5 Workout Machines you Should Have in Your Home Gym

Has a pandemic occurred and your gym has now been shut down? Do you not feel comfortable at the gym? Home gyms are the new trend and are a safer and more reasonable way to workout, but if you like the socialness of going to the gym then this might not be an option for you.

Here are some cheap machines that you could buy used and put in a spare room or garage to make a home gym:

1) Cable Machine

I don’t know about you but a cable machine consists of more than half of my workout. Having a cable machine allows you to perform exercises like tricep push-downs, cable bicep curls, cable squats, cable abs, and thousands more, working on all large-muscle groups. You can do any exercise with a cable machine that allows the head to move up and down.

If you have the budget, you could go for a functional trainer, which is just like a cable machine but has two sets, so you can use both sides at the same time. A functional trainer allows you to do the same exercises as a cable machine but you could do both parts of the body at the same time, for example, a chest or shoulder press. This is almost double the price, but definitely worth the extra buck because these usually come with pull-up bars attached as well.

The average price for a cable machine is between 500-1,500 dollars based on what you are looking for and how complex the machine is. Definitely, a must need for your home gym to include a broad variety of machines that work all aspects of endurance and strength.

2) Squat Rack

Come on let’s face it, we all know that squat machines have a sacred place in our hearts. If you have a squat rack you can obviously perform squats, but also deadlifts, hip thrusts, chest presses, lunges, pull-ups and so much more.

If you have a squat-rack you must have the weights and bar to go with, if not it’s sort of useless. Make sure to buy the plates so you can actually use the rack and not leave it to go to waste. (Please be careful if you are squatting without a rack because it may be dangerous.)

Many squat racks are extremely complex and have a lot of functionality, but you can definitely get a simpler one to fulfill your needs for a cheap price of 200-300 dollars.

Squat racks are a basic must-have machine in your home gym, literally the base of a weight lifting exercise, and therefore belongs in your home gym.

3) Leg Press

If you don’t skip leg day and are used to all the diverse machines that a commercial gym has and want more than free-weights and cables—you must buy this machine. It may be on the pricy side, ranging from $600-2000, but if you like it, get it. You must have this machine if you don’t like squatting or feel pain when you do.

Using a leg press machine targets all large muscles of the lower body: quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves with low risk of injury compared to weighted squats. Be careful when using the machine in your home gym because you may not have a spotter, and the heavyweight could fall—be careful!

This is one of my favorite machines to use when I’m working my lower body because it heavily targets the quads, reducing the pressure that a weighted bar squat has on the lower back. Though because of lack of hip flexion, it doesn’t target the legs as much as the squat, but it still targets the glutes and calves, even though you are very slightly active in this movement.

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4) Bicycle

I say to get a bicycle machine rather than a treadmill because you could easily run in nature, enjoying the fresh air and the nice view, when not everyone has a bike, but everyone has legs and a sidewalk. You can find cheap exercise bikes, that don’t do anything more than being a bike that stays in place. Some exercise machines have iPads and means of calculating your heart rate and VT—a home bike and personal trainer all in one. Based on your needs and desires, you can easily find an exercise bike to place in your home gym. You can even place a projector in your home gym, and watch videos while riding the bike to save money, instead of spending 2000 dollars on a bike, but each their own.

This is the only cardio machine on this list because I am a heavy believer in nature, and natural cardiopulmonary training to strengthen the lungs and the overall well-being of the body.

5) Ropes, Bosu ball, Kettlebell, Dumbbell

Now, these are not exactly machines but are small functional items that will expand your fitness knowledge and decrease the pressure you emphasize on your body with heavyweight training. You could easily use dumbbells one day, and heavyweights the next day to avoid getting bored with your home-gym and maintaining the well-rounded exercises you usually perform at the gym. These items make lightweight and load/speed exercise more difficult and implement flexibility and speed into your training. You could do a HIIT exercise with a kettlebell and Bosu ball and easily create a superset.

These can be found for very reasonable prices online and could be implemented well in a gym, just as could be in the house for everyday use. If you are a beginner, spend your money on these types of items so you can get the bases down before starting a time-consuming project of creating a home gym.

I hope you guys liked this, and if you are looking for a good site to buy used machines go to www.offerup.com

Don’t forget to share this article with your friends if you liked it, and have plans for creating a home gym! Comment all the machines that you use at the gym, so I as well can start a new workout plan!