When my youngest son moved out, I took the opportunity to turn the extra room into my workout room. I was able to save the $50 I was spending at my local gym, and the commute was much shorter. However, I have to admit there are times when I miss the gym and wish that I had a more robust home gym. How do you bring the gym home when sometimes your space is limited?
Building Your Home Gym
The difference between my workout room and a gym is that the gym is packed with specialized machines to target each muscle group. My workout room is limited to free weights. Sometimes it is nice to jump on a machine, put a pin in your desired weight, and pump some iron. If you are more of a machine person, your best bet is to look into a Smith machine. I’ve seen some people transform their garage into a great home gym. If you have a large enough room, a Smith machine can bring the feel of the gym to your home gym.
Smith Machine Exercises
A Smith machine offers you the ability to do several different exercises without having several different machines, which is often not an option with a home gym
Lower Body Exercises
- Squats
- Lunges
- Hip Thrusts
- Dead Lifts
- Calf Raises
- Leg Press
Upper Body Exercises
- Bench Press
- Shoulder Press
- Rows
- Inverted Rows
These are just many of the exercises you can do with just one machine.
Additional Equipment
Now that you have the main piece of equipment that is going to give you the ability to work out most of your body, it is always good to have options. I highly recommend that, in addition to home gym equipment, you build a good collection of free weights. Sometimes it is nice to grab a free weight and get in some good bicep curls. Nothing keeps you motivated like a fresh workout. Don’t let your workout get stale by doing the same routine day after day. In fact, it is good to mix it up and let your body adjust to different routines, and hit some of those ancillary muscles that are activated with different types of exercises.
Visual Motivate Yourself
Now that you have the most important items in your gym, your home gym equipment, it is time to turn to the visual look of your gym and what helps keep you motivated. Whether it is tough as steel posters or a calm yoga station, make this space your own with motivational signs, your preferred lighting, and of course, you can’t forget the music!
With a little bit of time and effort, you can build a home gym that is perfect for you and keep you motivated to keep exercising.
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