The Busy Guy’s 2-Tool Home Gym

I started my own home gym 10+ years ago, and tried all kinds of things:

• A full set of Hex rubber dumbbells that I’ve since sold (10lb to 50lb pairs)

• A spin bike that’s now collecting dust

• A boxing bag I bought and sold… twice!

I also grew up with a home gym that had a Smith machine with a squat/bench rack, pulley/cable machine, treadmill, stationary bike, EZ curl bar, one of those tiny trampoline things, exercise bands, medicine balls, and more.

Knowing what I know now, I think you can get the most out of your time and investment by focusing on just two exercise tools.

1. The Kettlebell

The kettlebell is the ultra-versatile piece of home gym equipment. It works every muscle group, it’s scalable and portable, it builds strength and endurance, and a few of them can fit under your bed.

• If you’re a guy who is brand new to exercise, I recommend one 26lb/12kg kettlebell

• If you’re a guy who is not new to exercise but new to kettlebells, I recommend one 35lb/16kg kettlebell

I recommend powder-coat cast iron kettlebells. Here are my favorite brands (product/affiliate links):

• Yes4All (low budget)

• REP Fitness (mid budget)

• Lifeline (mid budget)

• Rogue (mid budget)

• Kettlebell Kings (premium)

 

2. A Pull-Up Bar

The pull-up bar helps you develop the large muscles on your bad, your grip, arm strength, and your core. And it perfectly complements the kettlebell.

But even if you can’t do a pull-up (yet), there are so many ways to make the movement easier for you, like putting a chair under your feet, just hanging from the pull-up bar, etc…

Here are the brands I recommend (product/affiliate links):

• Ally Peaks (low budget)
  

• Perfect Fitness (mid budget)

 

P.S. I’m about to invest in a Power Tower, which adds dip/core variety in addition to a pull-up bar. I’ve done some research, and here are the two brands I’m looking at. No product/affiliate links, since I’ve never used a Power Tower at home:

• Dicks Sporting Goods

• Sports Royals

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