With more people in tune with their fitness, they’re finding other avenues of staying fit without having to invest in commercial gym memberships. While everyone has a unique approach when putting a home gym together, the formula is simple.

Treadmills, squat racks, and benches are usually what fill a designated workout area. However, there's always room for more options! As you become comfortable working out, you can use accessories to supplement your exercise program. For this reason, allow us to present some of the must-have accessories for your at-home gym that you might want to consider in the future.

Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are versatile pieces of equipment as they are fantastic elements to use during mobility exercises and warmups; however, that isn't their only purpose! These bands are great for strength training movements such as upright rows, lateral rows, and tricep extensions.

While they don't offer the same intensity as a barbell or dumbbell would, resistance bands are excellent choices to not only have in your home gym, but also to take on the go where standard gym equipment isn't as accessible.

Medicine Balls

Medicine balls, or "wall balls," are fascinating accessories that transform your basic exercises for a high burn with a handy heft. You can throw the ball along a wall to work your arms and upper body or hold it close when performing sit-ups to target the midsection.

Weighted Vest

Increasing the intensity of a bodyweight workout session is a no-brainer with this accessory. A weighted vest can aid in strength and endurance development by adding extra mass to your body. The additional weight influences how you exert your muscles by increasing the force to contribute to faster energy depletion.

They are helpful to wear during walks, runs, and agility drills to increase the burn and bone mass over time.

Dumbbells

The fantastic aspect about dumbbells is that you can substitute any movement you perform with a barbell. Instead of a standard back squat with a barbell, hold a dumbbell on each shoulder and squat for a similar effect. You can replace bench presses with a dumbbell press and conventional deadlifts with a dumbbell variation.

However, you don’t have to settle for a single pair of dumbbells when you can own several sets of varying weights for different intensities. Also, specific movements might require lighter weights to avoid injury.

Kettlebells

Considered the most versatile and functional accessory to have in your home gym arsenal, the exercises you can perform with a kettlebell are close to endless. From kettlebell swings to Turkish get-ups, these tools are very functional.

Despite being small, don’t let their size fool you. These compact yet weighty accessories can serve a purpose in all programs, from strength training to plyometric-based exercises. They come in a variety of weights and colors that can supplement your main exercises and workouts.

Jump Ropes

Jump ropes might be something from your childhood; however, just because you're older doesn't mean they have to be off-limits! This accessory is a great tool to use when boosting cardiovascular fitness. Jump ropes are also easy to store in any part of the home gym, gym bag, or suitcase, so you'll never miss a beat while traveling.

Ab Wheel

The ab wheel might be small, but it is ever mighty. This accessory may look easy to work with; however, the movement provides a burn like no other. Your starting position will consist of getting on your knees and holding each end of the ab wheel.

Contracting your abs, roll forward until just before feeling as if you can’t pull yourself up. Holding your form tight without sagging or arching, remain in this position for two to three seconds before rolling back up to the starting position. The longer the extended pose, the more you’ll target your abdominal section.

Stretch-Out Strap

Stretch-out straps are small accessories designed with a direct purpose. The extended strap's design included multiple loops to place feet and hands during a stretch; however, this can deepen the movement.

Now, for those who say they don’t need fancy equipment to help them do what they already can without the tools, think about the times you’ve stretched without having owned one.

If the amount of time you've stretched before and after a workout is far in between, it won't hurt to own an accessory that can initiate the practice and improve your stretching.

Foam Roller

A foam roller is helpful for stretches before or after your workout, along with rehabilitation and recovery movements for sore muscles. Foam rollers come in different colors and sizes, so you’ll almost always find one that fits your aesthetic.

Keep in mind that foam roller shopping can also involve considering density and surface texture. These qualities will then dictate how effective and deep the massage will be. A foam roller’s surface also dictates the amount of pressure applied and its intensity to perform a more targeted massage.

Yoga Mats

Yoga mats are essential to groundwork movements and stretching. While thinner than some alternatives, yoga mats provide the right support when performing pushups, crunches, planks, and other ab exercises involving the floor. Their lightweight build allows for easy storage and portability.

Weightlifting Mats

If your home gym includes a squat rack and barbell, consider weightlifting mats as your floor’s saving grace. Especially when deadlifting with metal plates, the direct impact of plates on your floor cause damage and other unsightly markings to your floor. Even if you’re working out with bumper plates, your gym floor can still benefit from the coverage.

Like a yoga mat, these alternatives are durable enough to provide stability yet soft enough to lay down on and get some floor accessory movements in during a cooldown.

Gym Bag

So, this one might leave you puzzled considering you'd work out at home, but hear us out! You might say that a gym bag in your area has no purpose considering that all the equipment you need is in front of you. However, a gym bag still has multiple uses.

A gym bag can help you save space when you’re working out at home. Keeping smaller accessories like wrist wraps, knee sleeves, barbell clamps, and liquid chalk in a carryall maintains your home gym, so it's neat, tidy, and not displaced somewhere.

Before this list of must-have accessories for your home gym gets too long, we'll leave you with a word of advice. While you might not need every item explained above, you can always consider these options as great ways to amp up your daily workout if you feel that your program lacks excitement.

When looking for the right equipment, consider American Home Fitness for your gym essentials, accessories, and everything in between. Feel free to browse our catalog online or view our top-of-the-line exercise equipment in Novi, MI, to get started!