I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you don’t have to go to the gym to workout.

Where you exercise doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re exercising in the first place. If you go to a gym, and it works for you, that’s great. Keep it up. If you’re too busy, skip the gym.

Notice, I didn’t say skip your workout. I get it, you’re busy. We all are. You still have to exercise. No excuses. If that means that you have to get up early, do it. Go for a run on your lunch break. Do some squats and push-ups in your office. Make it work.

Extreme Home Makeover – Fitness Edition

Here’s a thought, why not turn your house into a gym. Okay. You’re right. That’s a bad idea. Your house or apartment or condo is for living. You can’t swap out your furniture and replace it with a full-on fitness center. Or, can you?

No! Stop the madness. Save yourself the trouble. You only need a few pieces of versatile exercise equipment. I’ll show you what I mean in a second.

But, before we do that, do this; think about where you fit on the spectrum of fitness seekers. Are you a newbie, a gym rat or somewhere in between? Your answer will help us figure out what kind of equipment you’ll actually need.

Everything You Need, Nothing You Don’t

Beginner: Hey, listen up. You’re awesome. You can figure this fitness thing out. I’ll help you.

Equipment. First things first, start moving. That doesn’t require any equipment at all. Do this, in this order; walk, jog, run, sprint. When one becomes easy, it’s onto the next.

Next it’s time for an introduction to strength training. That’s what bodyweight exercises are for. You’ll get a workout and get stronger. All the while you’ll be learning how your body works and moves. Start with this Free 6 week training plan. Use the videos tab if you don’t know how to do the exercises.

If you’re going to buy something, consider picking up our mobility kit. When you first start exercising it’s going to be rough. Your body is going to be sore. The mobility kit is packed with tools that will help you speed up the recovery process. Using the Trigger Point set and Grid Roller will help you unglue your body, helping you move more efficiently.

Intermediate: You’re already exercising, so keep it up. Let’s see if we can’t come up with a way to make fit fitness into your life a little easier.

Equipment

  • Your body-  Keep doing bodyweight exercises, they work
  • Mobility kit – take care of yourself. Or, as Kelly Starrett puts it, change your own oil.
  • A kettlebell – one kettlebell equates to about 50 different exercises. Seriously. You’ll be busy for days. Pick up a set of kettlebells and you’ll be able to perform a total body workout, in no time, at home. You can put these things in the corner of closet whenever you’re done.
  • TRX – this thing is like the Swiss Army knife of fitness equipment. Think – strength, balance, athleticism, and explosive training. Fitness doesn’t get much more functional than the TRX.

Other options to look at: Sandbell, Slamball, sandbag, door pull-up bar.

 Advanced: aka, gym rat. As your title suggests, you don’t have any trouble getting to the gym.  Matter of fact, you probably enjoy it. Which is great. It’s part of you and part of your life. Do you, friend. But, if you were to outfit your basement or garage with some fitness gear, here’s what I would suggest.

Equipment

  • So far, so good. You’ll never go wrong with bodyweight, kettlebell, TRX and mobility gear.
  • Weighted vest – when TRX and bodyweight exercises get too easy, it’s time to put on your weighted vest.
  • Barbell and Olympic weights – if you have the space and the spare cash, get your own weight set. A high quality barbell and bumper plates are you best bet. This way you can do all of the compound moves you could ever need. I’m talking about deadlift, overhead press, power cleans, bent rows and the like.
  • Power rack – If you plan on doing heavy presses or squats you’re going to need a power rack.
  • Rower or bike trainer – don’t forget about your cardio. Treadmills and ellipticals are a waste. No one ever uses them. Plus they are crazy expensive. They also take up a ton of space. If you go with an erg or bike trainer you can pack them away until you’re ready to do work.

Do you workout at home? What equipment do you recommend?