It may be ideal to go to a gym and get access to all the exercise equipment you could ever want, but we don't always have the time or money for the gym. Not to mention, we may not get access right away to the equipment we want to use at the gym if it's busy or crowded, which can be really frustrating. That's when having the right kind of home workout equipment can make all the difference between getting a good sweat going and simply not working out at all.
By having some equipment handy in your home, you can get in regular, full exercises without the hassle of traveling to the gym or having to pay for membership fees in the long run. Even having just a few items around the house can encourage you to put in a little exercise now and then. Whether it's a few pull-ups every time you leave your bedroom, a serious weightlifting session in the living room, or cranking out miles of cycling, there's some great equipment to let you do it all from the comfort of your own home.
We've picked out an array of home gym equipment that aren't just excellent options for working out but also stand out for their convenience in homes. Some are more practical thanks to their size and ability to get packed away with ease, while others offer more versatility so you can do more exercises with less equipment.
TL;DR – The Best Home Gym Equipment to Shop:
- Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbbell Set
- Gaiam Athletic Dynamat
- Stamina InMotion E1000
- Ring Fit Adventure
- Stamina Boulder Fit Doorway Trainer
- Feedback Sports Omnium Over-Drive
- TRX Training Slam Ball
- RUNFast Adjustable Weighted Vest
- Black Mountain Products Resistance Band Set
- XTerra Fitness FB150
- Protocol Punching Bag with Stand
- Abyon Smart Scale
1. Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbbell Set
Best Adjustable Weight Set
Having access to some serious weights is a great way to get a workout, but having a huge rack of different weights may not be what you want for your in-home gym. Who has the space? So, to meet those weight needs, Core Home Fitness's Adjustable Dumbbell Set packs a stack of plates that can easily attach and detach. All you have to do to switch weights is twist the dumbbells handle while it's in its holder, and the dumbbell will attach or detach the extra plates.
The dumbbell set offers up 50 pounds per hand, and you can adjust it in 5-pound increments, letting you go as low as 5 pounds. That variety can give you plenty to work with, whether you're doing targeted workouts that require weights or just trying to add some extra resistance to lunges or sit-ups. Unfortunately, these dumbbells have also been exceedingly popular this year, so getting them will entail being quick when they come back in stock or getting them as part of one of Core Home Fitness's combo packs. However, if you don't need this much weight or the premium design, you can also check out some alternatives like the ProForm 25-pound adjustable dumbbell at Target or the Ativafit 27.5-pound adjustable dumbbell on Amazon.
2. Gaiam Athletic Dynamat
Best Workout Mat
Your workout deserves a dedicated space. Having obstacles in the way of a workout is one of the quickest ways to not end up doing one, so throwing down a yoga mat can help set aside a space that’s always ready for you to get to it. The Gaiam Athletic Dynamat is an excellent option for this role.
The Gaiam Athletic Dynamat provides a sizable space for your workout at its 78” x 26” proportions. Whether you plan to hop around a bit or are just particularly tall and want to have mat space for savasana at the end of your yoga session, there’s room. The mat will help you stay put and stay comfortable, too. It has a textured, non-slip grip to help you keep from sliding around even when you’re working up a good sweat. The 5mm thickness will also provide some cushion for when you’re on your knees or elbows in various workout poses.
3. Stamina InMotion E1000
Best Compact Elliptical Machine
If your home is constrained for space, you may not be able to take advantage of in-home exercise equipment like treadmills and ellipticals. That can make it tough if you want to work more steps into your day but don't want to leave the house to do it. The Stamina InMotion E1000 is a convenient option in this case.
The Stamina InMotion is a fairly simple machine with a small display to track your steps and a dial for resistance. It works much like an elliptical but has a shorter travel. With it, you can more or less walk in place to get some low-impact cardio while engaging a few extra muscles to stay balanced. You can also use it seated for some casual pedaling.
4. Ring Fit Adventure
Best Home Exercise Game
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We all struggle to find the motivation to work out now and then. The gamification of exercise can be a compelling way to make workouts more engaging and help us get over that slight hurdle of willpower. Nintendo's Ring Fit Adventure for the Nintendo Switch is one of the most enjoyable ways to play through your exercises.
The game centers around a fitness ring that works into a lengthy role-playing game. The game will have you perform various exercises from running in place and stretching out and holding yoga poses, to muscle-burning moves that have you stretch or squeeze the fitness ring. The Nintendo Switch tracks your movements through the Joy-Con controllers attached to the ring and a leg band, so it can give you live feedback on your movements. It strikes a good balance between work and play. If you're already highly active, this game may not make much of a difference for you, but if you're struggling with motivation and are looking for the spark to start working out again, Ring Fit Adventure could be just the thing.
5. Stamina Boulder Fit Doorway Trainer
Best Pull-Up Bar
Pull-ups are one of those wonder exercises. They work so many muscle groups all at once that it's easy to feel like you've gotten a whole-body workout after doing just a few sets, and having a pull-up bar can let you do plenty of additional exercises beyond simple pull-ups. The Stamina Boulder Fit Doorway Trainer is an excellent in-home option that can easily mount in most doorframes (just make sure the width and height of your doorframe match, and that you have a sturdy doorframe).
The Stamina Boulder Fit Doorway Trainer is made of a tough, steel aluminum that can support users up to 250 pounds, but it includes foam-padded grips to give you a comfortable hold and to go easy on your doorframe. The curled grip design lets you grip it in a wide variety of ways, so you can do close grip, parallel grip, or even asymmetrical grip pull-ups. And, this model has a special feature in store for rock climbers in the form of two climbing holds. You'll be able to work on your crimps when you're not focusing on larger muscle groups.
