Video - Tips on Building a Home Gym

I came across an interesting video with tips on what you need to get started with building a set of weight training equipment for a home gym:

Building a home gym

If you're serious about weight training and you're fed up of the money involved in renewing a gym membership, perhaps building a set of weight training equipment for a home gym is a more feasible option for you.

The equipment most people start with is free weights and a weight bench. These types of equipment are at the core of most gyms. The more hardcore weight lifters will also opt for a multi-gym, which is a machine with which you can carry out various different exercises by choosing different settings.

Whatever weight lifting equipment you buy for your home gym, make sure that if you assemble the parts yourself the job is done properly. If you're in doubt at any point get a professional to help you out. One of the primary rules of weight training is: Safety first!

What to Look for in Equipment for Weight Training

Choosing the right equipment for your weight training exercises can be a daunting task, especially considering the investment required. There are a few considerations to make before you actually start looking for equipment.

Firstly, how many people will be working out with the equipment? If it's just you, it's a lot easier to find equipment to suit your build and level of weight training experience. If there are others in your household who will be using the equipment you need to consider different weights, different machines to suit specific exercises, etc.

Secondly, what's your budget? Prices vary widely on weight training equipment, but either way you're looking at quite an amount to fork out. It's best to look around for equipment with a budget in mind and an idea of what the normal prices are for various types of equipment.

Lastly, how serious are you about weight training? If your commitment is relatively small you mgiht just want to keep weight training equipment limited to free weights and a weight bench. Why spend a lot on equipment for weight training if you end up not using it?

Popular Weight Training Equipment Accessories

Weight training equipment goes beyond dumbbells and weight benches. There are also accessories that are popularly used by weight training enthusiasts and professional body builders alike.

The first of these accessories is gloves. Gloves are probably the cheapest weight training accessories out there and provide added grip and traction for various weight exercises. Using gloves when exercising with weights gives a sense of control and makes it safer to use weight training equipment at the same time. By using gloves you reduce the risk of having weights slipping out of your hands whilst applying a large force, which can obviously be dangerous.

Weight lifting belts are another popular weight training accessory that are used mostly by the more advanced weight lifters. Using weight lifting belts with weight training equipment provides added stability and support to relieve stress on your spinal cord. Such accessories can also help slightly improve your performance by offering you the ability to exercise with slightly heavier weights, which can make a big difference in your muscular development.

Finally, wrist supports are also frequently used in combination with equipment for weight training, as well as other types of sports. Wrist supports are simply straps of cloth that can be wrapped around your wrists and which provide support to one of the most fragile joints in the human body.

Types of Weight Training Equipment

Different types of weight training equipment out there are used for different purposes and are used both by weight training enthusiasts as well as professional body builders. The main categories that the types of equipment can be divided in are:

• Free weights
• Weight training machines
• Body weight leverage equipment

The most common type of free weights out there are undoubtedly dumbbels, which themselves come in different variations. The benefit of free weights is said to be the fact that you require the use of secondary muscle groups to support the weight training exercise of the muscle (group) that has your primary focus. Using these secondary muscles builds up balance and improves overall strength. Buying adjustable free weights (and equipment in general) is the way to go. This allows you to build up resistance as your weight training routine develops.

The more commonly used weight training machines in the gym are built to focus on specific muscle groups, while home equipment moves more toward the x-in-1 style machines, such as multi-gyms. This type of weight training equipment is used mostly by beginning weight training enthusiasts, since the movements are guided and no additional support or skill is required to use them.

Body weight leverage equipment is used for weight training without "artificial" weights. You're simply using your own body in combination with a bench of sorts and gravity to provide you with resistance needed to work out a specific muscle group. Examples of exercises are back extensions, chin up pulls and abdominal crunches.

Buying Weight Training Equipment

If you've decided to buy weight training equipment for a home gym it's best not to grab your credit card and rush into buying the equipment. There are a few things you should consider before you go ahead.

Tip 1: Buy weight training equipment that helps achieve your goals

It's useless to buy a multi-gym if all you want is to tone muscles, and similarly, if you go for a single set of dumbbells you can't expect to be able to bulk up significantly. Set your weight training goals first and draw up a training program around which you will be able to buy the equipment to suit your needs.

Tip 2: More advanced and expensive equipment is not necessarily better

Weight training equipment comes in various shapes and sizes but sometimes simple is better (and more effective). Buying a few sets of adjustable dumbbells, a good weight bench with an option to set it at an incline, together with a few accessories can go a long way in getting the weight training results you're looking to achieve.

Tip 3: Weight training equipment takes up space. Do you have enough of that?

Building a home gym can be tricky if you don't have an awful lot of space, so be sure to have a measure of how much space is actually avialable to place weight training equipment and to be able to exercise comfortable. Equipment that can be folded away seems practical but you need to have a strong sense of discipline to be able to keep using the equipment if it's stored out of sight, or needs to be set up before use.