Home Gym Essentials When You Are Tight on Space and Money

Halloween is a week away and then the holidays are in full swing.  That means the potential for weight gain if you're not careful.  You can beat the New Year's rush to the gym by setting yourself up for success even if you only have a small space.

Many people transform their garages or basements into a workout room and for good reason.  The cost of gym memberships run about $550 per year on average.  They get that money whether you go or not, and apparently 82% of gym members go less than once a week.  For some people, the gym can be an intimidating place to be and maybe part of the reason they don't go.  We have lost our weight by doing pretty much all at-home workouts.  If you're looking to set up a space to dedicate to your health, here are some excellent places to start for less than the cost of a gym membership!

(For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links which means, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission, at no additional cost to you.)

PowerBlock Speedblock Adjustable Dumbbells (2-24 lb starter set)   ($160 at time of publishing) This will likely be the most expensive investment, but all weights are.  The cool thing about these is it saves TONS of space by being compact, and you don't have all of those traditional dumbbells lying around.

Weight Lifting Gloves ($15 at time of publishing) These are awesome because they have a little extra padding where the weights tend to rub.  Your hands will thank you for it unless you like the look of thick callouses.

UPOWEX Resistance Band Set ($24 at time of publishing)  Working out with weights is awesome, but it's always good to throw in some occasional resistance band training too since it makes your muscles react a little differently.  This set has detachable handles and straps so you can get upper and lower body workouts and is perfect to throw in the bag that comes with it to travel.

Extra Thick Puzzle Exercise Mat ($30 at time of publishing)  If your room has wood or concrete floors you NEED this.  I seriously screwed up my legs for years by exercising on a concrete floor not really thinking about the impact it was having on my joints.  Plus if you're in an apartment or condo, the neighbors will thank you.  Don't forget the double-sided tape ($8) to keep them in place.

18" Flatscreen TV- ($65 at time of publishing)  If you want a screen bigger than your phone for streaming workouts or don't want to lug a laptop every day, this is perfect.  Big enough to see well but small enough for a nightstand sized table.  There's an HDMI port so you can use streaming devices like Roku Express.  ($30 at time of publishing)  There are plenty of great FREE workouts out there like Fitness Blender, Jessica Smith, and POPSugar Fitness.

High-Density Foam Roller ($20 at time of publishing)  Do you really need a foam roller?  If you exercise, the answer is a resounding yes if you want to stay injury-free and reduce soreness time.

Heart Rate Monitor ($50 at time of publishing)  Look, I know this is the age of the Apple Watch and Fitbits and blah blah blah but I watched the Mr cycle through 4 different more "modern" HRM's to get what my old school one was constantly giving me.  If you don't want to invest a ton of money, this one will absolutely get the job done at minimal cost.

Balance Pods ($20 at time of publishing)  People often train and forget one of the most important aspects...balance.  These balance pods can be used just to stand on to improve your balance as you stretch or you can make them part of your workouts.  Do push-ups off of them, stand on them, and do squats, use them doing bird dogs without having a huge BOSU type ball taking up space.

Yoga Strap  ($16 at time of publishing)  Even if you don't do yoga, you should totally own this.  Stretching is something many of us skip after a workout or do kind of half-assed, and your body pays the price.  Using this for hip and groin openers will make a world of difference in recovery and improved flexibility.

That brings us to $430 for everything you need for a home gym to get you through the winter months and beyond for LESS than the cost of ONE YEAR at the gym.   The amount of equipment listed can also be easily stored in a bin, so it's not taking up any space.  You could absolutely get away with spending just over $200 for the adjustable dumbbells, gloves, and the mats if you want to stream from your laptop/tablet, etc. and work up to the other stuff to treat yourself for goals reached.  You don't need a lot of money or space to meet your fitness goals!

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