Equipment To Build A Well-Balanced Physique From The Comfort Of Your Home
Before I start, I want to clarify that this article is for the guys and girls who just wish to be fit and build a lean physique. This isn’t for the people who want to maximize hypertrophy or for those of you who are wishing to be competitive athletes. Now that that’s out of our way, let's continue! Fitness can be incorporated into your life no matter how busy you are. If you don't find time to make it to a gym, or simply don't like going to one, doesn’t mean that you are no longer capable of performing any form of resistance training. You can always use bodyweight training as a way to get stronger over time to help you build some muscle and achieve the physique you want.
Bodyweight training is a great way to build a lean and strong physique. That being said, it is not possible to hit every muscle group as hard as possible if you have absolutely NO equipment at all. What I’m talking about is the back and biceps. You see, there is a huge variety of pushing exercises to develop your chest, shoulder, and triceps without any equipment. In the same way, you can train your legs with a variety of bodyweight exercises without needing any equipment whatsoever. But this cannot be said for the back and biceps. Pulling movements will require you to have some equipment like a pull-up bar. This will allow you to perform a variety of exercises which target the back and biceps using your bodyweight helping you build a complete physique.
To read more about bodyweight training, click here https://www.bodymindquotient.com/home/how-to-train-if-you-cant-go-to-the-gym
This article will lay out the different options you have while purchasing equipment for bodyweight training. Think of these as a one-time investment which will help you in building your goal physique. If you are serious about changing your body composition but don't want to go to the gym for any reason, I highly recommend having any ONE of the pieces of equipment listed below to help you build a well-balanced physique. In most cases, these should cost you a lot lesser than a typical gym membership over the long run and can help you progress by targeting all muscles in your body from the comfort of your home.
1. Pull-up Bars
The most basic equipment and probably the cheapest option on this list. A pull-up bar is the missing piece in the puzzle of bodyweight training. With the help of a simple pull-up bar which you can attach in your doorway, you’ll be able to train the back and biceps. Moreover, you can progress to a lot more bodyweight movements which can help you build a stronger core in the long run. You can find pull-up bars for a very cheap price but make sure you get one which can be attached securely with screws rather than the ones which attach to the walls with pressure, so that you minimize the risk of falling. If you have not trained seriously before and can’t perform basic chin-ups yet, I’d definitely recommend going for this option!
2. Gymnastic Rings
The reason why I decided adding rings into this list is simply that they are more versatile. They will provide you not only with the same benefits of a pull-up bar but even more in the form of a wider exercise selection. Rings can not help you perform pull-ups and chin-ups, but can also help you perform pushing exercises like dips which help you add more variety into your arsenal. If the height of the rings is adjustable, you can even perform exercises such as inverted rows to provide a horizontal pulling pattern with just your bodyweight. The main drawback of using rings is that you will need something you can attach it to(unless you plan drilling hooks into your ceiling). Now, unless you plan to train in a park where you can attach the rings onto some sort of bar, this might be difficult to do so. Also, using rings is more difficult. If you are a complete beginner, it would be easier to learn your first chin-up on a bar than on rings simply because rings require a lot more stability while executing exercises. That being said, I have personally never trained using rings but I do wish to do so in the future. If I were to get one of the two, I’d personally lean towards the rings simply because of the variety of exercises and the added difficulty helping you progress even more over time given the fact that you find a suitable place to attach the rings to.
3. Resistance Bands
There are a lot of shapes and varieties of resistance bands available to assist you if you plan on training without a gym membership. Some are flat and looped while some are tubular with handles attached at the end. The reason why I include resistance bands into this list is because of their portability. For many people, training with bands might be a lot less intimidating and a lot more fun, and if you’re one of them, these are the right option for you! Also, if you get a good set of resistance bands, you can provide different levels of resistance to your exercises helping you achieve progressive overload over time. Many resistance bands have attachments available which allow you to hook them onto objects such as your door. These can not only be used to perform horizontal and vertical pulling movements but also can be used to perform pushing and leg exercises as well. Also, they will help you to ‘isolate’ muscles better than the two options listed above. Keep in mind that these are a little more pricey than the options mentioned above, but the fact that you can take them anywhere is a big plus and makes them well worth the price. If you do plan of getting these, keep in mind to invest in some which have a good quality to make sure they last long and don't snap!
4. Suspension Trainers
The first thing that comes to my mind when I say the word suspension trainers is the TRX. Now, I personally feel that the TRX is a bit too overpriced, especially if you’re just a beginner, but it still does fit into this list and hence I did not want to skip it. If you are able to find other suspension trainers which are of good quality, that’s great! If you wish to invest in the TRX, that’s great as well! A suspension trainer can assist you by adding in more exercises and can target the muscles like the back and biceps as well. While I do think it is a great additional attachment, I wouldn’t recommend it being the ONLY equipment you own. That being said, you can still use it to progressively get stronger and achieve your goals.
5. Adjustable Dumbbells
Though this wouldn’t be classified as bodyweight training, they definitely can help you hit the missing links which bodyweight training would miss out on. The pros are that they can be portable and ‘isolate’ muscles better than any of the options listed above. The cons are the fact that they are limited in weight and eventually might get too easy for you. You can overcome this by adding more difficult variations of exercises but I felt that this had to be stated. Moreover, a decent dumbbell set would cost a lot more than a simple pull-up bar and if you aren’t so keen on lifting weights in the first place, it wouldn’t be of great use to you. On the other hand, if you do wish to supplement your bodyweight training with some weights, this is a very good alternative to actually joining a gym.
6. Bonus - Dip Station
If you don’t think any of the options above work for you, a decent dip station can be sufficient to start. This apparatus can allow you to perform inverted rows and dips along with core work. In this way, you can target your back and get in some more variety for your push work. Moreover, these don’t need to be installed on the walls or the doorframe, if that was something you were not in favor of. If you don’t know what these look like, check out this link here (not an affiliate link!).
Conclusion
Fitness can be incorporated into your life no matter how busy you are. You just have to find an approach that works for you. Bodyweight training is a great way to train if you are not able to go to the gym for any reason whatsoever. That being said, just like everything else, bodyweight training does have its drawbacks. It fails to effectively target the muscles such as the back and bicep if you have absolutely no equipment at all. To overcome this issue, you just need to invest in ONE equipment which can help you build a balanced physique. This equipment can be based on your personal preferences and can vary from being a pull-up bar to resistance bands. In the end, it comes down to applying progressive overload and getting stronger on whatever exercises you choose to do. Remember that training is only half of the equation and when combined with nutrition, will help you achieve a lean and fit physique.
Find the content informational? Share it with your friends and pin the image below on Pinterest!
