You're looking to get in shape, but are too embarrassed to join a gym.

I'd like to start by saying I've been there, done it, and have helped other people do it as well.

I'll give you a short back-story about myself and then I'll show you how to build the best home gym your money can buy.

I was always skinny in high school, and then my lack of exercise and bad eating habits caught up to me. I went from a scrawny 155lbs to a flabby 257lbs in a little over 9 months. It wasn't until I saw some pictures of myself from a summer crew party that I realized just how out of control my weight had become. I was too embarrassed to join a gym but I didn't have much to work out with at home. I am a walking, talking reason to believe that you can succeed at your fitness goals no matter what kind of equipment you have. I spent the first year of my fitness program working out with a barbell, a duct taped weight bench, a punching bag, a pair of dirty old running shoes. I lost 91lbs in a single year. I went from flabby to fit. I exercised 6 times a week and drastically changed my diet. You don't need to make any drastic changes or work out 24/7 to see results, just 30-45 minutes a day 4-5 days a week, and a few minor changes in your diet. (Check out my other guides for workout and diet tips)

Although I ended up joining a gym for 3 years, I'm back in my home gym. Partly due to the ease of use a home gym offers, partly because the gym in my town is $600 a year for a membership. My home gym has grown up quite a bit since I started working out, but my yard-sale Home Gym is the one I attribute all my weight loss success to.

How to Build a Basic Home Gym without Breaking the Bank:

Weight loss/Fitness success can only be achieved through a combination of 3 things; Diet, Cardiovascular Training, and Weight Training.

When building your home gym, cardiovascular equipment should be one of the last things you purchase. Why? Because you can go outside and walk/run around the block for free. If you don need a fitness machine due to weather/location problems, a simple exercise bike will get the job done.

The home gym I'm talking about is designed for weight training. Weight training helps add muscle to your body, more muscle = more calories burned throughout the day, more calories burned = more fat lost.

Basic Home Gym:

1. Swiss Ball/Exercise Ball - $5-$10. An exercise ball might be the most versatile piece of equipment you own.

2. Adjustable 25lb Dumbbell Set - $30-$50. A Dumbbell set will give you the required resistance needed to add muscle and burn fat. Be sure to buy a set that can be upgraded when you max out.

3. Step Block - $10-$20. A step block is going to really help you add intensity to lower body workouts.

That's it, if you pay the maximum price for the following items your home gym will cost a grand total of $80. If we add a lower level exercise bike the cost rises to a respectable $205. That's 1/3 of what I'd pay for a years gym membership, without all the inconveniences the gym has to offer.

Not impressed? Don't think this gym can produce results. This is the exact home gym I recently put together for my girlfriend. At 5'5" 165lbs she wasn't in the best physical shape. After one year of training with the exact gym listed above she has lost 50lbs of fat and gained 10lbs of muscle.

How'd she do it? Diet and Exercise.

I'm not going to list her diet (check out my other guides for diet tips) but I am going to give you a breakdown of her workout.

Weight Training:

Monday-Wednesday-Friday

Circuit Training - Pick one weight and complete the exercises in a straight circuit, rest only when the circuit is complete. Do 3 total circuits of 10-12 reps. (Entire Circuit is done with dumbbells)

1. DB Swiss Ball Bench Press

2. DB Bent Over Row

3. DB Squat

4. DB Curl

5. DB Shoulder Press

6. DB Lunge

7. Swiss Ball Crunch

8. DB Calf Raise

This workout usually takes between 25-30 minutes.

Cardiovascular Training:

Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday

Interval Training - Start the bike ride at average speed for 5 minutes, ride as hard as you can for 30 seconds, ride at average speed for 5 minutes, ride as hard as you can for 30 seconds, etc…

Beginners Stationary Bike Interval Training:

5-minute average speed

1-minute sprint

5-minute average speed

1-minute sprint

5-minute average speed

1-minute sprint

5-minute average speed

Total time: 24 minutes

You'll want to work your way up to more intervals with less rest in between (3 minute average speed, 1 minute sprint x 10). Interval training produces better results over a shorter time frame.

As you can see, building a basic home gym can be easy and affordable. And the workouts you can produce while exercising in your own home can rival any workout done at a gym.

If you've found this review helpful, please VOTE. If not, please contact me and let me know how you'd change this guide to make it better.

Until next time,

Randall, of Randalls-eBooks

P.S. This is the type of article you'll find in my monthly fitness newsletter.

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