It’s a New Year's Resolution. It’s three weeks before you're on the beach. It’s a lifestyle (or you’d like it to be)… Whatever the case, you’re making fitness a priority but your work from home schedule makes it tough to sneak out to the gym. Luckily in 2023, there’s no reason you can’t have a badass space to help you build muscle and chip away some belly fat in the comfort of your own home. Here are the three MUST HAVE pieces of equipment for your 2023 home gym.
Chin-Up Bar:
Chin and Pull-ups, one of the oldest and most efficient exercises to strengthen your back, biceps, and grip strength. Luckily, not only does a home chin up bar allow you to bang a couple of sets out in any doorway of your house- but you can also use it to stretch, perform leg raises or windshield wipers to blast your core, or even perform a static hang. If you’re worried about progressing on your chin-ups every week and don’t have time for a million sets, toss a backpack on with some books or bricks for an additional sweat. If you’re just starting out, tie a resistance band on the bar to alleviate some of the challenge when you’re first starting out.
Yoga Mat:
A yoga mat is another multi-purpose staple for your new home workout space. Yoga is a generational and multicultural mainstay in the exercise world. However, if you’re not as limber as you’d like, yoga mats are also a forgiving, smooth surface for push-ups, planks, crunches, and more. They save you from scuffing up your back and hands on carpet or tile floors, and (maybe more importantly) save your floor from sweat ;)
Dumbbells/Kettlebells:
As the great Ronnie Coleman once said, “Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder, but don’t nobody want to lift no HEAVY ASS WEIGHT!!! “You didn’t really think you’d get through this whole list without us suggesting some actual weight training did you? Resistance training, along with calisthenics and a healthy diet, is the bedrock of muscle-building. Luckily there is no need to break the bank on an Olympic Weightlifting set as all of the key lifts can be performed with dumbbells. In fact, many dumbbell variations can be performed without a spotter and provide an even deeper stretch and activation of the muscle tissue than their Barbell variants.