How to Build a Home Gym on $500 or Less

Let’s get real.

Obviously, we all dream of a beautiful state-of-the-art home fitness room, complete with high end cardio equipment and the latest jaw-dropping interactive fitness technology. However, not all of us have the space or budget for our dream fitness room, even with low monthly payments.

The good news is: creating a simple quality home workout space to help you stay fit on a budget of $500 or less is possible; with a little creativity. But before you begin thinking of buying cheap or used fitness equipment, remember that buying high quality accessories you can build on gets you much closer to that gym of your dreams. And, when you’re ready to invest in those big cardio pieces, you know where to find us.

As you begin to select your equipment, it’s important to keep in mind the three main components to a well-rounded workout:

1. Strength training
2. Cardio
3. Mobility/flexibility

You’ll want to plan your home gym equipment one category at a time. Identify how you would most enjoy engaging in strength training, cardio, and mobility exercises at home, and then make purchases that best support your fitness plan. When you enjoy your exercises, you’re more likely to stick with them over the long haul.

Strength Training Equipment

When it comes to home strength training, there are a plethora of equipment options. If you want to strength train by lifting weights, consider:

• A weight bench
• Barbells
• Dumbbells
• Kettlebells

There are also many accessory options that support using your body weight for strength training. For instance:

• The TRX Home Suspension Kit
• An ab roller
• A pull-up bar
• Push-up bars
• Grip strengtheners
• Resistance bands

The TRX Home Suspension Kit will give you a full-body strength training workout right at home using your own body weight. The kit is professional-level quality and connects to any doorway or pull-up bar that supports weight.  Other strength training accessories can complement the TRX kit or be purchased on their own.

Of course, you can also do a simple bodyweight workout, which doesn’t require much equipment at all. To feel more comfortable with these exercises, though, you might want to get a yoga mat or thicker exercise mat to do your simple bodyweight workouts on.

Cardio Equipment

Although you can find cheap fitness equipment, most good pieces of cardio equipment such as treadmills and exercise bikes will run you over $500. Those that cost less are often of questionable quality, so steer clear of them when building your home gym.

Related Products

Expert Tip: Be especially cautious with made-for-tv fitness gear promising instant results and low payment options. G&G offers much better equipment with even better financing options. When you work with a fitness equipment consultant, you won’t get surprise add-ons and subscriptions. If you’re considering financing your equipment, talk to us before you lock yourself into something you’ll regret. Click here to read about TV infomercial fitness equipment and why it’s such a bad idea.

Instead, invest in less expensive cardio accessories that will allow you to get a good workout at home without breaking the bank. Consider:

• Battle ropes
• Balance balls
• Circuit kit
• Gym/medicine balls
• Jump ropes
• Plyo boxes
• Boxing gloves
• Weighted vest

There are a variety of exercises you can perform with each of these items to get your heart rate up. Some will also reinforce your endurance and strength training as a bonus.

Mobility Equipment

Although cardio workouts help increase mobility to an extent, your workout routine also needs to include stretching exercises to keep your body flexible.

Strength training and hard workouts tend to prompt muscles to tighten and contract. To counteract that, you want to loosen and lengthen your muscles as well. A simple way to become more flexible is to engage in stretches either alone or using accessories.

The following items can help:

• Foam roller
• Bosu Ball
• Yoga mat
• Yoga strap/fitness bands

With a little planning, you can create a completely functional home gym for under $500. Once you’ve set up your gym, you’ll be able to stay strong, fit, and flexible safely and conveniently in the privacy of your own home.

And, when you’re ready to move on to the fitness equipment you really want, ask your G&G Fitness Equipment store about special financing options like no money down and 0% interest plans for the best fitness equipment on the market with affordable monthly payments.