HOME WORKOUT EQUIPMENT

For people who want to get in shape, but are busy with work and family, a home gym is often the most practical option. Whether you’re working out in your front room, garage or even in the garden, with the right home fitness equipment you can create a versatile and effective workout space.

Exercise is crucial for maintaining good mental and physical health. Everyone knows that exercise is required for fitness, wellbeing and for increasing your "health span", as well as your lifespan. Providing immediate and long term wellbeing benefits, the best type of workout, is the one that you'll actually get done and adhere to. If time is a factor, then a home workout and a home gym are likely the best options.

*Always consult your doctor or health care practitioner before undertaking a new exercise programme*

Creating an unmatched level of convenience, setting up a home gym, or having some exercise equipment to hand at home, allows for spontaneous and time-efficient workouts which eliminates travel expenses and gym membership fees.

A home gym also makes very short bouts of exercise, accumulated throughout the day an option. On the other hand, people who go to a commercial gym, will tend to do longer workouts of an hour or more, which doesn't fit well into everyone's schedule. For example, if you have a spare 10 minutes before you have to take the kids to football training, you could carry out a short 5 minute, high intensity workout at home; but you probably won't even make it to a commercial gym in that time. 

Unlike a commercial gym (unless you live next door to one), a home gym can allow spontaneous workouts and ‘exercise snacks’. 

The latest research shows that in terms of health, wellbeing, weight loss and fitness, doing “accumulated exercise”, for example, 5 minutes, 4 or 5  times per day, has many health benefits, and in some respects, is better than scheduling and carrying out a 40 minute workout in 1 ‘block’ of time. 

In a fast paced world, exercise snacks are more time-efficient and accessible for many. They can also provide a mental boost and reduce prolonged sitting, which research suggests, is damaging to health regardless of the exercise you do before and after sitting - for 8 hours at work, or in front of the TV at home, for example. 

Tabata Intervals last 4 minutes. With 8 rest periods throughout the 4 minutes, the actual ‘work time’ of a Tabata Intervals is less than 3 minutes. Best carried out on an exercise bike, ski erg, or bodyweight exercises, there is a vast body of research showing the significant health benefits they provide. If you have a home gym, you’re much more likely to carry out 4 minutes of exercise. 

The health benefits of short, intense exercise are huge. A home gym, which is generally more ‘time efficient’ to use than a commercial one; makes very short workouts and ‘exercise snacks’ more practical to carry out.  

For example, if your exercise programme consists of 4 x 4 minute Tabata Intervals each day, you would have to commute to the gym 4 times each day. With a home gym in place, this type of ‘accumulated exercise’ protocol is easier to execute and could save you a substantial amount of money in terms of fuel and car maintenance.

Furthermore a study carried out in 2022, demonstrated that Tabata Intervals can produce a pronounced improvement in mood and mental wellbeing when carried out consistently. Along with additional studies showing that 4 minute Tabata Intervals can produce substantial cardiovascular benefits for improvements in health and sports/athletic performance & ability; it's clear that time-efficient home workouts, even for just a few minutes per day can have a positive impact on physical and mental health. 

Deciding what equipment you need, and where your gym will be located, are the first steps to a fitter and healthier lifestyle. In this section we'll look at what you need to get in shape.

When designing your home gym and deciding what equipment you need, you will have to consider the space you have and your training goals. 

For example, if you have a dedicated room or garage with ample space; those looking to develop strength and/or power, will likely invest in a weights bench, a barbell and a selection of weight plates. If budget and space allows, a bike (to warm up on), a power cage/rack and a set of dumbbells would also be the ideal equipment for reaching your goals.

If cardiovascular fitness and health are your workout goals, then an air bike (great for Tabata Intervals), a rower and ski machine would be the perfect equipment. Treadmills are also excellent for fitness training, but can require more space. If you find cardio boring; which a lot of people do; then a punching bag and reflex boxing bag with a bar engage the mind as well as the body, which in turn can make them more fun to use. According to research, Non-contact boxing (like hitting a punching bag), can also have a significant impact on wellbeing, with a reduction in anger and increased levels of cantonment. 

If wellbeing is the goal, then a cardio machine, a foam roller, yoga mat, lacrosse ball (for self massage) would be the ideal tools for developing mobility, wellbeing and fitness.  This equipment would allow for a balanced approach of cardio, mobility and strength training. Great for strength and mobility, there are lots of yoga classes you can ‘attend’ online; providing a routine and motivation provided by a class setting; with the convenience of a home workout.

A garage is a great home gym location. For building muscle and developing strength, ‘compound’ exercises such as squats, deadlifts, chin ups and bench press are key. 

An Olympic barbell, squat rack, hex bar, weight plates and weightlifting bench can be used to build strength effectively and fast. If budget and space allows, a stationary bike for warm ups and a rack of dumbbells would take your garage gym to the next level.

