Benefits of a Home Gym

I started building out my garage gym around six years ago, and I’ve been working out exclusively in it for the past three years. Based on my experience, below are some of the biggest benefits of owning a home gym.

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You can work out whenever you want. Working out at home means you’re not tied to a gym’s hours of operation or class schedules. You can train at whatever time is most convenient for you, whether it’s at four o’clock in the morning or midnight.
You don’t have to wait for equipment. One of the most frustrating things about going to a public gym is waiting for equipment to become available, especially during peak hours. When you have a home gym, the equipment is all yours, and you can use it whenever you want without waiting for someone else to finish their workout.
You can save money. A lot of fitness equipment is expensive and costs a lot of money upfront, but it’s more cost-efficient in the long run. For example, say a membership at your local gym costs $50 per month ($600 per year). You can get a squat rack for about $1,100 and a barbell for about $300. After about two and a half years, you would have spent the same amount of money on a gym membership as you did on the barbell and squat rack — except the gym will keep charging you for as long as you remain a member, while you likely would have already paid off the cost of your barbell and squat rack.
You can work out in private. If you’re an introvert like I am, one of the things you’ll probably enjoy most about working out at home is privacy. You don’t have to worry about getting overwhelmed in a crowded space or asking people if you can share equipment with them.
You don’t have to worry about childcare. Not all gyms offer childcare services, making it hard for parents to keep up with a consistent fitness routine. When you own a home gym, you can work out during your child’s nap time or let them play with some toys in your gym area so you can keep an eye on them while you work out.
There’s no commute. If you have to drive a long distance to get to the nearest commercial gym, an hour-long workout can be more like an hour and a half or two hours when you factor in the length of your commute. Not having to drive to the gym leaves you more time to spend with your family at the end of the day, get ready for work in the morning, or run important errands during the afternoon.

What To Consider When Buying Home Gym Equipment

How much money you’re willing to spend, how much room you have for equipment, and your fitness goals are all important to think about before building a home gym. It’s also beneficial to look at the warranty periods each brand provides, as they’ll prevent you from spending even more money if your equipment breaks due to the manufacturer’s defects.

Budget

Whether you plan to buy one piece of equipment, like a treadmill, or multiple items, like a barbell, squat rack, and weight plates, budget is important to keep in mind. You can easily spend several thousand dollars on a fully decked-out home gym with multiple cardio machines, a top-of-the-line squat rack and barbell, and several sets of dumbbells and kettlebells.

However, there’s no need to spend that much if you don’t have a ton of extra cash lying around. There are many at-home workouts you can do with just a pair of dumbbells or a kettlebell, so you may want to start there. You can save money for higher-priced items and gradually add to your home gym over time.

Training Goals

The type of equipment you’ll need for your home gym will depend on your goals. For example, if you want to train for powerlifting, you’ll need a barbell, a squat rack, a weight bench, weight plates, and workout mats to protect your floors. If you’re training for a marathon and want to be able to run when the weather’s bad, you’ll need a treadmill that’s comfortable to run on for several miles. If you just want to stay in shape and live a healthier lifestyle, a stationary bike and a pair of adjustable dumbbells may be all you need.

Available Space

Any home fitness equipment you buy will need to fit in your garage, basement, or wherever you plan on building your workout space. Measure carefully, and block out the areas where you imagine your equipment going with chalk or tape to help you visualize how everything will fit. You’ll save yourself some major headaches and the hassle of having to re-package and ship equipment back to the retailer if it doesn’t fit.

Warranties

While your home gym equipment won’t see as much use as the equipment in a commercial gym, there is still a chance it can become damaged. Look for brands that offer long warranty periods on their equipment, especially when buying larger products or things that have a lot of different parts, such as squat racks, treadmills, or functional trainers. A warranty likely won’t cover all damage — for example, a manufacturer may void the warranty on your squat rack if it falls apart because you loaded a barbell with more weight than it can hold — but it should offer a safeguard against manufacturer’s defects or faulty craftsmanship.

Final Thoughts

Whether you want a comprehensive home gym with various pieces of strength and cardio equipment or something simpler with just a pair of dumbbells and a stationary bike, the list above has you covered. You definitely don’t need every product on this list to perform effective workouts at home, so it’s important to determine your fitness goals and narrow down your options to the items that will help you reach those goals. And if you can’t afford to buy everything you want at one time, start with one or two essentials and add on from there. You can gradually build your home gym over time until you have everything you need.

How We Chose the Best Home Gym Equipment

We know that everyone has different fitness goals, budgets, and space requirements. When compiling the list above, we chose a variety of equipment and machines, so you can build an ideal home gym setup that allows you to do the cardio or weight training workouts you enjoy the most.

While some of the workout equipment we chose is on the pricey side, we picked products that offer the most value for money — in many cases, even though they require a large upfront investment, they are pieces that should last for years if you maintain them properly. We also included some space-efficient solutions, like the PRx Profile® PRO foldable squat rack and the Snode AD80 adjustable dumbbells, for home gym owners with limited space.

FAQs

What home exercise equipment is the most effective?

Determining the most effective home exercise equipment requires you to first decide on your goals. If you want to lose weight, a treadmill or rower may be the most effective because running and rowing burn lots of calories. If you want to get stronger, a squat rack, a barbell, weight plates, and some dumbbells will be the most effective pieces of equipment.

What equipment should be in a home gym?

The equipment that should be in your home gym will depend on your goals, budget, and space. You can do a lot with a pair of dumbbells or a kettlebell if you’re short on space and have a strict budget. If you have specific goals, such as running a marathon or competing in powerlifting, you’ll need to buy sport-specific equipment that can support training for those goals.

What is the most versatile piece of home gym equipment?

An all-in-one station like the Force USA X20 Pro Multi Trainer is the most versatile piece of equipment. Although it’s expensive, you can use it for barbell movements like squats, bodyweight exercises like pull-ups, and cable exercises like low cable rows. If you don’t have room for a large functional trainer, kettlebells offer a lot of versatility because you can use them for both strength training and cardio.