When it comes to optimizing your workout regimen, the use of exercise equipment would surely make a huge difference. Machines can assist you in improving your form and keeping up with a realistic and sustainable program for your lifestyle.
It’s common to see people with different preferences when it comes to exercising. Others are okay with walking and jogging, while some perform best with weights and equipment.
You can’t underestimate the benefits of exercising with machines and equipment. Sure, they can be intimidating at first – with the knobs, pulleys, handles, and cables – but they are the answer to making strength training effortless.
If you are one of those people who have started to invest in exercise equipment for your home since the pandemic, we are listing down basic gym equipment set-up you should have for your home.
The best overall exercise equipment for home
(1) Multi-gym
When you decide to invest in gym equipment, don’t go modest! Make it all out with a multi-gym and perform a diverse kinds of exercises at home.
This machine is the best when your goal is to build muscles and burn fats simultaneously. With the makeup of this equipment, strength training is possible. The weight stacks and pulley system are responsible for offering weighted resistance proven to bear better results for the body.
A multi-gym is ideal for home use, for it only eats up limited space. Its design is for small corners. This equipment may not appear to be the most efficient in length, weight, and height, but it’s versatile enough to fit in your garage.
(2) Cardio rowing machine
Cardio rowing machines are also known as ergs or ergometers. They claim to target and hit almost 86% of your muscles. Thus, this kind of equipment is effective in toning, endurance, and strength.
Rowing is not only your physique; it also has benefits for the lungs and heart. And this is a full-body workout compared to the misconception that it only focuses on the arms.
American Fitness Professionals Association or AFPA reveals that rowing is 65 to 75 percent leg and 35 upper body. With this composition, you can expect to strengthen your pecs, arms, upper back, obliques, and abdominal muscles.
(3) Leg press machine
Building your leg strength is a vital foundation to your overall training. If you aim to pump up the most prominent muscle in your body, this machine is what you need.
Emphasize your muscles by adjusting your foot position on the footpads. This is the kind of equipment that your quads will thank you for – there’ll be less of the hamstrings and glutes as compared to your regular squats.
The leg press machine works by promoting leg development and isolating it. During the push and lift-off phase, your quads work so hard that they become the most involved in the exercise.
(4) Dumbbell set
A dumbbell set may sound like a basic, but it is the core to any fat-shredding, sweat-inducing, and fat-shredding workout that would lead your body towards body recomposition.
If you want to save more space for this equipment, you can also go for the adjustable dumbbells, which have gained popularity these days. This new technology is a serious investment with quite an expensive price tag, but it weighs from two to 24 kg which you can access by twisting its handle.
Don’t get us wrong. If you are still a beginner who’s just getting the hang of your routine, then the hexagonal dumbbells should be fine for you. This set is floor-friendly. It has a stable base that can support your renegade rows, which is the best companion for casual home training.
(5) Weight bench
Setting up a weight bench in your home gym is a wise step to take, for this equipment is instrumental in targeting various areas in your body when you are strength training. It provides ample support that allows you to fix your form.
In the market, you’ll find two kinds of weight bench – flat and adjustable.
The adjustable weight bench is recommended for strength training, for you can set it up depending on your target for the day. It also enables you to extend your range of motion. The flat weight bench, on the other hand, is capable of handling heavier weights. So the choice would depend upon the program that you are in.
(6) Lat pulldown machine
A lateral pulldown machine is a staple in gym facilities, and it’s crawling to home as well. Today, it’s common to see space-efficient variations of this equipment, so owning one should be possible!
Using this machine enables you to do multi-joint exercises that would target your latissimus dorsi or the so-called pulling muscle. As a result, you’ll improve and tone your back which will give you good posture.
Contrary to common impression, lat pulldowns don’t just strengthen your lat muscles; they also maximize your lower and upper back muscles, including the trapezius, rhomboids, teres major, and teres minor.
(7) Cable biceps bar
Whether you want your biceps to bulge like Arnold Schwarzenegger, or just tone them, the go-to equipment to do just that is a cable biceps bar.
The American Council on Exercise noted cable curls as one of the most effective exercises for the biceps. With this equipment, you can exercise your biceps forward, sideways, and across your chest.
Since this tool focuses on the biceps brachii, it has the ability to develop it independently. If you are aiming to concentrate on the said muscle, and you want to hit it more precisely, then a cable biceps bar is a must-have to your home gym.
(8) Leg extension machine
A leg extension machine is perfect for anybody who wants to lose weight or tone their legs. This equipment should be your companion if you want to strengthen your lower body and target your quadricep muscles that include the front of your thighs.
With this equipment, you only sit on a chair and use your quadriceps muscle to lift the weight bar. You contract your quad that brings your knees up to fight the weighted resistance when you do this exercise.
Deadlifts, lunges, and squats also concentrate on the quads; however, they do not provide the same muscle isolation a leg extension does with a machine.
(9) Stair Climbers
Step up your home-fitness game by owning a stair climber machine. If you want equipment that will give you cardio and glutes simultaneously, this buddy is for you.
This is the type of machine that works best for a high-intensity and low-impact workout. It’s also very low risk, so anybody looking for a chance to sustain their routine long-term can use this machine to their advantage.
It’s easy to associate stair climbing with booty-shaping benefits, but it’s also effective in strength training. This machine can help you achieve your weight loss goals. Thus, if you miss the gym, make a space for this equipment in your home!
(10) Power Rack
So you’ve got the budget and space, a Power Rack is the best equipment to include in your home gym. This cage pumps you to do the three essential workouts for strength and conditioning: barbell squat, deadlift, and bench press.
This machine is a regular for serious bodybuilders who need all the support they can get in lifting heavyweights. A Power Rack is vital in strengthening your lower body and practicing more demanding movements, including muscle-ups and pull-ups.
Power Racks have come a long way! This piece has eliminated the dangers of failure, accident, or falling weights from a cable-assisted stack to free-weight equipment. In turn, you can improve your lifts and performance.
Is it worth it to invest in your own exercise equipment?
Is it worth it to invest in your exercise equipment? It is a big purchase and decision, so you have to weigh the factors in building your gym at home.
While an intimidating and expensive idea, there are many benefits to having your exercise machine. Regularly going to the gym is an uphill battle, most especially in today’s situation. Keeping up with your fitness goals with the crowd, traffic, membership, and time, is a challenge that becomes achievable when you have easy access to equipment.
Many people struggle to realize the results of their regimen for the lack of consistency and quality. But when you establish a safe space where you are motivated to move and perform, working out becomes enjoyable. And this is what your exercise machines can do!
It doesn’t matter whether you are in for a simple home gym or a sophisticated one – exercise machines are going to be your solid companion in this journey! Do it at your own pace!
Think with the end in mind
Before buying any fitness equipment or machines, you should think about the end in mind. What is your health and wellness objective? Are you going through the process alone, or will you do it with other members of your family?
Take time to decide and research as much as you can. Talk to professionals and ask about the machines you are eyeing for. Consult your doctor as well and ensure that your body is ready for rigid training.
Cognitive Health and Wellness Institute want you to enjoy a quality life with the length of life. Start by exercising regularly and observing a balanced diet.
References:
https://www.tomsguide.com/best-picks/best-home-gym-equipment
https://www.fitandwell.com/buying-guides/best-exercise-machines-to-lose-weight
https://www.cnet.com/health/fitness/best-home-exercise-equipment/