How to Make Fully Functional Home-Gym. On a Budget, in a Limited space.
How we train has changed due to the Pandemic, more and more people opt for doing some of their training at home. And many dream of HOME GYM´s.
Many of FITWITHEIK clients still prefer to workout from home and have seen a return on their investment from the money they saved by not paying for a gym membership. Others have enjoyed the fact that they can cut out the commute.
The most important feedback I have received is that these people have been more consistent with their workouts and are seeing the resaults from a over a year of consistent exercise, because there are way fewer excuses.
In This post I am going to answer once and for all the most common question I have received on Instagram:
- “What should I get for my home gym?”
FitWithEik Collaboration with LIFTEX
For the longest time it has been very challenging to get your hands on quality equipment that is in stock and doesn't cost your kidney, liver and unborn child.
Luckily more and more equipment makers and suppliers are coming up offering both quality equipment and customized solutions for your home gym build.
I am working with Liftex that is produced in Dubai, offering WORLDWIDE SHIPPING of equipment.
They might be young, but with good quality and and fast delivery times, are already supplying most of the functional fitness gyms in the MENA Region with quality custom made rig, storage solutions as well as Concept 2 cardio equipment, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, bumper plates, chalk, jump ropes and much much more.
If you are missing some items to upgrade your home gym, or dream of building one continue reading where Ill give you all my recommendations below and make sure to check out their Website and Instagram.
If you find something you like, use eik10 for 10% discount at checkout or when you email their sales team at sales@liftdex.ae
And before I forget with their POSTPAY you can split the payment down to 3 installments without any fees or interest rates.
Make Sure To Fit Your Gym To Your Goals:
First things first, it is important to know what results you are aiming for. If your goal is to snatch 100 kg or gain 20 kg on your back square then a “home gym light” with a set of dumbbells and kettlebells isn’t going to cut it. Then You might be looking for a slightly bigger home gym setup, with rack and bumper plates covered in a different post.
However, if you are looking to build muscle. Build endurance, be fit, look good naked, get functional in various movements while getting a good intense workout - then this HOME GYM LIGHT will definitely work for you.
On To My Go To Home Gym Set Up:
Number 1: Pull-Up bar or TRX:
Most people struggle with finding substitutes for this in their normal household. Pull Up training can help with so many problems that come from sitting too much in front of a computer and TV screen. So this piece of equipment is a very important addition to a home gym.
If you are heavy into Crossfit, and want to be able to do kipping pullups, toes to bar or other skills.
Then I can not recommend enough getting a proper pull-up bar set up.
This Lift 100 Pull-Up Bar is amazing, and allows you (with proper sealing clearance) to do Bar Muscle Ups As Well.
In case your space is not allowing of a wall mounted pull-up bar or rig then maybe a TRX home system. Is a good option for you. They attach to a door frame, or with a simple wall mount and can bemused for a variety of fun things.
What Weights To Get?
This particular part of your home gym depends on your budget and how much space you have to store it away.
I promise you can't go wrong with a little variety of kettlebells and dumbbells in your set up.
Liftex Offers A Variety Of Weights, and storage solutions in their Home Gym Essentials - that I recommend you check out
I suggest a range of light, medium and heavy weights (see below for number suggestions). This will allow yourself to jump between weights and challenge yourself to get fitter and you can also then add more weights when you have outgrown the previous ones.
Number 2: Two Kettlebells
We mostly use these for strength work, and some conditioning.
I would recommend a heavy kettlebell for deadlifts, heavier squats, swings etc. and a lighter kettlebell for presses, mobility work and technical exercises.
Weight suggestions are:
Female Beginners 1x 16-20 kg & 1x 8-12 kg
Female RX 1x 24-32 kg & 1x 12-16 kg
Men Beginners 1x 24-32 kg & 1x 12-16 kg
Men RX 1x 32-48 kg & 1x 16-20 kg
Number 3: Pair Of Dumbbells, Moderately Heavy
If you are aiming to just get a good workout at home, and to use them for conditioning workouts then you should be relatively comfortable moving these around but challenged. When lifting both DB at the same time you should feel you have weight in your hands and it should be a little struggle getting them to your shoulders, or over head. Then you can use just 1 DB to scale and move faster with the Dumbbells.
Weight suggestions are:
Females Beginners 2x 6-10 kg
Female RX 2x 12.5-15 kg
Men Beginners 2x 15-20 kg
Men RX 2x 22.5-30 kg
These weights are also what is commonly used in CrossFit workouts.
Number 4: A box
Box can be used for increasing intensity in most workouts, and for unilateral (one legged) strength work.
This can also be a step or something stable you can step on:
If you are into crossfit workouts, women should get a 20" box and men a 24" box.
But If you just want to get a good workout in, aim for a box or a solid chair that is about your knee height.
Number 5: Mat or flooring.
A simple yoga mat does wonders.
But when you are moving around with some weights and sweating everywhere you may want to consider a slightly bigger mat.
When I got tired of sliding around in my own sweat and spending time cleaning the floors after my workout, I invested in a few tiles of home gym flooring.
Just enough to give me space to place weights down and sweat on, that can be packed away easily.
The added bonus is that they are soundproof so it is less annoying for the downstairs neighbours.
NUMBER 6: Any form for cardio equipment.
This can be a Treadmill, Stairs, Path, Garden, Spin Bike, Bike Erg, Ski Erg, Assault bike, Rower or Cross Trainer.
Liftex has their own brand of assault bike, bike erg and rower in stock and often orders big supplies of ERG´s for the best price I have seen on the market. You can email Sales@Liftex.ae to check the status on ERG deliveries.
And if all else fails, use your stairs, or go out and run up and down the street or shuttle runs in the garden/hallway.
This will also add to your set up.
Other Useful Accessories:
Mini Gym Timer : Training and Rest Interval Countdown: Set Training, rest time and Cycles
Jump rope : To bring More Intensity To Your Workouts
1 mini band : Find Those Small Muscles! And make them strong
1 elastic therapy band. Females Light to Medium Resistance band. Men Medium to Hard Resistance band..
All included, this is just 11 pieces of equipment to own.
This may seem like quite the initial investment but you can do a LOT of variation and fun fitness from home with it. I speak from my own experience of having trained with even less equipment than this when gyms were closed down for 5 months in the UAE.
If you find something you like, use eik10 for 10% discount at checkout or when you email their sales team at sales@liftdex.ae and before I forget with their POSTPAY you can split the payment down to 3 installments without any fees or interest rates.
If you are ready to head down this road, check out my 30 day home workout program for 29USD, available as a recurring subscription or as a one of purchase, and get into the habit of working out from home!
You can also read this article I wrote on an interesting training method that is SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN to help you build strength and muscle mass with minimal equipment. Practical Guide To Blood Flow Restriction Training. Don´t Lose Your Gains While You #Stayhome.
Best of luck building your home gym, any further questions don’t hesitate to reach out!
