Having a home gym doesn't mean you have to clear out the garage or co-opt your living room. With just three purchases and for under £55 in the Black Friday sale right now, you can create a set-up that moves around the house with you.
While a gym membership is a great investment, it's only beneficial if you actually have the time (and motivation) to go. Having a pair of the best dumbbells and a few other essentials can help you do strength training a couple of times a week without leaving the house.
As woman&home's digital health editor and a qualified fitness instructor, I'm all too familiar with how not having enough time (and cold, wet weather) can interrupt a good exercise routine. I added a pair of dumbbells, a small bench, and resistance bands to my basket to change my routine for the better this winter.
How I made my home gym
The basics of any good home workout is a set of dumbbells. These are the most versatile weights of dumbbells vs kettlebells and barbells, and an adjustable set of dumbells is the very best. The plates are removable, so you can adjust the weight as you like for lower and upper body exercises, without having to find the space for a whole rack. This set goes up to 30kg - and I use them for everything from squats to chest presses with my bench at home.
A bench like this one is what you'll need to exercises like a chest press, split squats, hip thrusts, rows, and more. You can also do exercises like step aerobics with a bench like this, boosting your heart rate and improving your cardiovascular health with time. It's adjustable, lightweight, and foldable, so it's easy to carry despite the size.
Resistance bands complete the set-up. Swap out your dumbbells for one of these as one pack comes with bands of varying resistance for squats, raises, presses, and lunges. With these, you can also do exercises you can't do with dumbbells, like lateral pulldowns (for your back muscles) and tricep pulldowns by tying or hooking the band around a door or overhead bar.
What exercises can I do?
You can do a full-body strength training workout with these three pieces of equipment. If you're unsure where to start, take a look at our strength training at home for beginners guide.
You can do the following exercises (and many more):
- Squats
- Lunges
- Bulgarian split squats
- Romanian deadlifts
- Hip thrusts
- Chest press
- Bicep curls
- Tricep extensions
- Shoulder press
- Lateral raises
- Lat pull downs
- Rows
- Incline press ups
- Mountain climbers
- Plank
Home gym: Nice to haves
If you've got a little more space and budget to splash on your home gym, these are some of the other pieces you could include...
While dumbbells are the most versatile weights, there are some exercises you can't do with a dumbbell - like a kettlebell swing. This is an excellent cardio exercise that gets the heart rate up and improves glute and core strength. You only need one kettlebell - and this is available in the Amazon Black Friday sale too.
One good way to get cardio exercise in without changing your routine at all is to get a weighted vest. Wearing these around the house will make simple tasks like going up the stairs or standing up from the sofa harder by adding extra resistance to your body weight.
Core sliders like these (which are double sided so they work on any flooring type) can help stabilise you and lessen noise during exercises like mountain climbers, ab rollouts, lunges, and more. If you're looking to do core exercises at home, these make life a little easier.
A bench is much handier than a yoga mat for strength training but when it comes to stretching (or protecting your floor from sweat), a yoga mat is a great investment. This lightweight option is in the Lululemon sale right now and bridges the gap between support and comfort.
It goes without saying that cardio exercise is an important part of any workout routine. If you're not getting your steps in outside the house, and you have the space, you could add a treadmill to your home gym. This one from Opti (via Argos) can be used for indoor walking workouts and running.
If you find running or walking too hard on the joints, an exercise bike for a spot of indoor cycling is a good idea. This bike from Pro Fitness is comfortable to ride with an adjustable saddle and handlebars. It also has a phone holder so you can listen to music or watch your favourite show as you ride.
