Hugo on Home Gym Training

<I am wanting to get a basic free weights setup at home. I was just looking for a little bit of advise about what basic equipment I should start with, what weights, bars, bench, etc. Thanks, Nick>

There are many reasons why one may decide to have a home gym in addition to a commercial gym membership:

1) Variety
2) In case you miss your training at the commercial gym, you always have your home gym available.
3) No excuse to miss a workout when the commercial gym is closed.

With all of the fancy expensive gadgets that appear on TV it may seem very confusing for somebody that is looking to set up a home gym to know what to get. Since I like to keep things simple and cheap, I believe that all you need to have an awesome home gym is a strong and stable adjustable bench and a set of adjustable dumbbells. With this limited equipment you can perform the following basic mass building exercises:

Back:
One Arm Dumbbell Rows (Palms facing your body)
Two Arm Dumbbell Rows (Palms facing forward as if you were doing regular barbell rows)
Two Arm Dumbbell Rows (Reverse Grip)
Pullovers

Chest:
Incline Bench Press, Flat Bench Press, Flyes (Incline and Flat)

Thighs:
Dumbbell Squats (hold each dumbbell by your side)
Lunges

Hamstrings:
Stiff Legged Deadlifts

Shoulders:
Dumbbell Press
Upright Rows
Lateral Raises
Bent Over Lateral Raises

Traps:
Dumbbell Shrugs
Upright Rows

Biceps:
Dumbbell Curls
One Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls (using the bench in its incline position)
Incline Dumbbell Curls
Concentration Curls
Hammer Curls

Triceps:
Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extensions
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extensions
Close Grip Bench Press
Triceps Kickbacks

Calves:
Two Legged Dumbbell Calf Raises
One Legged Dumbbell Calf Raises

Abdominal:
Sit-ups
Crunches
Leg Raises
Knee-Ins
Leg Raise & Crunch. (Note that for these exercises all you need is yourself and the floor; no need for expensive ab machines; call me old fashioned but as Dave Draper says "the wheel is round and it works best that way").

If you also get yourself a squat rack with a chinup bar in it, and a dip station along with an olympic set then you have just added more exercises to your arsenal.

Also, if the weight bench you bought has a good Leg Extension/Leg Curl attachment to it and a Pulldown bar, those are even more exercises added to your list.

These are additions that I would recommend for the very serious bodybuilder. Somebody who is trying just to firm up and get in great shape however can certainly just get by with the dumbbells and bench alone. The key here is the quality of the equipment. Unfortunately, I have seen alot of crappy things out there on the market.

The best set of dumbbells that I recommend for home use (and please do not think that I am getting paid for saying this) are the Powerblocks. The reason for this is that they save alot of space, they are easily adjusted in weight and very safe. The last thing you need is for a dumbbell to be unsafe and fall in your face. Whether you decide to get the Powerblocks or not, my best recommendation when it comes to adjustable dumbbells is that you look for those that secure the weights on the sides on a very reliable manner.

As far as the bench, go for a strong one that is stable and does not wobble when you start adding some serious weight. Again, safety in this matter is key. If you try to save some money by buying crappy weightlifting equipment it may turn out to be more expensive on the long run.

Take Care and Train Hard!
Hugo A. Rivera
Click here to visit Physique Engineering Technologies
Where People Ship In to Shape Up!

Click here to return to the IOL Group Messages