Home Gyms In A Pinch (£150+)

Freeletics this, (singular) kettle bell that. Soup can dead lifts and knife n' fork battle ropes. We have 3 weeks of this quarantine at a minimum. If you don't want to stagnate you have to find a way of introducing controllable variables. Whether you like it or not, science and equipment is your only way forward. In this blog I will discuss the equipment.

So pop your p90x, or however Joe Wicks is selling dance aerobics these days, to one side and open your favourite web browser. We are going to find some fitness bargains and along the way I'll let you know why they work.

A note on prices and delivery: They're changing every day. Found an EZ bar on ebay for 1200 quid yesterday. So obviously still value to be had.... For this reason I have not included power rack, squat racks and stands.

Two words, SISSY SQUAT. Weird two words granted, but as an exercise it's a great way to get serious leg work done, all in a system that is cheapish, small and has loads of different ways to progressively overload. Cheapest price found at time of writing: £65.49 on Ebay. DO NOT buy if priced over £80 they are not good enough quality to justify the price, unless it's built by Watson or some other company that lives to make over-engineered products.

The bench, the centre point of any home gym that doesn't have a rack or stand. I recommend a flat bench, they're normally better quality for the money and you can still do shoulder presses etc, you just have to keep your core tighter. This is a must if you're a 6fter plus and have a low ceiling problem. Pro tip: make sure it's rated 250kg minimum. You can still get these for around £50, only a 20% price hike from normal.

If we don't have a rack then we must have a set of dumbbells. Probably adjustable dumbbells if you don't have the keys to a mansion and some of that oil money. Dumbbells are incredibly versatile and lets face it, press ups have a ceiling for overload. These are Iron Master dumbbells. Simply put, they are the best. Priced as such. However, you can get a pair for a fraction of the price from places such as Sports Direct. £99 each.. ah nope. Price is now £149 each... Alternatively House of Fraser are being very fair about pricing. So a few individual dumbbells are available for less than £10.

Suspension trainers and resistance bands. For proper progressions of both back and cardio exercises, there is simply no viable alternative other than hanging off your curtains (don't do that). Professional tips: Don't buy the one that rhymes with "TeeRaaheX". A set of rings with a door fastener, such as the ones seen here, are better quality and cheaper. The ones shown here are bemaxx rings £44.99 at time of purchase (very good product). Best prices still between £20 and £30, which suggests your standard Decathlon pillager doesn't like.. wooden things?

So all in, if you do the work, you can get a functioning set up for £150-£450 (depending on your level of fitness and the dumbbells mainly). Not cheap. But definitely worth having for the future at the very least.

Disclaimer: We are not doctors, so please consult one before participating in any of the exercises in this article. The purpose of this blog is to share our considerable experience in fitness. When it comes to your health and fitness, make sure you do your research. Visit sfitnessplans.com for more information specifically our "terms and conditions".