Definition- What is a fitness room?
Of course, a fitness room can mean something different for every person or exerciser. Basically, however, it means a possibility to train at home – i.e. independently of a fitness studio or similar. In the Anglo-American world, however, the term “garage gym” is more common. While in many areas of the USA such a room is not necessarily heated and can therefore really be outside the house due to the year-round mild climate, in Germany year-round use is only possible if the room is also heated or is part of the house. The equipment of a fitness room is up to the requirements, the budget and the preferences of the user.
What training equipment should I have in the gym?
The question of all questions when it comes to setting up your own fitness room. In principle, this question can be approached from two points of departure. One approach mainly relates to motivation.
It is about equipping the fitness room with equipment that makes you want to use or train on it. Without motivation to use the room, its equipment would be useless. It is mainly irrelevant whether the equipment is for strength building, endurance or mobility training.
Another approach is the question of equipment that can be used to cover as many training possibilities as possible. Nearly every owner of a fitness room or personal trainer would probably tend to recommend a barbell and a set of weight plates. The barbell can be used to train the arms, legs, or back.
A useful addition would be a so-called rack. In principle, this is nothing more than at least two stable posts on which the barbell can be placed at any height. The rack thus makes it possible to grip the barbell from head height and thus to do front and back knee bends, military presses etc.
In most cases the rack also offers the advantage that there is a cross bar at the top end, which can be used for pull-ups, toes-to-bars, muscle-ups or other exercises with your own body weight. A further investment that can be considered reasonable would be the purchase of rings. These are ideal for doing exercises with your own body weight.
Inverted rowing, dips or stabilization exercises can be performed on them. The fact that the rings are freely suspended means that each exercise on them also activates the auxiliary muscles to keep the rings in a stable position. From the author’s point of view, an adjustable weight bench would be the next logical investment.
With it, exercises such as bench press, inclined bench press, horizontal rowing, triceps extentions or dips can now also be performed on the weight bench. Equipment for endurance training is not urgently required, but can be a useful addition. For example, a rowing machine would be conceivable.
These are usually stowable upright, so that the space consumption is kept within limits by such a device. It is not only used for endurance and fitness training, but also for building up the back and leg muscles. Only at this point would it make sense to start looking for dumbbells or kettlebells.
A set of fixed dumbbells offers the advantage that the weight on the dumbbells does not have to be changed, but a set that includes several pairs of dumbbells – so-called dumbbells – is significantly more expensive than a dumbbell set where the weight plates can be changed. Resistance bands are another sensible and supporting investment. These can be used to facilitate body weight exercises such as pull-ups or muscle-ups by supporting the pull to the barbell bar.
