So you’ve decided that you want to put your own gym in your home, but how do you get started Creating A Home Gym For £2000 with this type of endeavour? Although it may sound complicated, the truth is that you can set up a great gym without it costing you a lot of money.
You just have to know where to look for the workout equipment you want and which of those items is considered a must-have piece of equipment. Personalising your gym means having the right equipment but also not including equipment that you don’t consider necessary.
After all, not everyone likes the same types of exercise equipment.
If you’re on a budget, creating the perfect home gym might sound even more difficult, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Indeed, building a fully functional and efficient home gym for under £2000 is entirely possible if you know what you’re looking for in the first place, which is what this article is here to help you do.
Table of Contents
What Are The Basics Home Gym Equipment?
- Dumbbells
- Benches
- Resistance bands
- Pull up bar
- Exercise mats
- Barbells
Exercise equipment ranges from basic dumbbells that barely cost anything to extravagant fitness stations that can cost £2000 by themselves.
Before you decide what to purchase for your gym, you need to determine how much space it’s going to take up.
After all, if your gym is going to be small, there is no reason to purchase tons of equipment for it. You’ll want to start with some necessary equipment so that you can stick with your budget.
It’s good to do it this way; after all, you can always add more equipment later on whenever you’re ready.
To begin with, let’s take a look at some of the equipment considered necessary that all home gyms should have, and we’ll take a look at the prices as well.
1. Dumbbells
The good thing about dumbbells is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money on them. Because they last such a long time, you can buy them used and still get high-quality dumbbells that work perfectly.
Another good thing about them is that you can start with a few basic weights and add more later on as your routines progress.
You do not, in other words, have to rush out and get tons of dumbbells in the beginning.
You can also choose from a variety of dumbbells, including steel, neoprene, rubber, or hex dumbbells and even adjustable dumbbells that allow you to enjoy up to five different weights with just one piece of equipment.
One of their main advantages is they won’t take up a lot of space in your gym.
With adjustable dumbbells, you simply add plates each time you want to change or increase the weight of the dumbbells.
They work much the same as barbells do, but they are smaller, and you use one in each hand, just as you do with individual dumbbells.
Although this is likely your most expensive option when it comes to getting a good set of dumbbells, it should still cost you no more than £250 to £300.
2. A Sturdy Bench
Naturally, you’ll have to have a place to sit as you work with those dumbbells and a good sturdy bench is what you’ll need to find.
Most good workout benches are adjustable, meaning that you can adjust the recline position and even the position of the seat itself.
Because it is adjustable, you’ll be able to work out with the utmost comfort; besides, it makes those workouts a lot more productive.
With these benches, you can lie flat if you need to, sit up straight as you exercise, or position yourself anywhere in between those two extremes, allowing you to be comfortable as you work out in order to get the most out of it.
And if you think that these benches are expensive, think again. You can almost always get a good bench that is fully adjustable for £75 to £80 or even less than that if you choose a second-hand bench at stores such as eBay and others.
And if you buy one brand-new, make sure that you check out the online customer ratings so you can get the best one in the end.
3. Resistance Bands
Inexpensive but a great way to increase the effects of your workout, resistance bands fit over your legs or arms and make your workouts a little more challenging, which improves the overall impact of those workouts. You can buy resistance bands in various sizes, strengths, and even colours. Better yet, you can try the loop bands with less resistance when you’re a beginner, and then use the ones with more resistance as you get used to them.
For exercises such as lunges or squats, add a little resistance and make your work a little harder, improving the overall results of these exercises.
When it comes to the costs associated with your home gym, resistance bands are one of the least expensive items there.
Most of them come in sets of three to five bands per pack, and you can usually get the entire collection for around £10.
This is certainly not the item you’ll have to worry about breaking your budget over so go ahead and get a set that you know you’ll end up using a lot.
4. Pull-up Bar
Even if you haven’t done a pull-up in years, you’ll want to add a good pull-up bar to your home gym. Many pull-up bars fit over your door frame, and while some need to be screwed in and are considered permanent, others allow you to remove the bar whenever you need to.
