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When you decide you are going to get a good gym workout from home, there is a good chance you are going to need to buy all new home gym equipment. Very few people have the necessary pieces sitting around if they had not taken up a workout before.

At the same time, you do not need to buy any of those fancy gadgets you see on the late night infomercials. In fact, you do not need to buy very many pieces of home exercise equipment at all. There are only certain pieces of workout equipment that you need in order to have a full and effective workout.

Dumbbells

You do need dumbbells, either adjustable dumbbells or dumbbells of multiple weights. Many good workouts require that extra bit of resistance for your muscles. For example, bicep curls are one of the best ways to build up the muscles in your biceps, and there are very few ways to do good bicep workouts without dumbbells.

An Exercise Mat

There are a number of abdominal workouts that can be done without equipment. But many of these workouts can be somewhat painful when they are not done on a comfortable floor. While you can always lay down on your dirty and disgusting carpet, an exercise mat is a much better idea.

Cardio Equipment

While you can always try to run outside, sometimes it is too cold or you are too busy, and so you will need home exercise equipment for a cardio workout as well. Your only two real options are treadmills and exercise bikes, though you will occasionally find some other cardiovascular exercise equipment on the market. Both of those types of machines work fine for getting a good cardio workout but whichever you choose, make sure it is something you are going to be willing to use.

Pull-up Bar

Ideally, it would be a good idea to get and install a pull-up bar somewhere in your home. This can be hard, especially if you live in an apartment or do not really have a good place for it that doesn’t stand out, but pull-up bars make great workouts for your arms, shoulders and back and are not very expensive to buy.

Jump Rope

Jump ropes are more of a replacement for some of the cardio equipment, but they are so inexpensive that they can be a great change of pace if you are constantly on the treadmill and want to do something else. You may as well get one because you are not talking about a huge investment and they are still considered a good piece of workout equipment.

Exercise Ball

One final piece of equipment you may want to buy is an exercise ball. At best, these balls make some of the more well known workouts (like crunches) considerably more effective and have their own fun and unique workouts that are great for when you want to try something new. At worst, they make somewhat interesting chairs for guests.

All of these pieces of home gym equipment are necessities if you are planning on creating your own home gym, those are the best and least expensive places to start.

Resources: Richard Black helps people learn about the best abdominal exercise equipment at his website on abdominal exercise equipment.