The 18 Best Home Gym Equipment Essentials to Level up Your Workouts

If you’re looking for ways to get a healthy amount of exercise and continue on your personal fitness journey without the burdens of a community gym membership, building up your home gym is an attractive alternative. You’re not tied to subscription fees (with the exception of certain online memberships) and you can really hone in on the areas you like working out the most. Home gyms are admittedly an investment but can save you a lot of money in the long run. If you have a bit of spending cash and some room in your abode, you can turn a room in your place of residence into a fully-featured fitness center. All you have to do is pick up some of the gear on our following list of the best home gym equipment for every type of exercise.

Benefits of Working Out at Home

Abandoning your local gym membership is a big leap to make. However, if you see your home gym as an investment, it can actually save you some money in the long run. Working out at home eliminates a major obstacle that some people may have with going to the gym: time. You no longer have to worry about operating hours or the sheer amount of time it takes to go to and from your local workout center. While amassing your own equipment can cost a lot of money at one time, you can come and go as you please. There’s also the matter of space, which may keep some from building up their own home gym. However, the plethora of space-saving options these days makes it even easier to achieve.

How We Choose Our Products

Getting hands on with the best of the best gear available for over a decade, we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the most essential home gym equipment across an array of categories. When taking into account a product’s inclusion in our guide, we look at things such as price, usefulness, versatility, longevity, and personal experience.

Areas to Look at for Home Gym Equipment

Cardio: Since not everyone is comfortable going out and running on the street — nor is it possible for some due to the limitations of geography, air quality, etc. — cardio can sometimes be a more difficult kind of workout to get in while you’re in the comfort of your own home. However, it isn’t impossible, so long as you’re willing to make a bit of an investment in some stationary equipment. If you’re interested in increasing your stamina, heart health, and more, these units will be right up your alley.

Weightlifting: For many, weightlifting is the king of all exercises. While we wouldn’t necessarily call it the best of all the options, there is still a great benefit to strength training in regards to your overall fitness. After all (and as they say), muscle burns fat. The more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism, as muscles require more energy to maintain. We still highly suggest integrating other forms of exercise into your workouts, but if weightlifting is your primary concern, we suggest having a look at some of the options we’ve given you below.

HIIT: HIIT — short for High-Intensity Interval Training — comes in many forms, some branded by big-name companies and some not so much. Regardless of the form, style, or name of the workout, however, this type of routine can be hugely beneficial to your full-body health, overall strength, stamina, longevity, etc. Just keep in mind: “intensity” is in the name of this particular kind of workout, so be prepared to push yourself to your limit and then right on past it.

Skill-Based: Your typical gym-based exercises are not the only way to improve your overall health. Furthermore, there are other talents you can develop while also getting in a good workout. Skill-based exercise — like the kinds athletes do — can get your blood pumping while simultaneously improving your cognitive abilities through further developing your hand-eye coordination.

Recovery: Workouts are not and should not be strictly limited to lifting weights, running fast, and/or some combination thereof. Rather, stretching and recovery are integral parts and can even make or break your overall fitness routine. As such, we’d recommend integrating some form of recovery work into every single workout you do — and perhaps even taking a day out of your routine dedicated entirely to this kind of work.

Rogue Fitness SR-2S Speed Rope 3.0

Best Jump Rope: If you’re really limited in regards to space and, more importantly, budget, you can still get an excellent cardio workout with nothing but a jump rope. Better still, using a jump rope to exercise can also improve your hand-eye coordination and agility. This particular one from Rogue Fitness is incredibly lightweight, has a smooth swing, and boasts an incredible grip thanks to the knurled texture on its aircraft-grade aluminum grip.

NordicTrack Commercial X22i

Best Treadmill: For die-hard runners, getting out on the road is definitely the go-to way to get a jog in. However, when that’s not possible — or when integrating cardio into other kinds of exercise — a treadmill serves as a superb replacement. The Commercial X22i from NordicTrack boasts all the features we’ve come to expect, including things like adjustable speed and incline, but it also boasts some up-to-date smart features like Bluetooth connectivity and compatibility with the iFit trainer app. The unit also has a generous incline feature and even a decline capability.