6. Feedback Sports Omnium Over-Drive
Best Bicycle Trainer
If you love to cycle, you may have already considered getting a stationary bike to keep up your exercise routine even when you can't (or just don't want to) leave the house. But, with Feedback Sport's Omnium Over-Drive bike trainer, you can keep riding the bike you love right in your house. While there are plenty of bicycle trainers that you can mount your bike to, the Omnium Over-Drive stands out for ease-of-use and portability. Unlike direct-drive trainers, you don't have to fuss around with removing your rear wheel to mount your bike on the Omnium Over-Drive. You just pop off your front wheel, attach the fork of your bike to the stand, and position your rear wheel on the two rollers. The front stand will also keep you stable, so you don't have to maintain as much control as you might on other roller-style trainers.
The whole unit weighs just 14 pounds and can fold up into a small duffle bag for easy storage or transport. So, when you aren't using it, it's much easier to keep out of the way than a stationary bike would be. And, when you do want to use it, it's easy to carry and set up just about anywhere, whether that be in front of your TV on a winter night or out on your back porch when the sun's shining.
7. TRX Training Slam Ball
Best Medicine Ball
A medicine ball is a great way to add a bit of extra difficulty into an exercise. You can throw it into situps to add some weight, or hold it out in front of you during squats to get your arms burning. They can also be the centerpiece to a fun workout if you have someone to toss one back and forth with (just be careful not to throw it too hard or drop it). The TRX Training Slam Ball is a solid option that will let you really amp up your workouts. It has a textured surface to ensure it's plenty grippy, and it's more compact than the larger, soft medicine balls. The size should prove a convenient size for your workouts and for storage when you're done exercising. You can find the TRX Training Slam Ball in a variety of weights to fit your needs.
8. RUNFast Adjustable Weighted Vest
Best Weight Vest
Want to really feel the burn during your jogs? Want to weigh down your squats without needing to install massive lifting equipment in your living room? With a weight vest, you can dial up the intensity of just about any workout. RUNFast has a heavy-duty weight vest that you can customize to your desired heaviness using 10 eight-pound weights. This way, you can go heavy while you're tackling big muscle groups, or just add several extra pounds to your pull-up sets. While we've picked out the 80-pound vest for maximum versatility, RUNFast also offers it in a number of light vests ranging from 20 pounds up to 60 pounds. It also includes shoulder pads to avoid giving your sore shoulders after heavy-weight workouts.
9. Black Mountain Products Resistance Band Set
Best Resistance Bands
Freeweights can be great, but they are inherently heavy and cost a ton. A lot of the muscle groups you'd normally tackle with freeweights can instead be hit with resistance bands, which cost a whole lot less and are far more portable. They even open the door to a lot of workout you couldn't do with freeweights.
Black Mountain Products has an affordable and versatile set of resistance bands that's worth checking out. Each band is four feet long, and they each include carabiners to attach to the various accessories included. The set includes five bands, ranging from 2-4 pounds of resistance on the low end to 25-30 pounds on the high end, and you can always combine bands to fine-tune or max out the resistance. The kit includes two handles, an ankle strap, and a door anchor as well as a carrying bag and exercise chart.
10. XTerra Fitness FB150
Best Folding Exercise Bike
An exercise bike is truly a fantastic addition to your home workout. Pedaling is not only low impact, taking strain off your joints and bones, but it's also a brilliant calorie burner. The XTerra Fitness FB150 delivers the exercise bike experience in a conveniently compact form factor. This foldable exercise bike doesn't take up much room when it's unfolded, and it takes up even less space when it's folded up for storage.
This is a great option for anyone who doesn't have all the money or space for something snazzy like a Peloton. The XTerra Fitness FB150 has eight adjustable resistance levels, and it uses magnetic resistance with a flywheel for a quiet and friction-free ride. You can keep track of your distance, workout time, speed, and calories on an attached display. The handlebars even include heart rate sensors, so you can get more detail about how hard your workout is pushing you.
11. Protocol Punching Bag
Best Punching Bag for Beginners
Whether you need to keep up your boxing/kickboxing routine at home or just want something you can post up and pound a little stress into, the Protocol Punching Bag offers an effective and simple setup to do so. This is a basic stand-up punching bag, meaning it's affordable and best for beginners who don't need a hardcore kickboxing setup. (Sadly, the heavy kickboxing Protocol punching bag is out of stock!)
12. Abyon Smart Scale
Best Scale
If you want to complement your home exercise routine with some tracking to measure your progress, you can do so affordably with the Abyon Smart Scale. This scale goes well beyond the basics of just measuring your weight. You can program it with a user profile so it knows your age and height, and then using special sensors, it can give you data on your body fat percentage, subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, skeletal muscle percentage, muscle mass, water percentage and more.
The Abyon Smart Scale can pair with your phone over Bluetooth to automatically sync its measurements, making it simple to keep track of your progress. And, that data it provides can readily be synced with Apple Health, Google Fit, or Fitbit to easily combine with other health tracking data you might be getting from a fitness tracker or smartwatch. If you’ve got multiple people in the house, the scale will also let you set up multiple user profiles, so no one else’s check-in will throw off your data.
If you like having both at-home options but also want to still go on walks or jog outside too, consider looking at the best headphones for running that are built with fitness in mind.
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
