiled down to “Where do I start &
What are the Basics?” Great question – I’ll show you!
Since it’s pretty clear that gyms and studios aren’t going to be open anytime soon, it’s a good idea to set-up your own area for workouts. It’s not frivolous IMO, it’s about feeling mentally, physically and spiritually balanced, and it’s important to take care of YOU!
You can see in the picture of the gym, that we’ve got quite a bit of equipment including a Cage (the big red thing). You’ve probably seen these in Gyms. I didn’t include the Cage in our (8) Basics, because it’s more of an investment piece – and I wanted to offer AFFORDABLE ways to set-up your area!
Every single piece of equipment (except for #8) are the EXACT pieces that I personally have, use & love! So of course I wanted to share with you 😉
8 Affordable Home Gym Basics (for us ladies!!)
8 Affordable Basics for Your Home Gym
#1 Gorilla Mats
Turns any space into your “Home Gym”
Nice thick, padded mats that basically turns any space you like, into your own Home Gym! A good mat serves as the foundation upon which all else is built. Great for cardio, strength training, yoga, stretching. Makes it way easier on your joints and just feels good. They come in a lot of sizes, but we bought 2 of the 12′ x 6′ to cover the entire floor of our gym-space.
This is the most expensive item of the (8), at about $299. There ARE less expensive brands (heads-up) but I’ve found that the Gorilla Mat brand is way superior in terms of quality and cushion. It’s thick, durable and very cushion-y. Sometimes I make up my own words.
The EXACT one I have:
#2 Dumbbells
Light, Medium & Heavy Set
Heads-up, most all dumbbells that I sourced on Amazon are delayed due to demand. Most of them have an ETA of mid-September to October?! That being said, if it was me – I’d just order and get myself in the queue.
You’ll want Light, Medium & Heavy.
Heavy: You can muster about 6 reps before maxing out (can’t do anymore).
Medium: You can complete 15-reps, but start “feeling it” around 10th rep. 15th is a struggle, but you can still do it with good form.
Light: These are normally used: 1. When warming up 2. You’ve got an injury and can’t go heavy 3. A certain muscle area just feels weaker than others (we all have them). “Lights” for most women are usually 5-lbs.
The EXACT ones I have:
#3 Weight Tree
Space efficient way to house your dumbbells
The A-Frame makes this a nice, clean space efficient way to house your weights easily. It holds (5) sets of weights so you can easily add heavier weights as you get stronger! It’s 26″ tall & 15″ wide – perfect size! It DOES require some assembly – so I had Oliver do it. I’m not handy. 😉
The EXCACT one that I have (except in White).
I needed to add a LITTLE feminine touch, so I created a mini “spa” area with Bottled Water, Gym Towels & Yoga Towels. It’s an inexpensive way to feel Pampered 😉
#4 and #5: Yoga Block and Medicine Ball
Yoga Blocks
Yoga Blocks are SO versatile. I use them under my lower-back or neck to release tension, during yoga to help with certain poses – OR during workouts for incline push-ups (1 under each hand), decline push-ups (blocks under each foot) and a ton of other things. Easy to store & take up minimal space.
Medicine Ball
Medicine Balls come in various weights, and are great to workout with. If you haven’t tried my Medicine Ball Workout – check it out & see different ways to use it. I use a 5-lb in the video, but I have a few different weights: 4-lb, 5-lb, 7-lb & 10-lb that I use depending on what I’m doing.
These are the EXACT ones I have:
#6 and #7 Yoga Mat and Yoga Towel
Yoga is REALLY HARD for me to make myself do, BUT it’s so incredible for your body, mind and sense of centering – that I make myself do it once a week. A good, cushiony Yoga Mat is key – and I LOVE the Manduka brand for that. High-quality and super cushiony.
A Yoga TOWEL with grips on the bottom is key. First – doing yoga without a towel down on your mat is kinda like NOT wearing underwear when trying on clothes. It’s just kinda gross. You want grips on the bottom, because it’ll keep the towel in place vs sliding all around.
These are the EXACT ones I have:
#8 Riser / Step
Multi-Use: Push-ups, Flys, Tricep Dips, Lunges….
This is great! “Elevation” allows you to use your body weight for more challenge, such as incline & decline push-ups (toes on riser OR hands on riser), Flys (laying on back), Bulgarian Split lunges, Tricep Dips – and on and on. This one elevates 4-6 inches from the ground, and is about 26″ long which is perfect for Flys.
I use a Riser in this 20-Minute Lower Body Workout. Check it out for different ideas! This is the one I WISH I had gotten because it’s longer than what I have, which makes it far more universal:
I’ll walk you through what I did, in this Youtube video. Join me!
Ok ladies – those are the Basics for a good Home Gym! As always – please feel free to Ask Shelli any questions (or Comment below). Trust me – if you’re wondering about something in particular, chances are everyone else is too!
Oh – and if you’re looking for good “Follow along” Workouts – check out my Youtube Channel. I’ve got a good selection of workouts ranging from 20-45 minutes, using a range of equipment JUST like above. Enjoy!
