09
Sep

At-Home Workout Equipment 101

“Although you can spend a lot of money building a fancy home gym, you can also get a high return on a small investment if you have limited funds or space,” Rhodes says, noting that the only equipment you really need is yourself.

Investing in equipment, however, can help to fill two gaps that easily pop up in at-home workout routines (types of movement that tougher to do without equipment):

  1. Cardio Streaming aerobics workout videos, doing strength circuits, and dancing around all provide opportunities for improving your cardiovascular health. But if running, biking, rowing, or using the elliptical or stair-climber is your cardio method of choice, it could be worth looking into a cardio machine (like a treadmill, exercise bike, or elliptical or rowing machine) that fits your budget and space. If you do, make sure you always take into account the height of the machine and how much room you need (especially vertically) to effectively use it. Just because the machine fits in the desired space does not mean that you will be able to get on it and exercise.
  2. Pulling Exercises Weights or resistance bands come in handy for training the back and biceps with upper-body pulling movements. After all, while you can easily train your chest and triceps with pushups, training your back and biceps with rows or other pulling movements requires equipment. Dumbbells, pull-up bars, kettlebells, and resistance bands are all very versatile. And resistance bands are incredibly budget- and space-friendly, so they can be a great set of equipment for testing the at-home-workout water. “It’s best to buy a set with multiple bands of varying resistance levels because you’ll need different size bands to effectively target different muscles and movements,” Juster says.

In the end, when it comes to any piece of at-home fitness equipment, Rhodes recommends asking yourself the following questions:

  • Is it in the budget?
  • Do I like using it?
  • Would I use this regardless of my current situation?
  • Do I have space for it?

“If you can answer yes to all of these, then you should buy the piece of equipment,” he says.

If you answered no, but still want to do a workout that requires it, try these smart at-home workout equipment swaps:

  • Instead of a cardio machine, use a jump rope.
  • Instead of 1- to 5-pound weights, use cans of food or books.
  • Instead of a heavy weight, use a loaded backpack or bag of pet food.
  • Instead of a kettlebell, use a weighted backpack.
  • Instead of a yoga block, use a shoebox.
  • Instead of a medicine, stability, or BOSU ball, use a pillow.
  • Instead of a box or step, use your stairs or a sturdy stool.