Naturally, you’ll need to make sure that your door frame can handle the weight and design of the pull-up bar; however, once you do that, it should be easy to find a bar that will fit there perfectly and give you years of doing pull-ups with ease.
They also tend to be fast and simple to install so you can be using them within minutes of installing them.
You can also choose a power station that comes with its own pull-up bar, but these are a little more expensive than the pull-up bars that you install over your door frame.
Installable pull-up bars usually cost £40 to £80, while power stations average about £200 and often cost a lot more.
You’ll need to keep these prices in mind as you explore all of your options for the right pull-up bar.
5. Basic Exercise Mats
Exercise mats make specific exercises a lot more comfortable, but they do more than that.
These mats also protect your floors in case the weights you’re using get away from you and crash to the floor. In most commercial gyms, special flooring is used that makes working out a lot more comfortable.
Since your regular flooring doesn’t offer this, you’ll need a good floor mat. Exercise mats come in many different sizes and colours, but the best part is that they are all inexpensive yet well-made.
For the most part, you can find a high-quality exercise mat for £15 to £20, sometimes even less.
So when you go out there to find a good exercise mat, go ahead and look for the best one because it won’t cost you that much to get it.
You can also cover the floor with locking floor mats to cover the complete workout area
These items are must-haves for sure - but there are other items that are great to add to your home gym.
So far, the items mentioned above have cost you around £400 to £600 so you can review the following items and decide for yourself what you want to spend the remainder of your money on.
These are items that aren’t necessarily a must, at least in the very beginning, but can certainly add to your workouts and make them much more effective and productive.
More Equipment To Improve Your Home Gym
- Barbells
- Squat rack
- Jumping/Skipping ropes
- Kettlebells
- Exercise balls
- Mini exercise bike
- Punching bag and gloves
1. Barbells
Barbells can be a bit on the pricey side so you’ll have to shop around to get a good deal. Again, there is nothing wrong with used barbells because they are well made, sturdy, and practically indestructible.
Second-hand websites can be a big help and provide you with a lot of great but inexpensive options.
If you’ve never purchased barbells before, you’ll notice that they come with a certain number of weights.
For example, they come with a certain number of plates with each plate having a different weight, and allow you to add on the plates you need to get the amount of weight that you’d like to work with. Many barbell sets come with a total of 100 kilograms of weight, but you can get them in much lower weights as well.
If you think that you’re never going to need 100 kilograms of weights, you can save yourself some money and get weights that get up to other amounts; for example, there are sets that go up to 32 kilograms and therefore cost much less.
A good barbell weight set that offers 32 kilograms of weight, which is usually better for women, should cost you around £50, while a set that offers up to 100 kilograms of weights usually costs around £200 to £250, sometimes more.
2. Squat Rack
Squat racks are important because, in addition to helping you do squats, they make it easier to do deadlifts, bench exercises, barbell rows, overhead presses, and barbell lunges.
Squat racks are usually adjustable and adapt to different sizes. For instance, there are squat racks that adjust from 114 centimetres to 179 centimetres and cost around £50, which isn’t bad for a high-quality piece of exercise equipment.
On the other hand, other squat racks are much better and can hold a total of six to seven barbell bars, all at the cost of around £130 to £140.
In other words, you can get squat racks in all different sizes and adjustment levels as well as many different price ranges.
It behoves you to do your due diligence and research them online and in brick-and-mortar stores before making a final decision.
You’ll likely be surprised by the bargains you find, especially if you shop online.
3. Jumping/Skipping Ropes
Remember when you took P.E. in school, and you used jump ropes to have some fun and get some exercise? Well, guess what? Jumping rope does the same thing for grownups! Jump ropes are a great way to build up your cardiovascular health and work up a sweat just as you do when you jog or work out on the elliptical machine.
Jump ropes can be made out of nylon or some type of cord/rope material; best of all, they are built to last.
