Top 10 must haves for a home gym

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We broke up with our local gym a few years ago and I've never looked back. I know lots of people need the extra push of belonging to a local gym in order to get them out the door to get their workouts done. Whether it's the money they're spending or the encouragement of community, there can be a draw of belonging to a gym to encourage you to make fitness a priority. For me, though, I wanted the freedom to be able to workout at home, without the interruption of others and the added cost. I've slowly been piecing together our home gym and am very pleased with everything I've added so far.

While there are a few items we have that I'm leaving off this list (because of size and cost), I think you'll find my list of TOP 10 MUST-HAVES FOR A HOME GYM to be more than complete, especially if you're just starting out. A few of the considerations I gave the items I'm including are: size, cost, and relevance. We happen to have a big open room in our basement that we can devote to gym equipment, but I know a lot of people don't, so I wanted to include items that are smaller or have space-saving capabilities. Also, not everyone has a huge budget to spend on fitness equipment. I've bought a lot of things used or over time, in order to defray the cost. Lastly, I wanted to include things that you will get the most use out of. I know everyone will be different, but I'll call out the number one item I use later in the post and the one I would say everyone needs! 

So, without further ado...

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My TOP 10 MUST-HAVES FOR A HOME GYM:

1. WEIGHTED VEST

If I had to choose one item for everyone to have in their home gym equipment lineup, this would be it!! With a WEIGHTED VEST, you can turn even household chores into a workout, with the extra resistance. The vest boasts benefits such as: building strength, improving posture, cardiovascular strengthening, better balance, calorie burning, increasing bone density, and endurance!

I had been wearing Jason's old weighted vest for a while and it was fine, but definitely designed for a man's body (or a flat-chested woman). I recently made the upgrade to this weighted vest, designed specifically for women (although, a man could easily wear it). The criss-cross front allows room for "the girls", making it so much more comfortable to wear! It also caps out at 16 lbs, whereas my old one was only 12 lbs. The ideal weight for a vest is 10% of your body weight. So, this new one is right on target for my current weight, however, I'm still trying to lose and want to up the vest weight eventually for even more effectiveness.

2. VIBRATION PLATE

If you follow me on INSTAGRAM, you have surely seen me on my vibration plate. I try to do it once a day after my workout. It feels amazing, plus it amplifies whatever physical activity you're doing on it, whether standing or adding in weights and resistance. In addition, the number one reason I got the VIBRATION PLATE was to help with lymphatic drainage. Vibration plates cause our muscles to become tense an then relax, increasing blood flow and circulation...thus helping the lymphatic system do its job properly.

3. BALANCE BOARD OR TRAINER

This piece of equipment is so basic, but wow does it work! It does such a good job of helping improve core muscles through balance, plus its fun like a toy we would have played with as children. If you're worried about safety, I highly suggest placing it near a wall or object you can grab onto for added stability if needed. Once you get better at the BALANCE BOARD, try adding in the weighted vest with it!

4. WALKING PAD

Now, I have both a treadmill and a walking pad. I know that's a bit luxurious, but the treadmill was a gift from someone not using theirs. I am so very thankful for it and use it daily. However, I've been trying to walk within 90 minutes of every meal and sometimes (as lazy and ridiculous as it sounds), I'm just way more likely to make the quick trip into my office to hop on for a few minutes on the WALKING PAD, than I would be to walk down to our basement to get on the treadmill. The walking pads are a great way to incorporate extra steps into your day, too, if you don't have room for a treadmill because they can be moved out of the way when you're not using them.

One thing that's made a huge difference in my willingness to put in additional steps on the walking pad is the IPAD STAND I bought. It's perfect to hold a phone or tablet while working out. Would also be nice to use while relaxing in the tub or bed post workout...

5. ADJUSTABLE DUMBBELLS

I was able to find a really nice set of ADJUSTABLE DUMBBELLS on Facebook Marketplace (with the stand) a few years ago and use them all the time! The nice thing about the design of these is that they don't take up all the room of a full set of hand weights, but you can instead add plates of extra weight for a similar experience. I'm sharing a couple of options here, depending on how much weight you're looking for and how much money you want to spend. I think the top set would be enough for most folks, unless you're looking to lift a bit heavier.

6. KETTLE GRYP

This is actually a new-to-me product and I want one! While I do have a set of three kettlebells, this cool item allows you to turn any dumbbell into a kettlebell! With the KETTLE GRYP, you could save a lot of space in your home gym, save money on buying kettlebells, and have the potential of heavier kettlebells, depending on the weight of your dumbbells. Seems like a no-brainer to me! 

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7. RESISTANCE BANDS

Resistance bands are a great way to add weight training into your routine without taking up much space at all! I'm sharing a couple different options here, depending on your needs. The first is a very basic set of bands that just use your body for resistance. The second is a set that you can connect to different objects as part of the resistance. Each set comes with instructions and different workouts you can do with them. RESISTANCE BANDS are great to have when you're traveling, but still want to be able to get a good workout in.

8. WEIGHTED MEDICINE BALL

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My list wouldn't be complete without a WEIGHTED MEDICINE BALL. If you have trouble gripping dumbbells or kettlebells, I think this is a great way to add weight to your workout without much added stress. They come in different weights, depending on your needs and skill level and are an easy way to add weight to different fitness movements. I especially like using them when I'm doing anything overhead, since I have shoulder tension that often doesn't allow for full range of movement. Weighted medicine balls are also great for building core strength!

9. PILATES RING

I've been looking into the good old THIGHMASTER lately to help work on my thigh muscles (obviously), but happened upon this PILATES RING and became curious. If you've ever done Pilates, it is intense with its series of small, precise movements to build muscle. This ring help you to get a similar workout at home, without having to go to a class or center. I'm thinking about grabbing this to add to my own home gym!

10. INVERSION TABLE

While it's not technically a piece of workout equipment, I think an INVERSION TABLE is so great to have in any home for overall health and well-being! This feels so good to do at the end of a workout. It helps relieve compression in your spine, improves flexibility, improves posture, increases lung capacity, and increases circulation. Such a great way to round out a workout to feel your best! 

While I'm sure there are lots more fitness items I could have added to this list, these are the items I think every home gym should have. Again, everyone has different spaces that will allow for more or less and there are varying budgets as well. I would just encourage you to start your collection with pieces that you think you would get the most value out of. Honestly, if you only buy one thing, but you use the heck out of that one thing...it's a win!

I would love to see what your home gym set up is like; I need some inspiration of my own to make ours actually look good... Share to your stories and tag me on INSTAGRAM so I can see!