How To Build Your Own Home Gym

At the beginning of the year I finally threw in the towel on my gym membership. I had been a member for as long as I could remember, however, it just wasn’t the same anymore. At one point I had used my membership to its full extent. Though recently, I was only showing up for the group classes and even then not regularly. I dreaded making the journey to the gym and I was bored to death with the classes.  It just wasn’t working for me anymore. Two years ago, Bruce bought me a treadmill for a birthday gift. It was then my love affair with the gym started to wane.

 

Last fall I injured my shoulder and I had been forced to freeze my membership. I couldn’t attend group classes anymore and I had no reason to keep my membership. By January my shoulder had started to improve but not enough to attend the one size fits all classes. I wanted to start building strength again but the classes would be too intense. On the way home last Christmas when I was mulling all this over what I should do. I decided I was going to try and commit to the concept of fully developing my own fitness plan. For years, I had been developing my own running plans but I had relied on the gym for strength training. Now I was going to be fully accountable to myself and create a plan that worked for me. I would work on rehabilitating my shoulder and getting back into strength training all on my own!

My Workout Routine

I tried all sorts of workout plans in January, Tone it Up, Nike Plus, workouts I found on Pinterest, and Fitness Blender. Eventually I fell in love with Fitness Blender and have been using it ever since. My workout routine these days is essentially Monday & Thursday (Arms/Core fitness Blender – Run steady state) , Tuesday & Friday  (Legs fitness Blender – Run HIIT workout) and Saturday (Total Body Fitness Blender). In two weeks this will change slightly as I transition into a running plan for the summer racing season. However, I plan to keep the strength training the same. In addition to this is I still attend yoga at my local studio 2 – 3 times a week.

 

Why I Love My Home Gym

I workout first thing in the morning, there’s no driving or packing bags and forgetting things. It’s so simple – get up and workout. I have gained back precious time in my day now that I don’t drive to the gym. The other benefit I have noticed is that because I am constantly switching up routines and doing new workouts, I am more in tune with my workouts. I am paying attention to form and breathing. I have even noticed during yoga instead of checking out I am tuned in to what I am doing. When I was doing the same classes over and over it was very easy to check out and just go through the motions. When you are constantly doing something new you can’t do that.

 

Home Gym Equipment To Build Your Own Home Gym

Needless to say I am in love with my home gym and have developed a space that works for me. I thought I’d share the equipment I have purchased to perhaps inspire you to build your own home gym of your very own.

I have the Horizon Fitness T101-04 Treadmill and I absolutely love it! It has inclines and speeds up to 10, a built-in speaker you can hook your phone up to, a fan, and space for your ipad and water bottles. It feels sturdy as your run and is comparable to treadmills at the gym. For the price point, I think this treadmill is a great choice.

 

 

About a month ago after researching and waiting I found a set of PowerBlock Sport 9.0 for sale used on Kijiji. Keeping an eye online for used equipment is a great way to build your own home gym. Mine are similar to these ones (they are the new version). The ones I own and the ones I linked to are adjustable weights from 5 – 50lbs in 5lb increments. I have been using them about a month now and I love them! They are super quick to change your weights. They also have three different handles to adjust your hold which is great for various exercises like tricep dips. Finally, the square shape allows you to do push ups right from the weight. I really love these weights and while they are pricy they replace 16 sets of dumbbells and take up the space of one set.

 

 

I have two of these treadmill mats (Shock Athletic Microban Rolled Foam Mat) one is actually under my treadmill. The other I use for doing all my cardio, strength training and toning exercises. It is giant and measures 4 x 8 feet which makes it much larger then a standard yoga mat. But it is great for doing exercises like lunges where you need lots of room. It also quiets some of the noise when I am doing plyometric work early in the morning it can be quite noisy!

 

 

I have this 36 inch black foam roller that I have found great for rolling out sore muscles after running. As well as rolling out my back and shoulders after a long day of sitting at a desk. I think everyone needs a foam roller, they are great for rolling out those stiff muscles.

 

 

Finally, I have these yoga blocks for when I am doing yoga at home. I also have a skipping rope to incorporate that into my routine occasionally.

 

 

Where do you workout?

Have I convinced you to build your own home gym? I’d love to hear from you! 

Do you have a home gym, what workouts do you do? I am always looking for new ones! What is your favourite home gym equipment? 

Looking for workout inspiration? Checkout my workouts here! 

 

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