Lifting Weights at Home

It's a great idea to lift weights because it's healthy for you, however if money is tight or you can't find a gym near you, you can always lift weights at home. I currently go to a gym that is about 15 minutes away from my home walking, however at times I think it would be much better to workout at home because I have access to music.

There have been studies on music and lifting weights. They find that people who lift weights and listen to the right kind of music train harder than those that don't. The gym I go to lacks music speakers in the areas I workout, so I don't get the benefit of listening to any tunes.

Weight Training at Home

These are some problems people might encounter if they want to workout at gyms:

• The gym is far away from where they live
  
  
• They feel intimidated by people who are stronger or bigger than you at the gym
  
  
• Sometimes the gyms can be filled with people and things get crowed
  
  
• Unexpected things can happen (the area where you want to workout is taken by a class)

• If you have kids or pets and you want to go to the gym, they might not be able to be let in

• The gym membership is expensive
  
  
• The gym equipment you use is being used
  
  
• The gym equipment can be dirty

Weight training at home can help with any of these problems.

Your Own Home Gym

Barbells, dumbbells, treadmills, workout benches and so forth all last a long time. When you buy these products and you begin to create your own gym, you'll find that you have a lot of options and choices on placement of the equipment. Make sure that your own home gym is a area where you know that you'll enjoy working out in. These are some things to ask yourself before you invest in your own home gym:

Spacing

Before you buy, make sure you know how much space you have in your home. Exercise equipment such as the treadmill, stationary bike, squat rack or power rack are great exercise equipments that will give you the results you want; however they take up a lot of space.

Goals

Make sure that the equipment you buy will help you achieve your goals. If you want to have a bigger and stronger chest, buy a bunch dumbbells or a barbell with plates and a bench press. If you want stronger and bigger legs, the squat rack and a few plates and a barbell will do just that. If you want better endurance for running, buy a treadmill.

Budget and Costs

Be sure that the equipment you buy fits your budget. If you want quality gains from exercising, whether it be bigger muscles, stronger muscles, getting skinny, better endurance and so forth, you need to buy decent equipment. Usually, decent equipment can be pricey, however it is worth it in the long run. If you find that the prices at your local fitness store are too expensive, consider looking up prices on eBay or Amazon or any other similar sites; most of the time they are much cheaper online than in the stores.

Videos or DVDs

If you are using videos or DVDs to work out, make sure that you lift weights in a area where you can see the TV or computer screen. Technique is very important and one of the ways to learn a technique is to mimic the movement(s). There are also a lot of videos and DVDs of group exercises (such as P90x or Insanity). If you plan on using those, make sure that you have the right equipment with you and in the right place when you work out. Also make sure that the area is big enough for all of your equipment and you can move from station to station safely.

Dumbbells

If you are just starting to design your home gym and you are a beginner at lifting weights, you should start off with a dumbbell purchase. Visit your local fitness store or look online for dumbbells or free weights. The prices might be expensive at certain stores, however usually these products will be in great condition. You can also browse weights online for cheaper prices; however make sure to check the shipping costs.

Dumbbells and free weights are great because usually they can be easily portable. If you find that you are traveling, but you still want to exercise, you can pack a dumbbell or two and bring them along. If the place you are staying doesn't have a gym, you can set up your own mini gym there.

When first buying dumbbells, make sure that you buy a couple of weights that are 5 lbs away from each other. For example, if you buy singe dumbbells, make sure that you buy them in a order so that the weight difference is 5 lbs (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30). Many people make the mistake in only buying one pair of dumbbells and using only that, thinking that they'll get major gains. If you find that buying more than one pair of dumbbells is space consuming, you can also buy power blocks. This product has an adjustable pin that allows you to select how much weight you want to lift and usually they go up to 90 lbs.

Barbells

In my opinion, I find barbells much more efficient than dumbbells when exercising; however many times they take up a lot of room, especially when you have a bench press or a squat or power rack. With the purchase of the bar, you have to get plates as well. Barbells are much more expensive than dumbbells and require a lot more items. For dumbbells, you can just buy a pair of dumbbells and do a variety of exercises with them. For barbells, you might need a bench press in order to have a beneficial chest workout or a squat rack for a great leg workout.

When it comes to purchasing a barbell, make sure that you know the exercises you are going to do with it first. Then, when you have that done, make sure you buy the right equipment with the barbell (for instance if you are planning on doing squats, make sure you buy a squat rack with safety bars and clips as well as the right amount of plates). Squat racks and bench presses take up a lot of room and are expensive; however they are very important pieces of equipment when it comes to barbell training.

Home gyms are great if you find that money or travel is an issue with your local gym. Just make sure that you have the right amount of spacing in your home and your budget can handle the prices.

TankTom is a writer who writes about almost anything interesting, however most are health related. Other than that, he also writes about baby products that all busy parents should get to relieve some stress and keep the babies entertained. Visit www.babyplayarea.com for more details on products such as the North States Superyard Classic XT Gate Play Yard or other similar products.