How to Use Home Gym Equipment (A Guide for Beginners)

You should plan to use home gym equipment around your personal goals and current fitness levels.

And when you tailor things to the machines and gear available, you can achieve as much as you would at a commercial gym.

Here are a few tips.

Set Your Personal Fitness Goals

You can’t start figuring out how to use home gym equipment without having a clear goal. For some people, that will be consistent weight loss, and for others, it will be toning and gaining muscle mass.

What you do in your workouts will be completely different in either case. For weight loss, you’ll aim to do a lot more cardio than lifting weights; and for bulking, it’s the exact opposite.

Create A Workout Plan

The next thing you need to do is define your home gym workout plan. Let’s say you want to lose weight over the next three months.

Your plan would then probably include 3-4 cardio sessions a week and 1-2 sessions for strength training. 

How much weight you lift and your reps will also be influenced by your fitness goals. That means if you want to lose a few pounds, then reduce the loads and increase the reps.

Here are some ideas for figuring out how to use home gym equipment for your strength training routine.

Warm-Up Routine

It still surprises me how many people jump onto the first piece of gym equipment straight out of the locker room.

Not only is that not a good starting position for an effective workout routine, but it can lead to unnecessary injuries [1].

Focus On Muscle Groups

By focusing on different muscle groups in your workouts, you create a much more even distribution of strength and muscle growth.

You’ll find it much easier to get consistent toning and bulking results by breaking things down by arms and chest, back and shoulders, legs, and core.

Each muscle group requires a different level of attention, and with designated days, you’ll be assigning time more effectively.

Upper Body Exercise Examples

Here are some sample exercises to do at home:

• Bench Press (3 sets of 8 reps): Set your hands up on the bar about shoulder-width apart and raise the barbell off the stand. Lower the bar down to your chest and then slowly return to the starting position.
• Seated Rows (3 sets of 8 reps): Set up a cable machine to above the seat height position and plant your feet shoulder-width apart in front of you. Slowly pull the handles to your chest while pushing your shoulder blades together and release back to the fully extended position.
• Deadlifts (3 sets of 8 reps): With your feet shoulder-width apart on the ground, step close to a barbell to grip it in front of your legs. With a straight back, slowly come to an upright position before lowering down again.

Lower Body Exercise Examples

Here are a few tips on using your gym equipment to strengthen your lower body.

• Squats (3 sets of 8 reps): Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart in the squat rack and raise the bar off the rack with your shoulders. Lower your body down as far as possible before pushing back up again.
• Leg Press (3 sets of 8 reps): Get into the leg press setup, where you're in a seated squatting position. Slowly straighten your legs and try to keep a slight flex at the top of the movement before lowering down again.
• Hamstring Curls (3 sets of 8 reps): Smith and cable machines often have a leg curl and extension seat where you lay down on a bench. Your legs should start fully extended, and you slowly pull your feet towards your buttocks before lowering down again.

Cardiovascular health should be a priority for all athletes, but using cardio machines on a regular basis will particularly help with weight management.

Here are some tips to follow.

Warm-Up Routine

Every gym workout routine should start with a solid warm-up.

For a cardio session, this could include some jumping jacks and lunges to get your heart beating and activate muscles.

Pick the Ideal Workout

Some people love the treadmill, while others prefer spending time on an elliptical machine.

One thing that should influence your preference is the impact on joints, and for this, I would recommend a stationary bike and an elliptical machine.

Vary the Intensity Level

Once you have your preferred machine, it’s important to vary the intensity settings. Start at a steady pace and then set intervals at which you’ll aim to go for a higher intensity [2].

“When you work out at a sufficient intensity, your body grows stronger and you'll see changes in your weight, body fat percentage, endurance, and strength.”

- Tyra Tennyson Francis, MD at VeryWellFit.com