For weight loss and cardiovascular fitness, a rowing machine or air bike, punching bag, and ski machine would be ideal. To prevent boredom, mixing your routines up with some kettlebell and dumbbell exercises can make things more fun and interesting. 

High quality gym flooring can make a gym safer, protect the floor, and insulate heat (important for garage gyms in the winter). Our rubber gym flooring mats are made from recycled rubber and provide a high level of impact absorption and floor protection. Gym flooring mats can also insulate the noise created, especially if weights are dropped - which is likely the case if you do any Olympic style weightlifting. Giving your gym a professional finish, high quality gym flooring also protects the weights.

Storing gym equipment neatly and in an organised fashion can help you to maximise the use of the space in your gym and make it easier to find what you want. An organised gym is also safer, tidy, and efficient.

Our dumbbell racks provide a compact way to store a large number of dumbbells. Made with durable materials including powder-coated steel, the racks have been designed with saddles for smooth placement and rubber feet to stabilise the racks and protect the floor. For barbells, we also provide a wide range of storage equipment. With specific storage equipment for studio barbells and Olympic barbells, you can keep your gym looking like a professional outfit. Choose from wall mounted racks and vertical barbell stands. We also supply kettlebell racks, and weight plate racks.

Many professional athletes will have a home gym. However, they will often use a club or sport-organisation's onsite gym for building strength and specific types of fitness, and use their home gym primarily for recovery and mobility. 

Even if you’re not a pro-athlete, if you lift heavy weights; and/or do lots of running, you’ll benefit from flexibility and mobility work. A foam roller is a great tool to have for trigger point therapy (a method for removing muscle knots) and flexibility programmes. Loosening tight muscles, enhancing blood flow; once you have used the foam roller and/or lacrosse ball; you can use a resistance band to help with stretching and mobility. 

Yoga equipment including wheels, mats and straps can be used for active recovery; whilst ice baths reduce muscle soreness and which in turn improves recovery, allowing athletes to train and compete at maximal intensity.

With so many options for a home gym, with lots of different exercise programmes and equipment, it can all be confusing and leave you with many questions. In this section we'll aim to clear up the common queries people have, so you have a better idea of how to achieve your home gym goals.

You can have multiple outcomes and process goals.

An outcome goal should be specific, time-based and measurable. For example -
“ I want to lose 2 inches from my waist by [insert date]”

Process goals are arguably more important, as you have more control of them. A process goal could be:

“I will use my home gym 3 times per week, for 30 minutes each time”

You can always begin your exercise regime without any equipment. There are apps available that demonstrate and explain dozens of bodyweight exercises that you can do at home.

One major issue with bodyweight training is that it is extremely difficult to exercise your back muscles significantly without any equipment, so you may want to invest in a pull up bar or some free weights at some point.

Resistance bands, stationary bikes, ski machines and weighted vests are all good options for home gyms. 

*Always consult your doctor or health care practitioner before undertaking a new exercise programme*

To workout your legs at home, you can use a resistance band, free weights, or bodyweight exercises. Resistance bands can be used to make bodyweight squats more difficult. If you have a thick looped band, like our Power Bands, you can step onto the inside of it, and loop the opposite side over your head so the band is on your shoulders.

You can also use a kettlebell, or dumbbell to perform goblet squats. Simply hold the weight with both hands at around chest height, as you perform squats.

Advanced exercisers can also look to perform pistol squats/1 legged squats, and hamstring Nordic curls. 

Home workouts certainly can work - you can build as much muscle and get as fit as you could when you join a commercial gym.  The likelihood of someone reaching their fitness and exercise goals will depend on a number of factors including his/her baseline (starting) fitness, the space available, and the equipment he or she has available. Social support, planning and goal setting are also big factors. 

Having measurable goals can help a lot with adherence and motivation. Either pay a personal trainer or medical professional to take your starting/baseline heart rate, blood pressure, waist size and weight. The more you measure, the better. For example, if your waist was to stay the same size, but you’ve measured your neck and arms circumference and they’ve gotten bigger, then you’re very likely building significant amounts of muscle. 

Whole body, high intensity workouts burn the most calories per minute/hour. For example a circuit training style workout with minimal rest between exercises or stations. Carrying out exercises like squats, lunges, press ups, chin ups and 1-arm-rows with a kettlebell or dumbbell for 50 seconds on each station will burn lots of calories and build a high level of fitness, but it can be hard to maintain a high intensity for a long period of time. 

If you do adopt a high intensity interval training programme (HIIT), like a circuit of bodyweight exercises, then it can help to begin with 30 seconds of work and 30 seconds of rest, building up to 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Because HIIT and circuit training produce lots of lactic acid; it can be better to do daily 10 minute workouts when you first start. 

Whatever form of exercise you choose, to burn the most calories ideally you will:

• Focus on “compound movements” that use all the legs or upper body  like squats, lunges and chin ups. 

