The 16 Best Workout Essentials for A Beginner Home Gym
Create the ultimate beginner home gym with this list of 16 workout essential must-haves. Find everything you need to start a home gym for the first time.
Congratulations on taking the first step towards improving your health and creating a beginner home gym. You’re a beginner which means you need to create a home gym for the first time and learn more about what you exactly need and don’t need to spend money on this early in the game. What’s most important is that you get the equipment that is right for you and your fitness needs. In this article you’ll get a list of home gym equipment essentials that are perfect for beginners, people who are starting a fitness routine for the first time.
Beginner Exercise Equipment for A Starter Home Gym
It can be overwhelming to see all the fitness gear that is on the market today, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. I want to make this shopping experience for you to be fun, exciting and simple. I’m a physical therapist, and I work with gym equipment daily. I can easily help you make a smart purchase when it comes to beginners home gym equipment for .
I’ve been exercising in my own home since I was 13 years old; now I’m in my 30’s, and I still love to work out in my basement of my own home. I have quite a collection of gym equipment, but some select items I have had since the beginning of my fitness years.
Let’s get right to it so you can get your gym up and running sooner rather than later!
Flooring
1. Yoga Mat - $11.69
For someone with little space in the home gym, a yoga mat is a great choice. It helps with comfort and stability during your workouts at home especially on hard floors. This yoga mat is easy to clean, rolls up quickly and even has a carrying strap to easily take along with you.
2. Interlocking Flooring - $18.85
This flooring is great for larger spaces. The interlocking design allows you to shape the floor to your room set up. It’s customizable and has great support and padding that helps protect the floors beneath it.
Strength Training Equipment
3. Dumbbells - $41.99
The most basic types of equipment for strengthening are dumbbells. Get yourself a set of multi sized dumbbells so you can have a variety of choices during your workouts. This set include 3, 5 and 8 lbs weights.
4. Resistance Bands - $16.99
This set of resistance bands is great for upper body and lower body strengthening with a handheld attachment and an ankle strap. There is also a door anchor included. Stacking the bands can total up to 75 lbs. of resistance.
5. Kettle Bell - $15.14
Kettle bells are a great addition to your strength training program. This is made of high-quality cast iron with a durable vinyl coated finish to reduce the impact upon landing. The handles are smooth and comfortable on your hands.
Cardio
6. Jump Rope -$6.89
Nothing beats an old school jump rope. But there’s nothing old school about this one. This tangle free, ball bearing jump rope has foam handles for comfort so you can maximize your workout. Plus the rope is adjustable to your height.
7. Cardio Step - $26.55
What home gym isn’t complete without a cardio step? Take you aerobic workout to the next level with this two tiered stepper. This offers a secure, non slip surface for your workout routine and is adjustable to 4 inches and 6 inches.
8. Used Treadmill or Bike
A lot of used treadmills and bikes are for sale on Craig’s List and on Facebook Marketplace. Take a quick search around to see if you could find one in good condition before purchasing a brand new piece of equipment.
Balance
9. Balance Disc - $19.99
Adding a balance disc to your workout not only will recruit more muscles and help you get toned faster, but it will also help your overall fitness levels to be improved by incorporating balance into your routine. Promote core stability and posture when working out with this piece of equipment.
10. Physio Ball - $16.97
There are a variety of different core, upper body and lower body exercises that can be performed while using a physio ball. This physio ball comes with a pump and a printed workout guide to give you a jump start on your workout.
Stretching
11. Foam Roller - $13.49
This may become your most widely used piece of home gym equipment. This premium foam roller is ideal for trigger points, massage, stretching and for everyday use. There is a wide array of ways to use the foam roller on every major muscle group.
12. Yoga Block - $8.99
Whether you are into yoga or not, a yoga block can assist you in your stretching program. This tool can help extend, support and deepen your stretches while also work on increasing your range of motion.
Workout Videos
13. Insanity DVD's - $39.99
This 14 DVD set comes with an additional book, chart and nutrition guide. Shaun T, the personal trainer, will push you past your limits. Each workout keeps you constantly challenged as you alternate between aerobic and anaerobic intervals performed at your max. No exercise equipment is needed.
14. Jillian Michaels Body Shred - $59.98
This 10 DVD set will transform you in 60 days. This progressive workout program consists of 8 SHRED Method workouts and 2 Cardio workouts created and instructed by Jillian Michaels.
Accessories
15. Digital Weight Scale - $19.99
Keep track of your progress with this digital weight scale that gives you 13 different measurements including Weight, BMI, Body Fat, Visceral Fat, Muscle Mass, Bone Mass, Body Water and more. The data will sync to the app you install on your phone so you can easily monitor your progress.
16. Fitbit Fitness Tracker - $78.98
Having a fitness tracker on your watch, such as a Fitbit, will amp up your workouts and ultimately help you monitor your fitness progress. Utilize 24/7 heart rate to more accurately track calorie burn, resting heart rate & heart rate zones during workouts. You can also track all day activity, including steps, distance, hourly activity, active minutes and calories burned.
Home Gym Equipment Must Haves For Beginners
This is a complete list of everything you need to start a home gym for the first time. For a beginner who’s creating a home gym for the first time, you must have at least one thing in the following 6 categories: flooring, cardio, strengthening, balance, stretching and workout accessories. These are the essentials for a complete home gym.
If you are looking to move up to the next level, a home gym for the intermediate user, definitely check out next week’s post that will include more home gym essentials that are a step above the home gym for beginners. Here you’ll find newer items such as a hamstring stretcher and other new innovative gym equipment pieces that I love to use in my physical therapy practice.
Be sure to comment below, and let us know what piece of home gym essential equipment is your absolute favorite!
Keep Smiling,
Dr. Jena Bradley, DPT
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.
**It is important to always consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program and get medical clearance. Always warm up thoroughly and stretch after all workouts. LiveCoreStrong.com and Jena Bradley will be not be responsible or liable for any injury sustained while exercising at home, gym or elsewhere. Perform exercises at your own risk.
About Dr. Jena Bradley
Jena is a mom of 4 darling little girls, a physical therapist and founder of Live Core Strong, a blog focusing on motivating moms to live a life that incorporates fitness and fun throughout their motherhood journey. She aims to be the friend you always wanted to have who could guide you through the “fog” when faced with an “I don’t know what to do” mommy moment. At the most inconvenient time of her life, she embarked on a journey of sharing her story and expertise to inspire the next generation of healthy moms. You can learn more about Jena by visitng her ABOUT page.
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