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Building a low-budget and effective ‘at-home gym’ 🏠🏋️♀️
~5 minute read
We’ve encouraged our members to build an at-home gym long before people started spending so much time in their home in 2020. Accomplishing this one task is one of the best things you can do for your longterm health and longevity.
We’ve recently updated our at-home gym guide so that you can overcome 3 problems most people are faced with when trying to get fit after 50. The guide is short and to the point and has some new recommendations added since our version from 2 years ago.
Problems that this guide solves 🔒🔑
The first problem is not having an at-home exercise set up. This is a bigger problem than you might realize. But when you have a good set up in your own home you automatically remove a lot of the barriers to fitness.
Barriers like;
Time commuting to the gym and back ⏱
Car not working 🚗
Forgetting your gym attire/shoes 👟
Driving weather 🌨
Last minute scheduling changes 🗓
Not feeling well 🤒
Not being in the mood to be out in public 😒
Not enjoying the gym environment 👎
The more steps there are between you and exercise the more likely it is that it just won’t happen. Creating an at-home gym removes many of those steps.
Cost and effectiveness 💰🎯
The second and third problems this guide helps with are the issues of cost and effectiveness.
A lot of people are willing to invest in at-home gym equipment. In fact, most have. But no one wants to waste money. Especially if it’s on something that is ineffective or won’t get used much. This comes down to value for money and staying within your budget.
Some people are willing to spend a fair amount as long as it will help them reach their end goals. Others are on a tighter budget and need to stay within that.
When talking about effectiveness, let’s just say that there are a lot of ineffective things you can buy on the market.
The level of effectiveness can vary quite a bit. But when we spend our hard earned money we make sure to invest in equipment that will give us the biggest return on investment possible.
We’ve curated our equipment recommendations for the person over 50 looking to get into shape (the same way we curate all our recommendations 😀).
This guide will fast track your searching and by providing 3 tiers of home gym essentials that you can build from there depending on your budget and willingness to build up your at-home gym.
Things to keep in mind 🤔
Something many people don’t realize is that the best equipment you can buy is almost always the least expensive. Whenever buying equipment you’ll want to weigh the ‘bang for your buck’ (i.e. use for money spent/ROI).
Just because something is expensive, it doesn’t mean that it’s the best value for your money. Then again, something that is very expensive could also be very useful, but often you don’t even need to purchase that expensive piece when you have a much more affordable alternative that does most of, if not the same for you. 🤓
All that said, the more you have at your disposal the more you can address specific needs. As we get older we tend to have a larger need for something more personalized.
Top 5 pieces of equipment for your money 💰👍
Lacrosse ball - In our view, lacrosse balls are better than most mobility balls out there. They’re dense and also stick a bit to the wall (slips off less). Almost every one of our members is amazed at how effective lacrosse balls are for removing tension. They end up using them all the time.
Continuous loop bands - Continuous loop bands, like dumbbells, have virtually endless possibilities for exercises. And they are great for anchoring to a door anchor for resistance training and band stretching.
Door anchor - The door anchor turns your continuous loop bands into a pulley machine equivalent. You can do high, medium and low pulley exercises with your band when you anchor into your door (make sure the anchor is secured properly). It also anchors the band so that you can perform band stretches and is a great way to set up a TRX suspension trainer.
Dumbbells - Dumbbells don’t break or wear out. They would survive a natural disaster. They can be used for so many different exercises that you might say this is the ‘best bang for your buck’ piece of equipment, period.
Your body - This is the best tool you have. Whether you are at the beginner or advanced level, knowing how to use your body well is the most important part of fitness. Most floor exercises require no equipment. Squats, push-ups, lunges, etc can all be done with body weight.
Download the FREE Guide 📔✅
We hope you enjoy the guide. The recommendations are generalized for people over 50, but you may find you need something slightly more customized. If you have questions about anything feel free to send us off a quick email to info@evertrain.ca and we’d be happy to help.
Thanks for reading! :)
Brandon - Online Personal Training Expert, Neuroscience and Mental Health graduate and Triathlete