Home Gym Buying Guide

When we begin talking about purchasing weight training equipment for your home gym, there are many factors that need to be considered to ensure that you’re purchasing equipment that’s best suited to your fitness goals.

1. Types of Weight Equipment

There are two major categories of weight training equipment, free weights and machines. Most home gym junkies don’t have a huge amount of space to fill with a variety of different weight machines and benches, but that’s okay – when it comes to weight training, you really don’t need a lot of space.

The first thing you should do before going to purchase weight equipment is determine what your long term fitness goals are. If you want to get huge and ripped, you’ll need more room to store your equipment and to flex your huge muscles! If you just want to tone up and stay fit, you can get away with minimal investments in your weight equipment to get maximum results.

Below we’ll take a look at the two major categories of weight training equipment and highlight the benefits and drawbacks of each. We’ll also look at the most important factors that you should think about prior to buying any type of weight training equipment.

• Free Weights

Free weights are a great choice for home gym weight training equipment because they are compact and versatile. In truth, all you really need to get a decent workout is a few sets of dumbbells. However, if you want to gain muscle mass, you’ll certainly need to invest more money into a variety of heavy weights and barbells.

One of the best qualities to free weights is that they force exercisers to use stabilizer muscles in addition to the main muscle group each exercise is designed to target. For example, if you do bench press on a machine, your motion follows a pre-established path. Performing the same exercise with free weights requires you to use additional muscles to keep the weight moving in one direction. In the long run, this will increase your overall strength.

The greatest drawback to using free weights is that a free weight workout requires a certain degree of knowledge about exercise techniques and confidence in your ability to properly execute certain movements. For many people who are new to weight training, the idea of using free weights is downright frightening. There is also a greater risk of injury if exercises are performed incorrectly while using free weights than while using machines.

Before you run out and spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on free weight equipment, make sure that you’re comfortable using free weights – if you’re not, that’s all the reason you’ll need to lose your motivation to workout in your home gym.

• Weight Training Machines

Machines tend to be more popular among home gym junkies with less fitness experience. Machines are less intimidating and overall, offer a safer workout. Machines also allow those “heavy lifters” to use greater amounts of resistance since they don’t have to engage their stabilizing muscles to the same degree as they do with free weights.

There are a few drawbacks to weight training machines for home gym junkies. Probably the two greatest drawbacks are cost and size.

“Machines cost more than free weights and they generally take up much more space.”

Machines also limit flexibility to some degree. Where you can take a set of dumbbells to your staircase and do step-ups, you don’t have the same option with a machine. Finally, many of the machines designed for home gym use don’t provide a full range of motion for many exercises.

2. Range of Motion

One of the biggest problems that I’ve found with home gym weight training machines is that a lot of them don’t offer full range of motion movement. In other words, they don’t let you fully contract or extend your muscles, which limits the benefits of your workout. There are plenty of machines available that offer good range of motion, but it’s important that you try out the equipment before you buy it so you can make sure that you’re comfortable with the motion it provides.

That being said, if you choose to purchase free weights for your home gym, you don’t need to worry about range of motion. Some dumbbells, barbells and a sturdy adjustable bench are really about all you need. Because free weights don’t restrict your motion to a pre-designated path of movement, you won’t have the range of motion concerns with free weights that you will with machines.

3. Stability

Another concern with weight training equipment designed for home use is stability. Because home gym weight equipment is less expensive to buy than it’s club quality counterpart, often you’ll find benches that wobble or pulleys that stick. When you set up your home gym equipment, make sure that you follow the directions so you’ll be sure to create the most stable platform possible. Also, when you’re testing out the equipment at the store, if something doesn’t feel right, talk to the sales rep to determine if the problem is the equipment design or if it was set up incorrectly.

When you’re looking at barbells and dumbbells, don’t be shy about asking for a scale to put the weights on to check that they weigh what they claim to weigh. Barbells should also be checked for the quality of their collars (the part that keeps the weight from slipping off the ends of the bar). You certainly don’t want to have weights crashing through your living room floor because the collars weren’t strong enough to hold the weights on your bar!

