How to Set Up a Cheap Home Gym

Setting up a cheap home gym can be done for under $300 – or even less if you can go without a weight bench and weight set. If you think about it, gym memberships run about $30 to $50 per month and you’re usually required to pay an intitial start up fee that can be as high as $200 or more.

Here are some basics to include to make up a cheap home gym:

• Weight bench and weight set – I purchased both a bench and an olympic weight set and the retailer gave me a discount of 10 or 15% because I purchased both at the same time. Mine were brand new, but you could even find used benches and weight sets for less and second hand stores might offer some kind of incentive for purchasing the bench and weight set.
• Dumbbells – You can do dozens and dozens of different strength training exercises using dumbbells. They’re a great addition to any home gym and you can get them just about anywhere. If you have a little extra money to spend, I’d recommend getting an adjustable set to save some space in your home gym area.
• Jump Rope – If you can’t afford a treadmill or elliptical machine for cardio activities, jumping rope is a great cheap alternative. You can expect to spend between $5-10 for a new jump rope.
• Exercise Ball – These are fantastic and are also a tool that can be used for dozens of different exercises – especially ab exercises. It’s boring to always do floor crunches or sit-ups, but it can be fun to incorporate the exercise ball so you have a variation in your ab workouts.
• CD Player – This is completely optional, but music is great for staying motivated for the duration of your workout.

It’s probably best to shop for a lot of these items in-store unless you can find online retailers that offer free shipping, otherwise you might pay a fortune to ship some items just because of their weight. A lot of sports stores do have free shipping so shop around a lot and compare prices with various retailers.