The 12 Best Pieces of Home Gym Equipment of 2024 | BarBend

Looking to build your dream training space? Check out our list of the home gym essentials worth considering.

Tired of spending a hefty chunk of change on your commercial gym membership? Struggling to find time to commute to your center, only to find your favorite machines already occupied by other gym-goers? A dedicated home gym can be excellent for making your fitness journey more efficient and enjoyable, and there are plenty of pieces to choose from when making a shopping list of the best home gym equipment. From the best home gym machines to squat racks, weight plates, jump ropes, and more, there’s no shortage of gear in today’s home gym landscape.

With so many fitness disciplines to choose from, though, and an equal amount of supporting at-home machines, gear, and accessories, it can be difficult to know just where to start when building out your personal workout wonderland. So, our team of experts have run the gambit on home gym essentials, testing hundreds of products across varying training methods and categories. Here are our picks for the top-performing home gym equipment available today.

If you’re looking to bring your strength training interests home, a high-quality squat rack can be a great starting point. These rigs can support your bench press, squats, and deadlift sessions, and many come with add-ons that facilitate exercises like pull-ups, dips, and more.

The best squat racks are plenty versatile, minimizing the need to buy much extra equipment — a huge, money-saving bonus. They also allow plenty of room for growth. You can progress your exercises, increase the load you’re lifting, or increase your workout frequency.

However, squat racks do need additional equipment to function. For starters, you’re going to want a barbell. Without one, you can’t actually do any squatting. Weight plates are a must-have, too. These enable you to increase the challenge of your workout. You don’t need to buy a ton at the start — you can always purchase more plates as you progress.

If you want to take full advantage of your squat rack, our testers also recommend buying a weight bench. This allows you to perform a bench press, incline press, shoulder press, and more.

The downside? Squat racks can be pretty pricey. As you can see, they require a bit of additional equipment. Most squat racks take up a good amount of space, too, so you’ll need to measure your available space carefully.

After testing more than a dozen top-tier squat racks, we recommend the REP-Fitness PR-5000 Power Rack.

Like a squat rack, weight benches can be a versatile piece of home gym equipment worth considering for your setup. Not only can they allow you to perform bench presses with your squat rack but there are plenty of ways they can stand alone.

The best weight benches are not only versatile but relatively easy to set up. They typically don’t take up a ton of space and they usually have wheels for easy portability. There are plenty of price points for weight benches, too, so you’re sure to find one that falls within your budget.

For better or for worse, weight benches aren’t an absolute must-have. If you’re shopping on a tight budget, you can definitely swap in a chair or standard bench. That being said, they do make your lifts more convenient, providing the support you need.

Our favorite weight bench is the REP AB-4100 Adjustable Weight Bench, after testing dozens of other products.

Looking for a full-body workout that’s low impact but still plenty engaging? Rowing can be a worthwhile alternative to other cardio disciplines, putting less pressure on your joints, while giving your heart the workout it deserves.

The best rowing machines typically come with some type of screen or console, allowing you to track your workout progress and key metrics. Some higher-end units even allow you to stream workout classes or programs.

For the most part, rowing machines can be easy to store, allowing you to tilt the machine vertically, taking up less floor space. They’re usually not too heavy either and come with wheels for easy portability.

Unfortunately, rowing machines can be pricey and don’t offer too much versatility. Whereas with some other cardio machines, you can mix up your workout styles, rowing machines really only allow for, well, rowing. That being said, these machines still offer plenty of cardio benefit.

After rowing on multiple units from different brands, our testers liked the Hydrow Rower.

Your home gym doesn’t need to be a palace of brawn and muscle — there’s plenty of room for some cardio training, too. When thinking of cardio equipment to add to your at-home setup, odds are that a treadmill is the first product that comes to mind — and for good reason.

The best treadmills offer plenty of versatility, allowing you to walk, run, jog, or hike. There’s a setting that suitable for nearly all fitness levels. Plus, treadmills tend to have wide decks and higher weight capacities, making it available to more bodies.

Top-tier treadmills tend to have streaming capabilities, too, allowing you to follow along with different workouts. At the very least, most machines (even the budget-friendly picks), allow you to track basic workout metrics, like your workout time, distance, calories burned, and more.

The higher-end units can be incredibly pricey, though. Even budget treadmills still tend to run several hundred dollars, which may not work for every budget. They can also be pretty large and heavy, making them difficult to move.

Considering treadmills are usually pretty large machines, you’ll also want to carefully measure your available space before you purchase a new unit.

After running, walking, and climbing plenty of treadmills over the years, our testers favored the NordicTrack Commercial 1750.

