If there’s one good thing to come out of the lockdowns during the pandemic, it’s that people have started to come round to the idea of working out at home. With fitness centres closed nationwide, gym bunnies up and down the country have had to find home workout equipment for small spaces.
I’ve long advocated the use of our own homes as makeshift gyms. Personally, I’ve never set foot into a ‘proper’ gym in my life (what do you mean you “could’ve guessed”?)
Seriously though, there’s a whole raft of exercises and routines you can do in the comfort of your own home, plus at home there’s nobody to judge you. You can work out in your pyjamas in front of old VHS recordings of Bullseye if you want, whatever works for you. To motivate you to work out more, try wearing an exercise body shaper that will make you feel confident and provide great support. You can opt for one that adds extra protection to your back while you exercise.
Home Workout Equipment for Small Spaces
The only issue comes if you’re working with limited space in your home. Unless you’re happy to watch Coronation Street whilst sat on a weights bench, you may have to think smartly about workout equipment that won’t take up too much space. Luckily for you, here’s a list of the three essentials you need to tackle just that problem.
Smart Home Gyms
A new advancement in gym equipment – smart home gyms may be ideal, if you have the money to spend, and want something that is comparatively compact. You will want to ensure it’s versatile and it has the required features for the type of routines you want to do. They also have smart tracking, that adjusts workouts for you as you progress, so its really good if you want to really want to make significant progress in your training.
Adjustable dumbbells
While they may seem more expensive than a pair of fixed-weight dumbbells initially, adjustable dumbbells can actually make sense both for limited space and economically.
Stick with one pair of fixed-weight dumbbells, and any progress you make will plateau quickly. Buy several sets of them, and you’ll likely pay more than you would have if you’d just plumped for adjustable dumbbells initially.
Money aside, they also take up WAY less space than 10 different pairs of dumbbells. If you’re serious about your small-space home gym, they’re a sound investment.
A word of caution though, not all adjustable dumbbells are created equal. Make sure you buy from a specialist supplier such as dnfit.co.uk so you know you’re picking up a quality pair.
If you really want to get some extra equipment in without taking up extra space, there are also adjustable dumbbells that convert to a barbell just by attaching a barbell connector. Check out this weights dumbbell set which not only include a barbell connector, but also several cast iron weights of differing size.
For those that like the sound of using a barbell too, you’d be well-advised to pick up a barbell pad whilst you’re at it. These plush, padded sleeves ensure that squats and hip thrusts can be performed in comfort.
Pull-up bars
There’s no exercise that hits as many muscle groups as the good old-fashioned pull up.
They’re hard, but that’s why they’re so effective. Back at home gym, nobody’s there to laugh as you barely complete one, so make the most of it to keep at them and drill you into titanic shape!
There’s loads of options for pull-up bars that you fix to doorways. Opt for the type that hook around the back of the door frame rather than the expandable ones: it’s only the latter that you see people on You’ve Been Framed using.
Resistance bands
One of the most unobtrusive workout items you can possibly find, resistance bands are a fantastic home gym addition. You can perform some exercises just by trapping resistance bands beneath your feet. If you don’t trust your own feet not to let the band twang into your face though, you can affix them to the wall for greater stability.
Easy-to-affix wall mounts make it simple to perform an even greater range of resistance training exercises. You can go through similar routines that you might have needed big, bulky gym equipment for previously with resistance bands. Instead of invading your front room like a workout bench though, small mounts the size of light fittings allow users to hook bands on and off with ease.
Home workout equipment for small spaces – Verdict
There you have it, practically everything your home gym needs in a tiny list. If you’ve got an outside space to use, you could even throw in a skipping rope too. There’s an almost limitless amount of exercises that you can perform outside of a gym, even in the smallest homes.
Once you add in all the possible permutations of bodyweight exercises and cardio techniques like jumping jacks shadow boxing, you’ll find that staying away from the gym has not only left you with a leaner midriff, but also a heavier wallet!
So you’re on a fitness kick, and need non-alcoholic drinks with a bit of a…well, kick? Check out this review of chilli-based soft drinks.