A mysterious fact of human nature is that when we’re home, we want to relax. But home doesn’t have to simply be a place for us to eat, sleep and watch Netflix. With determination and drive, we can get a lot of work done at our home “base” with a $100 gym workout.
Behold—the home workout! Not for the undisciplined, the home workout is very doable and can be very cheap, too! For the same price you might pay for a couple months of gym membership, you can set up a serviceable “gym” right in your own abode.
So without further ado, here are the basics to quickly assemble a $100 gym, so you’ll be able to knock out a workout without leaving the house!
Plyos
Actually, the first thing we’ll mention won’t even cost you a dime, because you already own it. We’re talking about your body!
By using your own body weight to perform plyometric exercises, you’re letting gravity turn you into your own gym equipment. Don’t get cheaper than that!
Don’t believe plyos really work? Trying doing a plyo pushup! After lowering yourself to the ground (the way a normal pushup is done), push up explosively until your hands are off the ground. Now do that a few times and experience the difference.
There are literally dozens of plyometric options that’ll work you harder than a bout against John Wick. Ace Fitness offers a full plyo workout with exercises which can all be done in your living room, garage or back yard!
Pull-up Bars
Loving the concept of doing exercises which rely on bodyweight? Try incorporating more pull-ups into the mix! For under $30, you can arm yourself with a good pull-up bar—one of the most deceptively simple pieces of workout equipment out there. And again, you still don’t have to buy actual weights. With pull-ups, you are the weight!
Common door frame pull-up bar models can serve extra duty for push-ups, chin-ups, crunches and dips to hit those triceps, making this an extremely versatile piece of gear.
Check out 12 Minute Athlete’s “8 Badass Exercises You Can Do With Nothing But a Pull Up Bar” for ideas on how to max this thing out!
Jump Ropes
Alright, we’ve still got a few bucks left, so let’s “splurge” on a jump rope! Jumping rope is no easy workout, trust us. It improves cardiovascular health and breathing function, increases bone density and did we mention it fries calories like an angry blast of lightning from Thor’s hammer?
Seriously, what’s not to love about jumping rope? Kids do this stuff for fun!
But if you’re already up to speed on using a speed rope, then why not snag a weighted jump rope to kick things up a notch? Heavier ones cost more, but basic weighted ropes with ½ lb per handle can be found for under $20.
Kettlebells
Okay, let’s move onto the iron. Grab yourself a 3-pack set of kettlebells for $25 to get the most variety from these weights. With a simple 5, 10 and 15 lb kettlebell, you can perform dozens of weighted exercises that’ll make you wonder why you never bought these things before!
Kettlebells take a bit of getting used to, but hey, that’s the point of them. They distribute weight in a such as way that it works out the muscles differently than traditional dumbbells. Your muscles won’t know what hit ‘em!
From lunge squats to halos, swings and Turkish get ups, kettlebells are mega versatile and, when used to their full potential, can add crazy new dimensions to any routine. Here’s a list of 52 kettlebell exercises to get you started!
Floor Mat
Boring but necessary. Whether you plan on doing floor exercises on carpet, hardwood floors or a cold, hard garage floor, you’ll want a decent mat to put down.
You can pick up a 48″L x 24″W all-purpose, rubber foam exercise mat for under $25. Easy to clean and certainly easier on your back than a hard floor. And even if you plan on working out on carpet, who wants to get their carpet all sweaty?
Alternatives
If you already have any of the above items, or want to swap one out for something else, consider utilizing gymnastic rings. These can be incredibly effective if you have the right space and facility requirements. The rings are attached to straps which are required to be hung from an elevated area, like a ceiling or rafters. Not everyone has the option to bolt or mount these into their ceiling… plus this incurs an additional cost, which exceeds our $100 budget!
But if you have an existing area to hang them, or don’t mind buying and installing any needed hardware, then gym rings are an awesome element to incorporate into your home training regiment. Just make sure to measure the spacing carefully, so they hang down where you need them to for your shoulder width.
For training tips, check out Coach’s “How To Start Training With Gymnastic Rings!”
Cool Down
We did it! A solid $100 gym workout. You’re welcome!
All kidding aside, finding the right equipment was actually the easy part. The real trick is planning out a regular routine and sticking with it. The links above should give you ample exciting options to try out!
And apart from saving time and money with your home gym, there’s another added bonus. Yes, you can still manage to perform many if not most of these exercises while simultaneously having your favorite TV show on… as long as it doesn’t distract you from getting in your reps! If it does, then stick to a music playlist. And unlike the gym, you get to choose the tunes which motive you to get pumped up!
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