JOINING a gym may seem the perfect way to fight the post-festive flab but once your New Year resolve has crumbled it can prove an expensive option. And for a fraction of what it costs to join a gym, you can equip yourself with a basic home gym, tailor-made to your own needs.

More importantly for the lazier among us, having a home gym gives little excuse for opting out of that daily ten-minute workout.

Model-turned-TV presenter Nell McAndrew is a well known home gym enthusiast and has installed a £12,000 multi-purpose workout centre at the Leeds home she shares with her fiance.

However, less well-heeled devotees need not spend thousands to get an effective home gym.

Andy Lambourne, personal trainer and manager at The Fitness Network, which sells home gym equipment and has branches throughout the UK, says: ''Although you can spend thousands on setting up a home gym, most people just want the basics. Our current bestsellers are punch bags, which can cost as little as £37.99 and take up virtually no space.

''Our customers are generally busy people who want to save money and save time. Many people just haven't got the time to go regularly to a gym and if you consider the average annual joining fee, buying equipment for the home makes sense.''

Susie Whalley, Features Editor at Zest Magazine, says: ''There is definitely a trend for people to exercise at home with their own equipment. As people become more aware of how easy it is to buy equipment and how little money and space you actually need, I think it will prove even more popular.''

Whalley claims that for as little as £50, you can buy the basics - a skipping rope, a pair of dumbbells and an exercise ball. She says: ''Just buying these three items will allow you to carry out a top-to-toe exercise programme, incorporating balance, fitness, cardio-vascular work-out and body toning. It also costs a fraction of what a monthly gym membership will.''

But some experts are concerned that working out at home could put your health at risk.

Lynn James, a sports physiotherapist based in south London, says: ''Anybody looking to exercise should first consult his or her GP.

''The main pitfall with working out at home is the lack of a qualified professional on hand to advise you how to use the equipment. This can result in injuries such as muscle and ligament damage, which is mainly caused by poor posture and by placing strain on the body by exercising incorrectly.

''I would advise anybody thinking of working out at home with their own equipment to make sure they do a five to ten minute warm up before working on specific parts of the body and to seek proper advise on the use of equipment.''

So what are the essentials purchases to setting up your very own gym?

TRAMPOLINE

Forget 15ft multi-person trampolines for £300 and instead check out cheaper alternatives which range from £60 to £150. A good starter is the Plum Exercise Trampoline £59.99 from online gym shop www.etoyzone.co.uk.

The piece is suitable for anybody aged six and over and at just 102cm diameter, is practical for use in the house. Lynn James says: ''Trampolines are a fun way to exercise and improve stamina and tone the thighs and calves. Always check you have assembled a trampoline correctly before use and, for smaller models, it is essential for safety that only one person uses it at a time.''

Pros: An inexpensive, fun piece for your home. Easy to store.

Cons: Less essential to overall fitness than other home gym pieces so could still prove a luxury item for buyers on a tight budget.

Rating: Five out of ten.

SKIPPING ROPE

The ultimate cheap exercise fix. A basic skipping rope will cost about £5 but can rise to as much as £50 for a chrome-handled sports rope with performance evaluation monitor. Woolworths sell a child's skipping rope for £3.99 which at 5ft, is long enough for most adults to use comfortably.

Lynn James says: ''A ten-minute skipping workout burns up between 60-80 calories, tones abdominal and pectoral muscles, plus thighs and calves, improves general stamina and gives a complete cardiovascular work-out. A great buy.

Pros: A cheap and effective way to workout. Easy to store.

Cons: Best used in an outside space. Can prove costly to replace broken ornaments!

Rating: ten out of ten.

TREADMILL

Traditionally an expensive addition to a home gym, with state-of-the-art models costing up to £6,000, but there are cheaper options. The Beny V-Fit-MM1 Manual Magnetic Folding Treadmill costs just £79 from www.etoyzone.com and although basic, is a great starting point for home exercise fanatics. The silver model displays calorie burn, distance (miles), speed (mph) and time (mins/sec).

Lynn James says: ''An ideal introductory piece. Treadmills are very popular with gym members as they are a great way to lose weight, tone and improve cardio-vascular performance and overall stamina levels.''

Pros: This model folds away for easy storage and is relatively inexpensive.

Cons: Non-adjustable incline. Larger models can be space-consuming.

Rating: seven out of ten.

PUNCH BAGS

A great way to build stamina and strength, a punch bag can range from a spherical-shaped punch cone to a hanging bag complete with straps, which can be used for pelvic and abdominal workouts. The Fitness Network offers a 3ft punch bag T36 including straps for £37.99. (www.fitnessnetwork.co.uk)

Lynn James says: ''Punch bags are a great way to build upper body strength and cardiovascular performance. They can also be a great stress reliever.''

Pros: Relatively inexpensive. A good way to give the upper body a workout and can be used to strengthen pelvic muscles, thighs and abdominals.

Cons: Most effective when used in conjunction with other home gym equipment, as a punch bag does not exercise the whole body.

Rating: seven out of ten.

FITNESS BALL

A good starter piece and ideal for balance training and abdominal exercises. A fitness ball is ideal for home use as it is easy to store and blow-up varieties are available. Check out high street stores such as Next and John Lewis. Next's blow-up Fitness Ball in silver costs just £9.99. John Lewis's fitness balls start at £10.95.

Lynn James says: ''Very popular with home users. A great aid to posture building, toning exercises and weight loss through balance training.''

Pros: Practical, inexpensive and versatile.

Cons: Blow-up variety easily damaged.

Rating: nine out of ten.