If you’re looking to grab five essentials for your home gym on a budget, we’ve got you. We specialise in adjustable fitness equipment like adjustable dumbbells, adjustable benches and more. So, if you’re a just a beginner on a budget or an advanced fitness junkie who knows how much you can bench, you’re in the right place.
As a quick contents:
The first, and most versatile item on your shopping list is free weights. While you can choose between kettlebells or dumbbells, the issue with the traditional hex dumbbells or kettlebell set, is that each increase of kilos is a whole new item, which can quickly bulk up your home gym.
Solution: Compact Adjustable Dumbbells.
As a free weight, the adjustable dumbbells all you to focus on endurance training or strength training by choosing which increment (doing more weight with less reps, or less weight and more reps). Going from 2kg to 32kg, incrementing in either 4kg or 2kg plates, these dumbbells don’t take up much space, are super reliable, and are the best choice for your home gym.
Specifically, dumbbells can help you improve your grip strength and focus on your form. They enable you to do exercises such as the Dumbbell Deadlift, Dumbbell Rows and so on. Check out our other article for dumbbell exercises to get a full-body workout.
Unfortunately, resistance bands aren’t exactly adjustable.
Instead, there are different colours and widths, that allow you to generate higher levels of resistance, which can replicate most weighted exercises. If there’s an exercise, there’s likely a resistance band version. From rows, presses, squats, curls, raises and deadlifts, resistance bands don’t take much space and allow you to do a lot of exercises at different levels.
At Rug and Rig, we offer 6 different types, sold either individually or as a set. Each of them has different resistance ranges, described below.
Yellow – 1kg to 10kg
Red – 2kg to 16kg
Black – 6kg to 21kg
Purple – 11kg to 36kg
Green – 23kg to 45kg
Blue – 27kg to 68kg
You can also increase resistance and reduce length by looping your band around twice or three times. There’s lots of ways to increase the versatility of your resistance bands, and a lot of different exercises it enables. Bands are especially great for your glutes, hips and legs.
Rubber Flooring and Yoga Mats have mostly the same features. They protect your floor and increase your grip and stability. However, the difference between them is the thickness: Yoga Mats are 5mm thick while Rubber Flooring is 20mm thick.
If you’re likely to be handling any weight that may be dropped (deadlifts, squats and presses), then having thick Rubber Flooring will protect you, your home and your equipment. Even if you have concrete flooring, that can damage your weights, so having some measure of safety is a long-term investment. This Flooring is waterproof, shock absorbent and temperature resistant.
If you don’t think you’ll be doing a lot of strength training and weightlifting, then a Yoga Mat might be right for you. Our Yoga Mats have both a cork side and a grip side and are 183cm by 61 cm by 0.5cm.
However, we will always recommend the stronger and thick the better. Rubber Flooring is 100cm by 100cm by 2cm. You can also take a box cutter to it and shape the rubber to fit your home accurately. Adjustable, am I right?
Cardio.
Cardio from home, in a stationary spot, and is as cheap as $25. Of course, running and walking do the same thing, but if you’re like me, and absolutely despise running, this will allow you to get your heart pumping on a budget. It’s easy to store and perfect for beginners. At an advanced level, you are engaging your whole body by maintaining speed, jumping force and control, as well as building agility and strength.
Different types of jump rope exercises (such as double jumps, high knees and alternating food jumps) will also allow you variation in the exercise and build different skills.
Our Jump Ropes have notches that allow you to adjust the length of the rope to your height. They are made of aluminium-coated wire, making it super light and durable.
Finally, the glorious Gym Rings. What are they good for?
Like pullup bars, Gym Rings engage your upper body, enabling pullups, L-sits, and dips. However, unlike a pullup bar which bolted to the wall or rack at a specific height, gym rings can be adjusted for a larger range of exercises and improve your mobility and flexibility. Lower to the ground, you can also perform rows, hangs and push-ups.
Key to Gym Rings is their instability. You are constantly engaging your upper body strength and grip strength to keep control. Furthermore, this natural instability allows you to move freely and position yourself comfortably. As you continue to use Gym Rings, your strength and flexibility will grow exponentially, and ultimately build skill, strength, and mobility.
So, how did we do? Do you have other home gym ideas? What’s your budget for your home gym? Let us know in the comments!
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