Home Gym Basics

Who says you need to join a gym to reach your fitness goals.

Inexpensive home gyms can be equally effective and are often much more convenient.

But to get an effective workout at home, you need the right equipment. So here's a list of some of the basics that you can use at home to get you buff in no time.

1. free weights or exercise bands. Free weights are great but can be costly if you want a whole range. Scour garage sales and sites like craigslist or kijiji for used weights. Just use a good disinfectant and you're good to go. Equally effective, unless you're into very heavy lifting, are exercise bands. You can get a set of these for under $30. Make sure you pick up a door attachment so that you can attach your bands to a door and do even more exercises. If you can, also splurge for an extra band that includes ankle straps so you can do your leg exercises easier.

2. stability ball or ballast ball. This is great for doing ab exercises. You can also use it as an alternative to sitting on a bench or chair and it will work your core muscles while you are doing your seated exercises.

3. A gym or yoga mat. This is great for doing all your stretches, as well as ab work, and is essential if you're doing any jumping or plyometrics because it will absorb shock and protect your joints.

4. Mirrors. These are great because you can watch yourself performing exercises and it will allow you to keep your form correct, which is essential to getting a good workout and remaining injury-free.

5. Aerobics equipment. Once you've got the above equipment, you are good to go, but if you've got a bit more money, you should also add some aerobics equipment. Although you can use a skipping rope or just jog outside to get your cardio equipment, you might want to add a treadmill, elliptical machine or stair climber to your home gym. These come in handy in colder months and if you put one in front of a TV, you can get your workout while watching your favourite shows.

Believe it or not, that's all you'll really need. Yes, you can continue to add new gadgets and contraptions as you go along, but with the simple equipment mentioned in this post, you can throw away your gym membership for good!