13 Best Home Gym Equipment Essentials For Effective Workouts

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Are you looking to create the ultimate home gym? A quick search through many health and fitness websites will likely give you plenty of ideas for home gym equipment, but how do you know which home gym equipment is going to be the best overall fit for you? You can get a great workout at home without having to have high-end gym equipment or take up all the extra room in your home. We’re sharing at-home gym equipment must-haves to create the essential home gym.

blue dumbells on home gym rack

Photo by Delaney Van on Unsplash

What Is a Home Gym?

A home gym can come in a variety of forms, whether you have a spare room in your house, your garage, or even a basement. For many, home gym setups need to be practical, convenient and portable.

Home Gym Tip: Whatever works for you that allows you to get your optimal workout is the best fit.

What is the Best Home Gym Setup?

When selecting gym equipment for your home gym, there are a few things to consider:

If You Have Limited Space

If you live in an apartment or small space, your primary focus when selecting gym equipment will be to purchase items that are portable and can stow away easily. If your gym is in your living room, you might want to consider lightweight equipment or gym essentials, such as dumbbells or kettlebells, that are rubber-coated to protect floors and furniture.

Home Gym Equipment Idea: Look for items that have many “all-in-one” uses to make the most of the limited space.

If You Can Convert a Whole Room

If you have the space to dedicate to a home gym workout room, you may consider heavier or bulkier gym equipment, such as barbells with weight plates or folding squat racks. If you are setting up a garage gym, you might want to consider covering the floor with thick gym mats to protect your body from the impact of concrete.

If Money is A Concern

If you’re looking to create a gym at home in a small space, or don’t want to spend a lot of ton of money on gym equipment, look for types of home gym equipment that you can use for a variety of exercises. You don’t need a large piece of expensive stationary equipment to get in a quality workout. Purchase kettlebells or resistance bands in various strengths and weights to give variety to your workout while still staying on budget.

orange dumbbells on home gym rack

Are Home Gyms Effective?

Does working out at home really work? The honest answer: it depends. Creating a home gym requires that you are willing to put in the time and effort on your own, without the benefit of attending a class at a local gym. For many, finding the time to workout on your own might be more challenging without the accountability of a coach or instructor. To make your home gym more appealing, it’s important to find an exercise routine that best suits your needs. If you prefer to watch at-home workout videos, make sure that your home gym is optimized so that you can both see and hear the video. If you prefer to follow fitness apps, consider adding in a portable charger or phone stand to allow you to view the app easily and hands-free.

Building a Home Gym on a Budget

There are many ways to find inexpensive essentials for your gym to start weight training at home. For many small spaces, you can easily create a home gym for less than $200. Amazon has a private label called AmazonBasics that offers cheap and affordable items for everything from kitchen gadgets to exercise equipment. If you’re looking to save money with a quality product, their line of workout equipment is some of the best we’ve seen.

Creating a Home Gym Essentials Checklist

Looking to get started building your home gym? These ten items are some of our favorite, affordable items to get in a quality workout at home.


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Dumbbells

Image: Amazon

Neoprene Workout Dumbbell

Amazon Basics

Available: 1lb-60lb

Why We Love It: A good set of dumbbells is easily one of the best pieces of home exercise equipment for beginners. Many dumbbells come in sets of various weights to allow you to vary the weight necessary for each exercise. These dumbbells are coated in a neoprene material that makes them resistant against rust and safe enough to use in your small home gym. Use a lighter set of dumbbells for arms and shoulders or get a heavier set for lower body exercises like squats and lunges.


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Kettlebell

Image: Amazon

Coated Kettlebell

Yes4All

Available: 5lb-45lb

Why We Love It: Kettlebells are a great tool if you’re looking to add a heavier weight into your rotation, but also have a highly functional piece of equipment. Kettlebells are perfect for squats, swings, cleans, jerks or as a way to add weight and difficulty to your standard lunge or row. These kettlebells come in varying weights from 5lbs up to 45lbs and are some of the best kettlebells for your home gym on a budget.


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Interlocking Rubber Mat

Image: Amazon

Extra Thick Puzzle Exercise Mat

Prosourcefit

Available: 24-96 sq ft sets

Why We Love It: These interlocking gym mats are a home gym flooring necessity. These foam floor mats create a cushioned workout floor and help protect you and your concrete or hardwood from heavy weights and equipment. A small set comes with 6 pieces, allowing you to cover 24 square feet of flooring or a large set comes with 24 tiles for a 96 square foot coverage. When not in use, these mats easily fold up for convenient storage. Perfect for yoga, weightlifting or even a floor mat for kids to play and exercise.


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Core Sliders

Image: Amazon

Core Sliders

Mr. Pen

Available: Various colors

Why We Love It: Fitness sliders are an easy way to create challenging core or leg exercises by simply “sliding out” from your center. Test your balance and stability by using these sliders in a yoga pike or adding difficulty to a lunge or plank. The best part about these sliders is that they are customizable for everyone, whether you are a beginner or looking to create a fast-moving HIIT workout.


