The best home gym equipment 2023
Upgrade your current training setup with the latest and greatest in-home gym equipment, such as multi-gyms, smart mirrors, and the most adaptable dumbbells.
Expect to wait in line for squat racks, free weights, benches, and rowers as the January fitness wave approaches and more people try their hand at strength training. What’s the alternative? Avoid the crowds and stock up on state-of-the-art home gym gear by purchasing separate items to target each muscle area.
Sales of garage-friendly kits like punching bags, stationary bikes, and weight-lifting platforms reached an all-time high during the nearly two years of sporadic gym closures, during which most workout enthusiasts made good progress with their home fitness equipment. Small-space gym goers, meanwhile, can make do with resistance bands, dumbbells, and kettlebells, or they can choose foldable versions of cardio equipment like treadmills and bikes.
The best home gym equipment will keep fitness objectives on track and the $150 monthly direct debit for a gym membership from having to be sent elsewhere, regardless of whether you’re working with a huge loft room flatshare or restricted square footage. Don’t know where to begin?
What’s the best home gym equipment?
Best weightlifting home gym equipment: MuscleSquad Adjustable Dumbbells
These dumbbells are a wonderful value when compared to the expense and space required by individual sets and/or a gym membership, and they are easily adjustable in increments from 5-32.5kg. Use it in conjunction with a weight bench for optimum results, and you’ll be set for life.
Best resistance home gym equipment: Whatafit Resistance Bands Set
Using resistance bands instead of cumbersome weights allows you to enjoy a great workout wherever you go. This budget-friendly set includes five bands ranging in resistance from 10 to 100 pounds, as well as detachable handles and a door anchor to expand your workout options.
What’s the best home gym equipment for those short on space?
A set of dumbbells is the most versatile piece of home gym equipment for working out the whole body. They make it possible for us to perform a wide range of complex and isolated workouts that work for the entire body’s muscle groups. While working out with merely your body weight has its benefits, targeting pulling muscles (such as the back and biceps) can be challenging without specialized equipment like a pull-up bar or suspension training bands. Pulling exercises, especially those that involve loading the legs or harder pressing actions, can benefit from the usage of resistance bands.
“A gym bench or step may also be a particularly useful addition to increase exercise variety by providing a stable basis for your dumbbell rows and allowing for a broader range of motion on upper body chest exercises like the bench press and chest flyes. However, don’t forget that commonplace furniture like couches, chairs, and tables can be repurposed in ingenious ways to help you stick to your spending plan.
What are the best machines for a home gym?
Home gym equipment including exercise cycles, treadmills, ellipticals (also known as cross trainers), and rowing machines are all recommended. The rowing machine, from a purely practical sense, offers a workout approach that is the hardest to mimic by simply going for a run or a bike ride. It’s a low-impact, total-body routine that benefits your heart and lungs as well as your upper and lower bodies.
If you’re an avid runner or cyclist but can’t always count on the terrific British weather, cardio equipment like treadmills and exercise bikes can help you get a terrific workout without having to leave the house. To vary things up, try a 60-second sprint in between sets of squats using any of the aforementioned three pieces of equipment.
Any tips on how you might set up your home workout space to aid a virtual personal trainer?
“Most laptop webcams and front-facing phone cameras employ a narrow lens angle, which is fantastic for a clean headshot but less beneficial for trying to view a client complete a squat without missing either the top half or bottom half of their body. It’s not ideal to have to constantly adjust the camera’s angle of view to focus on the most relevant region of the subject’s body. If you don’t have room for a full-body shot, you can either buy a webcam with a wider lens angle (like the Logitech C930-E for $89 on Amazon) or, for much less money, you can buy a clip-on lens (like the Apexel clip-on wide lens for $25 on Amazon) to put over your phone’s or laptop’s existing lens.
Having a full-length mirror on hand can be helpful for checking your form while listening to your trainer’s cues, and using a laptop rather than a cell phone will give you a much sharper picture of both you and the trainer.
The exercise bike
Bluefin Fitness Tour SP
A very capable bike, albeit one without the Peloton’s bells and whistles, may be had for much less money. (like a giant swiveling screen). Even so, for the price, Bluefin Fitness’ bike has a lot of features, like a 25-kilogram (55-pound) flywheel, adjustable resistance, sports pedals, and more. The Kinomap app can be used in conjunction with it to provide a more interactive and inspiring training experience in the form of virtual group rides and recorded workouts.
The bench
Flybird Adjustable Weight Bench
The Flybird version of the training bench is foldable for storage in closets or under beds, and it can be set up in a variety of positions to accommodate both seated and lying exercises.
The Squat Rack
RIP X Heavy Duty Squat Rack
With its 13 available rack heights, this heavy-duty squat rack can support weights of up to 250 kg, guaranteeing that you have the ideal platform for every squat and bench press. There are also dip handles for extra tricep and chest work.
The multi-gym
Marcy Multi-Functional Home Gym
This option may not be as attentive in its stations, but it offers a not-to-be-sniffed-at range of equipment to push, pull, and curl without leaving your seat, making it a good choice if square meters are at a premium in your garage.
The dumbbells
MuscleSquad Adjustable Dumbbells
An adjustable set of dumbbells, such as this one from MuscleSquad, can save you a bunch of money and storage space if you want to train with them frequently. Long-lasting even for seasoned lifters with their adjustability in 5-32.5kg increments, they also keep up with newcomers as they gain strength.
