Setting Up a Home Gym or Workout Area

Today’s blog is all about working out at home. One of the reasons you may want to consider setting up a gym area in your home, as opposed to joining a health club is because approximately 85% of all new health club members drop out without six weeks of joining. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with health clubs; they are another option. The fact is that most people find them inconvenient, feel that they have intimidating atmospheres, and do not know what to do when they get there. The bottom line is this: you can get a great workout right at home!

I went to the Fitness Resource in Alpharetta, Georgia to get the goods! My recommendation when it comes to setting up a workout area in your house is that you need to spend between $400 and $600. I would include a Power Block, an eighteen pound body bar, an exercise mat, a Bosu Trainer, some resistance bands, a six to eight pound medicine ball, and, last but not least, a stability ball.

If you have the cash, about $5,000, and the space for a complete home gym, then you will want, besides what I just listed, the GS4, made by Life Fitness. It is a great piece of equipment. I chose this one above and beyond all of the others because it is mechanically sound and it has a fixed motion. You just push on the equipment. There’s no guesswork and you can adjust it to your anatomy. I definitely recommend it!

For that same $5,000, I would include a piece of cardio-vascular equipment, an elliptical, the Life Fitness X1. It’s a great piece of equipment; it’s very similar to what you are going to find in your local health club, if not better. It has great components and it has electronics which monitor your heart rate. This is the one you should go with!

I asked Kimber Vietti of Fitness Resource, “What is a big mistake that a person might make when setting up a home workout area?”

She said, “I think people often purchase home workout equipment, and store it in the basement or hide it away in a room on the third floor that they hardly ever go to. In actuality, this equipment should be in a room that they go to daily, on a regular basis, and that they enjoy being in.”

That is a great tip! Here’s what I do: I set up my equipment right near where I sleep and where I work. That’s where I make it happen!

Whatever area of your home you choose for your equipment, it has to be out in front of you because, when it is all said and done, it has to be part of your lifestyle, just like that first cup of coffee in the morning or brushing your teeth. Exercising has to be part of your life in the same way. It should not be once in a while, but an everyday way of living.

That’s how you’re going to make it happen!

In-home Exercise of the Week
Step up/Shoulder press
Level: Intermediate
Equipment needed: step and 18 pound bar
Primary muscles used: glutes, quads, deltoids

The most effective in-home exercise of the week is the basic step up, combined with the shoulder press. All you are going to do is, while holding an 18 pound bar in front of you, start on your right side, with your right leg up on the step. Move your left leg onto the step and lift the bar over your head. Then bring your left leg down and lower the bar until it is in front of you. You will want to keep that right leg up on the step the entire time until your set is complete. Contract the glute on the side that you are working at the top. Get a good squeeze. When you finish this set, move to the other side and place your left leg on the step, and repeat. This is a great exercise.

And that is the most effective in-home exercise of the week!

Product Review of the Week
Bob’s Rolled Oats

This week’s product review is Bob’s Rolled Oats. Why have I selected Bob’s? Well, they’ve been in business for a while. They make a high quality whole grain product that is stone ground in the old fashioned way. Besides that, it tastes really good. It’s a great option for breakfast, along with a clean source of protein.

My main reason for recommending this product is that this company didn’t just jump on the organic band wagon. All of the products made by Bob’s have been meeting those standards since they’ve been in business. It’s my favorite brand of oatmeal.

That’s the product review of the week!

Factor Follow-up

A few weeks ago, I talked about getting ready for the big wedding day. Since then, a few people have written in, asking, “Corey, do you recommend working out with your significant other?” It’s just my opinion, but I don’t. I don’t recommend training or hitting the weights together. A day at the park is a great idea, but, when it comes to the weight room, no go.

Factor Mail

Steve from right here in Atlanta, Georgia writes, “Corey, I’ve been working out for two years, and I still haven’t been able to build the chest that I want or like those guys in the muscle magazines. Can you provide some tips to help me out?

Steve, my first tip is to get rid of the muscle magazines because I can guarantee you that those guys are not beefing up on protein alone.

Steve, here’s a routine that will help you to build up your chest, as long as you hve the proper nutrition. Ready? This is an entry level chest building workout. You should start out with two sets of dumbbell flies. That is going to help you to stretch your chest. Then you should move onto two sets of presses. You can use barbells or dumbbells. That is going to help you to really build that muscle. Then you should do some pushups to really exhaust the muscles. You have to make sure you hit every muscle fiber in your chest.

Until next time, make it happen!

Corey Ritter

If you enjoyed this blog, and if you have questions or comments, please send them to corey@thefitnessfactor.com or post them right here.

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