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Exercise Resistance Loop Bands

Image: Amazon

Resistance Loop Exercise Bands

Mr. Pen

Available: Set of 5 bands, 5-40lb resistance

Why We Love It: The mini band might be small, but it packs a workout punch. Each band comes in a variety of resistances and can be easily packed to make it the perfect travel companion. For a glute or lower body workout, place the band above your knees for a challenging booty burn. The mini band can be used for the upper body as well, as it makes the perfect compliment to an arm and shoulder workout.


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Non Slip Cloth Exercise Bands

Image: Amazon

Non Slip Cloth Exercise Bands

gymbee

Available: Set of 3 bands, 14-50lb resistance

Why We Love It: While we love the latex mini bands for their versatility across many different exercises, these cloth bands are ideal for those who have issues with traditional mini bands riding up. These non-slip exercise bands have a thin gripping layer that prevents movement during workouts, and they also provide increased resistance, ideal for lower body workouts.


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Hyperwear Sandbell Workout Bag

Image: Amazon

Sandbell Workout Bag

Hyperwear

Available: 2-50lbs

Why We Love It: This soft, sand-filled neoprene sandbag is a versatile free weight and provides a different challenge than your standard dumbbell. Sandbags are a great way to build strength, power, as well as grip strength. Plus, these sandbags come in a variety of weights from 2lbs to 40lbs to allow you to customize to your needs.


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Tangle Free Jump Rope

Image: Amazon

Tangle-Free Jump Rope

Loocio

Why We Love It: Looking for the best home cardio exercise equipment? The jump rope is king! One study recently found that jumping rope is one of the most effective cardio exercises, burning 500 calories in 30 minutes. Not only is a killer aerobic workout, but jumping rope helps build endurance, coordination, and increased muscle engagement. Try this working this portable cardio in as a warmup to your workout or as the workout itself.


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Medicine Ball

Image: Amazon

Medicine Ball

Amazon Basics

Available: 4-12lb

Why We Love It: Medicine balls are often neglected in the gym because many people don’t know what to do with them. But, these rubber medicine balls are a great way to challenge your core strength and balance. Try burning out your abs and chest by performing a pushup on the ball or add in a crossbody movement with a wall ball slam. Just be careful - the rubber design of these balls means that they will bounce!


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - TRX Suspension Trainer

Image: Amazon

Go Suspension Trainer

Trx

Available: Go Bundle includes set of mini resistance bands

Why We Love It: While this may not be one of the cheapest home gym equipment items on our list, this is absolutely one of the most complete. This TRX training equipment can be easily anchored anywhere (indoors or outdoors!) for a full body workout. These are a variety of TRX workouts online, but our favorites combine these bodyweight movements with balance exercises, such as planks or pikes.

How to set up: You can clip your TRX band anywhere that can support your bodyweight. Just clip the main body to the bottom anchor loop of the yellow suspension anchor. Wrap the suspension anchor as many times as necessary so that the anchor is 6 feet off the ground. Then just connect the carabiner to any of the intermediate loops or the anchor itself. Always make sure to weight test your straps before your workout!


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Adjustable Strength Training Bench

Image: Amazon

Adjustable Strength Training Bench

Fly Bird

Available: One size

Why We Love It: Let’s face it. No one wants to be stuck sitting on the floor of their home gym. This bench is perfect for classic weightlifting moves such as chest press and dumbbell rows, as well as providing a stable platform for step-ups and other lower boy exercises. This sturdy bench means that it will hold up to even the most intense workouts.


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Bowflex Select Tech Adjustable Dumbbells

Image: Amazon

SelectTech Adjustable Dumbbells

Bowflex

Available: Single or pair

Why We Love It: While not the cheapest type of gym equipment on our list, these adjustable dumbbells maximize space and efficiency. These free weights have eight plates that adjust from 5 to 52.5 points, in increments of 2.5 pounds until the first 25 pounds. Not only are these dumbbells heavy duty, but you can easily get a full body workout, with a wide range of exercises, all in one piece of equipment.

A bonus? These adjustable dumbbells come with a free 1-Year JRNY Membership - which gives you access to Bowflex’s fitness app, full of more than 500+ different workouts that you can perform anywhere!


10 Best Equipment Must-Haves for a Home Gym - Slim Under Desk Folding Treadmill

Image: Amazon

2 in 1 Folding Under Desk Treadmill

Go Plus

Available: Various colors

Why We Love It: Okay, so it might not be what you consider a piece of traditional home gym equipment, but we can’t ignore those that don’t have the space to set aside to get a daily sweat in. This folding treadmill is ideal for those with limited space but still want to get in daily movement. Even better, this folding treadmill can fit underneath an adjustable standing desk to allow you to walk (or run) while you are taking work calls or Zoom meetings. Plus, it’s much more affordable than a standard treadmill.

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