NordicTrack FreeStride

Best Elliptical: Unfortunately, running can be pretty bad for your knees and other joints, as it is very high-impact. However, if you want to get a cardio workout that’s much more gentle on your cartilage, then you’ll be interested in the NordicTrack elliptical you see before you. Not only does it come with all the features you might desire, but it also boasts compatibility with the brand’s interactive personal training program. It even has a 10-inch full-color touchscreen for seamless, simple control over your workouts.

Hydrow Rower

Best Rowing Machine: While rowing is primarily a cardio exercise, it’s also a great way to incorporate some muscle training into your workouts and few devices are quite as spectacular at mimicking such workouts in your home as the Hydrow. Like all the cardio gear featured on our list so far, this piece of home workout equipment has a slew of features to maximize your workouts. They also offer memberships for live classes, a grouping of other optional accessories (like a heart rate monitor), and more. Unlike other rowers, however, this one is exceptionally high-tech and also fairly compact, making it great even for small apartments.

Peloton Bike+

Best Exercise Bike: A few years ago, Peloton took the world by storm with its home-based interactive cycling workouts. Now, they’ve taken the next step in their superb suite of offering’s evolution with the aptly-named Bike+ — which offers everything the original had but expands upon it with a rotating screen and a load of new workout types and the classes that go with them. This is no longer simply an in-home cycling class and has now morphed into a full-body workout machine. Granted, it’s a hefty investment — you have to pay for the hardware, as well as the classes — but the company’s fan base is obsessive and very vocal about their overall satisfaction.

Rogue Kettlebells

Best Kettlebells: As far as weights are concerned, few things (if any) are quite as versatile as a set of kettlebells. Yes, they can be used for more standard types of workouts — like weightlifting — but they can also be incorporated heavily into other types of circuit-based workouts — like HIIT. Yes, if you want to purchase a full set, you’re going to need a decent amount of storage space, but the versatility of Rogue’s weights far outweighs (no pun intended) that particular drawback.

RBX Slam Ball

Best Weighted Ball: If you do not have a garage or outdoor area, you may stray away from using a slam ball, as it can potentially damage your floors. However, if that’s not a concern of yours, these tough weighted balls are great for HIIT workouts. This particular offering, which is available in your choice of eight or ten pounds, has a rubber-treaded exterior for durability and stability in use and a good amount of grip. Just do us a favor: if you live above someone else, please look for quieter workout gear that won’t make them think you’re hosting backyard wrestling in your living room.

miR Air Flow Weighted Vest

Best Weighted Vest: One of the simplest ways to ramp up your workouts is by increasing resistance. Well, if you’re not doing something weight-based, that can pose some issues. But that’s where the miR Air Flow Weighted Vest comes in handy. Slip this vest over your shoulders and you’ll increase your weight by up to 20 pounds, which will — in turn — make whatever you’re doing that much more difficult. What’s even better is that, with all the weights removed, this vest is entirely machine-washable, so you don’t have to worry about bacteria or foul odors.

TRX HOME2 SYSTEM

Best Suspension Trainer: If you’re big on HIIT workouts, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve already heard of TRX, as they’re a massive band-based workout brand that’s trusted and used around the world by some of the top athletes and trainers. As it turns out, while they offer a suite of professional-level packages, they’re also now offering a home-based workout gear set called the TRX HOME2 SYSTEM, so you can get in your TRX workouts without actually needing to leave your house. Best of all, the whole thing comes with a year’s worth of the brand’s guided app-based workouts.

Brazyn Morph Bravo Foam Roller

Best Foam Roller: Foam rollers are great for working the soreness out of your muscles. They can even be used to help ease knots out. However, most of them take up a lot of space and store awkwardly. The Brazyn Morph Bravo, however, functions just as well as a standard foam roller, but it can collapse down flat for better, more out-of-the-way storage. It even gets flat enough to stash in some larger gym bags. You can even choose between the standard edition and one with lugs for deeper tissue relief.

