What equipment do you need to work out at home?
If you’re planning to work out at home, without visiting fitness classes or yoga studios at all, you need some sort of equipment for that. Your home gym essentials depend on the routine you’re going to do. Things you need for a fitness program will be unnecessary for running or lower body workout and vice versa. So, before getting anything we’re going to talk about below, decide which fitness routine you’re going to stick to. Then, you can search and buy via Amazon the best fitness equipment and gym clothes if you don’t have them yet.
Working Out at Home: Equipment to Buy
Let’s divide all the equipment you might need for the effective home gym workouts in different categories depending on a type of a physical activity. Thus, it will be easier for you to understand what exactly to buy if you’re planning to do yoga, Pilates or strength workouts.
In case you want to do a little bit of this, a little bit of that, you can purchase different equipment. It depends.
Yoga Equipment
If you’re a beginner, you don’t need a lot to start doing yoga. Here’s what you can get:
- Yoga mat. The most important tool for the practice is a yoga mat. There is a huge variety of yoga mats out there that you can easily pick one you like most. Pay attention to the size and cushion of a mat.
- The second must-have tool is yoga blocks. They will make a huge difference for a beginner, providing more support while working out.
- Yoga strap. This is required to stretch out the hamstrings.
Pilates Equipment
You don’t really need much to start doing Pilates workouts at home. Unfortunately, you can’t get a special Pilates equipment for home because it’s heavy and huge. But you can get something else to follow the pace of an average Pilates program. So, you will need:
- Pilates mat. Don’t confuse it with a yoga mat. A mat for Pilates has a different texture. It has more cushion, which provides more support for common Pilates exercises.
- Yoga strap. Use it to stretch out with as it provides a good stability and support. You can also get a set of yoga blocks.
- A big exercise ball. It is a great gear to add diversity to your regular Pilates program. It allows adding extra exercises, which can’t be done using a mat only.
As you can see, Pilates equipment is very similar to yoga equipment. So, you can easily switch from yoga to Pilates and vice versa.
Strength Workouts
For strength workouts, you can use your bodyweight and a yoga mat only. In case you want to invest in a good equipment, get:
- Dumbbells (5 lb – 12 lb);
- A jump rope;
- A medicine ball for throwing exercises;
- And a big exercise ball.
Now decide which fitness routine you want to do, buy the equipment required, and enjoy the workouts.