Having a home gym is one of the best investments we have ever made. We turned our garage into a home gym and it has worked out great.
Our garage is not huge so with limited space we had to decide on what fitness machines we wanted to include. We discussed quite a few things but ended up choosing three.
The elliptical, treadmill and although not really machines, two spin bikes. We have been really happy with our choices.
Our Favorite Fitness Machines & Their Benefits
1) Elliptical-
The elliptical is a great cross training cardio workout. This was my top choice although we started out with the treadmill. When we had a gym membership, my favorite cardio workout other than spinning was the elliptical.
You can do a variety of workouts on the elliptical, low or high intensity if you choose. And you can work both upper and lower body plus the elliptical has programs on the machine itself that you can choose from to do different workouts.
“An elliptical machine might be a good alternative to jogging” says the Mayo Clinic so if you aren’t into running, this is one of the fitness machines that might be best for you.
2) Treadmill-
The treadmill is a great machine to have in your home gym because you can you do a variety of workouts on it. I like to mix it up and do run/walk intervals, use light weights while I’m walking and I love the challenge of an incline.
Using a treadmill at home is perfect for me because I have a hard time running outdoors with some breathing issues and you can run/walk anytime you choose no matter what the weather is like. Just make sure to have a good pair of running shoes.
Treadmill workouts like with other machines is a great cardio workout and will make your heart and lungs stronger. And obviously any weight bearing exercise will help with bone strength.
3) Spin Bike-
The two spin bikes we purchased were the 1st to go in our home gym. We had been spinning in a group class at the gym and it was our favorite workout. We knew we had to include those. Spinning is an amazing workout and one we try to do at least 3 times a week.
You can work on a few different areas with spinning. I like the HIIT workouts on the spin bike but you can also do rides that focus on endurance, lighter intervals and strength. The best part of spinning is you ride at your own pace. It’s a pretty low impact but great cardio workout.
I would highly recommend that if you have the opportunity that you put a spin bike at the top of your list. Then all you would need is a pair of spin shoes to go with it.
Still on the wish list is a rowing machine. It’s such a great total body workout! You can burn a lot of calories and really work the upper and lower body.
Do you have a home gym? What is your favorite fitness machine?
I’m with you on the treadmill Angie. I love mine. We are looking to add another machine and by the sounds of it, the elliptical is the way to go. I like that it does the upper body as well. Good info – thanks.
Definitely enjoy the elliptical but for me the spin bikes would win hands down.
I don’t have a home gym any more and I miss it. When we had a home gym, I was very consistent with my exercise. I rolled out of bed and onto the treadmill.