As many of you know I have been struggling with my weight since having Little Princess. I have successfully lost over 10 pounds and still losing! I tried a gym, but with the cost and the time commitment away from home, it just did not work. Here is a guest article by Nick on "How To Cut Down Your Gym Membership Costs With Budget Home Exercise Equipment". My comments are in red!
If you're on a strict budget in today's financial times, chances are one of the first things that has to go is your gym membership. Most are up around the range of $50 and for someone who is aiming to cut costs, this is money that you just can't afford to spend.
The great news however is that you can still get in a good full workout right at home using a few of the budget pieces of home exercise equipment. If you plan your workout correctly, you'll still be seeing great results for a fraction of the price.
Here are the smartest budget-friendly pieces of home gym equipment to invest in.
For cardio purposes, you really can't beat skipping as far as calorie burning goes and in just ten minutes of skipping, this would be the equivalent to running at a fast paced for the same amount of time. Most skipping ropes cost only $5-10 total, so this should be an easy add to your home gym.
Second, another piece of equipment that you may want to look into if you're looking to move beyond bodyweight exercises for your strength training is a resistance band set. You can purchase these in a variety of different resistance levels so you can challenge your muscles in the exact manner you need to.
There are so many different types of exercises that you can do with resistance bands, so you really can work every single muscle group with this one piece of equipment.
The price of these will range based on how many you're purchasing and what brand you buy. Shop around so you can get the best deal.
Another good cheap investment for home exercise equipment is an exercise ball. You can also perform a number of different movements on these and they are fantastic for working your core body strength.
Anyone who wants to improve their balance ability will also want to pick up one of these as that's what they target.
If you're really looking to up your strength, one of the smartest investments to make will be, without question, a set of adjustable dumbbells. You can virtually hit every single muscle with these and since you can switch up the weight when needed, you won't have to worry about not being challenged by the single weight dumbbells you may have used in the past.
Adjustable dumbbells will be a slightly pricier option than the other options listed above but you should still be able to find a set for around $50.
Adjustable dumbbells will be a slightly pricier option than the other options listed above but you should still be able to find a set for around $50.
Bags Of Sugar (CLEVER idea Nick! I use canned foods too sometimes, yes I'm a whimp!)
Finally, if all else fails and you need something quick and easy for resistance, try various items you already have at home. For example, holding bags of sugar while you do shoulder presses, bench press, or bicep curls will provide a bit of additional resistance and help you step up the intensity of your workout program.
Just do be sure that you have the bag fully sealed however, or you could be getting a workout from cleaning it up!
So keep these cheap but effective pieces of home gym equipment in mind. If you can make use of them, a tight budget doesn't have to mean tight pants.
This blog has been contributed by Nick. Nick writes for Buildingbodymuscles.com. His blog features articles on fitness and muscle building. He also reviews lots of fat loss and muscle building programs. These days he is focussing on a program called 7 Minute Muscle. Subscribe to his newsletter to receive more such articles.
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