Home Gym: 101
My husband loves working out. He adores going to the gym. His favorite way to spend his extremely limited time to himself is to be lifting heavy weights and running as if someone is chasing him. They do say opposites attract…
He is a stellar father to our two adorable little toddlers, plus he manages a work load and schedule that would make the Energizer Bunny lay down in defeat, and that’s when we aren’t dealing with a world-wide pandemic. Add quarantine into the mix, and I knew the only way to keep my hubby happy would be to get him a stopgap between our home and the gym he misses so dearly.
I’ve been involved in the planning and implementation of several home gyms, so I had a good idea of how to give him the equipment that would check as many of his boxes as possible. I was also careful to select things that wouldn’t take up too much room, since we currently reside in a 2 bed 1 bath apartment.
“My husband loves working out. He adores going to the gym. His favorite way to spend his extremely limited time to himself is to be lifting heavy weights and running as if someone is chasing him. They do say opposites attract…”
Dilemma #1: How do I challenge him enough when we don’t have room to put (nor the funds to afford) a Power Rack / Cage?
Free weights are not going to cut it for someone who can easily lift hundreds of pounds. So, I decided to help him utilize his body weight for resistance exercises and conditioning, since his own body is the heaviest thing I can give him to lift right now. He’s currently doing:
Push-Ups
Push-ups don’t actually require any additional equipment to purchase, which is great, and he’s given himself the additional challenge of adding one rep each day. He goes like that until he hits 50 reps per set. He does between 4 and 8 sets throughout the day, between calls, depending on his work flow.
Planks / Ab Work
Planks, again, don’t require any additional equipment to purchase. He does these periodically throughout the day. He also has an ab roller that he can use when he REALLY wants to feel the burn. He’s a fit guy, and even he admits that thing is tough!
Pull-Ups
Pull-ups are a great exercise. I tried to get him a doorway mounted bar that had 4 different hand grip positions (narrow grip, wide grip, angled grip, and neutral grip), but a lot of people must have had the same idea because those options were all sold out. I was able to find a good doorway pull-up bar that is very stable and doesn’t damage our doorframe (the Estleys Foldable Pull-Up Bar shown below). The only downside is that it only has the narrow and wide grip options for him. I really love that it quickly and easily folds flat and can be stashed behind the door, under the bed, or in the closet. It’s also really fun to watch my husband do pull-ups, honestly. And it’s hilarious to see my kids try and do pull-ups while Daddy helps them. Our two-year-old son grimaces and grunts as he does it, even though Daddy doesn’t. I find that endlessly amusing. (It’s less fun that I, myself, can’t even do ONE pull-up right now. But I’m working on it!)
Resistance Bands
Traditionally marketed to women, these things can be surprisingly versatile even for a big strong dude.
Yoga / Pilates / Stretching
Stretching the muscles is essential for getting that long, lean, healthy body working (and looking) its best. Bonus - it’s free!
Dilemma #2: How do I help him get cardio when no one in our neighborhood seems to want to wear face masks / properly social distance while outside?
I’ve gone on a total of three walks outside since March 13, 2020. People in my neighborhood walk around with no masks, not social distancing, running and coughing and spitting as they jog… I am just not ready for Ryan to be out running around with them.
Ryan has taken boxing classes before, and really enjoyed them. I was going to get him boxing gym classes for his birthday this year, but that obviously didn’t happen. Instead, I decided to get him a heavy bag and speed bag with a free-standing frame and set it up in “our” garage. He’s been using it every night after the kids go to bed, and he comes in dripping with sweat.
I swear, he’s going to come out of quarantine looking like Wolverine. Facial hair included.
Physical approximation of what Ryan looks like after working all day, doing dinner and bedtime with the kids, and then working out. Just pretend the knives aren’t there and that’s basically him. I know. You’re welcome!
“I swear, he’s going to come out of quarantine looking like Wolverine. Facial hair included. ”
DREAM HOME GYM ITEMS
Now that I’ve told you what we’ve actually gotten to keep Ryan working out and happy at home, let’s talk about some Home Gym Essentials that I would have gotten for us if we had more room / weren’t renters!
Thick, Padded, Gym Flooring Tiles
Power Rack + Rubber Training Weight Plates
A nice treadmill (mostly for me)
Mirrored wall (mostly for me - for yoga, dance, and pilates)
Adjustable weight dumbbells (mostly for me)
Yoga ball (I have one but no place to store it so it sits, lonely, deflated in the kids’ closet)
Pilates reformer (this is my pipe dream gym!)
“Great design should be for everyone, and beauty should be good for you.
You should look great in your great looking home. ”