Mini Home Gym

Last night, I went to a friends house for some amazing strawberry margaritas and steak tacos.  She used recipes from http://www.howsweeteats.com/.  This is a new to me blog where Jessica shares all kinds of recipes.  Based on last night's dinner-her recipes are amazing!!

I took Porter along to play with the girl's dogs...he was a little worn out when we got home!

 

I wanted to share our mini home gym.  I am always on a budget-aren't we all???  So, I wanted to share what Bobby and I put together and why it works for us. 

Honestly, I would probably be fine with just some cardio and doing body weight exercises for my strength, but Bobby needs more weight to get a good strength workout.  I bought him the Bowflex adjustable dumbbells as a present.  They go from 2.5 pounds each to 52.5 pounds each.  They are perfect for our varying strength levels and needs.  Plus, they don't take up a ton of room.  We also have resistance bands to add some additional options for workouts. 

Instead of spending over $1000 for a treadmill, I purchased a bike trainer for around $75.  It offers varying levels of resistance and attaches to your bike.  It is a great and cheaper option to have a cardio option at home.  My only suggestion is to buy a tire specifically for the trainer because it wears down the tread on the back tire.

I went to a warehouse sale and found mats for the floor for $5 per mat.  It was a steal!  (They are normally $20 each.)  They give us an area for doing floor work-pushups, burpees, abs, etc.  Speaking of abs-I also found a really nice medicine ball at the warehouse sale.  It is 12 pounds and will be perfect for russian twists and even slam ball work.  Bobby bought a big ball to sit on for core work while we do strength training too. 

The little home gym area covers most of our needs without breaking the bank.  I still really want a treadmill for winter...so that will probably be our next purchase.

What are your home gym essentials?