Want A Home Gym? Here Are 5 Essential Equipment

Funk’s 5 Key Equipment to a Great Home Gym

We all would like to lose weight and get in shape with a minimal effort. That's how the fitness infomercial makes billions per year, promising miraculous results without breaking a sweat. If you are not fooled by their claims then you know you have to work at getting in shape and losing unwanted pounds. So where do you go for a challenging workout? Not everyone has the time, ability or money to get to the gym. That leaves us with another option: working out at home.

The major advantage of a home gym is convenience. And it is convenience that can result in a more focused exercise regimen. Home gyms are growing in popularity. Think by working at home you will save time wasted driving to the health club, waiting in line to use equipment and costly membership fees. If you decide that working out at home makes the most sense, the first consideration will be the location. Than these Five exercise equipment are key to have, for a functional home gym.

1. Free Weight - Dumbbells
Dumbbells are essential for a home gym. I’m not talking about racks upon racks like you see at your local gym, but a few weight denominations in your house and you’ll be surprised at how many quality exercises you can do.

Free weight exercise is a low tech, economical option for strength training and muscle toning. It takes proper technique and co-ordination to handle free weights properly. This makes for a more challenging workout. Proper instruction is highly recommended as improper technique can lead to injury. One of the best ways to lose weight is to build calorie-burning muscles. Free weights exercise routines add more variety. It is a good idea to change the routines regularly. Start with at least 4 or 5 pairs of dumbbells ranging in weight from 2.5 to 45 pounds. Purchase them in 5 to 10 pound increments.

2. Resistance Bands/Tubing
What I liked about the resistance bands is that they have handles – having been around for a while; okay I’m just about 40, the old style ‘bands’ didn’t have handles. This makes them so much easier and efficient to use and you can do more different types of exercises with them.

There are usually three to four levels to choose from so you can use whichever resistance/intensity is right for you. They are made from latex with soft foam handles making it easy to hold on to them, and they all tend to be about 4ft/122cm long. You can find exercises for your entire body with these and there also great if you are travelling.

3. Swiss Balls
The Swiss Ball, Exercise Ball, Stability Ball, Yoga Ball, whatever you call it is a really excellent piece of equipment for home. It’s inexpensive and you can do lots of great exercises on them. The thing about Swiss style exercise balls is that they are unstable. Sit on one, especially for the first time, and you’ll wobble like a jelly. That’s why exercise balls are so effective when it comes to core strength.

Your body responds naturally and automatically to this instability, working to keep you from falling off. With regular Swiss ball exercise, back and abdominal muscles used to keep you balanced become stronger.
Oh and by the way, the reason it is called a Swiss Ball is that it originated from Switzerland in the 1960s and therapists used it for physical rehabilitation.


4. Skipping Rope
Skipping is no longer confined to the school playground. Boxers use skipping as training before a fight and it is now incorporated into many gym classes. An excellent way to keep fit; skipping can be done anywhere, anytime.

Skipping will help improve cardio-respiratory (heart and lungs) fitness, flexibility and co-ordination. As a high-impact exercise skipping is great for building bones and a good exercise to trim hips, thighs and backsides!


5. Kettlebell
The kettlebell is a cast iron weight looking somewhat like a cannonball with a handle. The kettlebell has become a popular exercise tool due largely to the efforts of strength and flexibility coach. Kettlebell workouts are intended to increase strength, endurance agility and balance, challenging both the muscular and cardio vascular with dynamic, total-body movements.

Arm yourself with these 5 home exercise equipment and with hard work you will reap the benefits of the body and health you are looking to achieve.

Funk Roberts
Don’t Rush the Beat!