4. Adjustability

Any movement that you do “under a load”, meaning any weighted movement can cause injury if not performed properly. If you’re using equipment that doesn’t adjust well enough to fit your frame, you could put yourself at risk for injury. Additionally, if a machine doesn’t offer a wide range of adjustments, you may find yourself limited by a restricted range of motion.

Whether you’re looking at machines or weight benches it’s important that you can position the equipment the way you want it. You’re investing far too much money in your home gym to get your equipment home and discover that you can’t get the quality of workout that you expected.

On machines, make sure that you can adjust angles of motion and heights of the equipment wherever it’s applicable. For benches, ideally, you’ll be able to adjust the height of the bench as well as the incline. You should be able to use one bench for incline, decline and flat bench exercises – this will maximize your space while providing you with more options for your investment.

If you’re in the market for weight training equipment, do an honest assessment of how dedicated you’ll be to your training program. Look at what you want out of your weight equipment and shop around. There are many, many different options available for home gym junkies wanting to put some weight equipment in their gyms.

“Do your research, establish your goals before you buy it “

Your weight training investment will be one of the best things you could have done for your home fitness program.

Home Gym Fitness Tips

So, now that you know all you need to know about the different aspects of home gym equipment and you’re ready to go and build your home gym empire, it’s time to start thinking about your home gym workout plan. If you’re new to exercise, there are some basic things that you should know prior to beginning your workout plan.

Putting together an effective program isn’t rocket science; however, it does take a little research on your part.

If you’re reading this, you’ve already considered the benefits of creating a home gym space that you can use to do your daily workouts. You’re probably already aware of the time and, in the long run, money a home gym can save you. You’re probably pretty excited about the gas you’ll save by not having to drive to the gym, and the flexibility you’ll have to workout whenever you want. Perhaps you’re shy about working out and you’re looking forward to exercising in the privacy of your own home.

These are all great reasons to start a home gym, and they’re the reasons that home gyms are becoming so popular today.

There’s just one bump in the road that many home gym junkies encounter every now and then – motivation!

Once you’ve bought the equipment and brought it home and you’ve started a basic workout, it’s easy for the novelty to wear off, at which point your $1,500 treadmill becomes a $1,500 clothes rack. If you’re concerned that your dedication to fitness will wane if you go the way of the home gym, please read on. I’m here to offer you some basic workout advice and some tips to stay motivated in a home gym environment!

If you’re a workout novice, there are a few things that you should understand before investing in a home gym and embarking on a workout program. There are three main focuses that should have attention in every workout program;

• Cardiovascular fitness
• Strength training
• Flexibility training

If you’re serious about getting fit and reaping all of the benefits of a fit lifestyle, it’s important that you include each of these components into your fitness plan.

Strength Training

Okay home gym junkies, if you’ve stocked your home gym with cardio equipment and you’ve neglected your weight training options all together, you may want to reconsider your approach to home gym fitness. Did you know that strength training not only builds strong, lean muscle, but also helps burn fat?

It’s a fact that…

“for every 1 pound of muscle you carry on your frame, you’ll burn 30 extra calories every day.”

So, if you build 10 pounds of muscle, you’ll burn 300 extra calories in one day before you even start working out! Below are some simple tips on how to effectively incorporate strength training into your home gym plan.

Consistency

First and foremost, as with aerobic training, if you want to get results from your weight training program, you have to be consistent – it has to become part of your daily schedule. Designate specific days of the week to work specific body parts, ensuring that you give equal attention to each muscle group in order to avoid training imbalances or injuries.

Variety

Again, as was seen with cardiovascular training, you need to use variety in your strength training program as well. Use different methods to build your muscles.

• Try using circuit training one month (several exercises done in succession with little to no rest in between).
• During the next month try using interval training during which you’ll combine cardiovascular exercise with your weight training program.
• On another month just do basic weight training without using circuits or fancy techniques.

By using variety in your strength training program, you’ll avoid overuse injuries, boredom and training plateaus.

Personalization

Exercise is a very personal experience for each person who works out. Training techniques that work for one person may not work for another.

This is where you’ll have to use a little trial and error to determine which training techniques work the best for you. Try breaking down your training split (which days you work each body part on) in different ways. There are some sample training splits listed at the end of this section to give you a better idea of what I’m talking about. The bottom line is that you need to find the frequency and intensity that works the best for you and your fitness goals.