• Minimise rest periods to keep your heart rate up

• Add resistance to make it more difficult - e.g. use resistance bands, or weighted vests
  
  
  

Here's an example of a routine for building fitness and burning calories at home -

It is possible to build muscle using bodyweight exercises such as press ups and pistol squats. However, it’s really hard to train your back muscles without any equipment. You need a ‘pulling’ exercise to train the muscles in the upper back; this generally requires a weight, kettlebell, pull up bar, or dumbbell. 

Progressive overload is key for building strength and muscle. This just means that you gradually increase the resistance.

Progression is also easier if you have a comprehensive free weights set up. For example, a progression for building up your chest muscles could be moving up to 85kg for max repetitions, from 80kg the week before.

With bodyweight exercises, you would have to increase the repetitions, or move into a new exercise. For example, if you could complete 20 press ups easily; to carry on building more muscle and strength, you’d have to add on or replace standard press ups with single arm press ups, Hindu press ups or some type of plyometric press up.

This completely depends on your goals, fitness levels and ability to recover between workouts. Workouts can be a 4 minute Tabata Interval, 30 seconds of bodyweight squats or 2 hours of weightlifting and cardio. 

Start off with daily short workouts of around 5-15 minutes.  Build up the duration and aim for 4 or 5 20-30 minute workouts per week after 2 months. Remember that workouts can be split throughout the day, doing 10 minutes in the morning, at lunch and in the evening, is as good as, and in many ways healthier than sitting down all day and doing 30 minutes of exercise in the evenings.

There’s no point investing in a lavish home gym, if you don’t use it. In this section we will look at some effective ways to stay motivated when working out from home.

There are some psychological differences between people who will tend to adhere to an exercise programme and people who don’t.

People who adhere to exercise programmes, and stick to things generally tend to have:

• Intrinsic motivation

• Internal “locus of control” - they believe they have full control over their fitness levels and weight

• Confidence that they can follow through and stick to the programme

Find something that you like doing. Maybe you like computer games, hiking, or swimming. If you haven’t found a form of exercise that you like, then try out a few classes for different exercise modalities. 

If you don’t like ‘traditional’ forms of exercise, like sports, you could also try video games. From the Nintendo Wii, to the PS5 there are dozens of effective and extremely fun video games to play. Nintendo Wii, for example, has Wii Sports, boxing and tennis games, and the PS5 has boxing games like Creed, which are incredibly immersive and physically hard work!

Remember too, that once you see progress and develop skills and physical attributes, exercise will become more rewarding. When you start to use a rowing machine for example, it can be demotivating if you can’t complete 1000m. If you set daily goals however, and build up to 1000m, you’ll feel great and start to enjoy rowing more.

Studies tend to show that if you focus on what you can control, you're more likely to stick to an exercise programme and/or diet. Try not to blame/attribute any element of your healthy lifestyle success or failure to factors outside of your control. Focus on what you know you can control and try to respond positively to any setbacks. 

Saying “no” to junk food and being able to set polite boundaries for example is within your control. It's highly likely that at some point you'll be tempted to eat junk food, but you can always control your response.

Having short term “micro goals”, like “I will workout for 10 minutes after lunch”, can help you to keep motivated day by day.

Micro goals can make exercise less overwhelming. Although it's a great idea to have longer term goals, focusing on smaller goals each day can help keep you motivated. 

To read about setting outcome and progress goals, please click here. 

Studies show that using an existing habit as a cue to exercise or eat something healthy, can increase adherence to an exercise programme and/or healthy diet. 

Take a habit that you already have and already adhere to on a daily basis, and do your workout, or some exercise, after that habit has been carried out. 

The habit could be brushing your teeth and your goal could be “I’ll do 30 press ups and 20 squats after I brush my teeth”.  Another example, might be after your coffee or lunch, you go for a walk for 10 minutes, or you could accumulate 50 bodyweight squats when you’re waiting for something to cook in the oven.

Remember it only takes 5 minutes to get start & to get back on track. Whilst hitting your ‘big goals’ like losing a set amount of body fat or weight can take months, remember that getting started and getting back on track can be done in minutes. 

Reddit subs including r/bodyweightfitness and r/homegym, and home gym groups on Facebook, are full of knowledgeable and supportive users. 

Many of the groups have online challenges and workouts. Discord is especially good for real-time live fitness challenges, providing a more interactive experience than Facebook or Reddit. 

In summary, you can increase the likelihood that you will stick to an effective exercise programme by:

• Using a fitness app

• Using fitness games on consoles like Meta Quest, PS4 and Nintendo Switch

• Reducing ‘friction’ by leaving equipment out when possible

• Habit stacking - add your workout straight after a habit you’ve already established

• Join a community - Reddit, local fitness groups etc

Remember that it takes most people 7-10 weeks to develop a habit. Once the habit is in place, adherence becomes much easier. 

Below we have listed some of our most popular home gym equipment. From doorway pull up bars to kettlebells that weigh up to 48kg; we have a wide selection of top quality fitness equipment, so that no matter what your fitness goals are, you're sure to find what you need to get your gym set up.