The Lukas home gym

I have had a few people comment on my Instagram stories (mainly pictures of Penny sleeping in the middle of my workout equipment) on our home gym as well as ask what I do for workouts. While I work at CorePower Yoga, I also workout a lot in our basement! We have slowly pieced together versatile equipment in our small, dingy, cob-web infested St. Paul basement, but it is easily one of the best investments we've made. We can get great, efficient workouts done in the comfort of our own home - this was incredibly valuable throughout graduate school as well as during Minnesota winters. Anyway, I thought I would share some of the equipment we have in our basement that we each use several times per week (heads up: anything in pink font below is a link to take you to the equipment).

Lemond RevMaster Pro spin bike: I will be honest, this was our biggest investment to date and we just purchased it last year. I was using this bike trainer during the winter for years, but honestly, I always needed Drew's help putting my road bike on and taking it off. Also, my knee didn't love the instability of the trainer and as most of you know, my knee is the BIGGEST investment I have ever made, so we are all about protecting it. We purchased our spin bike new at 2nd Wind (they didn't have a used one available) and decided to get the monitor (an extra $100 or so). I use it several times a week and I would give up everything else in our home gym to keep this baby. For guided spin classes, I use the apps Aaptiv and Peloton. They are both great and the only difference is that with Peloton, you get a video feed, where Aaptiv is all audio. Side note: I did try a Peloton bike and have a strong opinion about it (weird, I know), so if you are interested in hearing it, reach out to me.

TRX Straps: We purchased these when we first moved in together 5+ years ago. They are great for any small space and we also (sometimes) bring them with us when we travel. If you are looking for ONE piece of equipment, this is it!!! There are SO many TRX workouts available on Pinterest, on other blogs, and you can truly get an insane full body workout (think elevated lunges, pushups, planks). We have ours anchored to a support beam in the basement, but this set also comes with a strap that works with any door. I believe if you sign up for TRX emails, they do regular sales and coupons - let's be real, I am all about coupons and good deals.

Agility Ladder: I don't know why I waited so long to buy an agility ladder (maybe rehab PTSD), but I recently bought one and am so glad that I did. The agility ladder is inexpensive, travels easily and so versatile for a full body workout - think walking planks or pushups, plyometrics, lateral lunges, etc.

Resistance Bands: I used to have a plethora of resistance bands, thanks to endless physical therapy, but I purchased these resistance bands and again, am so glad that I did. Using resistance bands can help you take basic exercises to the next level - think leg lifts, squats with a resistance band around your thighs, banded plyometrics, banded lateral walks or bridges. Again, there are endless resistance band workouts available via the internet. These are a cheap investment and also travel well. Do yourself a favor and do NOT underestimate resistance bands.

BOSU ball: I highly recommend that you spend some time searching for BOSU ball trainers as the price range is drastic depending on where you look. We bought ours off of Craigslist for $40, but I know they can get pricey. Again, think of the BOSU ball trainer as a tool to take your basic exercises to the next level - squats, planks, pushups or lunges on the BOSU are all much more difficult and the instability recruits more muscle than doing the exercise on the ground.

Dumbbells: I am not even going to put a link to where to buy dumbbells because they are EVERYWHERE from Target, Amazon, Craigslist, OfferUp, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, etc. I purchased a couple sets from Marshalls. Drew recently did purchase an adjustable set from Amazon or Dick's, but for at home workouts for me, a pair of 5 lbs and 8 lbs suffice.

Exercise ball: Again, I didn't link where to purchase these from because they are everywhere. I like use an exercise ball for a variety of ab workouts and elevated pushups.

Squat rack: I was hesitant when Drew ordered this rack off Amazon (FYI, we went with the no bench option because we were able to find a cheap bench elsewhere), because I thought it wouldn't fit in our low-ceiling basement and that it would take up too much room. I am a prideful woman, but I can admit when I am wrong and I am glad we got this. Not only is it great for a variety of squats, bench press (which I no longer do), but it can also be good for pull-ups (I also do not do), hanging ab series and to tie resistance bands to for leg lifts. Well done, Mr. Lukas.

Barbell and plated weights: I believe we purchased our barbell from Dick's Sporting Goods. I HIGHLY encourage you to sign up for the coupons, wait for one to come out and load up when you get a good one. Plated weights are EXPENSIVE and while I don't need heavy ones, Mr. Lukas does. You can expect to pay around $1 per pound - like I said, get at those coupons. Another option is to look on Craigslist or OfferUp. People have abandoned weights on there all. the. time.

Alchemy365 Torpedo: Drew and I both participated in an at-home challenge through a local gym, Alchemy. We decided to purchase a Torpedo - a Torpedo is a weight proprietary to Alchemy. It can be used as a dumbbell, barbell and kettlebell. While we are not members of Alchemy, we LOVE their Torpedos. We have a 30 lb and 50 lb Torpedo and they work really well for swings, presses, RDLs, walking lunges, the list goes on! Full transparency, we have 2 kettlebells that we no longer use and are considering giving away because the Torpedos can just do it all. Also, you don't need to be a member to purchase the Torpedos off of Alchemy's website.

Jump rope: I didn't link the jump rope that we have because I couldn't find it on Amazon and also, because I don't love it. It's fine, but not life-changing and its either user error or the material of the rope, but it twists up more than it should. I did get a weighted one, but buyer beware, it will wear out your shoulders! Jump ropes are everywhere, just be sure to read the reviews because not all jump ropes are made equal.

That's it! There are also a few other items that were not approved joint household expenses, but that Mr. Lukas thought were necessary including plate racks (ironic when he doesn't rack his heavy weights ever), several variations of barbells (I still think you can get away with one), tricep dip stand and a bench. Again, I highly recommend checking out used equipment on 2nd Wind, Craigslist, OfferUp or the Facebook marketplace. There is a lot of well-intentioned, but abandoned workout equipment out there - also, reduce, reuse, recycle people! Otherwise, sign up for sporting good stores emails and keep an eye on sales and coupons. Mr. Lukas knows that my expectation is that we are not above buying used and that we rarely pay full price. While this has slowly been a substantial investment, it has saved us a lot of money on gym memberships as well as trekking to an overcrowded gym. Also, it's open 24/7 (had to throw a Dad joke in there).

1 of 3 barbells that we have (yes, I agree with you, excessive) and no, this isn't mine or Penny's weight. 

This is almost our entire gym! The ladder is best used outside and without a dog laying in the middle of it, but I made it work. Also, our spin bike and tricep dip rack are to the right of those picture. It's not a glamorous gym, but it works well for us! 

Please let me know if you have any questions on the equipment that I mentioned or if you want to chat home workouts.
XOXO,
Dee