This week I thought it would be a good idea to share a post about setting up a home gym. When my daughter was younger, it was just not feasible for me to have a gym membership. My husband was active duty Army at the time and he would work long hours. We did not have family close, so it was just easier for me to work out from home. For many years I was a fan of The Firm and Dancing with the Stars videos. Then I moved on to the Power 90 videos and would sprinkle in some pilates videos too. Along came Tone It Up and I did these workouts for many years. Fast forward to 2018, this is when I started dabbling around with lifting weights. It was then we decided to get a membership to the YMCA. It was perfect for me! They had all of the cardio equipment I needed and all of the machines I used for my workout program. Side note, I am subscribed to Fit With ASD. Her name is Grace White. She has a fashion blog called A Southern Drawl (hence this is where the ASD comes in with her fitness blog). She has a wonderful website that for $9.99 a month you get access to her exact workouts she does every day. She also posts a ton of healthy recipes, workout videos (so you know how to perform the moves), fitness chats, and she has a macro calculator. Not only does she have gym workouts but she also has at home workouts (which I have been doing since March 13, 2020).
Since some gyms are closing back up due to covid, now is the time to get a small space set up for your workouts. For us, we have a small set up in the garage. My husband put a heater out there a few years ago and it is a life saver in the winter. We also have a huge fan to help cool things down in the summer. Sometimes that temp in the garage can get up to almost 90 and my workouts would totally suck without that fan!! So, think about a space that would work for you. Maybe you have a bonus room or a guest bedroom that is pretty empty. Maybe you could share a space with the kids playroom. Either way, it doesn’t have to be this big elaborate set up. Although I did tell my husband at our forever home I want a gym with all the bells and whistles! I am going to list out some basic things you need to get started. I will add a little extra at the end of some things you may want to add if you already have a home gym.
- Cardio Equipment. I am a big believer of getting cardio in every day. Shoot for about 20 to 30 minutes. If you have room for a treadmill or a rower these are excellent options. If you are tight on space you can opt for an elliptical or a stepper. If you just do not have room, you can always go for a run or walk or opt for body weight cardio. By this I mean doing burpees, mountain climbers, jumping rope, toe taps or high kicks.
- Mat. This doesn’t have to be anything fancy. I will link one that is similar to mine here.
- Dumbbells. If you have room, a dumbbell tower with a variety of weights is perfect. For us, we like to use the powerblocks. These are compact and you can have them as light as 5 pounds or as heavy as 55. I usually stay in the 10 to 30 pound range. My husband likes to use the heavier weight.
- Resistance bands. These are great for when you just don’t feel like lifting. If you are doing a lot of bicep or tricep work these are awesome! I like to use mine when I am working my delts. You can also have the resistance range from light, medium to heavy. I will link ones similar to mine here.
- Once you get the basics listed above then you can start adding in a few extra items. I love to use leg bands to activate my glutes on leg day and when I want to add some resistance to my squats. I will link my fabric band here. I love this one because it is thick and doesn’t pinch and roll up like some of the rubber ones do. You can also add some kettlebells. Another great item to have is a weighted ball. I love to use this when I am doing an ab circuit and I need some added weight. Speaking of added weight, I am about to invest in a weighted vest. My coach recommended using a vest during cardio to really get up your heart rate. I will link the one I am going to get here.
I hope everyone is having a good start to 2021! If you need some ideas for workouts, I have a few under the fitness tab. I plan on adding some more workouts soon!!
