VERIFIED CONTENTAuthor: Maciej Szukała

The SARS-CoV-2 virus pandemic caused many people to quit regular physical activity. The reason was not only he alth concerns, but also the temporary closure of gyms and fitness clubs. However, do you really have to give up your sport when you can't go to training? Get to know the exercise equipment that you can easily use at home.

Training at homecan be just as effective as training at the gym. Home gym equipment does not have to be expensive, and the equipment does not take up much space. Thanks to a few basic devices, you are able to carry out a comprehensive training that will not only help you maintain your already developed form, but also allow you to enter a completely new sports level.

Is it possible to train comprehensively at home?

Contrary to appearances, the small amount of available space, the lack of complicated training machines or mirrors does not necessarily mean that achieving a good form is impossible. With basic equipment, you can build strength and muscle mass, as well as take care of the body shape and increase endurance and endurance.

Of course, the lack of heavy weights or specialized devices that secure isolated traffic may be disturbing at first. Training with free weights, although more difficult and demanding than lifting loads on machines, brings huge benefits. Free weights include:

  • stronger deep muscles (core) - maintaining the correct position of the body requires the exercising person to properly stiffen the muscular corset, which in turn translates into greater strength and control of the deep muscles,
  • stabilization of movement - by lifting kettlebells or ordinary dumbbells, you strengthen joints, ligaments and force their smooth, fully controlled movement,
  • stronger training stimulus - free weights allow you to perform exercises that involve many muscle groups at the same time. For you, this means a stronger hormonal response and a greater increase in muscle mass,
  • natural muscle work - dumbbells and barbells can work in many different planes, which can be adapted to your needs and limitations.

All you need is a little bit of good intentions and you can strengthen each of them with home equipmenta muscle party. It also offers the possibility of a huge amount of exercise, so you won't get bored with it quickly. Below you will find some inspirations to complete your home gym.

7 equipment necessary for home training

kettlebells weights

Weights came to the gym with the growing popularity of crossfit ( although they were already used in the 19th century). They are extremely versatile and allow you to carry out an exhaustive training of the whole body with a minimal risk of injury. If you are planning to buy kettles for home, it is worth choosing metal weights, but covered with vinyl. Thanks to this, you do not risk damaging the floor.

Kettle are distinguished by their ergonomic design. Thanks to their oval shape and wide grip, they are easy to manipulate in every plane and can successfully replace classic bodybuilding equipment. You can even do a squat, deadlift or bench press with them, and you will also strengthen the deep muscles.

Kettlebell weights differ mainly in weight. In sports stores you will find weights weighing from 2 to over 30 kilograms.

Training with kettles allows you to perform several hundred exercises of varying difficulty and complexity. Thanks to this, you can easily change training plans, adjusting them to your goal and your disposition. There is nothing to prevent you from completing a workout to gain strength, muscle mass or to accelerate fat burning.

Pump handles

Handles for push-ups are most often made of metal or plastic. They allow you to change the position of the arms while performing this popular exercise. This way you can decide which muscles you want to emphasize while exercising - the upper back, or maybe the inner or outer chest?

The handles also improve strength and technique as you are able to do the exercise deeper than normal. They do not burden the wrists and offer the possibility of using many new training stimuli. They will be used not only by beginners who are looking for a variety of basic exercises, but also experienced people who have already mastered traditional push-ups.

For lovers of bench press, it is also important that the supports engage the triceps muscles of the arms (triceps) very strongly. When you return to the gym, you should see your strength progress.

Resistance rubbers

Resistance bands are mainly associated with physiotherapy, but nothing could be further from the truth! The constant tension of the rubber forces continuous muscle activation and perfectly strengthens the core. The tapes themselves can also be used for strength exercises. Enoughattach them to the frame or step on the end that is lying on the ground to be able to strengthen the muscles surrounding the shoulder girdle, shoulder muscles or the back.

Few people notice that movement with a normal weight causes a change in muscle tone (the highest falls in about half of the range of motion, but at the peak of the concentric phase it is already close to zero). The rubbers work differently, because the tension is continuous, but from the middle of the move it is increasing and in the upper point it is the highest. This way you can create an effective training stimulus.