Jade Yoga Harmony Mat

Best Exercise/Yoga Mat: Aside from your body, a mat is probably the most compulsory piece of gear for yoga workouts. That being said, not all yoga mats are made equally. Yes, $90+ probably seems like a lot for a yoga mat, but this one from Jade Yoga was built by experts for experts — boasting fantastic traction underneath for a variety of surfaces, a larger footprint for an increased workout area, a remarkably durable natural rubber construction, and a 3/16-inch thickness that’s about as versatile as you can find. Simple yet intuitive, this isn’t a yoga mat, so much as a yoga masterpiece.

Theragun PRO

Best Massage Gun: In case you’re not already aware, the Theragun took the world by storm just a couple of years back for offering percussive deep tissue muscle therapy in the safety and comfort of your own home. Rather than paying for an expensive massage every time you need to loosen up your tight muscles, this device will do the trick all the same. It also comes with a number of attachments to better scratch that proverbial itch, and it boasts the ability to adjust the speed between 1,750-2,400 PPMs via an included app. You can even program it based on your preferences and behaviors.

SKLZ Agility Ladder

Best Agility Ladder: There are a lot of ways to practice your fancy footwork. But if you want to build up the kinds of agility shared by top-level NFL athletes, you’re going to want to practice like they do. One of the cheapest ways to get started is by using SKLZ agility ladder — which is remarkably simple and insanely effective at building up coordination, stamina, and — of course — agility. Better yet, it’s adjustable so, once you’ve mastered one layout, you can adjust it to make your workouts harder, easier, or just more interesting.

Indo Board Balance Trainer

Best Balance Board: Especially if you live somewhere landlocked or you’re not brave enough to take a dip into winter waters, surfing isn’t always an approachable activity. However, if you want the benefits of the workout, you can improve your core strength, balance, and overall coordination simply by utilizing this clever balance trainer. The Indo board you see here is the original balance trainer and has been trusted by actual surfers and extreme athletes for years. As they say: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Gorilla Bow

Best Resistance Bands: As it turns out, you don’t need a full collection of dumbells and plates to get in a good weightlifting workout in the comfort of your own home. Rather, the Gorilla Bow takes up a fraction of the space but offers much of the same benefits — or more, if you consider the exponential increase of resistance in band-based lifting. This versatile device is deceptively useful in a fitness setting and, when you’re done using it, it’s slim enough to stash in a closet, under a bed, or anywhere else you could fit, say, a broom.

BowFlex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbells

Best Adjustable Dumbbells: As we just mentioned, standard, full-sized weights take up a lot of unnecessary room. So, instead of eating up valuable floor space in your abode, we suggest investing in something designed with space-saving in mind, like the Bowflex adjustable dumbells you see here. With just a couple of simple steps and a few seconds, you can change the weight of these dumbells between 5 and 52.5 pounds each. And, when you’re done, you just set them back in their base for the next time you need them — no sweat, no hassle.

Ultimate Body Press XL Doorway Pull-Up Bar

Best Pull-Up Bar: A quality pull-up bar is not just a home gym essential but a mainstay in many homes, with or without a workout setup. In other words, if nothing else, people typically have a pull-up bar. This option from Ultimate Body Press is the best around, no matter your difficulty level. The temporarily-mounted door frame unit can extend for larger doorways and has over 6 different grip angle options for a number of workouts. Likewise, the bar is the perfect thickness to help you achieve your goals.

Tonal Home Gym

Best AI Gym: If you’re the type that’s limited on space but you still want the latest and greatest in fitness innovation, you’ll want to turn to Tonal. This impressive fitness machine has kind of taken the world by storm, and with good reason. For starters, it offers a full suite of cable-based weightlifting that’s comparable only to a full-gym setup. On top of that, it utilizes built-in high tech to track your workouts and push you to your next level, it comes with a subscription to the brand’s built-in suite of classes (you only need an internet connection to use them), and it can still function as free weights for those that want to work out on their own terms. Truly, there’s nothing else really quite as impressive and comprehensive as the Tonal out there right now.

The Best Smart Home Gyms

If you want to dig deeper into the tech-heavy exercise space, check out our guide to the best smart home gym equipment for working out.