Are you ready to build your own calisthenics home gym? Then this blog post is for you. In this article, we describe everything you need to achieve your training goals at home. Whether you’re into calisthenics (bodyweight fitness) or strength training, this article covers all the essentials to ensure you can perform your workouts at home.
Of course, you don’t have to spend a fortune to build a good home gym. With a few essential items, you can go a long way. In this blog, you’ll discover our 14 favorite fitness equipment pieces for your home gym, along with our preferences, so you can get started right away.
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What's a calisthenics home gym?
A calisthenics home gym is a fitness space you create in the comfortable environment of your own home, to perform calisthenics exercises. This is the perfect solution for people who don’t enjoy going to a gym or simply don’t have time for it. With a home gym, you have the flexibility to work out whenever it suits you, without having to consider gym opening hours.
Additionally, a home gym can save you money in the long run since you don’t need an expensive gym membership.
Build your calisthenics home gym
When building a calisthenics home gym, three things are incredibly important: the exercises you want to train, the available space in your home, and your budget.
Within this blog post, we have included materials for two types of training: calisthenics exercises and strength training.
The choice between these two disciplines has a significant impact on both your required space and your budget. This is because for calisthenics exercises, you primarily use your body weight as resistance, requiring less equipment.
calisthenics home gym materials
Below you’ll find the essential calisthenics equipment for your home gym.
Pull-up bar
Perhaps the most essential fitness equipment for home use is the pull up bar. For a relatively low price, you can train a wide variety of exercises.
There are different types of pull-up bars that you can use at home, with the most common being the wall mounted pull up bar and the door way pull up bar.
Training with a pull-up bar works on both your back and arm muscles.
Calisthenics rings
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With a set of calisthenics rings, you can train your entire body in a challenging way. You can easily attach them to the ceiling or to a pull-up bar, and then you have a complete home gym at your disposal. The possibilities with a set of rings are endless, which is why it’s a must-have for every calisthenics practitioner.
Pull up station
If you have more space and budget to invest in your pull-up setup at home, then a pull up station is the ideal choice for you. With this multifunctional fitness equipment, you can train pull-ups, dips, and push-ups.
However, this apparatus does take up a bit more space, so you’ll need to reserve more space for it.
Resistance bands
Resistance bands are inexpensive and versatile. They are the ideal tool for learning pull-ups because you can lower the resistance. At the same time, by cleverly using resistance bands, you can increase resistance in many exercises.
A set of resistance bands is truly a must-have for any home gym.
Parallettes
Parallettes are two elevated bars placed on the ground. You have a choice of different heights, ranging from low to high above the ground.
The lower variant is usually used for push-ups and handstand training, while the higher parallettes are used for dip exercises.
Dip station
Dip stations are devices on which you can perform dips. These differ from parallettes in that the dip station is a single unit, whereas parallettes consist of two separate parallel bars. Because of the added stability of a dip station, it is the ideal apparatus for training weighted dips.
Dipping belt
When you want to train weighted dips (or heavy weighted pull ups), you’ll need a dip belt. This is a belt that you wear around your waist and to which you can attach extra weight. This makes the exercise more challenging and intense, helping you to build muscle mass and strength faster.
weighted vest
With a weighted vest, you can easily add weight to various exercises. It’s a vest with weights built into it, making it ideal for increasing the intensity of exercises like push ups, pull ups, or dips.
Home gym strength materials
Below you’ll find the essential strength training materials for your home gym.
Power rack
Are you ready to go full-on with strength training at home? Then you’ll need a power rack. This is a steel structure that provides a safe way to train heavy squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.
The power rack comes with adjustable hooks and brackets, allowing you to secure the barbell at various heights. For every dedicated home athlete, a power rack is a must-have.
Barbell
For performing strength exercises at home, a barbell is the most important piece of fitness equipment. This is the bar to which you attach weight plates and perform exercises. You use the barbell for squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and rows.
Weights
When purchasing a barbell, you naturally need weights to attach to it. If you’re planning to engage in serious strength training at home, it’s wise to invest in at least 120kg of weights. It’s important to have 2.5kg, 5kg, 10kg, and 20kg plates so that you can gradually increase your training intensity.
Rubber tiles
Rubber tiles provide protection for your floor. This is essential when you’re training with heavy weights. Additionally, they dampen noise during workouts, which is considerate for your neighbors.
Bench
When you have a barbell at home, a bench is essential. It’s simply a bench where you can lie down or sit to perform various exercises. We recommend choosing a bench with adjustable backrest so that you can perform incline bench press or shoulder press.
Dumbbells
Finally, we recommend adding a set of dumbbells to your home gym. With these, you can easily isolate your weak spots, for example, by performing bicep curls or various shoulder exercises.
If you already have a barbell for training heavy compound exercises, you don’t need heavy dumbbells. In that case, it’s best to choose an adjustable dumbbell set with a maximum weight of 20kg per side. These are relatively inexpensive, and you won’t need heavier weights since you already have the barbell for that.
FAQ Calisthenics home gym
Below you’ll find the most frequently asked questions about home gyms.
What are the benefits of a calisthenics home gym?
Having a home gym offers more convenience and flexibility. You can exercise whenever you want, without travel time and without being dependent on the gym’s opening hours. Additionally, a home gym can save you money in the long run since you don’t need an expensive gym membership.
How much space do I need for a home gym?
This entirely depends on how you want to train and the equipment you want to use. Make sure the space is large enough for the equipment and that it’s a comfortable place for you to spend your time. This will help you stay consistent with your training.
How much does it cost to build a home gym?
You can build a home gym for as little as a few hundred euros. It entirely depends on what you want to train. If you’re practicing calisthenics at home and want to spend as little as possible, you can start with a pull-up bar, sets of rings, and resistance bands, which will cost you around 100 euros.
If you want to do strength training or even powerlifting at home, you’ll need to budget around 1000 euros for a basic setup.