Many of us would wish to escape the sweat-stained, germ-breeding handles of gym equipment in commercial gyms. But quitting the gym means kissing your fitness plans goodbye. So are you ready to pile on the extra kilos and let lethargy take over your life? Are you ready to swap out the rigorous workouts in favor of extra snooze time? Of course not!

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The best solution to your dilemma is setting up your very own home gym and availing the benefits of an exclusive germ-free workout zone. However, investing in home gym equipment can be a difficult proposition, as well as an expensive one. Read on to learn about a few things you need to consider to get it right.

What to Keep in Mind While Setting Up a Home Gym

• Budget constraints – It’s easy to perceive building a home gym as a massive expense, rather than as an investment in your health and fitness. It’s not just the one-time purchase cost that needs to be taken into account, but maintenance costs as well. There’s almost always a tradeoff between getting the best equipment, and getting affordable equipment. It’s up to you to find a balance you’re comfortable with.

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• Your gym environment – You need constant motivation to keep working out. If you’re someone who prefers a home gym workout at odd hours of the day, then make sure you customise the environment with vibrant colors and feel-good music, that give you constant positive vibes.
• The flooring – Another important aspect of home gym planning is to ensure proper gym flooring. Flooring that is smooth, doesn’t slip and reduces sound levels is ideal. You can aim for commercial grade foam flooring with interlocking squares, which is affordable.
• Allocating space for the gym – Space is a major concern when it comes to setting up a home gym, so plan wisely. Do not purchase heavy, large equipment and try to squeeze it all into a small space, as that would leave no room for stretches and warm-up exercises. Stick to minimalistic home multi gym strength training equipment and keep your workout space clutter-free.

Step-by-Step Guide to Setting up a Home Gym

If you have a garage or a disturbance-free room that can be used to design an exclusive workout space, then here are some tips to help you get started:

• Install mirrors at the right intervals, and non-slip flooring, to avoid falling during workouts.
• Stock on dumbbells, which typically consume no additional space. They can help you strength train.
• For HIIT (high-intensive interval training), bring in a punching bag and rope it in the center of your room, to knock out stress for the day.
• The best cardio equipment is a stationary elliptical machine, which helps to increase your heart rate more than a treadmill does, by including walking, running or hill climbing. An elliptical machine offers the benefits of low-impact cardio, is easier on the joints, and helps improve your balance and mobility
• Install a plyo box to practice burpees and jumps. Plyo boxes are platforms installed in the form of boxes for plyometric exercises. They come in a variety of heights for different physical ability levels. These boxes can be home constructed, using plywood in varying heights for versatility and cost-efficiency.

When you train at home, you are more focused and can stay off distractions. You can also schedule workouts at your convenience. However, the chances of lethargy creeping become higher. You may sometimes not be able to resist the urge to skip out on home gym workouts since you now have a one-time fixed investment right at home; as opposed to monthly gym fees periodically burning a hole in your pocket. So if you plan on using a home gym, then self-discipline becomes even more crucial.

Ultimately, dedication and commitment is the only way your fitness regime will be effective, regardless of what kind of gym you use!

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