The affordable alternative: Yes4All Adjustable Cast Iron Dumbbell
The more weight increments you have in your weights collection, the more of a “gym experience” you may have at home, says Dan Price of Six3Nine. However, a complete set of dumbbells can be expensive, so he recommends starting with a lighter set and a heavier set or going with an adjustable set that can adapt to your needs as you get stronger. With over eight decades of experience, York has established itself as a go-to for consumers looking for quality weight.
The kettlebell
PowerBlock Adjustable Kettlebell
The PowerBlock Adjustable Kettlebell eliminates the need to purchase and store a wide variety of weights, saving you both time and money. With a range of 3.5-18kg, you can find the ideal weight for your training and effortlessly increase the load as your strength increases. Included is a yearlong membership to the JRNY app, where you may access on-demand trainer courses whenever you choose.
The affordable alternative: Polyfit Adjustable Kettlebell
This Polyfit Adjustable Kettlebell has a more stripped-down appearance than the pricier PowerBlock version up top, but it accomplishes almost the same thing for a lot less money, with a weight range of 3-18kg. If you want to delve into more advanced kettlebell routines but are short on the room (and cash), this option is a terrific one, thanks to its big handle for an easy grasp.
The resistance bands
Whatafit Resistance Bands Set
One of the better options is Amazon’s own-brand Whatafit resistance band set, which offers a great balance of quality, solid design, and an affordable RRP. There are five bands available, with resistance ranging from 10 to 100 pounds. You can adjust the amount you use to achieve the desired level of difficulty. More exercise choices are available thanks to the door anchor attachment and the provided handles.
The workout mat
Reebok Studio Yoga Mat
The studio yoga mat from Reebok is an excellent choice that won’t break the bank and will last you a long time. With its nonslip surface, you can concentrate less on losing your balance and more on perfecting your poses. This high-quality yoga mat is ideal for its intended use. At this price, it’s a steal.
The pull-up bar
FLYBIRD Pull-Up Bar
Pulling dumbbells is an effective way to strengthen your back, but it can only take you so far. Pull-ups are superior to weightlifting for developing strong lats. Plus, a pull-up bar is a highly convenient piece of equipment, as nearly every house has a doorway. (just mind your head on low ceilings). Umi’s can support up to 200 kilogrammes without the use of any screws or drilling.
The ab roller
EnterSports Ab Roller
Ab roller exercises are a great complement to traditional core exercises like crunches and planks since they recruit additional muscle groups and improve stability in the lower back. This one is extra sturdy, and its 3.2-inch width and included knee pad make it easy on the knees as you work.
The medicine ball
KK Slam Ball Fitness No Bounce
With this set of balls from Core Balance, you can slam your way to a powerful strength and cardio exercise. They have a durable PVC exterior and are weighted down with sand, so they won’t roll away or cause any harm if dropped on the floor. Use it for fun, high-impact, high-intensity workouts like overhead throwdowns and more.
The skipping rope
Skipping Rope Set
Whether you’re doing it for fun on the playground or as part of your training to become a better football player or boxer, skipping is a terrific way to get in some cardio and improve your footwork and coordination. Because of its compact carrying bag, Adidas’ is ideal for spaces with limited headroom.
The bodyweight aid
Renpho Heated Massage Gun
Although Renpho’s alternative to the Theragun is more reasonably priced, it lacks the Theragun’s fancy angles and elegant style, it makes up for this with reliable performance and, most crucially, a heated head attachment. Just turn it on, focus on the trouble spots, and feel the tension dissolve as you massage.
The battle rope
Brobantle Battle Rope
If you give a battle rope more than ten seconds of your time, you’ll quickly realize why it’s so well-regarded. This option comes in 9m and 12m lengths from Brobantle, an Amazon-owned brand, and features rubberized grips and a protective sleeve for durability and comfort. The 38mm diameter of these dumbbells is great for increasing grip strength, and they are well-suited for high-intensity interval training.
The grip trainer
Logest Metal Hand Grip Set
Lacking grip strength might put you at a disadvantage in several sports and physical activities, such as climbing, no matter how much you work out your biceps. Logest featured grip trainers made of durable stainless steel with knurled handles in their moderately priced kit. You can work your way up to the very remarkable 200-pound model from the weaker models.
The foam roller
TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller
TriggerPoint’s foam roller is a great addition to any home gym. If you’re trying to heal from an injury, this slim shape may be helpful because the pressure is amplified by the microscopic grooves.
The post-workout shake blitzer
Ninja Blender with Auto-iQ
You won’t see much of a return on your gym time if you’re not fueling properly. Protein drinks stuffed with fruits and vegetables are a great way to complement your exercise routine and help you achieve your abs goals faster. You can do all of that and more with the Ninja Blender Auto-iQ. It’s a strong personal blender, capable of producing ultra-smooth cocktails for one with its 1,000 watts of power.
The affordable alternative: Shakesphere Tumbler Steel Protein Shaker
Shakesphere’s sleek and ingeniously built tumbler is the mixer for you if you don’t want motorized blades, coil balls, or any other unnecessary parts to keep track of and clean. Because of its unique capsule-like structure, ingredients are whirled about within to mix them thoroughly without the use of any internal gizmos, and there are no crevices for anything to get trapped in. Ingenious ideas.