Compact Home Gyms - Getting into Shape on a Budget

Dumbbells: The Standard of Free Weight Training

One of the first items to consider for a compact, inexpensive home gym is a set of dumbbells which are extremely versatile for many exercises. They come in two styles: adjustable or fixed weight. You can start with one pair or spend a little more and get a set of varying weights.

• Adjustable Dumbbells are great for compact home gyms since they take up less room than fixed dumbbell weights. They have a steel handlebar, and plates are slipped over each end to increase the weight. Each plate is secured with a clip or a collar so it won’t slip off. Plates come in weight increments for progressive training.

• Fixed Weight Dumbbells also come in different weight increments: 5 lbs, 10 lbs, 20 lbs and so on. There is a variety of styles ranging from hard plastic to chrome bars/rubber plates. A set of these are expensive, and because they can take up a lot of space, it’s a good idea to buy a rack to display them.

Dumbbells are the all-time favorite of fitness trainers and weightlifters, and are the single piece of equipment that most compact home gyms include simply because of their ease of use and effectiveness.

More Simple Equipment to Get in Shape

If dumbbells just don’t appeal to you, you have many other options. You can create an inexpensive compact home gym using simple items costing between $7 and $30 such as:

• Jump ropes are the cheapest, quickest cardio workout around.

• A chin-up bar is ideal for building upper body strength.

• Fitness balls are a bit more faddish, but they do work. Sitting or lying on the ball while doing exercise requires balance, which means your stabilizer muscles are getting a workout in addition to the isolation muscle being exercised.

• A Kettle bell is a cast iron weight that looks like a miniature cannonball with a handle. There’s not enough space here to go into everything this amazing iron ball can do for you, but with proper instruction you can use them in place of barbells, dumbbells -- and everything else!

• Resistance bands come in light, medium, or heavy tubing. Each tube has a pair of rotating handgrips to allow for a greater range of motion. Many include an anchor strap that can attach to a door jam or any fixed object, or simply stand on the middle of the band. They work the entire body -- chest, back, shoulders, arms, and legs.

Forget Gimmicky Gadgets: Get Basic, Fundamental Equipment

As you can see, resistance training does not have to be expensive. All of the accessories mentioned here can be used effectively in compact home gyms; in fact, all of this equipment can be found in use every single day in every commercial gym and health club around the world. These are not TV gimmicks, but useful tools that can be purchased online or in any sporting good store.

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