Like many people this year, I’ve expanded my home gym. With gyms shut down or more restricted, everyone seems to be scrambling to try and replace their activities for staying active. While I haven’t had a gym membership in many years, I was doing most of my strength training at a small private studio with a personal trainer. When COVID hit I knew I needed to keep active to stay balanced so I decided it was time to expand my home gym equipment. While I always try to be thoughtful about purchases for my home to maintain less clutter, I knew investing in some additions to keep me moving would be worth it. Below are the purchases I made that have been getting daily use. Check them out if you are looking to create or expand your home gym.
This bench was the largest investment I made this year to improve my home gym but has been well worth it. While it folds up easily I just keep it out since I use it daily. It’s been a great addition for strength training, core activities and especially for step up, assisted pushups, tricep dips and so much more.
When I was having trouble finding heavier dumbbells back in April I decided to order this kettlebell that I found available on Amazon. It’s been a great addition to my other dumbbells and I use it for a variety of activities from squats to rows to deadlifts. The one I linked is a little pricer than some you can find on Amazon but I love the cushioned bottom which is quieter and a little less scary to use on my hardwood floors.
I’ve had this set of resistance loops for a few years now. If you don’t like this set of adorable pink bands, rest assured they do come in other colors as well. Not only are they a good option for home gym workouts but also useful when traveling. You can easily throw the set in your suitcase and get a good workout in on the road!
I added this slam ball to my home gym this summer. It’s been a fun addition and useful to have for core activities like Russian Twists, to hold over your head when doing squats, or basically anytime you want to add weight and it might be easier to hold a ball verses a set of dumbbells. If I wasn’t in my 2nd floor bedroom I would use it as an actual slam ball! Maybe outside one day?
Resistance bands are another great way to do strength training when you don’t have dumbbells, are traveling, or trying to replace cable machines. These bands are much longer then the loops and can be used to replicate most activities you could do with a cable machine in the gym.
I love this large exercise ball for core activities and also to sit on at my desk in place of my regular desk chair. My kids also love to roll around and play with it too!
I’m sure you’ll notice that Dumbbells are missing from this list. And I’m sure you are probably well aware that dumbbells are still hard to find and when you do find them, they are extremely overpriced. So I searched around and had some luck finding a few sets locally on Facebook Marketplace and most recently on Peloton. I would recommend checking out either of those sites first. And hopefully you don’t need a 20 lb set since those seem to be in hottest demand!
Well that’s it! These are my most recent home gym purchases that I love. I hope you found this useful and are finding ways to stay active!
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