How to Build a Budget Home Gym? -

Fitness should be practical and simple – everything about packing your workout essentials, the hassle of going to the gym, and not being able to access the machine when you want to can mess up your day.

How can you stay healthy and active with such obstacles against you? Building a budget home gym can solve many of these issues. A home gym is more convenient than a commercial gym because it is right at home, making it easier to stick to your fitness plan or workout.

So, whether you’re planning to clear a little space in the corner of your home or convert a spare room into a home gym, we’ll provide you tips below on how to build a home gym on a budget.

Let’s get started!

Tips on How to Build a Home Gym on a Budget

Choose the Room

First, you need to find an ideal spot for your home gym. It doesn’t have to be a huge room. Even a small, awkward room in your attic can be transformed into a home gym.

Basements are also suitable for home gyms because they usually have leftover space. The fitness-obsessed, however, would prefer to put their home gym in a more prominent spot – like a home office or an unused guest room.

Others love their home gym filled with natural light, so they opt to have it on the top level of their place and use glass doors.

A spare bedroom can likewise be turned into a home gym because repurposed bookshelves or dressers can hold free weights, extra towels, balance balls, and much more! In addition, a bedroom has a door for extra privacy.

Have the Right (and Budget-Friendly) Equipment

Finding budget-looking equipment with a compact footprint is more accessible nowadays than it used to be. Below are some of the essentials and a few nice-to-haves to maximize your training:

Dumbbells

Dumbbells should be a part of your fitness journey. They are relatively inexpensive and convenient to store and use. Their versatility makes them useful for various workouts.

Kettlebells

Kettlebells are a great way to improve cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility, and endurance. They are also highly versatile pieces for conditioning and prehab/rehab exercises.

Barbell

A barbell is a wise investment for your body and wallet. A good quality barbell can easily be loaded to any desired weight, requires less storage space compared to a full set of dumbbells, and allows you to lift more weight.

Weight Plates, Rack

Weight plates and a rack may cost more than other fitness equipment, but they are durable, and you can use them for a long time.

On the other hand, a rack allows for a safer weight workout as it eliminates any danger, like an accident.

Bench (Adjustable or Flat Bench)

An adjustable or flat bench can provide full-body exercises. It will help shape the tone of your body, increase strength, and burn fat.

Jump Rope

A jumping rope is an affordable and effective workout. It helps build stronger muscles and bones, improves your coordination and balance, and increases your cardiorespiratory fitness.

Pull-Up Bar

A pull-up bar can work several muscle groups in the arm and back, so it is a classic component if you love strength training.

Fitness Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are absolutely worth adding to your home gym. They provide the same strength gains as using other conventional gym equipment.

Exercise Mat/ Yoga Mat

An exercise or yoga mat helps practitioners keep their hold firm on the surface because of its anti-slipping nature. It is even helpful for workouts other than yoga because they provide a protective layer over floors to protect them from damage and provide a cushion to the user while performing stretches before or after a workout.

Slam Ball

A slam ball works your calves, shoulders, pecs, triceps, and core (especially the abdominals). It is affordable yet offers many advantages, such as enhancing overall athletic performance, developing multi-directional core strength, and improving cardiovascular conditioning.

Understanding your fitness ability

Exercise equipment comes in all shapes, sizes, and price ranges. Before purchasing, it pays to understand your fitness ability or level to launch an effective exercise program. Then, as your fitness level or strength improves, you can just continue to add gym equipment to your home gym.

You can start out with some weights and dumbbells, for instance, and eventually spice up your fitness pace with a multi-station home gym.

For women who want to achieve that hourglass shape or simply want to strengthen their ab and core muscles when working out, investing in an affordable waist trimmer is a good decision too.

This tummy-tightening shapewear provides posture correction and compression that will help take your workout to the next level.

When to invest in advanced equipment?

Top-notch fitness equipment may cost more, but it’s for good reasons – you’re paying for quality, design, safety, and performance.

Premium gym equipment moreover provides you with an unparalleled and effective fitness experience. And because they are often durable, it also means you are investing in long-term fitness benefits.

Featured Resource: Ways to Boost Productivity in the Gym

Set Up Your Home Gym

There’s more to designing a gym than just piling exercise equipment into an unused room. The process requires creating a layout with a nice spatial flow. Consider how you would use the space and the types of equipment you’ve purchased or are planning to put on once the home gym is finished.

For example, if there’s a treadmill, it’d be nice if you had a space behind it and a space for navigating between different machines.

If you have electronic machines, such as Peloton bikes and treadmills, it is important to have electrical outlets nearby so there would be no extension cords snaking across the room.

Stay motivated with decor

Take time to brighten up your workout space to help you stay focused on your workout. For example, you can display your old sports medal, old jerseys, ribbons, or posters on your wall.

You can also find the best cheap mirrors for home gyms. Having a gym mirror makes it possible to improve your fitness routine, observe your form, and track your progress. The added bonus is that mirrors can reflect light, brightening up the home gym’s ambiance and giving the space a more professional feel.

Wrap Up

Building a home gym may not be the cheapest endeavor, but it doesn’t have to be expensive either. By following the tips above, you can surely build a home workout studio for less than a year’s worth of membership in a public gym.