How to Build the Perfect Home Gym Set-Up, Whatever Your Budget
Constructing a comprehensive home fitness set-up will cost you, initially. But with the average monthly gym membership coming in at £40 (and likely more if you’re London-based), it can quickly pay for itself. The hard part is knowing where to start.
Fortunately Men’s Health’s fitness director Andrew Tracey is on hand to help. Follow our five-part guide to enjoy maximum benefit from minimum spend, whatever your starting budget.
If You Have £50 to Spare
= 1.25 months in the gym
Even with nothing to work with but your bodyweight, you have access to hundreds of muscle-building exercises. But invest in a kettlebell and you can add extra resistance, as well as upgrading your workouts with some heart rate-spiking explosive movements. Pick a weight you can press overhead 3-5 times, ideally somewhere in the 16-24kg range.
If You Have £100 to Spare
= 2.5 months in the gym
A single kettlebell and your bodyweight are great. But a pair of good old-fashioned dumbbells open you up to a world of full-body workouts (including our free weekly workout programme The Men’s Health Dumbbell Club). However you train, a pair of bells from 15-22.5kg will set you up for lifelong fitness, from home.
If You Have £250 to Spare
= 6.25 months in the gym
Now things are starting to get serious. A standalone pull-up frame or bar installed on a wall, alongside a set of gymnastics rings, will give you bodyweight training a major upgrade, helping building both muscle and mobility. Stack these on top of your set of DBs and you have a compact fitness arsenal that can be stashed in a spare corner.
If You Have £500 to Spare
= 1 year 0.5 months in the gym
Building on the kit in the previous category, next you can throw in an additional lighter set of dumbbells for move such as curls and lateral raises. It’s also time to upgrade your kettlebell: add a heavier option, about 30-40kg, for lower-body lifts. Got some spare change? A set of resistance bands will prove handy for multiple strength and rehab movements.
If You Have £1,000 to Spare
= 2 years 1 month in the gym
Our £500 package will set you up for pretty much any and all muscle-building goals. But if you’re really committed to your fitness aspirations, you need a serious bit of fitness kit. Enter the Devil’s Trycycle. An airbike will complete your home set-up, and at a reasonable price for such a versatile piece of kit. The real cost is the effort you have to put in.
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