Want to work out in a gym-like atmosphere but don’t want to fork out the hundreds of dollars required for a membership? For those of us who either don’t like to or can’t run outside, and can’t find a way into the local fitness center, we’ve compiled some tips for you when it comes to creating your own home gym.
Check it out at the library. A staple of any home gym is exercise videos. These are a great way to get sweating with minimal cost involved, but when the minimal cost drops to “zero” it’s as budget friendly as you can get! Most libraries carry work out tapes and videos in their media sections, and the larger ones are likely to have DVDs as well. This is a great way to get some serious variety into your workout video regimen, as well, since you can bring back the old tapes and pick up new ones every week without spending a dime!
Work out with a buddy. Instead of spending 50 dollars or more on a personal trainer, why not try working out with a friend in the comfort of your own homes? This is a great way to get you both motivated to work out, as you’ll have to deal with the sense of “letting the other person down” if you cop out for a day. You can either encourage each other or compete against each other as you desire and it’s all free!
Used gym equipment is cheaper. If you’ve always wanted a stationary bike but just can’t justify spending the hundreds if not thousands of dollars required to get one into your home, try Craigslist for used equipment. You might balk a little bit at first, but think about it, people pay hundreds of dollars to share gym equipment with total strangers at gyms. What’s so different about purchasing an item that’s been in somebody else’s home? Give it a chance and you’ll save big.
Make your own weights. This will depend on how strong you are and how much resistance you need, but you can often create a reasonable exercise plan for yourself by either using your own body as weight – push up, sit ups, lunges – or by filling jars and cans with rocks, sand, or other heavy materials and using that in lieu of expensive dumbbells.
Use cables instead of weights. If you need more resistance but don’t want to buy traditional weights, try cables. These can be used in many ways to give even the strongest individual a great workout, but are much smaller, easier to store, and less expensive than dumbbells.
