One of the common issues gym-goers can have is simply not making it to the gym often enough. Having a decent home gym takes travel time out of the equation and you can easily nip in to do a 10 minute workout whenever you've got the chance.

If you're planning to create a home gym, here are some of our top tips.

Things to consider

When you're setting up an exercise space at home, before you invest in any equipment it's important to think about a few things:

• How much space do you have?
  If you get a big pin weights setup, will you have room to roll out your mat for floor work? If you want to set up a boxing bag will there be room to kick and punch without other things getting in the way?
• What's your budget?
  If you don't want to spend much, try stick to the essentials you need. It can be easy to spend a lot of money on gym equipment so it's a good idea to figure out how much you want to spend before you start buying.
• What are your training goals?
  If you want to lift heavy, you'll need weights. If you want to do cardio, you might want an exercise bike or treadmill.
• What exercise do you enjoy?
  Having exercise equipment you don't like may result in it not getting used. It might seem like a great idea to buy a new treadmill for motivation, but if you don't enjoy running you might find it just ends up as an expensive clothes horse to showcase your laundry.
• What motivates you to exercise?
  Putting effort into making a home gym can initially be motivating, but if you find it more inspiring to exercise in a group, your new space may go unused. Do you have room and equipment for someone else to train with you?
• Is it an allocated exercise space or do you need to pack everything up in between?
  If you have to haul out a full weights setup and bench every time you want to train then pack it away, it may make a quick workout the too-hard basket.
  

Some useful equipment

If you're keen to do some stretching, aerobics-style cardio training as well as strength training, you don't need a lot of fancy expensive equipment. Some things that may come handy include:

• Non-slip exercise mat
• Loop band or a set of them
• Swiss ball
• Yoga strap, thick blanket or towel and 2x yoga blocks (if you want to do yoga)
• Foam roller (for recovery)

If you have a strength training goal you might want one option or a combination of pin weights, dumbells, kettlebells, barbells, atlas stones... there are many options.

A barbell set with weight plates can be great as you can easily adjust the overall weight depending on the exercise, and use the plates on their own as well.

A suspension trainer such as a TRX can be a good way of challenging yourself with a range of exercises using limited space, so that could be something worth looking into.

That's not to say you need all these things; as mentioned before it's relative to your goals and what you enjoy doing. Remember that you could also use things around the house, such as water-filled milk bottles with handles for weights, or a belt in place of a yoga strap.

What's your flooring like?

You might also like to consider what's underfoot; depending on how big the space is and what exercise you want to do. A padded gym mat or thinner yoga mat may be enough. You can get carpet, foam or rubber tiles if you'd prefer a spongier surface - especially if you're doing high impact activities or spending a lot of time lying down doing exercise like pilates floor work.

Wooden laminate flooring looks beautiful, but if you're doing heavy weight lifting some types can get damaged easily if a dumbbell falls on it.

Ambience can be important

If your exercise space isn't inviting or right for the activities you want to do, you're less likely to use it. For example, if you want to do yoga you might want to have soft lighting, a way to keep the room warm, and perhaps a small altar for crystals or incense. A mirror may help you check your technique during weightlifting. A houseplant might make the space feel more welcoming and appealing.

You might also want to have handy a way to play your favourite workout music, and if you're following online videos have a screen or place to put your tablet/phone so it's easily visible while you're training.

Exercise without equipment?

Remember, you don't need to have any equipment to get in a decent workout. Calisthenics exercises (using your own body weight as resistance such as squats and lunges) don't require anything - a mat will make push ups and other floor work more comfortable, but you don't even need that to get started.

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