The Best Home Gym Equipment


A woman working out in her home with weights

If you’re looking for a way to prioritize your workouts and stay motivated, adding a home gym within your apartment or house could be just the answer. With busy schedules, unpredictable weather, and traffic, getting to the gym or studio can be challenging. These are all reasons why home gyms have become increasingly popular over the last few years. Having a dedicated workout space at home is a great idea, but often people wonder where to start when building a small home gym. Whether you’re looking to tone your muscles or improve your cardio, we’ve outlined some of the best home gym equipment to transform your space into your own personal home gym. 

Best Bodyweight Training Equipment for Home Gyms

a woman doing yoga at home

When looking to start a home gym, you’ll want to begin by investing in bodyweight training equipment. You don’t need much equipment when bodyweight training, so it’s the most affordable home gym equipment and can be used during resistance and cardio training too.

Exercise Mat

An exercise mat—also called a yoga mat—is a must-have when starting a home gym because it cushions and protects your hips, knees, hands, and spine during floor workouts like sit-ups, push-ups, and planks. Also, an exercise mat increases grip for stability during workouts like pilates and yoga. If you plan on using an exercise mat during resistance and weight training, you may want to look for a thinner yoga mat to provide cushioning without interfering with your balance. Thicker exercise mats are great for those with joint pain or those who prefer extra cushioning during ab workouts.

Sliders for Exercise

To help develop stability and build lean muscle in your arms and legs, make sure your home gym includes sliders for exercise. Sliders for exercise make squats, planks, lunges, and more just a aggregate more challenging. Plus, they can be used on a variety of surfaces without leaving a mark. You can also store sliders virtually anywhere so they make an easy addition to your home gym.

Doorway Pull-Up Bar

For those looking to build arm muscle and strength, a doorway pull-up bar is a great alternative to push-ups. A doorway pull-up bar is easy to install and allows you to do pull-ups and chin-ups in order to work your arms. You can even do knee tucks to work your abs.

Best Resistance Training Equipment for Home Gyms

Women using a resistance band at home

To increase the difficulty of your bodyweight exercises, look at adding resistance training equipment to your home gym. Depending on whether you’re looking to build or tone your muscles, there are a couple different choices in home gym equipment. Plus, resistance training equipment is frequently used in different workout videos so having it in your home gym opens up new opportunities for workouts.

Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are the most affordable way to increase the difficulty of bodyweight exercises. With tube resistance bands and loop resistance bands, you can target a variety of muscles as well as build flexibility to prevent injuries. The different resistance levels make it easy to find the perfect difficulty level for customized upper and lower body exercises. Plus, resistance bands take up very little space, making them perfect for apartments.

Dumbbells & Dumbbell Sets

Add dumbbells or a dumbbell set to your home gym in order to tone or build muscle. From three-pound weights all the way up to seventy-pound weights, you can find the right size of dumbbell for your workout routine. If you’re starting a home gym in an apartment, you may want to consider investing in adjustable weights to save space. With adjustable weights, you still get the wide range of weight options that are included in a dumbbell set without taking up so much space. There are so many different effective dumbbell exercises you can build into your workout routine making these one of the best home gym equipment options available.

Best Cardio Equipment for Home Gyms

a women running on a treadmill in her home

Although cardio equipment can take up a lot of room, with the increasing interest in home gyms, manufacturers like ProForm have designed cardio machines that fold up for easy storage. Being thoughtfully engineered, these folding cardio machines still maintain durability and stability for reliable performance while folding up into compact spaces in your home. Read our Exercise Machine Guide to determine which exercise machine is right for your home gym.

Folding Treadmills

If improving cardio is one of your main fitness goals, a folding treadmill is a great investment for your home gym. Folding from the bottom deck up, these treadmills store vertically to reduce the amount of floor space it takes up when not in use. Plus, being able to lift the deck makes for easy routine cleaning and maintenance.

Folding Row Machines

Similar to a folding treadmill, there are rowing machines designed to store vertically in order to save space. For those looking to improve cardio as well as build muscle, a folding row machine would be a great choice to add to your home gym.

Investing in a home gym is a great way to stay motivated and make fitness one of your top priorities. If you have additional questions about the best home gym equipment for you and your fitness goals, speak with one of our Experts at your local ERLEBNISWELT-FLIEGENFISCHEN.