When kitting out a home gym we need to think cardiovascular and about muscle building. Our desire to exercise should always have these two motivations in mind. This leads us on to think about the kinds of equipment we will need to achieve them both. These will become our 4 different ways of achieving fitness within our home gym. So, if you are feeling fit, we will begin our journey to find out the kinds of equipment we shall need to fully equip our gym room so that it will serve all our fitness needs and avoid us needing to venture outside when the weather is inclement.
Exercise Bike
The most popular, familiar, and all-around exercise machine to go for in terms of home use is undoubtedly the exercise bike. Representing an actual bike but never likely to move anywhere other than where you place it, this form of exercise machine will replicate all the movements you would make if you were going on a long bike ride.
Riding a stationary bike will get you everywhere in terms of fitness because it will prove to be an effective way to burn calories as well as build strength in your legs and lower body. This will mean that it is strengthening your heart, lungs, and muscles. Comparing it to other forms of cardio equipment, it puts less stress on joints but still provides a good aerobic workout for the body.
In terms of strengthening muscles, an exercise bike will help with calves, quadriceps, and hamstrings. It will also allow you to work on the muscles in your core, glutes, and back.
Rowing Machine
A rowing machine will act as the alternative to rowing on a river. It is also an alternative to using an exercise bike because it will primarily achieve the same things. So, if you have several people exercising in your home gym at the same time, then you can achieve the same level of fitness together on these different machines and have the variety so as not to get bored using just one piece of equipment all the time.
So, to summarise its benefits in this section, the rowing machine will give you a full-body workout, burn off lots of calories, improve your aerobic fitness, help with conditioning your lower body, and build better posture. Also, like the exercise bike, it is low impact and so there will be less chance of injury while you are carrying out the activity. The purpose of the exercise, after all, is to make you fitter, healthier, and stronger, not to give you an injury that means you will have to start this process all over again.
Treadmill
Another piece of gym equipment that goes easy on your joints is the treadmill. They are the preferred alternative to running outdoors for those who struggle with severe obesity. It can not only burn belly fat but long term, when used regularly, help visceral fat to disappear for good. They are the ultimate weight-losing machine that can be used in all weathers because its users will be running indoors in the dry and in an environment temperature controlled so that they do not overheat. There will also not be that same impact joints feel pounding pavements.
The beauty of a treadmill is that you can replicate mountain climbs without running as far as the hills. This is possible because you can easily alter their slope or gradient. This can make a workout hard or easier as required.
Dumbbells or Kettlebells
Not so dumb as they sound, dumbbells will allow you to strengthen and tone specific muscle groups or muscles and to increase their size. They are the choice of bodybuilders and powerlifters. More and more athletes are seeing and feeling the benefits of using them in their exercise or workout routines.
Similar to dumbbells are kettlebells. These will improve your strength overall as well as your core power, flexibility, balance, and coordination. This is while you are melting fat away and sculpturing your body by toning healthy and lean muscles into something that you can be proud of. Toning muscles can be about sex appeal as much as it is about improving our strength to carry out everyday activities, and keeping us fit and healthy in the process of achieving it.
To conclude, we can keep fit inside a home gym by replicated the exercise of cycling or rowing, by running on the spot on a treadmill, and by lifting either dumbbells or the differently-shaped kettlebell.
