Top 5 Affordable Equipment Ideas for Home
June 8, 2021
Top 5 Affordable Equipment Ideas for Home
Setting up an incredible home gym doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
By House Fitness
Equipment isn’t necessary to train, but it can be a helpful tool to increase the effectiveness of your training, create variety in your routine, help you avoid injuries, and get you excited to train.
Better yet, if you have an array of equipment to choose from, you are creating a space in your home dedicated to training which can have a positive impact on your psyche and encourage you to train (whether that be an entire room solely for working out or a shelf with some gear).
To get you started in your journey to better health and fitness, these are our top five recommendations for affordable equipment for your home gym.
Resistance Bands
Oftentimes, the simplest equipment is the most effective.
Resistance bands simply add resistance to any training you would regularly do. They’re highly practical, can be used in a lot of training modalities, and are super low cost. Whether you’re focused on improving your endurance, strength, or stability, resistance bands are a great addition to any routine.
Resistance bands are a great way to add creativity to your workout routine. With a huge range of resistance bands available (from 5 lbs - 200 lbs), bands are appropriate for the newest of beginners and veteran pros alike. You can also target any muscle with them. If you can think of it, you can target it. You can also stack them for combined weight resistance.
At House Fitness, we love using bands as an ‘accessory equipment’ by using them in conjunction with other pieces of equipment to increase their resistance. For example, try adding a band to your next weight lifting session by wrapping one end around an anchor point and the other end to the barbell on either end. Do keep in mind this is an advanced maneuver and should be gone over with a coach first.
We recommend:
AmazonBasics Resistance Bands | $12 - 59
You can buy bands both individually and in a set.
Foam Roller
Roll your discomfort away.
Foam rolling is a form of self-massage and encourages myofascial release. This can be an effective tool to add in your warm-ups and cooldowns to relieve muscle tension, soreness, and inflammation; improve blood flow; and mitigate the pain and tension that you might otherwise experience post-exercise.
It’s as easy as finding an open space, applying body pressure to the roller, and rolling out the targeted muscle group for 30-40 seconds.
Foam rollers are available in a variety of different textures and densities, but we recommend trying a medium-density roller to start with.
We recommend:
Weights
Adding weights to your routine is essential.
Weights add resistance to your routine, challenge your stability, boost your metabolism, and improve both your muscular endurance and muscular strength.
Not only are free weights cheaper than buying a machine, but they also activate more muscles as they require greater stabilization and force you to build muscle unilaterally.
Ultimately, weights are the most popular training equipment for a reason. They’re effective. They’re user-friendly, balanced, affordable, and get the job done.
We recommend:
AmazonBasics Dumbbell | $20-59
Rip Trainer
Though a Rip Trainer can look simple and unassuming, they are very versatile and provide more than enough of a challenge for beginners and pros alike.
A Rip Trainer is a piece of equipment that is super lightweight, convenient, and portable. All you need is somewhere to attach it to and you can train anywhere. It provides a full-body workout and enables you to target your endurance, strength, balance, performance, and mental focus all in one go.
Rip Trainers also add a ton of stability training to your routine which is a critical component of training that is often overlooked. Stability decreases your chances of injury, improves your stamina and muscular strength, and helps your move correctly while you train.
We recommend:
TRX All-in-One Suspension Training System | $227
A word of warning: Rip Trainers can have a moderate-steep learning curve. Though they provide a full-body workout, it can be difficult to know how to leverage it to its fullest potential. We suggest booking a coaching session.
Air Bike ($912)
An air bike may not be the most affordable, but it's hard to put a price on your fitness.
Similar to the Rip Trainer, an air bike is an equally powerful tool whether you are a beginner or a pro. It utilizes the push-pull-push mechanic, which generates resistance, creating a more intense workout the longer you proceed. Additionally, it’s an incredibly safe option for exercising and can even be used in rehabilitation as it is no impact on your joints. They activate a lot of different muscles and improve your muscular endurance, muscular strength, and cardiovascular endurance. All around, it can be a hardcore strength-building workout that boosts endurance.
Air bikes are also a great tool for MetCon (Metabolic Conditioning) which activates our three metabolic energy systems. When all three of these systems work in synchronicity, your overall performance improves, you build muscle quicker, and you burn calories at a higher rate.
We recommend:
Schwinn AD6 Airdyne Exercise Bike | $912
Though the only thing you need to train is you, equipment can be a great addition to your workout routine. It helps you target specific muscle groups, enables you to add more resistance than your body alone can provide, and oftentimes can help you reach your goals faster and more efficiently.
Equipment also doesn’t replace the knowledge and expertise that a coach can bring to your training.
If you’re ready to take the next step in training, check out our online coaching programs!
Written By House Fitness