Apart from the regular Aerobics and Isometric exercises, most of us prefer the standard gym workouts at home itself. There are a wide variety of fitness equipments such as treadmills, rowing machines, cross trainers, stair steppers, stationary bikes and etc. It is very difficult to understand which of these machines can provide maximum fitness and burn the highest amount of calories without affecting the joints. The best way to choose your equipments is to understand your requirements as well as the functioning of the machines so that you can opt for the equipment that is best suited for you. In this article, we have enlisted some of the most functional and user-friendly fitness equipments that can be bought for the home gym.
Tips to Choose the Right Exercise Equipment
It is important to keep a few things in mind while selecting the exercise equipment for your home gym. The equipment must be easy to use and it should not cause any discomfort or pain while being used.
- Learn to use the equipment in the right way in order to avoid injuries and reap optimum benefits from the workout.
- Check the customer ratings and reviews in order to know the efficiency, level of effectiveness and usefulness of the equipment.
- When choosing cardio equipments, opt for the lighter versions that can be stored easily in the house.
- Buy machines with comfortable handlebars, nonslip pedals, adjustable, soft seats and curved ridges in order to enhance comfort during exercise and avoid injuries.
- You must remember that the exercise equipments can produce desirable results only when used regularly.
10 Useful Exercise Equipments for Home
There is a wide range of exercise equipment for home and it is really difficult to ascertain which ones are really beneficial for home gym training. But here is a list of 10 most useful fitness equipments that you can buy for your home.
Elliptical Trainer
The first and most important exercise equipment to be included in the home gym is the elliptical trainer. Elliptical machines are ideal of intense aerobic workout. Elliptical machine exerts less pressure on the knees, back and hips and the movable upper body helps in working the arms and legs at the same time. The reverse pedaling mechanism of elliptical machines helps in working the calf and hamstring muscles more effectively.
It helps in working the entire body and can burn up to 400 calories in just 30 minutes. But it is important to maintain proper posture in order to maximize the effectiveness of the workout and therefore, you must keep your head up, abdomen engaged and shoulders pushed back at all times while exercising on the elliptical trainer.
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Treadmill
Treadmill or walking machine must be included in the list of home exercise equipment because it a versatile indoor exercise option that can provide the benefits of both walking and running. The automatic monitor present on the treadmill keeps track of the speed and distance so that so your measure the effectiveness of your workout that acts as a powerful source of motivation. Walking and running on the treadmill has major cardiovascular benefits.
It moves the major muscles of the limbs and boosts up the heart rate so that blood flow increases to various muscles. Running and walking on the treadmill are weight bearing exercises that increase bone density and strengthens the bones, thereby reducing the risk of developing bone diseases such as osteoporosis.
Indoor Rower
Indoor rowing machine is yet another important home fitness equipment that helps in enhancing overall fitness. It works several major muscle groups of both the upper and the lower body at the same time. It gets the heart pumping and lungs working so that more blood is supplied to the muscles and organs. The adjustable resistance of the rowing machine helps in adjusting it according to your fitness level. Rowing exercise is especially effective for weight loss and an hour of rowing can help lose up to 600 calories.
This machine targets specific shoulder muscles such as the rhomboids, trapezius of the upper back and lats of the lower back. The best thing about this gym fitness equipment is that being a low impact machine, it minimizes the risk of injury to joints.
Exercise Cycle
Stationary exercise cycle is a joint friendly fitness equipment that can help burn up to 260 calories in 30 minutes even when cycling on a medium pace. Certain aerobics activities such as jogging, running and brisk walking can be hard for the joints but stationary cycling helps in getting the heart level up without putting any impact on the joints of the back, knees, hips and ankles. Stationary cycling is ideal for those who are more than 50 pounds overweight.
Stationary cycling is an effective cardiovascular exercise that helps in lowering blood pressure, regulating blood sugar levels and improving cardiovascular health to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Riding the stationary exercise cycle for 30 minutes, five times a week is enough to keep you fit and in shape.
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Fitness Trampette
A fitness trampette or mini trampoline is one of the best fitness equipment for the home gym. Rebounding is an easy and enjoyable activity and increases fitness level and burns a considerable amount of calories. During rebounding, each and every part of the body is worked out that helps in toning the muscles and boosting up the metabolism so that the fat burning process continues for extended periods even after the exercise is finished.
Rebounding exercises using the trampette strengthens that back and improves balance and coordination. In addition, it is especially beneficial for the Immune (lymphatic) system that protects the body against disease-causing bacteria and viruses. Rebounding exercises helps in transporting the lymph fluid throughout the body and enhance the lymphatic functions.
Punching Bag
The punching bag is one of the time-tested home gym equipments that has several health benefits. Being a fight-inspired workout, punching bag training helps in enhancing the level of conditioning and balance. Practicing several short five minute rounds of punching bag training burns fat and helps in shedding extra weight.
It helps in working and toning the arms, shoulders and hips and with regular punching bag training, it is also possible to develop muscles without even touching the dumbbells and barbells. It is a form of resistance training that enhances strength by gradual development of muscle fiber and which leads to increase in lean muscle mass.
Kettle Bells
Kettlebells are the best fitness equipment that can help you develop a leaner and tighter figure without spending time in the gym. Working out with kettlebells don’t give your body a bulky appearance, on the contrary, it tones the muscles through its three-dimensional movements that you can’t do with traditional weights. Kettlebells are an innovative form of weight training that creates and adds momentum to the exercises.
The various forms of swinging and momentum controlling moves with the kettlebell help in toning the major muscles of the body such as abs, butt and legs. The best thing about kettlebell workouts is that tones the whole body and helps in burning more calories in less time. A 20 minute session of kettle bell training can burn up to 400 calories.
Dumbbells
Dumbbells are the greatest strength training tools that should be included in the list of exercise equipment for home because they are more joint friendly compared to barbell exercises. The classic bench dumbbell press works the shoulders and arms without putting much stress on the joints. It is the same in case of standing dumbbell press.
Dumbbells are the perfect fitness tool for unilateral training that helps in working both the limbs equally at the same time and also corrects any strength imbalance. You can easily enhance the resistance of certain exercises such as lunges and squats by grabbing a pair of dumbbells. The dumbbells can be stored anywhere in the house can takes up very less storage space.
Jump Rope
Jumping ropes are perhaps the cheapest fitness equipment with great health benefits that can be stored in a gym bag. Jumping ropes is an intense aerobics training workout that works the entire body – right from legs to abs and arms. It helps in increasing strength, speed, agility and rhythm. Being a medium impact exercise, it increases bone density and bone strength. Jump rope exercises not only burns calories fast, but also helps in toning the core muscles, shoulder muscles and upper back muscles.
Jump ropes can be used as an effective interval training workout in combination with weight training because it helps in boosting aerobic endurance and provides energy for high-intensity workouts.
Exercise Ball
Exercise ball or stability ball is one of the most versatile home fitness equipment that is widely used by conditioning training experts in order to develop balance and core strength. Regular use of stability balls helps in enhancing focus and concentration. Being unstable, it forces the body to balance itself by perfecting the spinal posture, thereby improving spinal health and relieving back pains. Stability balls can be used for stretching, crunches and other mini workouts.
Finally, the stability ball helps in improving balance and engages the core in a constant low-key abdominal workout which in turn strengthens the abdominal muscles.
So, if you are planning to set up your personal home gym or just preparing to buy some home exercise equipment then make it a point to include these functional exercise equipments in your list.