Inconvenience—be it that of time and/or cost—is the main reason why people don’t get started working out. We’re either too busy to get it started, or we feel like it’s just another expense we can’t afford as of the moment. For some reason, we just can’t be bothered to take that first step to fitness and health, and always find a reason to put it off for the next day, week, month, or year. But to be quite frank, the aspect of inconvenience is really the easiest roadblock on the fitness journey to eliminate.
If you’re not the type to settle for a good set of running gear and hitting the pavements, then why not build your own home gym? Yes, the cost might seem big at first, but hey, at least you’re not tied up to monthly payments at the gym that will make you feel bad, because you don’t show up at least four times a week. If the option has crossed your mind and the idea is one you want to follow-through on, we’ve compiled a short list of essential pieces for your home gym, below:
1. Yoga Mat
If you plan on doing some at-home yoga on it and need the extra grip so you don’t slip and slide while you practice your Warrior 1 and 2’s, investing on a non-pro yoga mat is likely to be a good idea. And even if you’re not a decent-to-professional yogi or yogini, a yoga/exercise mat should still be on your shopping list for a home gym. Why? Well, do you really want to be doing sit-ups on a cold, hard floor? No? I thought so.
Price range: P500.00 to P3,000.00
Get them at: Chris Sports, Toby’s Sports, Decathlon, Active
2. Light Dumbbells
Much can be achieved by just bodyweight training, alone. But since we know you guys are always up for the challenge, why not add a small weight to your exercises? Light dumbbells (at least 3 kg.) are a good piece of equipment for a home gym to help achieve just that. Not to mention they’re also quite useful when you’re trying to build muscular endurance through high-rep, low-weight exercises and when you’re focusing on weaker and smaller muscle groups (ie. Arms and chest).
Price range: P750.00
Get them at: Decathlon
3. Heavy Kettlebells/Dumbbells
So, if you have your light dumbbells for your smaller muscle groups, a heavy kettlebell/dumbbell (at least 10 kg. to 20 kg.) will be your-go-to for the bigger ones. Whether it’s overhead squats, deadlifts, swings, or thrusters, your heave kettlebell will be an essential tool for functional training.
Price range: P2,700.00 to P3,650.00
Get them at: Active, Decathlon
4. Medium Foam Roller
Recovery is also part of training, hence the presence of this item on your list. A flexible muscle, is a strong muscle. And if the days and nights of training at your home gym have led to too much muscle stiffness or soreness, a foam roller will definitely come in handy. A foam roller is that gym tool that helps you train more by helping you recover faster. Think of a deep tissue massage after a workout, but instead of going to a spa and paying some other person to massage your sore muscles and trigger points, you’re basically DIY-ing it at home with a foam roller.
Price range: P400.00 to P2,100.00
Get them at: Sportsology, Active, Decathlon, Chris Sports
5. Speed Ropes
Nope. You can’t and shouldn’t escape cardio. Cardio is your best friend and a good workout on it would be a few skips on that speed rope. Although it’s not entirely necessary, but adding this on the list because we know not everyone here is particularly agreeable to running.
Also, if it’s not a cost you want to add to your shopping list, then ditch it and substitute it with a number of workouts that can still give you the challenge of a cardio workout like jumping jacks, mountain climbers, burpees—whichever you please. But again: Don’t. Skip. Cardio. (See what I did there?)
Price range: P100.00 to P1,500.00
Get them at: Beauty MNL, Decathlon, Chris Sports, Toby’s Sports
6. Resistance Bands
Ever heard of booty bands and how they’re supposed to help amp up your squat game? Well, they’re not just for squats. There are actually a number of other workouts you can do with them, like bicep curls, rows, and you can even use them during sit-ups. They’re a great, portable substitute for light to medium dumbbells for when you want to take your training outdoors. You can buy them in sets or per piece by whichever degree of resistance you’re comfortable working with.
Price range: P595.00 to P919.00
Get them at: Booty Bands PH, Fitique Nutrition, Active, Toby’s Sports, Chris Sports
7. Fitness Mobil
“Okay! I’ve gathered up all the stuff on your list, Pinoy Fitness! But I don’t really know what to do with them and how to do them right?!”
To answer that; try booking a personal coach through Fitness Mobil. Fitness Mobil takes out the hassle of having to leave the house to go to the gym and paying a hefty price for both the membership and the personal training. To add to that, they also allow for short-term personal training services, at whenever time you choose to book them. Learn more about the service by inquiring through their Facebook page, and learn how they can help you get started on getting fit at the comfort of your own home.
Have some other equipment you use at home for your workouts? Feel free to share them in the comments. We’d love to know!
