Gallery: A few essential pieces for your home gym

Setting up your own home gym is a lot cheaper than you thought

There's not always time in the day to get yourself to and from the gym; you could get stuck at work, get delayed on the way home, or you might have something on in the evening that means you've not got a window to head in and max the envelope. However, there's no reason not to stay on top of your fitness if you can put together a few essential pieces of equipment for your own mini home gym. Now, while getting a giant tractor tyre and some monkey bars probably isn't very practical, there are definitely pieces that you can get that will make sure that you're fighting fit no matter how much time you've got to spare. The perfect place to start off is with a set of dumbbells (€35), which are useful for anything from curls to chest press, and will be a vital part of your home gym. Another great piece of kit that's worth investing in is a pull up bar (€27), and one that will help your fitness no end. There are plenty of grips and exercises you can do that will improve your back strength, your abs, and your overall fitness. A handy tip is to try and work a set of pull ups into your workout after every rep of every other exercise, and that way you can build your strength and increase the amount of them that you can do. Next on the list is a kettle bell (€35). One of the pieces of equipment that has been used for years and years, the reason it stays around is that it's so versatile. You can do a whole range of exercises with it, and we even have a little video for you to feast your eyes on and have a go at yourself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCl-23lTYQg A medicine ball (€59) is another piece of gym kit that has been around for absolutely years, and will be a great addition to your gym. You can use it for sit-ups, twists, and a whole host of other things. Finally, one further thing that will be of use is an exercise ball or a Swiss ball (€20). Once again it's great for sit-ups and crunches, but you can also use it for the chest press and work on your core stability. So there you have it, with relatively little equipment and for a price that's budget friendly, you've got a pretty handy home gym going. You should have no excuses left with all that kit, but if you want to get a few more pieces for your budding fitness temple, you can check out the whole selection on Littlewoods Ireland