Tiny Home Gym essentials

When planning a home gym, one of the biggest limitations is usually its square footage. Using a few simple tricks from this article will allow you to save a lot of space and create a fully functional, spacious home gym in a small area.

A common mistake is choosing equipment that has only one purpose or is heavily specialized.

First on your list should be equipment that you actually use on a daily basis and has countless variations of exercises you can perform.

Dumbbells and Kettlebells

When choosing equipment for strength training in a small space, dumbbells or kettlebells are the first comming on mind. Knowing the possibilities of training, we suggest choosing 3 sets (6 pieces) of weight ranges in which the investor operates - light, medium and heavy dumbbells. If in the future there is always opportunity to buy more if you need to.

When limiting factor is only space not budget, it is worth considering buying adjustable dumbbells (powerblocks). With two such weights, we can replace an entire rack of even 1-32kg.

Weight vest

The Vest is an ideal space-saving option to help you add an external load to many bodyweight exercises - squats, triceps, bar pull-ups, burpees, push-ups. The vest should be adjustable. It will allow for a gradual progression in your workout. When adding a vest to your shopping list, it is worth choosing vests of well-known brands, which have a refined cut, fit tight to the body and do not limit movement during workouts. Vests are made of durable materials but choosing variants that weigh more than 15kg can effectively shorten their lifespan.

Gymnastic rings and functional tapes

Suspension systems are another interesting item to consider on your small home gym shopping list. Both rings and TRX can be used for strength training, coordination as well as intense endurance circuit workouts. Mounting to the ceiling is done with dedicated frames or shackles and is definitely a better option than a bar in door frame. Before installing, it's also a good idea to check that your ceiling meets the conditions for such a mount.

Read more about what to check before you start planning your home gym in this article.

Bench

Buying a bench may not be a priority in the first place. However, when it is an integral part of your workout, you should choose one that is as functional as possible. There are HIIT benches available for purchase, which are characterized by great multifunctionality. Despite its larger size, the bench functions as a stand on which we can place dumbbells or kettlebells. It also has a special container that can accommodate all the small accessories - jump ropes, elastic bands, expanders etc... But that's not all. Because it is solid it can be used as a plyometric box, and special holders allow you to connect expander bands and training ropes.

Small accessories

In every small gym there should be small training accessories. They add variety to your workout without requiring a significant amount of space.

Mentioned alredy rubber mini bands and power bands entered the world of training permanently. They are used for stretching, preparation, and even the actual part of our sessions. The cost of such rubbers is small, looking from the perspective of how much we can do with them.

Parallettes are another piece of equipment worthy attention. You can do a lot of core exercises with it and work on entire upper body. Connected with a ceiling bar or gymnastic rings, they will form a comprehensive gymnastic training set.

An interval timer is very helpful for counting down your workout. It is not a priority purchase, but it will definitely make your workout a lot easier. Due to the great interest in home gyms, a dedicated timer for this type of project has appeared in our offer. It is definitely smaller than the clocks in fitness clubs, but fully functional and mobile.

Mobility equipment is probably already owned by everyone seriously thinking about training. A roller and a lacrosse ball is a minimum set that every athlete should have in their home gym.

If we do not plan to spread a protective floor over the entire surface of our home gym, it is worth remembering to purchase a training mat. This will help us comfortably perform lying and supported exercises.

Cardio

It doesn't matter if our main goal is strength or we are training for a marathon, cardio equipment is a must have for a home gym. Building endurance is capable to improve our performance in all sports areas. When choosing cardio equipment for your home gym you should choose a classic. The best solution recommended by us will be airbike or rowing machine. These devices take up little space, and at the same time are light and easy to carry.

Wall RIG or Squat Rack

When you are able to set aside a space of about 20m2, you can take your home gym to the next level. Adapting part of the garage or a large room in your house will allow you to insert a Rack or install a wall-mounted RIG. Such a construction is able to extend your training with the possibility of working with barbells. In addition, you get access to a stable bar and a place where we can attach rubbers, expanders bands and TRX straps. Due to its size such equipment will not work in every gym. Sometimes having low ceilings will significantly limit the functionality of the bar. If you are in such a situation it is worth thinking about squat racks, which also have many advantages. They definitely take up less space and can be moved without any problem. Their disadvantage is that they are slightly less stable and when putting a barbell on them you need to be more careful.

Racks and hangers

Element of the gym, which is pushed to the end when comming to purchase. However it is extremely important when we care about safety and fight for every centimeter of space. It is worth considering a dedicated device for its storage in the budget.

Summary

When investing in our own gym, we usually want to buy everything we have had the opportunity to use so far in our sports career. Sometimes, however, it is worth looking at the equipment from the angle of its functionality and also how it will find itself in the place planned by us. Thinking in this way it will be definitely easier to make a choice.

The equipment presented in the article is universal and will be applicable to any training purpose.