This means that you can abuse them a lot and they can take it and keep on going. Finally, jumping ropes are always inexpensive.
In fact, you’ll likely end up spending £5 or less on them every time you buy one. You’ll spend that much on a cup of coffee!
4. Kettlebells
Whoever thought up the idea of kettlebells is nothing short of a genius. After all, these are devices that allow you to build up your muscles and build your cardiovascular strength at the same time.
It’s almost as if you’re getting two workouts in one! Best of all, the kettlebells come in various sizes and weights, not to mention colours, so you can start by buying just a few of them and then add to your collection later on when you’re ready.
Think of kettlebells as dumbbells or free weights that you can also use as an aerobic activity. They are that versatile and they’re a lot of fun as well.
They tend to be colour-coded to make it easier to learn which kettlebells are which weight and that alone makes them attractive additions to your home gym.
Even better, kettlebells are not that expensive.
While you can choose the fancy ones and pay more money, you certainly don’t have to do this to get high-quality kettlebells.
You can purchase them singly, in pairs, or in sets. A typical pair of 12-kilogram kettlebells sells for around £40, which is not a bad price at all.
And again, this is an item that you can easily add more of later on when you’re ready to move up to a heavier set.
5. Exercise Balls
Exercise balls come in many different sizes, usually from 55 centimetres to 75 centimetres in diameter, and can cost anywhere from £10 to £30 or more.
Still, they are true miracle workers in the gym.
Exercise balls make specific exercises much more manageable, including sit-ups and even working out with dumbbells. Because the ball bounces just slightly and provides just the right amount of “give,” it takes the pressure off of your lower back muscles and makes all of these exercises a lot more comfortable.
For many people, in fact, exercises such as sit-ups and crunches are impossible to do unless using these exercise balls because performing the exercises on the floor is just too uncomfortable.
Another thing that you’ll absolutely love about exercise balls is the colours they come in, which includes red, pink, purple, blue, and, of course, basic black and grey.
This alone makes them a great addition to your collection of home gym equipment, making this a purchase that you will never regret.
6. Mini Exercise Bike
If you want to add a stationary bicycle to your home gym, you can; however, if you are on an incredibly tight budget, you might want to opt for a mini exercise bike instead.
These are small devices that don’t take up much room and simply sit on the floor, allowing you to sit on a chair and pedal until you experience a good workout.
Some are very basic and offer just the bike itself and nothing else while others are a bit bigger and come with digital displays that allow you to view how fast you’re going, how many calories you’re burning, and much more.
These bikes are basically sold to help people recuperate from surgery and for people who have specific mobility problems, but they are great for regular exercisers as well.
You can spend anywhere from £25 to £100 for these mini exercise bikes. You can even set them up on a countertop and use them to build up the muscles and coordination in your hands.
They have multiple purposes and make a great addition to your home gym. They are also lightweight and portable, and you can change the resistance level on most of them to get an even better workout.
7. Punching Bag and Gloves
If you want to add a little pizzazz to your home gym, try adding a punching bag for a great cardiovascular workout.
These bags come in two main types and can either be attached to your ceiling or placed on a stand made just for that punching bag.
They are great for working out the stress that’s been accumulating all day. You can buy them separately or as a kit, which usually comes with everything that you need to get the punching bag set up and ready to go.
In fact, most of these kits also come with a set of gloves for you to wear, which is a necessity for anyone wanting to use one of these bags.
The punching bags are also made in many different sizes, even ones that are kid-sized, so you can easily find the set that is perfect for your needs.
If you’re curious as to how much you’ll end up spending on these punching bags, here is the scoop: plan on spending anywhere from £15 to £100 for a single punching bag while a set that comes with the gloves and more will run you roughly £40 to £60 on average.
Punching bags are easy to set up and take up less room than you think, and you’ll always enjoy working out this way.
