How To Build An Effective Home Gym

With many gyms closed or at reduced capacity due to the pandemic, many people are starting to look for options to build an effective home gym that can rival or even exceed their paid gym memberships

After all, what’s the point of paying for a monthly membership if you can’t even go?

Today I want to talk about how to build an effective home gym

for maximum results.

You’ll be able to get an amazing variety of strength and cardiovascular workouts with all the equipment listed today!

Strength Training

Olympic Power Cage

In my 20s, I inherited money from my aunt and decided to build a home gym. The first thing I bought was a power cage. Because I worked out alone, the cage was a safety for me.

A great affordable option is the Fitness Reality Power Cage

You can check current prices on Amazon here.

Weight Bench

To go along with the power cage, you will need a bench. We think getting a height-adjustable bench is a good idea to work your muscle at multiple angles.

Also, many benches do not have leg curls and leg extension attachments. We recommend the Weider brand bench because it has both.

You can check current prices on Amazon here.

Adjustable Dumbbells

For dumbbells, you could go the much more expensive route and buy individual sets of dumbbells for each weight. However, buying an adjustable dumbbell set is much less expensive and space-effective.

We recommend The Bowflex Selecttech brand because they invented the adjustable dumbbell. There are cheaper knockoffs on the market, but they are not as high quality.

Do yourself a favor and just get the better quality Bowflex brand.

You can check current prices on Amazon here.

Pull Up Bar / Dip Machine

The last piece of strength training equipment will be a pull-up bar/ dip machine. Pull-ups and dips are some of the best bodyweight exercises you can do to work your biceps, triceps, back, chest, and shoulders

Another great feature of a pull-up bar/ dip machine is the ability to do abdominal leg lifts.

We recommend the Sportsroyals Power Tower because of the great reviews and great price.

You can check current prices on Amazon here.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Now that we discussed the strength training equipment let’s not forget to do our cardio. After all, there’s no point in getting big muscles if we can’t show them off, right?

If I were to build the most effective home gym, I would get multiple pieces of cardio equipment. However, all you need is one of these.

It is up to your budget and personal preference.

With that said, here are the best pieces of cardio equipment for an effective home gym

Stationary Bike

Some stationary bikes are expensive because they have a tablet screen with an instructor.

Honestly, these are a waste of money, in my opinion. If you get a bike with a tablet mount, you can play your videos for a fraction of the cost.

We recommend the YOSUDA Indoor Cycling Bike because it has great reviews and a tablet mount.

You can check current prices on Amazon here.

Treadmill

I’ll always recommend walking outside if you can, but the second-best thing is getting a treadmill.

Not only can you walk even in bad weather, but it also has incline adjustment, allowing you to get a more intense workout in less time

We recommend the Xterra treadmill because of the great reviews and affordable price.

You can check current prices on Amazon here.

Yoga Mat

Getting into shape is great, but you can’t forget to do your stretches. Having a nice yoga mat is essential for that. Any brand will do, but we recommend the Gaiam Essentials brand since it’s the one we use.

You can check current prices on Amazon here.

Punching Bag

Martial arts and boxing workouts are some of the most effective workouts you can do. They are intense! 

So having a punching bag setup is a no-brainer when creating an effective home gym. We recommend the Century Freestanding Punching bag for a couple of reasons. 

First, Century is one of the best boxing and martial arts brands, so you know the quality will be good. 

Second, having a freestanding punching bag is much more convenient than hanging a chain and punching bag. No thanks!

You can check current prices on Amazon here.

Elliptical

An elliptical machine is a great cardio option, especially for those who want less impact than a bike or treadmill.

A great option is a Ncient brand elliptical with LCD Monitor and heart rate grips.

Not only does it have some great reviews, but it’s one of the least expensive ellipticals on Amazon.

You can check current prices on Amazon here.

Jump Rope

If you’re on a tight budget, you could just skip (pun intended) all the other equipment and get a nice jump rope. Did you know you can burn up to 1000 calories per hour by skipping rope? Not all jump ropes are created equal, though. Getting a weighted jump rope will help you burn more fat and build muscle

We recommend Cross Rope’s Weighted Jump rope

You can check current prices on Cross Rope’s website here