Exercising with rubbers allows you to maintain your full range of motion. This is very important because you don't provoke fiber contractions like when you train on machines.

In stores with fitness equipment you will find rubbers of different width, thickness and maximum resistance (which will always be given progressively "from-to"). It is best to buy a set of several tapes and vary the resistance depending on your training goal. The low resistance of the bands is great for building muscle endurance, and the high resistance for building strength or muscles.

Of course, exercises with rubbers will not give such a spectacular effect as weights, but they will be a perfect complement to classic exercises with dumbbells and a barbell.

Skipping rope

Skipping rope exercises are known primarily by martial arts athletes, but representatives of other disciplines will also benefit from them. Rhythmic jumping not only builds endurance to fatigue, but also improves speed, coordination and precision of movement.

Jumping rope exercises are a good alternative to regular cardio as they effectively warm up all your muscles and raise your resting heart rate. As you get better at the basic version of the exercise, you can experiment with other variants, such as:

  • jumping on one leg,
  • eights involving the crossing of a skipping rope while jumping,
  • knee lifting,
  • double throwing the line during one jump (so-called double-under).

In sports equipment stores you will find various types of skipping ropes - fabric, leather and metal. When you start your adventure with this gadget, choose a textile rope. It turns slowly and allows you to learn the right rhythm. However, it is not suitable for building speed (for this purpose it is better to choose models made of metal monofilament).

Some models of skipping rope also have metal weights mounted in the handles for additional activation of the arm muscles.

Griffins with load

Many people buy basic bars with a full set of weights for their home gym. The simplest solutions work best, that is:

  • dumbbell barbells,
  • medium bars, straight or broken,
  • long straight bars.

With such a set plus plates of appropriate weight, you will carry out a workout at home, which does not have to be worse than what you are used to at the gym. What should you remember?

Only buy solid metal bars and weights. Avoid equipment that is welded, bolted, or made of composites. Its durability and quality of workmanship leave much to be desired. Also, take care of appropriate locks that protect the weight from slipping. Threaded ones are better than clamps - they are mounted longer, but they are more stable.

When choosing bars, it is also worth remembering that they should have grooves. It is a mesh of small cuts in the central part, which increases the grip.

With long bars, markers will also be useful. These are narrow fields on the bar, located symmetrically on both sides. Make it easier to catch the bar evenly.

Exercise bench

You can also try to buy a bodybuilding bench, which will significantly expand the range of available exercises. Most of them can be folded up, so when you finish training, you can hide them behind your bed or wardrobe.

When choosing a bench, pay special attention to the thickness of the profiles, the width of the seat and backrest, and the maximum strength of the frame. Depending on your needs, you can choose a bench:

  • flat without the possibility of folding and unfolding - these models are the most stable,
  • with an upper or lower slant - they allow you to arrange the backrest at the right angle to perform new exercises,
  • two-sided broken - such benches are the most universal, but cheaper models tend to be unstable.

You can also buy folding stands for the bench, which will be useful during bench press and squats.

Pull-up bar

Equipment that is worth having at home, and does not take up a lot of space, is also a pull-up bar. Most people choose cheap expansion models, but if you have a free wall, you can attach a bar to it, which allows you to use several types of grip and is stable.

Pull-ups are one of the best exercises for holistically strengthening the back, shoulder, and abdominal muscles. By changing the grip from time to time and manipulating the time of breaks and the number of repetitions for a very long time, you can do without additional burden.

Remember this when training at home

When you organize workouts at home, you shouldn't forget about two essential elements of any activityphysical - warming up before activity and stretching after it. This is a guarantee that the muscles will be better prepared for exercise, and you will not get injured.

Also remember about diet, hydration and supplementation. All these aspects are equally important, even if you are not training in a professionally equipped gym.

Due to the lack of heavy loads in home training, general development regimes will be better than the classic split training plan. In this way, through lighter stimuli, but delivered more often and to all parts of the muscles, you will achieve satisfactory results. According to many bodybuilders, holistic training is much more effective than divided training.

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ABC of exercises