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Building a new home gym? Want to know what the must-have starter pack is? Here is my list of the top home gym must-haves and where to find these products!
1. CAP Bench
This bench is an invaluable tool during home work outs. I love this bench because of the versatility with the seat and back. It is one of the more expensive items on this list, but it is well worth its money!
2. Kettlebells
Kettlebells are great for strength and cardio workouts alike! I currently have two different weights, but am looking at adding more in between! I recommend having a lighter weight (something you can lift and carry for a long time, or swing for greater than 20 reps) and a heavier weight (something you can swing or pull for about 10 reps before feeling fatigued) to start. I use a 15lb weight and a 30lb weight currently.
3. Dumbbells
So this IS the most expensive recommendation on my list. I am so glad I purchased them though. I definitely recommend that if you are going to put in the money, make sure you get low and light easy weights (for warm ups and recovery days), and heavy weights (to use for squatting and deadlifts). Pick weights between the easiest (ie. I can bicep curl this all day before I fatigue) and heavy (ie. I need to brace my core to pick this up). I use sets of 2 that range from 5lbs to 50lbs.
4. Pull up bar
I really love having a pull up bar in my home gym. Even if I am not doing pull ups on it, I use it for core work outs, handing and bringing my knees to chest or toes to bar for a really good workout.
I wouldn't recommend feeling like you need anything super fancy for this, and be mindful of the space where you need to mount the bar to. Here is the DIY version for my handymen and women out there:
5. Rings/TRX
So I went cheap with this set up. I decided to buy Olympic rings with adjustable straps rather than a TRX setup because of the huge difference in price. I can see the TRX maybe having a comfy grip and coming with a subscription to workouts, but I don't plan on using TRX as my only exercise. Both do come with small resistance bands as well, which was a nice bonus.
You will also need to purchase a wall/ceiling mount for the Olympic rings and TRX set up as well.
These are the newest addition to my home gym and so far, I think they're pretty cool! These bars can be used for core strengthening and more gymnastic/type exercise movements, but also as a push up assistant if you are trying to have a lighter chest day or maybe aren't able to do strict push-ups on the floor yet.
7. Foam Roller
I don't think I need to say much on this one. Great tool to help with any soft tissue or spine restrictions. Can also be utilized for warm ups with scapula stability (Serratus Wall Slide w/ Foam Roller) as seen in this video.
I use these for shoulder and upper body warm ups, stability exercises (ie prehab). They typically have a strap to either attach to like a pole or bar in your basement, or can be hung from a door.
These large bands are independent from needing to be attached or anchored to a point and are great for pull up bar assistance, and for some upper and lower body warm ups/cool-downs
These are great for leg day - lateral banded walks, monster walks, clam shells, banded bridges and more!
I use this one a lot, but you can also use a single lacrosse ball for more focused areas. You can even use athletic tape and tape 2 lacrosse balls together for the same effect. I find this peanut ball super helpful for thoracic spine release and mobilization.
Do you feel like you are struggling to come up with a home gym program, or are feeling burnt out from your current program? I have been doing this program through Functional Bodybuilding and I really like their focus on form and function.
From my standpoint as a Physician Assistant working in functional medicine, this program hits all the points to focus on form and movement over PR’s and over-training.
The cool part is you don’t need any fancy or expensive equipment, you can get by with the equipment listed above, and modify it for any equipment you don’t have!
The biggest barrier with this program and my home gym set up is the cardio. The program utilizes bikes and rowing machines in addition to running, but there are ways to easily modify the cardio portion to fit what you have and where you live.
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