While home fitness cannot match the variety of equipment or the atmosphere of a gym, it requires more self-discipline and perseverance to push through limits. If you can achieve these two points, then you can proceed to the main text.
12 home fitness equipment options, although not replacing the gym, are sufficient to work out your entire body while staying at home. For most people, due to various objective conditions such as space constraints at home, it is not possible to set up a home gym with a rich array of equipment. Therefore, I am sharing the 12 most commonly used home fitness devices, following the principle of covering all body parts and selecting the best within similar categories.
12 home fitness equipment options that, while not replacing the gym, are sufficient for a full-body workout at home. 04 | Dumbbells: Regardless of whether it’s in the gym or at home, dumbbells are undoubtedly one of the essential pieces of equipment. Compared to barbells, the advantages of dumbbells lie in their space-saving, safety, and convenience. Dumbbell workouts can be performed for almost every part of the body without dead angles.
Generally, the cost of a complete set of dumbbell racks for home use is not high, ranging from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars. Pairing it with a dumbbell bench will make the setup almost perfect.05 | Kettlebells: While not a necessity compared to dumbbells, kettlebells can be an optional addition if conditions allow. Although both can perform exercises like squats, lunges, and overhead extensions, some movements, such as waist and abdominal swings, cannot be fully replaced by dumbbells. Dumbbell training for biceps and triceps is superior to kettlebells, but kettlebells are easier to grip and more suitable for explosive power training.
06 | Abdominal Crunch Board: Most people buy abdominal crunch boards for sit-ups, but most people’s sit-up posture is actually incorrect, which has led to the decline of this once-popular abdominal exercise. Instead, various curl-up exercises have become popular in apps and gyms. It’s not that sit-ups can’t be done; as long as the posture is mastered, they remain one of the most effective exercises for the abdominal muscles. The correct sit-up posture should be lying flat with knees bent to approximately 90 degrees and the back pressed against the support surface. Using abdominal strength, the head and upper body slowly lift off the support, and the return should be slow and not fully recline to a flat position. It’s best to maintain an angle of about 15 degrees with the ground. The most critical point, where most people make mistakes, is holding hands behind the head during the process, which puts significant pressure on the neck. The correct approach is to lightly hold the ears or cross arms over the chest. In addition to sit-ups, a multifunctional crunch board can perform more exercises, such as pull-up crunches with a rope or spring-assisted crunches. Other exercises like back extensions and inclined reverse crunches are also great for abdominal and waist training.
07 | Ab Wheels: Among home fitness equipment or street workout enthusiasts, ab wheels are undoubtedly a commonly used and symbolic piece of equipment. Ab wheels put a significant demand on abdominal and waist strength. Beginners are advised to start with a kneeling position, then progress to standing against a wall and gradually reduce dependence on the wall. After mastering the technique and achieving a certain level of control, one can challenge more advanced positions like feet together and high incline ab wheel exercises, and even attempt more difficult poses. In daily workouts, I generally perform ab wheel exercises in sets of 10, with four sets as one of the abdominal exercises.
12 types of home fitness equipment cannot replace the gym, but they are sufficient for a full-body workout at home. 08: Ab Roller Board. The ab roller board is basically for home use. It is a relatively niche equipment that has emerged in recent years. The ab roller board can basically complete most of the movements of the ab wheel. At the same time, it can also do more extensions. Generally speaking, the difficulty coefficient is slightly higher than that of the ab wheel. However, it has a good stimulating effect on the core muscle groups such as the shoulders, abdomen, chest, and back. In addition, the ab roller board is generally used in combination movements. For example, the combination of abdominal suction, hip lifting, and push-ups with the ab roller board exercises the abdomen, chest, shoulders, and back at the same time. Compared with the ab wheel, the key to using the ab roller board is to control the stability of the four wheels! 12 types of home fitness equipment cannot replace the gym, but they are sufficient for a full-body workout at home. 09: Resistance Band. The resistance band is also called a resistance loop. It is very suitable for home use. According to the strength of the resistance band, it can be said to be suitable for both men and women. The resistance band can replace dumbbells to some extent for arm flexion and extension. It can also be used for crunching, leg training, and shoulder and back training. However, most people buy resistance bands on a whim, and probably not many people can stick to using them. Firstly, the fixed elasticity of the resistance band is not easy to adjust. Moreover, the use experience is definitely not as good as that of gym equipment such as dumbbells and ropes. But after all, it is for home use. As long as you master the force application skills, it is still a cost-effective equipment. 12 types of home fitness equipment cannot replace the gym, but they are sufficient for a full-body workout at home. 10: Foam Roller. The foam roller is also called a yoga column. It is made of high-purity EVA material. It is light in weight and has cushioning elasticity. It can help practitioners complete various balance movements. The foam roller can not only extend muscles and tendons but also increase blood flow and soft tissue circulation. Especially after speed training and long-distance running, stiff legs will be greatly relieved. In addition to playing the role of massage and loosening tendons and bones, the foam roller can also complete some abdominal suction or crunch movements with the help of dumbbell benches and yoga mats. Girls also need it when practicing squats. The home foam roller combination (yoga column, massage stick, foot roller, fascia ball, yoga wheel, etc. ) can almost relieve the fatigue of the whole body after completing fitness movements. 12 types of home fitness equipment cannot replace the gym, but they are sufficient for a full-body workout at home. 11: Push-up Stands. In the early years, push-ups were the most commonly used movement for me to exercise my chest. Due to improper movements, wrist pain later occurred. Although I could do about 150 push-ups in one breath at most, I later understood that if the wrist joint is greater than 90 degrees, there is a risk of wrist joint injury. Using push-up stands can well protect the wrist. Moreover, with push-up stands, the body can go deeper, the movement amplitude is larger, the stretching effect is better, and the stability is also better. Many street fitness enthusiasts even use push-up stands to do planche push-ups. Of course, if it is only for push-ups, sometimes dumbbells can be used instead.
12 types of home fitness equipment cannot replace the gym, but they are sufficient for working out the whole body at home. Generally speaking, if there are horizontal bars and parallel bars in the community, I do not highly recommend having a pull-up bar at home. Currently, the wall-mounted pull-up bar without drilling holes is relatively popular on the market. It is fixed on the wall or door frame by adjusting the squeezing of screws.
This kind of pull-up bar is actually still not safe. There are many accidents. In addition, if it is not used properly on the wall or door frame, there is still a risk of damage. Another simple version of the horizontal bar and parallel bar pull-up bar reduces the floor space of the base, but it still takes up some space at home. If you have a villa, it is better to buy a commercial one like those in gyms. The above should be the most practical among current home fitness equipment. In addition, some traditional equipment such as arm strength bars and tensioners are basically neglected at present. Although the hydraulic arm strength bar has largely solved the safety problem, it is not the optimal choice in terms of the application scenario of the equipment itself. The same is true for tensioners. As for steppers and waist twisters, to be honest, the concept is greater than the actual effect. It is not recommended to buy them to take up space! 12 types of home fitness equipment cannot replace the gym, but they are sufficient for working out the whole body at home. The choice of home fitness equipment must be based on the exercise purpose and body parts. Considering factors such as safety factors, living environment, and economic conditions comprehensively. Do not be blind, do not be greedy for too much, do not pursue form. On the premise of fully combining outdoor fitness equipment, make home fitness more free!