How to Choose Gymnastics Equipment For Home?

Posted by Roland Steyn on March 17th, 2018

Practice makes perfect – nowhere else does this statement hold more truth than in the world of gymnastics. Whether you are a serious athlete training for the Olympics or a simple fitness freak looking to improve your flexibility and body strength, there is one truth that you will not be able to shake off – when it comes to gymnastics, perfection demands a lot of hard work. Now those extended practice hours at the local gym or training center may prove to be a bit heavy on the pocket. But what if you could practice the art and put in the additional efforts from the comfortable confines of your home? That is the beauty of gymnastics equipment for home – they let you get down and dirty with your practice without having to worry about stepping out of your home’s privacy. So go ahead and create an in-home practice arena with the help of this article. Here you will find all the useful tips and tricks necessary to choose gymnastics equipment for home use: 

Balance beams 

These are important for the gymnast to improve their balance and flexibility while practicing cartwheels, handstands, splits, front and back walkovers and other beam routines. When buying a balance beam for your home practice arena, here are some factors that you out to consider: 

• Try selecting a balance beam that lies flat on the floor or is just a few inches off it. After all, this is your home and you don’t have safety mats all around to cushion the impact in case you fall or miss a step. 

• The length of the beam is the next factor to consider. Traditional balance beams are 16ft in length and you definitely won’t have that kind of space in your home. Practice beams are much shorter and can be easily stored and used in home. Make your choice in accordance with the routines you will be practicing at home. 

• Balance beams made out of leather and suede are more preferable, given the fact that this is what you will be using in competitions. If you are just into gymnastics for fitness training, however, you can always choose other materials. 

Mats 

The next most important gymnastics equipment for home use are mats. They are great for providing the requisite jump necessary for certain routines and for cushioning your fall in case you stumble during a routine. Follow the below mentioned guidelines when picking out mats for home use: 

• Be careful with the thickness of the mat – too thin and it won’t provide enough cushioning in case of a fall and too thick and the gymnast will sink into the mat thereby ruining the movement. 

• The biggest consideration with home use gymnastic mats is their ease of storage. Select the biggest size that you would need for your routine and balance it with how well you can fold and store the same in your home. 

Bars 

The next most important gymnastics equipment you will require is a set of bars to train on for upper body strength building, flexibility training, and balance improvement. Buying gymnastics bars for home use can be tricky though. Here are a few tips that you can follow: 

• Make sure the bar set you buy is strong and stable and doesn’t shake while the gymnast is using it. 

• Most bars come with a maximum weight limit that defines how strong they are in terms of holding the gymnast on them. Make your selection in accordance with your individual requirements. 

• Home use bars should be easy to assemble and store away. If it takes too much effort, it is just not worth it. 

• Make sure you select the correct bar height in accordance with your individual needs.

That’s all folks! Hope the above guide will help you pick out the most suitable gymnastics equipment for your home use. 

About the Author: 

This article is written by Roland Steyn, the Director of MiFitness. MiFitness is one of South Africa's most trusted online suppliers of home-use and commercial gym equipment. They supply a wide range of high-quality exercise equipment for home and corporate use.