The Best Home Gym Equipment

Best Bodyweight Training Equipment for Home Gyms

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 or 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. An exercise mat also 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.

Balance and Stability Equipment

To develop core strength and improve your overall stability, consider adding some balance and stability equipment to your home gym. While these tools may look simple, they are incredibly effective at challenging your body in new ways.

Items like a balance board or a Bosu ball introduce an element of instability to your workouts, forcing your core and smaller stabilizing muscles to work overtime. This not only strengthens your midsection but also helps improve your posture, coordination, and functional fitness for everyday life. Plus, most of these products are compact and easy to store, making them a great fit for any home gym setup.

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

If you're ready to increase the intensity of your workouts, incorporating resistance training equipment into your home gym is a great next step. Whether your goal is to build strength, tone your muscles, or improve endurance, a variety of options can help you achieve it.

Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are the most affordable way to increase the difficulty of bodyweight exercises. With tube 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.

Wrist & Ankle Weights

If you want to add a new challenge to your bodyweight workouts without a lot of extra bulk, wrist and ankle weights are a perfect solution. These versatile accessories are a simple way to increase the resistance on a variety of exercises, from leg raises and lunges to bicep curls and planks.

By adding a little extra weight to your limbs, you can tone your muscles and build endurance more effectively. They come in different weight options, so you can easily find the right fit for your fitness level. Best of all, they're compact, comfortable, and easy to store, making them an excellent, space-saving addition to any home gym.

Dumbbells & Dumbbell Sets

Add dumbbells or a dumbbell set to your home gym to tone or build muscle. From three-pound weights 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

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 cardio machines still maintain durability and stability for reliable performance while folding 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 SCHEELS.