Build Your Home Gym for Less Than $20!

Are you one of the fortunate few who have a gym membership? In these trying economic times many a gym membership has gone to the wayside for more important things, like gas and rent! How can you start or continue your fitness regime without access to a gym? Don't get discouraged guys, I am going to show you how to create your own gym for as little as $20.

One component of a solid fitness program is some type of cardiovascular exercise (cardio) performed several times a week for 30-60 min. Typically at the gym you can utilize a variety of cardiovascular equipment (elliptical, treadmills, stationary bikes, steppers, etc) to get the heart rate up to burn calories. Most of us can't afford to go out and buy expensive pieces of equipment like these. Some free alternatives for getting in your cardio are walking, jogging, swimming, riding a bike, stairs, jumping rope, and playing tennis just to name a few. Depending on the intensity, you can burn anywhere from 150 - 500 calories! Cost $0

So we talked about how to get our cardio in without having access to a gym but what about the resistance training? Resistance training should be another important component of your fitness program. What is resistance training? Resistance training works to increase muscle strength and endurance by doing repetitive exercises with weights, weight machines, or resistance bands. To keep it on the cheap, lets talk about resistance bands.

Elastic/resistance bands
The elastic resistance band is a cheap and portable alternative to weights for strength training. A variety of exercises have been devised to target specific muscle groups. Most resistance bands are available in five colour-coded resistance levels: extra-light, light, medium, heavy, and extra-heavy. Lighter bands should be used by children and seniors, or to exercise small muscles such as the deltoids. Heavier bands should be used by experienced athletes, or to exercise large muscles such as the quadriceps. I would recommend buying two different ones depending on your fitness level. Cost $8-10 per band.

Where there is a will there is a way to stay in shape! I hope this article has empowered you to run out and get those bands and feet moving towards a more fit you!

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