Training Split Examples

Example #1: Upper body / lower body split

Perform upper body exercises on day 1, lower body exercises on day two and take day three off. Begin again on day four. This training split lends itself nicely to the circuit training approach since you’re trying to fit many exercises into one workout. The upper / lower training split is usually used by beginners.

Example #2: Monday, Wednesday, Friday split

This training split is usually broken down as follows…

Monday – back and biceps
Tuesday – off
Wednesday – Chest and Triceps
Thursday – off
Friday – Legs and shoulders
Weekend – off

This is a less aggressive approach to training and provides plenty of recovery time for tired muscles.

Example #3: Monday through Saturday split

During the Monday through Friday split you’ll train one body part a day for six days and take the seventh day off. This split usually looks like this…

Monday – Chest
Tuesday – Back
Wednesday – Triceps
Thursday – Biceps
Friday – Shoulders
Saturday – Legs
Sunday – Off

Nutrition

So, you’ve got your home gym all set up and you workout program is well underway, but you’re not seeing the results you dreamed about. You’re six-pack is still a pony keg and your bulging biceps are missing their bulge.

The fact is that dedicated time spent working out everyday is not enough to achieve total health and fitness. Sure, you will get stronger and you’ll increase your cardiovascular capacity, but you won’t see the results until you start eating a healthy, balanced diet.

Don’t panic, this doesn’t mean you have to starve yourself or even deprive yourself of foods you enjoy. You’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that there is a huge variety of incredibly tasty food available that you can eat and still stay fit and healthy. The following section offers some nutritional information that will help you clean up your diet so you can begin to see the results of your hard work in your home gym.

Learn to Read Nutrition Labels

If you’re going to be a legitimate home gym junkie, and you really want to improve you health and your appearance, you have to be able to make healthy food choices – to do this, you must know how to read nutrition labels.

Nutrition labels are found on the packaging of most pre-packaged foods and they give information about macronutrients and micronutrients contained within certain foods. Most people don’t read nutrition labels because they don’t know how. Don’t be one of those people; read on to learn how to read nutrition labels so you can start making healthy food choices.

i) Calories

The calories are listed at the very top of every nutrition label. This section tells you how big a serving size is and how many servings are contained in one package. This section breaks down the number of calories that are found in one serving. This is important because, if there are 100 calories in a serving, but there are 4 servings in a package…you do the math, you’ll be eating 400 calories if you eat the entire package!

ii) Macronutrients

The next section of the nutrition label contains information about the fat, sodium, carbohydrate and protein content found in each serving. You should limit your intake of foods that are high in saturated fats, trans fats and sugar if you want to maximize the effects of your training.

iii) Micronutrients

The next thing you’ll see on the nutrition label is a list of vitamins and minerals that are found in one serving of the product being considered. You may also see a statement that reads “not a significant source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Calcium or Iron”. If you see this statement on a food item that you’re thinking about eating – don’t do it! Put it back.

Typically, the micronutrients found in a food should offer between 5 and 20 percent of your daily values per serving for at least a few of the nutrients listed.

iv) Ingredients

The last bit of information found at the bottom of most nutrition labels a list of ingredients used to make the item. The ingredients are listed in order of most abundant to least abundant within a food.

To make the most of your home gym experience you’ll want to avoid foods containing sugar or sugar variations, enriched flour, or partially hydrogenated oils in their first five ingredients.

You’ll see a lot of ingredients listed that you don’t recognize, and that’s fine; just try to avoid those ingredients listed above and you’ll be much healthier for your efforts.

Healthy Food Choices

Anyone can maintain a healthy diet without feeling deprived – you simply have to get smart about food and healthy food choices. The more you know about nutrition, the easier it will be to make smart food decisions because you’ll realize just how many options are available to you. Here is just a little information about proteins, fruits and veggies, carbohydrates and fats that will help you get started on your journey to healthy eating.

• Protein

Lean protein is a great food to promote weight loss and muscle gains. Some great protein sources for healthy living include chicken, fish, egg whites and lean cuts of pork. There are also plenty of vegetarian options such as tempeh, tofu, sea vegetables, miso, seeds and beans. Finally, there are a few lean beef options, which include flank steak and eye of round.

