When people think of home gyms, they think of expensive machines and lots of money spent on gym equipment. But when you’re first starting out, it’s better to start with a few simple and small items that are cheap or sometimes free. When you are first starting out, focusing on fitness instead of massive muscle gain is key, so starting with smaller pieces of equipment is best.

A must have for a home fitness gym would definitely be at least one resistance band. While it can also be beneficial to get a few resistance bands of varying elasticity, having at least one is a good start. They are one of my favorite home gym items because of their versatility. They can be used to recreate a vast number of workouts that machines deliver. They barely take up any space as well, which is helpful for anyone with concerns for the amount of space that their equipment takes up.

If you, like many others, already have cable television, you may have means that your disposal that you’re unaware of. Most cable providers have many fitness dedicated channels that can help you exercise more. You may also have free on demand services that’ll often have dozens of different workouts available at the push of a button. Now, if you don’t have cable, you can find videos on the Internet at sites like YouTube or even from your local library.

Do you have a video game system such as Playstation 3, Wii or Xbox 360? If so, then you have a fitness machine at your disposal. Each of these systems have a good number of fitness themed games. Some will require additional equipment which may or may not be included. My favorite are the EA Active series of games for the Wii. It includes a harness for your thigh with an attachment for the controller so that it can measure how well you are doing your exercises. But Xbox 360′s Kinect attachment, the game has changed. It can monitor your entire body’s movements and help your improve your form.

If you don’t want to buy weights, come up with alternatives that can help you build muscles. A popular alternative are detergents bottles. After you have done your laundry and used up the detergent, save the bottle. The built in handle is a great grip and the weight can be altered by adding or removing water to find the perfect weight for each workout.

While building large muscles requires weights and machines that take up a lot of space, improving your fitness and toning doesn’t require much. Simply doing jumping jacks and other cardio exercises can be a start. If your body is moving, you are burning calories, and if your body is lifting something you are gaining muscles. At some point you are going to have to upgrade and get something like a gym machine, but for getting started there is no reason to spend a lot of money, or any money at all.

William Douglas creates fitness articles to help you find the best gym workout and stay in shape. His favorite exercise device is an ab machine.. This article, Cheap Ways to Get In Shape is released under a creative commons attribution license.