BARBIE DREAM GYM
If you start today, in 2 weeks you’ll feel it. in 4 weeks you’ll see it. in 8 weeks you’ll hear it.
Okay, so an average gym membership costs $20-60 a month. That’s $240-720 a year! Then add in the gas money and time you’ll be spending to drive there and back… Investing in a home gym has never been smarter. Especially with all the weirdos nowadays filming, sweating all over the machines & not wiping them down, and the icky feeling that someone might be watching you. It all gives me serious high anxiety. I just wanna throw on my workout clothes, take 20 steps to my gear, blast my music on the big speakers & get that shit over with.
Here I’ve assembled a very straightforward, affordable, effective (and super cute) startup gym. Keep in mind, you don’t NEED all of these things! Tailor your gym to what kind of exercises you’ll be doing that best suit your level of experience and your own personal goals.
WEIGHTLIFTING
Honestly, there is no better way to burn fat than to build muscle. The more muscle your body has, the more calories it burns while at rest. And sure, you can diet all you want & lose weight, but you’re not going to get that beautiful toned look if you don’t train those muscles!
I’ve owned these BowFlex adjustable dumbbells for 17 years now and they still work beautifully. I’ve never had to send them in for maintenance and they range from 5 to 52.5 pounds. This is a perfect amount of weight if you’re a beginner or advanced, and if you aren’t looking to build your body up to enter into weightlifting competitions. They’re also great because they are compact (replacing 15 sets of weights) and easy to move if you want to take your gym on the road. Honestly, I couldn’t recommend a better, more reliable product.
I love this bench! It’s a great tool to assist you in a variety of exercises that target different areas of your body. But my favorite is the glute-targeting back extensions (shown in the picture). A lot of benches don’t have this feature & it really is the icing on the cakes for me.
Here’s another space and money saver. This kettlebell adjusts from 8.5 to 40 pounds, just pull the pin, set it into the desired weight, and it poops out the extra weight bars that you don’t need into a little stack on the floor. It’s an all-in-one wonder!
Wearing gloves isn’t necessary, but I love them because they help my sweaty hands get a better grip on the weights and they prevent my palms from getting calloused up. These ones are shorties, so you have ample flexibility and movement in your wrists, almost like you’re wearing nothing at all. If you’re not an animal print fanatic like me, these come in a ton of other really cool colorways.
CORE & BALANCE
The Bosu ball is great for training your core and strengthening your wrists and ankles. The balance aspect really targets the little muscle fibers that don’t get hit with weightlifting alone. And if you’re whole body is working to keep balanced, you guessed it, your core is getting activated heavy! This one here is the mini travel Bosu Sport. I have this one because it takes up less space, was cheaper & gets the job done for me, but I’ve also listed the link for the regular sized one.
These core sliders come in 3 different colors & with an exercise guide to show you different ways to use them. They slide on both wood and carpeted floors and are a great way to add intensity to your planks, bridges, and lunges.
These suckers look cute, but they burn! Add anywhere from extra light to extra heavy intensity to any workout by slipping one of these on and target your core, outer legs and booty. For 9 bucks you get the whole set!
yoga stuff
I’m a fan of keeping stuff organized and off my floors to create more room for activities, so this here is an essential for me. Turn your pile of gym gear into functional wall art!
Yoga blocks are helpful tools if you need some work on your flexibility training. They help stabilize you into those deeper stretches & poses so that you can get a good, solid stretch without the danger of slipping into a position you can’t find your way out of.
These beauties right here will get you to your yoga studio in style and ease. No more fumbling around with all your gear to get in the door.
This Mexican inspired sarape bag fits 1/4” to 1/3” thick mats and has a zip pocket for your cell phone, ID and keys.
This bag has exterior and interior pockets with satin lining. But it’s the natural cork for me…
Yoga mats aren’t exclusively for yoga. I throw mine down for ab workouts, floor exercises, or even just to lay down on and stretch out. I’m a huge advocate for aesthetics AND function, so I like my things to always have something striking about them. Here are some of my favorite, beautifully designed yoga mats.
I’m in love with this extra large round mat. This would also be perfect to use in a baby play room or kid’s bedroom as it is sueded and non-slip.
The PERFECT uni
Astoria Activewear has the butteriest fabrics and most impeccable fit. I own three different workout sets and all of them have been squat tested and approved! For reference, I’m 5’9” with long legs & long torso, 155 lbs. and wear a size medium in this brand. Both the leggings and the tops are a perfect length with incredible stretch, durable stitching & they don’t ride up or sag down during exercise. The scrunch butts are my faves, because who doesn’t like a little accentuation in the peach region? Here are my top picks.
Use the discount code CZELSEA15 at checkout for 15% off your order!
This concludes our workout session for today! I hope you found something you love. See you soon for my next round of carefully curated collections!