You don’t need to buy a fitness club membership or purchase expensive workout machines to get and stay in shape for sports. You have many low-cost options for creating a cheap home gym that helps you build muscle, improve footwork, develop more flexibility and improve stamina and endurance.
Choose the Right Room for Exercising
Before you start looking at equipment for your home gym, decide which room you’ll use. You don’t have to dedicate the room to working out – many home gym items can be stored away after use, leaving the room available for other purposes.
Your workout room should be well lit and ventilated. If possible, choose a room with higher ceilings so you can do jumping jacks, vertical leaping, box jumping and jump rope. You should exercise on a soft, firm surface that’s not slippery. If you’re using a floor with a hard bare surface, such as cement, tile or slippery wood, buy a large workout mat, roll it out during exercise, and then roll up afterward. You can also use a piece of carpeting remnant you have in the garage, attic or basement.
Equipment Choices for a Home Gym
Take advantage of the incredible amount of low-cost, used equipment available on Craigslist, eBay or at used sporting goods stores. You can often find quality workout items for $10 to $20.
•Resistance bands
Resistance bands are an excellent, low-cost workout choice for strength, cardio and endurance workouts. These should be the starting point of any cheap home gym.
•Dumbbells
As you build strength, he might grow out of a set of dumbbells, requiring you to buy more. This is why resistance bands are a more economical choice. To simulate dumbbells, fill two, 1-gallon milk jugs with water to create 8-pound dumbbells.
•Box
If you have the ceiling height, add a stable box to your workout room. This will allow you to build explosive power and improve vertical leap. The box should be about knee height; you can safely jump on it and off it, depending on the exercise she is doing.
•Chinup/Pullup Bar
A chinup/pullup bar is an effective, inexpensive way to build upper-body strength. Most women can’t do more than a few pullups or chinups (if they can do any), and many boys even struggle with this exercise. Even if you can’t do a single pullup, if you practice them with correct form will build upper-body strength through isometric muscle contractions.
•Ab Wheel/Roller
Ab rollers are inexpensive and very effective for building core strength. You can start on your knees, moving to a plank position (like a pushup) once you build core strength. Roll straight forward and backward, as well as side-to-side to work the obliques.
•Bike Stands
If you have an outdoor bike, purchase an inexpensive bike stand, or trainer, and turn your ride into an exercise bike!
•Kettlebell
A kettlebell looks like a bowling ball with a handle on it. You perform many of the same exercises you do with resistance bands or dumbbells, but the unstable shape of the kettlebell makes you use your core to balance yourself, helping work the abs and obliques. Talk to someone who uses one before you buy to make sure you get the right weight and to learn the correct form for a few exercises, such as kettlebell swinging.
•Fitness Ball/Medicine Balls
Fitness balls and medicine balls are low-cost tools for building the core. You’ll find plenty of online exercise guides and videos to help you find exercises to do with them.
•Heart Rate Monitor
If you can’t afford individual heart rate monitors, read this article so you can buy one the whole family can use. You can get a basic one that estimates heart rate and calories burned for about $25.
Other Considerations for a Cheap Home Gym
If you can put a TV or stereo in the workout room, your child might exercise longer, especially when doing monotonous aerobic workouts. Buy a plastic tub or sturdy box for storing equipment after each workout. Have a table available so you can put your cellphone, a towel and water bottle within easy reach.