How Much Does It Cost To Set Up a Home Gym?

Whether you're looking to strengthen your core, do weight training or just some light stretching, below is a list of equipment that will meet all those needs, and save you money on a gym membership, too. The best part? Our list includes multi-purpose equipment that you can easily store under your bed.

Exercise Mat

Average Cost: S$30
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Benefits: The great thing about the exercise mat is its versatility. You can use it for yoga, pilates, weight training, stretching and meditation. In addition, using a mat during your workout is also important for safety reasons, since they tend to be slip-free and provide extra cushioning during your workout. If you are primarily interested in yoga, then look for a thinner mat, whereas pilates exercise requires a thicker mat.

Resistance Bands

Average Cost: S$15
Benefits: First off, it's important to note that there are various kinds of resistance bands available on the market. Resistance loop bands, much like rubber bands, can be used for various exercises such as pull ups, push ups, box jumps and squats. They have low impact on your joints, and can aid in fat burning, building muscle strength and improving balance.

Tube resistance bands come with handles attached to them, so they can mimic gym machines and dumbbells. They're a great way to exercise your upper body, in particular for chest, curls and shoulder presses. Rubber mini bands or fabric non-slip hip bands are primarily used for the lower body. When placed above the knees, they will primarily target hips and glutes. Light therapy resistance bands, which are thin bands that don't loop, are most often used for people recovering from an injury as well as for those doing Pilates workouts.

Gliding Discs

Average Cost: S$15
Benefits: While gliding discs may seem not as intense as other exercise equipment, they can very much result in a major workout, and unlike other pieces of fitness equipment, these discs can be used to exercise your whole body. Mountain climbers exercise and plank jacks, for example, will work your entire body. Lateral lunges using the discs will work your legs, glutes and core. Arm slides in plank position will engage your upper body and strengthen your core. Reverse lunges will also strengthen the core, as well as glutes and legs. Knee tucks will work your upper body and core.

In case you haven't noticed, most exercises with gliding discs strengthen your core. There are several benefits of core strength such as: helping prevent injuries, protecting the central nervous system, improving your posture and reducing back pain.

Skipping Rope

Average Cost: S$15
Benefits: Skipping rope is a great way to do cardio without having to actually leave your home or purchase bulky and expensive equipment. Several studies have shown that it is as effective, if not more, as jogging for the same amount of time. Benefits of skipping rope include burning calories, improving balance and coordination, improving heart health and strengthening bone density. Best way to incorporate it into your exercise routine is to start by warming up with a jump rope for 10 minutes.

Exercise Ball

Average Cost: S$25
Benefits: Exercise balls, also called balance or stability balls, are a great way to engage more muscles in basic exercises, helping improve strength and stability. Incorporating the exercise ball into hamstring curl exercise, for example, will not only engage your hamstrings and glutes, but also your core. Deadbug exercise with the ball will engage not only your core muscles, but also your abs and obliques.

Stability ball V-pass, involves lying flat on your back and passing the ball from your arms to between your calves, which exercises your entire body. Even exercises as simple as push-ups or crunches with the help of an exercise ball, will help you get more bang for your buck, as it will engage not your arms or abs but your core too, increasing overall muscle activity.

Dumbbells

Average Cost: Depending on the weight, between S$25(3kg) and S$50 (5kg)
Benefits: While dumbbells are traditionally used to build muscle, incorporating them into your daily at-home workouts can actually help burn fat. Dumbbells are also an essential part of strength training, which helps build strength and endurance. Another great benefit is that strength training helps burn calories not just during, but after the workout too.

Great ways of incorporating them into your workout are to use them when doing squats, which will engage not just your glutes and hamstrings, but your shoulders too. Forwards lunges with bicep curl and side-to-side squat and swing are another great way to engage your upper and lower body muscles.