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Photo by Delaney Van

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.

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.

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Neoprene Workout Dumbbell

Available: 2lb-20lb

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, plus the hexagonal shape prevents them from rolling away when you set them down! Use a lighter set of dumbbells for arms and shoulders or get a heavier set for lower body exercises like squats and lunges.

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Coated Kettlebell

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 want a highly functional piece of equipment on its own. 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 if you are on a budget.

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Extra Thick Puzzle Exercise Mat

Available: 24-96 square foot 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 six pieces, allowing you to cover 24 square feet of flooring or a large set can cover 96 square feet with 24 tiles. When not in use, these mats easily fold up for convenient storage. Perfect for yoga, weightlifting or even as a floor mat for kids to play and exercise.

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Core Sliders

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 is that they are customizable for everyone, whether you are a beginner or looking to create a fast-moving HIIT workout.

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Resistance Loop Exercise Bands

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 complement to a dumbbell arm and shoulder workout.

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Non Slip Cloth Exercise Bands

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 or rolling out of place. These non-slip exercise bands have a thin gripping layer that prevents movement during workouts, and they also provide increased resistance, perfect for lower body workouts.

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Sandbell Workout Bag

Available: 2-50lbs

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

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Tangle-Free Jump Rope

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 up to 500 calories in 30 minutes. Not only is it a killer aerobic workout, but jumping rope helps to build endurance, coordination, and increased muscle engagement. Try adding this portable cardio into your workout warmup or use it as a whole workout in itself.

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Medicine Ball

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 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, such as a wall ball slam. Just be careful - the rubber design of these balls means that they will bounce!

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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 full bodyweight. Just attach 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!

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Adjustable Strength Training Bench

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.

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Adjustable Dumbbell Weights

Available: Single or pair

Why We Love It: While this is another one of the more spendy pieces of equipment on our list, these adjustable dumbbells maximize space and efficiency. Each free weight has five adjustments that range from 5 to 55 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? You can purchase a single dumbbell if you’re not ready to commit to a full pair!

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2 in 1 Folding Under Desk Treadmill

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 much space—this folding treadmill is ideal for those with limited space but still want to get in daily movement. Even better, this 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.

The Non-Essentials That Can Upgrade Your Home Gym

If you’re the type of person who doesn’t just want the essentials (or you are bored with what you do have!), then these simple items can take your home fitness journey to a new level!

Games & Cards

Sometimes you’re just feeling a little low on motivation or you’re stumped on what workout to try for the day. Each of these items is a great way to break out of the funk of boring exercises or routines and try something new. Who knows? You might find something that you really love and want to incorporate into your other favorite workouts, too!

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Desk Workout Cards

Calling everyone who works from home (or those who go into the office, too)! This set of 75 cards makes creating a fun and challenging workout anywhere —yes, even at your desk—easy and fun. Designed for all levels, you can choose from a pre-made routine to focus on specific areas of your body or completely freestyle it!

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Balance Exercise Cards

Another deck of 75 cards that is meant to help you wherever you are, this set is engineered to target both your static and dynamic balance. This is another simple way to create a routine that works for you, or incorporate exercises into your current workouts that help improve your core and balance with or without equipment.

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Wooden Yoga Dice

This box set is a portable gift for the yoga lover in your life. It’s perfect for yogis of all ages and skill levels and helps you to get a full body stretch, no matter where you are, while also focusing on different areas of the body to add flow to your practice. No need to find a studio when you’re traveling again!

Equipment

There is a lot of standard equipment out there—dumbbells, kettlebells, treadmills, you name it—but sometimes simply breaking the routine of the ordinary is what you need for a more challenging workout. These machines aren’t your average home gym equipment finds, but they can be utilized in other areas of your home for workout variety, too!

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Power Stepper With Resistance Bands

This stepper isn’t what your parents used. It comes with resistance bands to crush a 2-in-1 workout for not just your legs, but for your whole body, too. And, not only is this machine much cheaper than many comparative models, but it comes with Bluetooth functionality that gives you access to over 1000 workout videos from certified trainers and an in-app social community—built-in motivation!

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Portable Workstation Table

While this is engineered to fit over your stationary bike, it can also be used as a table to pair with your walking pad or foldable treadmill. It has built-in slots for your cellphone and tablet, as well as a non-slip surface to prevent any of your other important devices from falling off.

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Stationary Exercise Desk Bike

If you can’t always go to the gym, why not bring the gym to you? This lightweight stationary bike has tons of adjustments to allow you to ride in a variety of positions, as well as folding up for easy storage when not in use. The large, adjustable 16” x 19” tabletop even has a non-slip surface that is big enough for your tablet or laptop!

Post Workout

One thing that is often neglected when it comes to workouts is the importance of the cooldown and recovery. These are great post-workout options to extend the benefits from your sweat session!

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Microfiber Towel

While this is referred to as a beach towel, it is also a powerful moisture absorber. Yes, we mean sweat! Its lightweight design dries quickly, leaving you without any odor or smell, whether you’re at the gym or taking your yoga flow poolside!

Bonus: It comes in three different sizes to fit your needs.

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Shiatsu Foot Massager

Another important part of your workout is the recovery! This heated massager uses kneading, vibration, and compression to give your feet the ultimate massage. It also helps to relax you after a long, stressful day, too.