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Build Your Dream Home Gym: Check Out These 8 Essential Fitness Tools Now!

Build Your Dream Home Gym: Check Out These 8 Essential Fitness Tools Now!

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With more and more people working from home and staying indoors — in no small part thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic — it's important not to let your fitness goals go dormant. While it might not be possible to get out to the gym on a regular basis due to shutdowns, short-staffed facilities, or the risk of getting ill, there's one place you can always depend on to help keep yourself in shape: the home gym. With that in mind, here are a few essentials to make your home gym everything it needs to be.

1. Jump Rope

While the humble jump rope may not seem like much, it's actually one of the best pieces of fitness equipment you can own. It takes up almost no space, engages all the important muscle groups, gets your heart rate up fast (so you burn more calories in a shorter amount of time), improves coordination, and — best of all — it's cheap and portable. For best results, consider a weighted jump rope like the Crossrope, which can help you activate even more muscles.

Crossrope Get Lean - Large - Weighted Jump Rope

2. Fitness Bench

A good fitness bench is the literal foundation of any home gym routine. When picking out the right bench for you, make sure you consider factors like weight support, durability, and the ability to adjust positions. Having a bench that can support all three main lifting body positions (standing, seating, laying) will open up more exercise possibilities for you. You can also use weight benches for certain calisthenic exercises, for example: dips, decline push-ups and step ups. Also, look for a bench that can fold up for easy storage.

PASYOU Adjustable Weight Bench Full Body Workout Multi-Purpose Foldable Incline Decline Exercise Workout Bench for Home Gym

3. Smart Bike

The exercise bike has been a staple of the home gym since forever — but advancements in technology have brought a whole new suite of features to the humble exercise bike, making them more valuable than ever before to a home gym.

NordicTrack Commercial S22i Studio Cycle with 30-Day iFIT Family Membership - NEW MODEL

For example, the NordicTrack Commercial S22i Studio Cycle is a smart bike. equipped with a 22-inch rotating touchscreen that connects you to online classes and built-in speakers. It has 24 resistance levels, a three-pound dumbbell set, ergonomic padded saddle and adjustable multi-grip handlebars.

4. Squat Rack

A squat rack is one of the essential pieces of gym equipment for building muscle. While the big equipment from your local gym might be ideal, there are some other options on the market that can fit more comfortably in your home gym. When shopping around for the right home squat rack, consider not just your budget, but also aspects like versatility, stability, durability, and accessories. Like a workout bench, a squat rack will do a lot to open up new options for exercise routines.

Sunny Health & Fitness Power Zone Squat Stand Power Rack Cage - SF-XF9931

5. Adjustable Dumbbells

When it comes to dumbbells, it's definitely nice to have a whole rack of different weights to choose from. But in a home gym situation, that may not be feasible in terms of space, budget, and portability. Fortunately, you don't have to go without a dumbbell rack in your home gym — you can save space by getting a single dumbbell that allows you to adjust the weights with the simple turn of a dial. There are a number of adjustable dumbbells on the market, so you can find one that suits your weight and strength goals, and won't take up a whole corner of your house or apartment.

Yes4All Adjustable Dumbbells - 52.5 lb Dumbbell Weights (Single)

6. Kettlebell

You may already have a kettlebell or two in your home, and if you don’t, now is a great time to get one. From standard rubber coated to soft coated and weight-adjustable kettlebells, the kettlebell is one of the most versatile and useful pieces of gym equipment you can have on hand. It's small, easy to store, and will become a central part of your home gym situation (if it isn't already).

Yes4All Vinyl Coated Kettlebell Weights Set – Great for Full Body Workout and Strength Training – Vinyl Kettlebell 15 lbs

7. Treadmill

While a treadmill might not be an option for people with a small living space, it's a great piece of equipment to have if you have room for it. The simple treadmills of yesterday have given way to units with digital touch screens, online training programs, virtual running backgrounds, and even the ability to pair with your smartphone to play music.

SHAREWIN Treadmill Foldable Treadmill for Home Electric Treadmill Workout Running Machine 3-Level Manual Incline Treadmill with LCD Monitor for Home & Office & Gym

8. All-in-One Home Gym

Finally, if you find space is limited in your home gym and you don’t want to invest in (or can't make room for) ten different pieces of equipment, consider investing in an all-in-one home gym equipment, like the Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym. The Bowflex is a household name in home gyms for a reason — it's a compact multi-functional workout system that lets you perform over fifty exercises, including shoulder presses, leg extensions, and bicep curls on one machine.

Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym

A home gym is an amazing asset to have if you can't get access to a commercial gym — and still valuable even if you can. It's great for those days when you need to work out but don't want to brave the cold, traffic, or crowds.

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