If you won’t join a gym, you can learn how to use and equip your home to get and stay fit …

Maybe you’ve finally come to that place in your life where you’re convinced of the essential value of exercise, and your personal need to get and stay fit … but there’s no way you’ll join a gym.

That’s okay, you can use your home as base for getting and staying fit. But there are some things you’ll have to do first. For example:

• • You’ll have to gain the knowledge you need. Based on your personal fitness objectives, you’ll need to learn how to properly and safely execute functional exercises. Fitness professionals vary in their definition of “functional training,” but I like this explanation from TRX: “Functional training helps provide you with the strength, stability, and mobility you need to thrive in your life and sports. You use basic functional movement patterns like pushing, pulling, hinging, squatting, rotating, carrying, and gait patterns — walking and running — every day. Functional training utilizes exercises that improve your movement proficiency in these primary patterns to give you an edge so you can achieve your goals safely and with good health.” Therefore, functional exercises usually rely on the use of one’s own body weight rather than bulky and expensive gym equipment, although some minor and inexpensive exercise equipment is needed for some functional training. So adopting functional training as your means of getting and staying fit can be reasonably cheap, and something you can do at home, but you’ll have to gain the proper knowledge first. If you’re a competent researcher, you can learn most of what you’ll need to know from a plethora of websites on the internet. HOWEVER, I personally recommend an initial investment in a Personal Trainer to teach you what functional exercises are, how to execute functional exercises properly and safely, how to develop whole functional training workout routines, and how to vary those routines.
  • Make space for working out, and equip that space with some basics. You’ll need to make enough room to properly and safely do the various exercises and whole routines, and you’ll need some space to store a handful of basic exercise equipment.

Because most functional exercises rely on the use of your own body weight, you save a lot of money and can exercise at home, but you’ll have to do your homework to learn whole workouts that include functional exercises like:

Burpees.
Squats.
Jump squats.
Plank.
Push ups.
Pull ups.
Lunges.
Crunches.
Mountain climbers.
Half-kneeling wood chops.
Side bends.
Jack knifes.
Wheelbarrow.
Leg raises.
Bench dips …

… and other such exercises.

You can also get your needed cardio exercise without joining a gym, but if you don’t want to spend money on cardio equipment you may have to get outside for various cardio exercise like:

Walking.
Running.
Swimming.
Biking.
Skating.
Hiking.
Dancing …

… and other forms of cardio exercise.

You’ll greatly enhance your range and effectiveness of exercise from home by investing in some inexpensive exercise equipment, such as:

• • Resistance bands for resistance training. These are not the cheap bands of yesteryear. The quality and effectiveness of bands available today will rival (some argue surpass) the resistance capacity of bulky and expensive gym equipment. You’ll have to learn how to use various bands for a variety of exercises, but the cost (savings!) may be worth the effort at properly educating yourself.
  • A weight bench for both functional training and use with some equipment like resistance bands.
  • Dumbbells and/or kettlebells. You don’t have to buy a complete set of dumbbells, just a few ranging from what is somewhat light for you to heavier that safely challenges you. Kettlebells are also a great option, but you’ll need to learn how to specifically use them effectively and safely, which requires more education on your part (another good reason for investing in a Personal Trainer).
  • Bosu ball and stability ball. Regarding the bosu ball, American Home Fitness notes, “‘Bosu’ stands for ‘both sides up’ because it can be used with the flat base on the floor with the dome side facing up, or as a wobble board with the dome side facing down. It serves as a more practical and useful version of the traditional stability ball. A bosu ball is a great addition to any home gym. Not only is it a balance aid, helping users coordinate muscles and nerves for unstable conditions that you experience in everyday life, but it also assists it a number of other types of training, such as stretching, rehabilitation, and strength training.” The American Council on Exercise considers the stability ball an effective tool for strengthening your abdominals and other core muscles. Stability balls are used in fitness classes, weight rooms, and home gyms. They can make any exercise more challenging and provide many benefits when used regularly.
  • Jump rope. This exercise is more than a child’s entertainment, it has great fitness benefits! From burning calories to engaging muscle groups, click here to learn more about the value of this exercise.
  • Medicine ball. You don’t need to buy a set, just a couple to use in various exercises.
  • Foam roller. Most people know little to nothing of the benefits of foam rolling. Click here for my blog post on this subject.
  • Full-length mirror. There’s a very practical reason gym walls are plastered with mirrors. They aren’t there so you can adore yourself, they’re there so you can see and check your form to make sure you’re executing exercises properly. In the space you make available to exercise at home, you’ll want to include a full-length mirror for this purpose.

If you have the space, and are willing to invest in a couple “big ticket” (meaning, more expensive) pieces of equipment, I would recommend you consider an elliptical machine or treadmill, and a row machine. The elliptical and/or treadmill is a good investment for those months when inclement weather discourages outdoor forms of cardio exercise. A row machine not only is an effective way of burning calories, but it also provides a full-body, low-impact workout (learn more about the benefits of using a row machine by clicking here).

So if you’re finally serious about getting and staying fit, but insist on never joining a gym, you can educate yourself and, with a small investment, equip a space in your house so that you can develop a lifestyle of exercising in the comfort of your own home.

Before you do any of this: 1) Always consult a physician before starting any exercise regimen, 2) LEARN before you leap. Just doing the few functional exercises you may already know (e.g., push ups or jumping jacks) is not a complete exercise regimen. You’ll need to learn what the functional exercises are, how to do them properly and safely, how to design whole workout routines, and how to vary those routines — this is where an initial investment in a Personal Trainer is priceless, and 3) You’ll need to spend a little money on some basic exercise equipment, but the cost of resistance bands, bosu and stability balls, and a few other things is much less than paying year after year on a gym membership, and 4) If you’re really willing to commit to working out at home, it would be wise to consider eventually investing in the “big ticket” equipment I noted above.

To help with your fitness education, you might want to check out my book, “Getting & Staying Fit” (you can find that book here), and another helpful resource is the book, “Body By God,” by Dr. Ben Lerner (you can find that on Amazon here).

I have a bias toward encouraging people to consider joining a gym because everything you need, including the expertise of Personal Trainers, can be found there. But my greater desire is to see people make serious commitments to be good stewards of their bodies by getting and staying fit. If you’re willing to do that with a make-shift “home gym,” then it’s possible to do, and I wish you the very best!

Scotty