Building A Great Home Gym For Under £2000
Building a great home gym for under £2000 is a lot easier than you might think. It can cost as much as you want to spend as you can buy an all-in-one gym equipment or individual equipment that will make your home gym just as you want it to be, as you can see from what we’ve discussed so far. Still, there are other considerations to take into account when you’re creating or adding to the workout area of your home. Let’s start with some of the basics, which include:
- Where to put your home gym. While you can put a home gym anywhere in your home, of course, most people find it more convenient to put it in one of three areas – a spare bedroom, in the garage, or in one of your outdoor spaces. Most people prefer an indoor location so that they can remain more comfortable as they exercise, but setting it up in your garage or outside somewhere is acceptable as well.
- Make your gym personalised. Add some motivational posters, add a sound system or a TV set, post inspirational quotes all over the place, and make sure that the colour theme is one that you love. Again, the more you fall in love with the way your home gym looks, the more likely you’re going to visit it more than just every now and then.
- Try to make it feel like a real gym. You can do this by adding mirrors, gym flooring, and even the right lighting. The more it gives off that “real gym” feel, the more likely you’ll continue to use it on a regular basis. You should also make sure that the area is well-ventilated so that it doesn’t get too stuffy in there while you’re exercising.
And of course, if you need a little motivation to keep exercising even after you have set up the perfect home gym arrangement, make sure that you start by following a few simple rules.
The first one is not to overdo it! Especially if you’ve never exercised before or it’s been a long time since you’ve exercised regularly, you’ll want to take it slow and only do what you can in the beginning. You can move up from there and increase your reps and the difficulty levels slowly; however, if you overdo it in the beginning, you’ll get discouraged and quit.
You can also decide to exercise with a friend, which goes a long way to keep you motivated. Besides, exercising with a friend is a lot of fun. Finally, make sure that you choose exercises you actually enjoy doing.
When it comes to cardiovascular exercises, in particular, you have a lot of different ones to choose from, so why not pick one that you love doing? If the treadmill makes you bored, try the elliptical machine; if that doesn’t do it for you, try skipping rope or doing step aerobics.
If you don’t enjoy it, you’ll give up on it quickly so go ahead and start by choosing an exercise that you don’t mind doing day after day, so you’re more likely to stick with it.
How To Choose Exercise Equipment That Doesn’t Cost a Fortune
Now, let’s talk about finding high-quality exercise equipment when you’re on a budget. It’s a lot easier to do than you think.
The first thing to keep in mind is that for the most part, exercise equipment is built to last; therefore, you should be able to find some reliable equipment without too much trouble.
For equipment such as treadmills and elliptical machines, however, you’ll want to make sure that they aren’t too old and that they are still in excellent condition and aren’t broken or compromised in any way.
If they aren’t, then you can feel comfortable going ahead and purchasing them for your home gym.
One tip that can be very valuable is that when you’re looking for used or second-hand equipment: try to get second-hand commercial equipment and not equipment made for personal use.
Commercial exercise equipment is made to be used 24/7 and is, therefore, better made and much sturdier.
You can usually find these commercial exercise stores in most big cities, but you should also check out the companies themselves.
If you’re visiting them online, find out what their phone number is and dial it to make sure that a real person answers the phone.
Ask them questions to ascertain their knowledge level and ask about their warehouse. You should aim for a company that has a warehouse of at least 1400 square metres.
After all, you want this company to be reputable. Finally, make sure you ask the company about their warranties and their service department in case anything goes wrong.
Even the best equipment can break or malfunction, and you’ll want to make sure that you can get yours appropriately fixed if that should ever happen to you.
In short, checking out both the equipment and the store that sells it is a must if you want second-hand exercise equipment that will last.
Conclusion
Having your gym somewhere in your home is a huge advantage because you can set it up as you want and work out whenever you want, making this a huge convenience when it comes to your exercise routine.
If you’re on a budget and are convinced that you won’t be able to get what you want in your gym, think again.
Starting with just the basics and adding to your gym as you go is a great way to start your home gym without spending a fortune, and these basics are more than enough to get you started and to keep you motivated about going to the gym every day.
The key is to shop around and begin slowly-- the rest is simple.
