January 13, 2023 – The Ninety-First Official Friday Night BeerBlog

You’ve used all the excuses of why you can’t workout, but each is full of holes. Excuse #1: I don’t have time. Then put down your phone for that 1/2 hour that you scroll every morning and every night. Excuse #2: I don’t have the money. Well, working out can be nearly free – grab a jumprope and press your own body weight. Excuse #3: I don’t like working out. That is probably true because you haven’t started, but the second you start to feel better or are able to tuck your shirt in or button those pants, you’ll love working out. Excuse #4: I don’t want to workout in front of a bunch of other people. I got you there. What you need to do is to set up a little place in your own space and it’s easy. And I’ve got the TOP 3 things you need to set up your own home gym.

Let’s Start With The Obvious

The very first you need to set up your own home gym is a clear space to work out in. You don’t need much. Just a 5 x 8ft area where you can move around. It doesn’t even have to be clear all the time, just an area that you can get clear for your workouts. I have spent many a morning either working out in the middle of the living room or the space between the couch and the television in the basement. Both no more than said 5 x 8ft.

Wood floors, tile, carpet, rug – it doesn’t matter. Just find yourself a rectangle where you can get busy.

Invest In Your Workout

We all know how important resistance training is and if you don’t then you need to go back and listen to Redesigning Midlife episode 109 from December. Now, resistance training CAN be done with just your body weight, which is a great place to start if you haven’t lifted free weights or just want to work on making sure your movements are correct before adding weight.

But adding in free weights are a great investment in your home gym. Weights never go bad or break or need to be replaced. I’ve added to my collection over the years, but some, like my 10 pound weights, I’ve had for over 20 years.

Start your collection with lighter weights first. Never lifted before? Grab some 3s and 5s. A little more advanced, go for 5s, 8s, 10s. As you increase your lean muscle mass, step up in weights – 12s, 15s. Get one heavy weight for movements like sumo squats or dumbell swing. It’s a progression.

If you don’t want to use free weights, you could even invest in some bands that when used correctly, can mimic weights. A fact that you would never guess.

The Most Important Thing You Need

You can do so much with a 5 x 8ft clear space and some free weights. But you are still missing the most important part. A plan. A program or workout to follow. You don’t just want to lift willy-nilly. You need someone to tell you what to do for maximum effect. And for this you are going to need your phone or your computer.

There are millions (maybe) of free workouts on YouTube. These are usually all stand alone workouts, so you kinda need to know what you are looking for. But if you don’t want to do that, then you need to either work with a trainer online or you need to purchase a full workout program that you can download and follow. Ahem, I happen to have one of those – Cardio HIIT and Resistance Training workouts built especially for women in their midlife.

Now some other “non-required” things you might want to have: some killer workout music, a bottle of water because you need to stay hydrated, a device like your apple watch, fitbit, or garmin so that you can track your workouts. And one good pair of tennis shoes. I have one pair that I only use to workout at home only. I don’t wear them anywhere else.

What You DO NOT Need To Build Up Your Home Gym

You really don’t need anything outside of these three major things, but for sure you don’t need expensive workout clothes. The athleisure business is BIG right now, but if you are in your basement alone, you don’t need any of it. And even if you do purchase some, I suggest saving it and wearing it out somewhere where people see you. Like Target or the grocery store.

You definitely don’t need expensive workout equipment. Weight machines are okay, but as a beginner there is nothing you can do with those that you can’t do with free weights. And treadmills are nice to have, but getting outside for walks and runs, even in bad weather, is totally worth it for the fresh air alone.

What Are You Waiting For?

Working out at home is such a time-efficient, cheap, and reliable activity. There is no excuse great enough to change those facts. Even if you like going to the gym, having the option to work out at home can really come through in a pinch. Can you say PANDEMIC?

FNBB 91 – Podcast Version on Redesigning Midlife