How to Get Fit from Home with Strength Training Workouts

If you are one of the many people who enjoys a work out at the gym you may have found life hard lately. Like many establishments, gyms have been forced to close for a while to limit the spread of covid-19.

Furthermore, with restrictions on movement you may not have been getting the exercise you want and need, especially if you are into strength training.

Keeping fit is not just about satisfying our physical self, but it helps keep mental health in trim too.

This has been a particular problem of late and has added to the daily problems that the situation has brought about. Why are we talking about the pandemic in an article about strength training and home gyms?

The situation we are in has directly led to increased demand in home gym equipment.

In this article we look at why you may want to invest in a home gym, what equipment you need to be looking for, and why you may wish to go down the smart gym route.

Let’s start by talking about the reasons for having a gym in the home.

Why Have a Home Gym?

If you have not thought about a home gym before now it’s likely because you had a gym membership that you used regularly. However, think about this: how much does that membership cost you annually?

And do you really get the best out of it? What about those times you mean to go for a workout, but something gets in the way? And then there’s the travel to and from the gym.

It’s a fact that many thousands of gym memberships are taken out with enthusiasm, and then the attraction wears off after a long day at work when you really can’t be bothered.

Furthermore, with gyms having been closed for a long time, it’s perhaps likely you have cancelled your membership. This is what has happened with a lot of people, and it’s no surprise.

So, the home gym becomes an alternative, but there are other reasons for having a gym in your home. For example, it’s convenient. You can use your home gym any time, and there’s no travel involved.

Others in the household can also use it, perhaps the kids or other family. You’ll be surprised how affordable home gym equipment can be.

If you check out this home gym review, you’ll see that there is more to home gyms now than there once was.

We’ll talk in more detail about smart home gyms and what they’re all about later in the article, but first let’s consider the equipment you need for a strength training home gym, and what else you need to think about.

What Equipment do You Need?

Before we get onto equipment you need to find somewhere to put your home gym. For most people this will be in a garage that is perhaps disused, or a basement.

Each of these is an ideal location for a home gym and can be adapted with ease. You need to ensure that there is plenty of space for moving around and swinging, for example, kettlebells, and also for more than one person at a time to be in the room for instances where that needs to happen.

It could be a spare bedroom or a disused living room or even a shed or outhouse. Have a look around the home before you decide and then mark out your chosen room ready for the equipment. Let’s begin by talking about the basics.

Basic Home Gym Equipment

You need to invest in a mat first of all. This is an essential item for keeping you off the floor when performing the likes of sit-ups and other seated or lying exercises.

You will find a variety of mats available from both online and high street gym equipment retailers, so make sure you get one of a suitable size for your home gym space.

You’ll also need a step or a bench for essential leg exercises. This does not have to be anything too complex just a simple step will do. In addition it is recommended that you invest in a couple of kettlebells.

These are essential implements for strength training and having different weights is useful for varying your exercises, so talk to a supplier about the best examples.

You may also want to buy a set of weights or, if you prefer, power blocks which are effectively adjustable weights that are more versatile.

These should be part of any basic gym set up and will be of great use. Now you know what the basics are – and you may want to add a cycle or a rowing machine, pull up bars and other equipment if you wish – you can start looking around for equipment at the right price.

But before you do, you might want to have a good look at smart home gyms. These have been all the rage in the last couple of years and for good reason. What is a smart gym, and why might it be your best choice? That’s our next section sorted!

What is a Smart Gym?

The latest in home-based exercise systems are the various smart gyms that are taking the home gym market to another level. What are they all about? Put simply, a smart home gym is a machine that uses digital technology to provide all the strength training equipment and exercises you need.

With video screens on which you can access training programs given by professionals and a range of other content to help, and a wide variety of exercises provided by the machine itself, you have a virtual personal trainer.

One of the best-selling smart gyms is the Tempo smart gym and it is popular for a number of reasons. The first is that it comes with a set of barbells and dumbbells as well as a full set of plates, a mat and the machine itself which consists of a central hub displaying a large screen on which you will see yourself replicated if you are using that function.

This is where the Tempo smart gym becomes intriguing. By way of artificial intelligence and machine learning, and using a selection of cleverly designed sensors, Tempo learns about you and your routine, and can recommend where you need to improve and where your strengths are.

It will also advise on amending your routine to reach your goals, which you have given the machine details of. That’s a very brief description of what Tempo is all about and we strongly recommend that you look at it and other smart gyms in more detail.

Conclusion

To conclude, a home gym is a great idea and one that you and all the household can and will make use of. The question is whether you invest in a range of traditional gym equipment for your strength training, or you go for the smart gym, perhaps the Tempo as mentioned.

We will say that on the face of it Tempo looks expensive at a retail price of $1995 (other smart gyms are similarly priced) yet once you start investing in separate items of equipment for a traditional gym the cost will soon add up to a similar amount. The choice is yours, so start planning your home gym now.