5 essential items for every home gym

Spring is here. Warmer weather means lighter clothing and lighter meals. It certainly also means we generally feel a lot lighter.

It’s much easier to move around and that’s why a lot of people are coming out of fitness hibernation. The gym parking lots are much more full, treadmill waiting queues much longer and the change rooms full of people coming in and out.

As we all know, not everyone is a gym goer. Many people prefer to exercise in the privacy of their homes. I would like to share items that are great to have in your home gym.

1. Treadmill/stationary bike/elliptical

Picture: iStock

These are great if, firstly, you have the space to accommodate them in your house and, second ly, if you have the budget to secure them. These three pieces of equipment have great benefits:

• They are great to have as your warm up and cool down cardio equipment before your exercise routine.

• They are great to use on those rainy days or when the weather is simply not great.

• They are also perfect for odd training hours, early mornings or late nights, when you need to squeeze in a workout in a safe environment.

2. Skipping rope

Picture: iStock

The skipping rope has been a traditional cardio piece of equipment for centuries. It is one of the best fitness secrets.

Besides it being portable, it’s one of those pieces of equipment that if used correctly and for extended duration, it can help one burn loads of calories, strengthen your heart and lungs and improve your fitness levels.

For example, doing 1,000 skips at one go will have anyone’s heart rate through the roof. Skipping ropes can be used on any smooth surface, indoors and outdoors.

If all you have is your gym gear and a skipping rope, you are able to have a full body workout with bodyweight exercises and skipping in between.

3. Yoga mat

Picture: iStock

A yoga mat is not a necessity if you can’t afford one and have carpeted floors at home. You just need a comfortable space to work on.

It’s a great bonus to have one, especially if you sweat a lot. Sweat on yoga mats can be wiped away.

Yoga mats are also a lot more comfortable to exercise on whereas carpets might lead to carpet burns on your knees and elbows. It’s a preference at the end of the day.

4. Gym gloves

Picture: iStock

When it comes to body weight exercises such as push-ups, burpees, pull-ups and dumbbell exercises, it’s always best to protect your hands with a pair of gym gloves to avoid calluses on your palms.

If you consistently train without gloves on hard surfaces, the calluses harden and may even crack and bleed depending on how hard you are on them.

So, if functional training exercises or weights are your preferred home exercises, consider purchasing a pair of gloves.

5. Stopwatch

Picture: iStock

Stopwatches or fitness watches are a great fitness tool to help challenge yourself during your home workouts. For example, a simple workout could be you selecting 10 exercises and setting your stopwatch to beep every 30 seconds.

You could perform each exercise back to back every 30 seconds or perform the first one for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds and perform the next one for 30 seconds until you complete all 10.

Having a stopwatch and a list of exercises written down is great way to ensure that your workout gets completed and you don’t get distracted. Now that winter is gone, let’s keep moving.

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