Do you hate dragging yourself to the gym when it’s cold and pouring with rain? Are you fed up will all the gym rats and bunnies standing around talking, using up space that you could be exercising in? The maybe it’s time for a home gym. But what items do you need if you are going to work out in your own home? Well, read on to find out.

Treadmills

The treadmill is often known as running machine and can be an essential part of any home gym. They are perfect for ensuring you can get your cardio in, no matter what the weather outside. They can also be used for HIIT workouts, and as a warm up, routine to get your muscles ready for other exercises.

But what type of treadmill is best for your home gym? Well, there are several types to choose from. The first is a manual treadmill. This is a machine that relies on the kinetic energy of you walking or jogging on to drive the belt. They are often cheaper that the automatic machines, so they make a good bet for someone at the beginning of their fitness journey.

However, they are not always of the most sturdy construction. Add that to the fact that they can struggle if you want to run at speed, and an automatic device might be a better choice. Some electric devices have different modes for you to follow programmed in too, which can make varying your workout alt easier.

There are also curved running machines that you can get for your home gym now. These are designed to mirror running outside much more accurately. They also help increase the energy you burn during your workout, as they are less stable and you have to work harder to run on them.

Stepper

Steppers are another great bit of kit that will help you get your daily dose of cardio in your home gym. Some people prefer them because they get you heart rate pumping, but they don’t cause as much stress on the knees and other joints so reducing the risk of injury.

The are plenty of home gym machines that is based around the idea of stepping to choose from. The first is your bog standard stepper which has a large base unit and two-foot pads which provides resistance to set against.

Then there is also cross stepping machine which has the added bonus of working your arms as well as your legs. However these do tend to be pretty bulking and expensive, so might not be the best choice for a home gym.

If you are looking for something smaller and more portable for your home gym, you might like to try a low impact stepper. These are small pieces of equipment that just have foot pads, without the large frame your see on normal steppers. They also work via manual hydraulics, instead of having automated control. They are a cheap low impact way of introducing some cardio into your home gym, and the best thing is that they take up very little room.

Some folks like the compactness of the low impact steppers, but feel they are just not challenging enough. If that is true in your case, what about investing in a climbing machine instead? You can still get these in smallish portable versions. But as they include handles to work the arms as well, you can get a much more through our workout by using them.

Rowing Machines

The third cardio machine to be aware of for you home gym is the rowing machine. Rowing is a great cardiovascular activity, but obviously, not everyone has access to a boat and a river. So some bright spark came up with the idea of a rowing machine that you could use on land.

Rowing machines come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and it can be useful to do a little research on them before you make your purchase. For example, did you know that the resistance in the machine can come from one of three sources: water, air or magnets?

Also, remember that not all machines are created equal. Some have a higher weight capacity, while others include preset programs to help you vary your workouts.

You can even get some that are built into other machines, so they are more of a total body workout solution than a standalone machine. So make sure you are confident on what your needs are before you invest.

Weights

Other popular items for the home gym include weights. But, the terms ‘weights, ‘ means different things to different people. The suburban mom may think about weights as that thing that you strap to your wrists and ankles while doing aerobics. While a power lifter will be thinking barbells for deadlifts. Of course, you have dumbbells and kettlebells now too, just to complicate matters.

When purchasing weights for your home gym, it is often best to stick to what you know. For example, if you have attended some kettlebell training sessions, then you have some idea of the weight and moves that you can handle already. The same goes for dumbbell and barbell lifting. It is worth bearing mind that safety is key when lifting weights and you should never try anything out of your comfort zone when you are working out alone.

Mats

A slightly less glamorous item that most people will need in their home gym is some mats. If you are going for heavy automatic equipment, then foam mats can help protect your room’s floor and minimize the impact on your joints.

If you have the less heavy duty equipment, it can still be useful to have a mat or two on which to do floor exercises or lift weights. Although It’s might be more practical and economical to choose something like these yoga mats.

Fans and heaters

Buying a fan or a heater isn’t something that everybody thinks of when creating a gym in their own home. But they can be vital to the success of your workout. You will need a fan if you are working out in a small room that gets hot very quickly.

Or, you may need a heater if you have chosen a particularly cold room for your gyms like a basement or a garage. Remember you don’t want to let those muscles cool down too much when you are working out, and a good heater can help you keep the temperature just right.