Must-have home equipment for a beginner?

(cross posted to /r/Fitness)

I’ve been lurking here for a while, and thought I should ask for some input. I’m 21, 5’4 and last I checked around 146lb. Looking to lose some weight but also to gain some definition/muscle. Thing is, I’m a total newbie with pretty bad anxiety (aka working out at a gym is a no go). So I was wondering if there are any equipment you guys would recommend to work out at home! If you by any chance have specific links of cheaper ones it would be great cause a lot of things I’m finding online are way too pricey.

Hey mate, welcome!

Depending on how much of a beginner you are, you probably won’t need any equipment at first.

Have a look at our FAQ and then at our Recommended Routine (RR).

The RR is this reddit recommended routine and at first you won’t need any equipment other then a place to do rows.

The rubber band warmup exercises, you can do without the band and the rows can be done under a table or with the “bedsheet and the door” trick.

See if you like that routine and then think about spending money on a band, a pullup bar and later on some rings (which are equipment needed for later progressions in the RR).

@Greer
Thank you for the reply! Yeah, the bedsheet one seems cool but I’m a bit scared it might destroy the door - it’s a rented apartment and the doors are honestly pretty cheap. And my table is a glass one so, again, scared I might break it. But thank you so much for all the input! Really appreciate it dude!

@Arley
No problem, glad to try to help!

I would say try the bedsheet door trick, maybe not hang with your full weight immediatly on it, but just see if the door can hold it or not. Then at least you have tried it and made a better estimate if it can hold it or not. If during trying it, you feel it being unsafe then yeah; stop. =)

Otherwise is there a place where you can try to do pullups? Like some stairs, or a playground or maybe look into getting a pullup bar. As probably you could hang some bedsheets over those to do some rows.

And I know you said you have bad anxiety and a lot of us had that when we started out (I know I had), so I can advice you to use the search function of the reddit and look for “anxiety” and “gym”. There are already several posts with some great advice about it.

I know it’s easier said then done and I really wish that somehow I could convince you to try to workout just once in a gym (so you can do all sorts of routines) or a park/playground (a place you could do the RR on swingsets or whatever), as you’ll probably find out the same thing all of us did and that is: Everybody is too incredibly busy with their own stuff to worry about you. So you can focus on your own stuff and workout (at the gym or in the park or wherever).

Last thing and then I’m going for breakfast: another idea might be to start with the RR and skip rows. Do this for several weeks, so it becomes a habit that you workout three times a week and you’ll be comfortable/familiar with the exercises of the RR. After that see if your improved confidence (which will definitly come after working out for awhile) and your frustration of not being able to progress further with the RR as you can’t do rows and pullups, can overcome your anxiety and you find a park or gym to workout. =)

Anyway I really reallyreallyreeaaally hope you’ll consider to try the gym and/or the RR in the park at least once! So goodluck and most of all have fun!

@Greer
I did try the gym in the past and it just unmotivated me to be honest. I would see how fit everyone was and would be ashamed of myself. But yeah, if I get at least a bit in shape at home I think my anxiety might decrease enough to work out at a gym later on. Not sure if that made sense, I just woke up. Thank you so much for the response though! Honestly, all of it is really comforting and inspiring!
Hope you have a great day :slight_smile:

@Arley
That’s too bad. Well, start out at home then and see if you can learn to just measure your present self with your past self: As long as you keep booking progression (reps/sets/weight/whatever), you’ll be good!

Have fun and if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the daily beginner thread!! =)

@Greer
What do you think about using a dowel instead of the rubber bands for the dislocates? I use both, usually start with the rubber bands as they are easier on the joints and then move on to the dowel for form-honing.

Also, I completely agree that the only equipment you need is the stretch band, some sort of pullup bar and rings. And if I were looking for most bang-for-the-buck type of equipment it would be rings. Pullup bar can be substituted easily.

@Wei
Dowel as in stick? That works too (or a bit better) as you can measure your progress.

Depending on your goal there was a discussion about maybe focussing on/isolating areas that are holding you back on getting the overhead shoulder mobility for handstands.

A pull-up and dip station or rings + bands is everything you need for upper body. If you want lower body size/power you will need atleast a sand bag. But I would recommend a hex bar (this way you can do squats without a power rack which is very expensive) and some plates (you can use these for pullup + dips too. And even isolation shoulder exs)

@Justice
The flooring at my apartment is all carpet, so I think I might be okay. But yeah, definitely see how that would be important for someone with hard floors.

Pullup bar and gravity. That’s basically all you need for Calisthenics as a beginner.

Further down the road: gymnastic rings.

Jesse said:
Pullup bar and gravity. That’s basically all you need for Calisthenics as a beginner.

Further down the road: gymnastic rings.

This is embarrassing, but I can’t even do a pull-up… That’s just how weak my arms currently are. Any tips on how to work up to doing pull-ups?

@Arley
Not embarassing at all! Most of us couldn’t when just starting!

Check the Recommended Routine - it have a body weight rows progression, which have some carry-over to pull-ups, and a pull-up progression, which start at negative pull-ups to get you started.

@Ben
Thank you again dude!!

Arley said:
@Ben
Thank you again dude!!

Why “again”? I think you’re missing me with someone else! haha

Ben said:

Arley said:
@Ben
Thank you again dude!!

Why “again”? I think you’re missing me with someone else! haha

Oh I didn’t read the handle and assumed you were the same dude from the other comment! My bad!

Ben said:

Arley said:
@Ben
Thank you again dude!!

Why “again”? I think you’re missing me with someone else! haha

@Arley
Scooby has two good videos on how to build up to a full pullup. In this one he shows how to start from the beginning by first practising just hanging, then doing “moon jumps”. You can do scapula pulls too. Scooby has a link in the first video to his other one where he shows how to work your way from negative pullups to full pullups.

@Val
Thank you!! I will check those out!

@Arley
I could do 2 chin ups. 0 pull ups. I got a home pull up bar. Things changed.

1 year later I am doing weighted pull ups, can muscle up, and am working on my back lever. Obviously I don’t just work out at home, but the pull up bar got my pull ups working.

Get one!