Three items for your Minimalist Home Gym
You can really do a lot – with a little.
Minimalism is all about removing the non-essential so you are left with and can focus on what is important. This useful tool gives clarity and focus so you can find what is important or being able to focus on the most important and effective training.
I always suggest to people that are looking to build a home gym or getting started in the process that before buying a whole bunch of equipment that you think will be great, start with one thing at a time and use what you have and then add from there. Think purposely with every piece of equipment you accumulate and make sure you will enjoy using it and performing the exercise.
Stripping exercise to the core basics, you don’t really need any equipment to be fit and healthy. You are able to run outside, perform pull-ups in a tree or local playground and do a whole range of body weight exercises including push-ups, sit-ups, handstands and many other exercises and movements.
If you are wanting to create your own small minimalist home gym with just a few pieces of equipment, consider the following few pieces of equipment that can give you a full body workout similar to spending some time in a gym.
What also might be good is splitting these exercises into chunks. E.g. 10 mins per section of cardio, strength training and flexibility.
Cardio – A Skipping Rope
A skipping or jump rope is a great form of cardio and burns a lot of calories in a very short time. Skipping is also considered low impact compared with jogging and besides who didn’t like jump rope as a child? You get to relive your childhood! Jump rope is great cardiovascular training and also helps improve coordination which is why you often see boxers jump roping.
Skipping or “jump rope” Can also be used as a great HIIT workout to get you fit and help you to lose weight. Or it also makes an excellent warm up to a lifting session. This makes it a great essential for any minimalist home gym as well as taking on the road when you travel!
Here is a great value jump rope on Amazon
Strength Training – A Kettle Bell
Made popular in Russia, the kettlebell is a cannonball made of iron or steel with a large handle. It is an effective way for building and conditioning muscles as well as increasing strength with minimal equipment. It can also be used for weight lifting, cardiovascular and flexibility training. Making this a great little versatile piece of minimalist home gym equipment! They come in all different weight sizes. Here are some kettlebell exercises for beginners to start training right away in your minimalist home gym!
Here is a great value kettlebell the Amazonbasics kettlebell.
Flexibility – A Yoga Mat
A Yoga practice is great for increasing flexibility and strength including conditioning and toning your body. It is also be a very calming and restorative activity and can be great after a hard or intense gym session whether it was tough cardio session or lifting weights. If you are new to yoga it is good to practice a basic sun salutation which comprises of around 12 yoga poses. Here is a great video from Yoga with Adriene on YouTube for beginners. Yoga is also great for rehab and increasing mobility.
Here is a great all-round yoga mat to get started on from Manduka.
So there you have it, there are my three top picks for a minimalist home gym with minimalist equipment. Of course you could modify this to include your favorite equipment. Maybe you enjoy cycling or running instead of skipping and would rather include a spin bike or treadmill in your space but hopefully this gives you an idea and that you really don’t need a lot of equipment to have effective home workouts.
These three items can be easily stored away under a bed or in a closet as well as moved to various locations (like if you want to have a workout outside in the summer time). I hope this gave you some ideas and shows you that you can have great workouts even with a minimalist home gym!
Enjoy!