Lean protein is a “wonder-food” because, if prepared properly, it tastes great; it’s versatile; it’s filling and it’s loaded with nutrients.

• Fruits and Veggies

Vegetables, more than fruit, are a great food for healthy eating. Typically, raw or steamed green vegetables can be eaten in large quantities without making you fat. Green veggies are a great source of vitamins and minerals and fiber. Fruits are also a good healthy food choice; however, most fruits are high in simple sugars. If these sugars aren’t utilized throughout the day, they’ll be stored as fat.

“As a rule, you shouldn’t consume as much fruit as you do veggies in a day.”

• Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates have become the forbidden food since the initial marketing of the Atkins Diet. Well, I’m here to tell you that not all carbohydrates are bad for you.

Yes, refined starches and simple sugars aren’t great food choices if you’re trying to improve your health; however, there are plenty of carbohydrate options that can be included in a healthy diet – they simply need to be consumed in moderation.

In fact, carbohydrates provide you with sustained energy and they aid in muscle recovery after a hard workout. Sources of complex carbohydrates include whole grain breads and cereals, brown rice, oats and sweet potatoes.

• Fats

It’s a common misconception that all fats are bad for you. This simply isn’t true. In fact, there are some fats, which aren’t produced naturally in the human body but are essential to our health. These are called essential fatty acids and must be ingested since we don’t produce them. That being said, there are good fats and bad fats and it’s important that you know the difference to protect yourself from high cholesterol and heart disease.

There are two types of good fat – polyunsaturated, which include Omega-3 fatty acids and are found in sunflower, corn, flaxseed and soybean oils as well as walnuts and fish are very important to maintaining mental and physical health and monounsaturated fat, which is found in food such as olive and peanut oils, avocados, nuts and seeds.

Saturated fat and trans fat are two sources of bad fat, since they raise your low-density lipoproteins, which will increase your risk of coronary heart disease. These bad fats are found in fatty beef selections, baked goods, snack foods, fried foods, candy and more. As a rule, you shouldn’t allow any form of fat to comprise more than 25% of your daily calories.

Healthy Eating Tips

This list of healthy eating tips will help you get maximum results from your home gym workout plan.

• Eat Often – You should strive to eat at least five small meals a day. By eating a small meal every three to four hours, you’ll allow your metabolism to function at optimal levels throughout the day.
• Eat Carbohydrates Early – Because carbohydrates are a ready source of energy, which, if not burned will convert to fat, they should be eaten during your first two or three meals of the day and that’s all. Always keep in mind that you need cards for energy, but too many carbs will lead to fat.
• Avoid High Calorie Beverages – One of the fastest ways that people consume large amounts of calories without filling up is through high calorie beverages. Conversely, one of the fastest ways to cut excess calories out of your diet is to cut out high calorie drinks.
• Drink Water – Everyone’s heard of the benefits of water at one point or another throughout their lives. The fact is that by drinking at least 8 cups of water per day, you’ll enable your body to process and flush toxins more quickly, you’ll boost your metabolism, decrease your appetite and recover more quickly from workouts. Water intake is essential to a good fitness program and a healthy lifestyle.

PARTING WORDS OF WISDOM

Okay home gym junkies, there you have it – all you need to know to get you on the road to freedom – freedom from gym memberships, freedom from the inconveniences of driving to the gym everyday and freedom from having to wait in line to use equipment.

Putting a lot of thought and planning into your home gym budget, your space availability and into your fitness goals will go a long way to ensuring that you get the home gym equipment you want, need and will actually use for many years to come.

Beyond the home gym equipment, seriously think about your training plan and your diet. If you’re going to invest in a home gym, you may as well get as much out of it as possible. The only way to do that is to use your gym regularly, eat right and get plenty of rest for workout recovery.

I hope you found this guide helpful. Good luck with your home gym endeavors and all of your health and fitness goals.

Check out www.homegymjunkie.com for heaps more information and ideas on home fitness equipment and home exercise workouts, tips and motivation to get you in the best shape of your life!