We admit when shopping around for an apartment or house it isn’t high on the must’haves list for at home gym. What is on the list is more like… “Is there a gym less than 5 miles away”. However, the number one reason why people don’t work out at home is that they don’t have space. We are certainly not saying that isn’t an excuse but we are also saying that this is an excuse that can be fixed. Even if you live in a studio, small apartment, or really don’t have that much open space up for grabs in your home you can still workout at home. Heck, you can even still call it an at-home gym because you really only need a few essentials and these essentials don’t take up a lot of space.
Kettlebell
By now we can all agree on how important strength training is for your body. It is essential for longevity, weight loss, better sleep, etc, etc. That’s why investing in a kettlebell is a smart move. There are so many different exercises you can do with a kettlebell–yes just one kettlebell. You can also work out the entire body with just one kettlebell. From squats to deadlifts, from chest press to biceps curls, from cleans to overhead lunges the list goes on and on. Plus, if you need to make an exercise more challenging use the kettlebell in one hand, making the movement single arm, instead of two. Pick up the pace a little and you can get a total body workout, working both strength and cardio, in no time.
Resistance Bands
Probably the one workout item that takes up the least amount of space, like virtually no space at all. Plus, they are super cheap. Resistance bands are also one of the most versatile pieces of workout equipment. You can use resistance bands for tons of different exercises that target any part of your body. Resistance bands come in a variety of resistance levels. The thicker and more difficult to stretch resistance bands offer the hardest resistance. The thinner and less difficult to stretch the easier the resistance. Snagging a pack of three to give bands with different resistances means you can tailor your workout to your current fitness level and move on to thicker bands as you build your strength.
Mat
This item may not actually be that essential. It really just depends on the type of flooring you will be working out on and if that requires the need for more padding or not for you. But what is great is that a mat doesn’t need to be left out. It can roll up into a small cylinder and easily get out of the way. Heck, you may even just prop it up in a corner because who doesn’t like to decorate with rolled up mats–they make you look more active and dedicated to your health to guests that come over.
If you are in the need for some at-home workouts, check out these workouts we created – 30 Minute Workout, Full Body, and Card Game Workout.