With free weights, dumbbells are typically one of the first things thought of. Like kettlebells, though, having an abundance of weights can quickly consume all your available space. Thankfully, adjustable dumbbells have become heavy hitters in terms of home gym trends.

With just one pair of the best adjustable dumbbells, you can replace a large number of weight pairs, making adjustable dumbbells ideal for an at-home training setting. Considering they replace so many dumbbell pairs, adjustable dumbbells typically save you some money, too.

Adjustable dumbbells are versatile, too, allowing you to perform a wider variety of exercises than just two or three dumbbell pairs. They also take up less space than five or six different pairs of weights.

Adjustable dumbbells aren’t the cheapest pieces of workout equipment. They do save you money if you’re considering buying a dozen dumbbells, however, on their own, they run several hundred dollars.

Thinking about a set of adjustable dumbbells? We recommend the SMRTFT NUOBELL Adjustable Dumbbell.

Read our full SMRTFT NÜOBELL Adjustable Dumbbell Review.

With their oblong shape, kettlebells can be a great tool for challenging your muscles and improving your cardiorespiratory health. (2) Having a variety of kettlebells in your home gym, though, can quickly consume your available space. Adjustable kettlebells eliminate such headaches with an all-in-one silhouette, packing dozens of different weight totals in one sleek, compact profile.

The best adjustable kettlebells not only save space but also help keep your wallet happy, as they’re more cost-effective than buying dozens of individual weights. Given that they go so high up in weight, adjustable kettlebells also leave you room to grow as you progress.

Adjustable kettlebells are cost-effective, however, all at once, they can be pricey. Some silhouettes also aren’t as convenient as standard weights as they’re not technically shaped like a typical kettlebell.

Some of these weights also have a number of plastic components, making them more prone to damage when dropped.

Our testers named the REP Fitness 24kg Adjustable Kettlebell as our best adjustable kettlebell overall after plenty of testing.

You’ll need some extra iron to go along with your setup in your efforts to achieve progressive overload. While there’s a definite debate pitting bumper plates and iron plates against one another, you’ll want to consider weight plates in general to make some serious strength gain.

If you’re an athlete looking to improve your squat, deadlift, and bench press or just want to gain total-body strength, we recommend investing in some weight plates. There are plenty of plate options on the market, too, whether you’re wanting standard cast-iron plates or bumpers.

We also love that you can pick and choose weights that are suitable for your fitness level. If you’re new to barbell exercises, you don’t need to drop hundreds of dollars on plates right away, allowing you to spend as you progress.

Even the best weight plates require some additional equipment, though. Without a barbell and, in most cases, a squat rack, weight plates aren’t the most useful. This can rack up your home gym pretty quickly, unfortunately.

Different weight plates work for different folks but after testing a number of products, we liked the REP Fitness Black Bumper Plates most.

When building out your dream home gym, you shouldn’t forget about the little things. The best resistance bands, for example, can be handy accessories to have at the ready when looking for an efficient pre-workout stretch or on days where free weights are a little more laborious than you’d prefer.

“I dislocated my shoulder golfing and make sure to use resistance bands twice a week to keep my shoulders strong and stable,” BarBend Reviews Writer Rosie Borchert says. Resistance bands are versatile, whether you’re looking to warm up before training, strengthen your muscles, or rehab an injury.

“They’re small and lightweight, so keeping the bands permanently in my climbing bag isn’t a pain at all,” she says. Resistance bands are also budget-friendly and take up practically no space at all.

Unfortunately, resistance bands aren’t the most durable piece of workout equipment. They can snap or stretch over time, especially with repeated use. But considering they’re so cheap, they’re pretty easy for most folks to replace.

For most purposes, exercise or warm-up, we recommend the Titan Fitness Loop Resistance Bands.

Indoor cycling can also be an effective form of low-impact training, according to studies. (3) Now, there are plenty of stationary bikes to choose from for these needs, including cycling-style bikes, air bikes, and recumbent varieties.

The best exercise bikes are great for just about any athlete but we definitely recommend them for folks who may have joint sensitivity or knee issues (with the approval of a doctor or medical professional, that is). Exercise bikes are lower impact than running, making them better suited to a larger variety of athletes.

There are also plenty of different exercise bike varieties. You can choose from indoor cycling bikes, air bikes, or recumbent indoor bicycles, all of which have different capabilities, streaming options, etc.

Depending on the model you choose, though, exercise bikes can be pricey. They can also have a large footprint or high weight, making them more difficult to move around your home or garage gym.

For those looking to try an exercise bike, our team of testers recommend the NordicTrack Commercial S22i.

A barbell can also be a great addition to your home gym setup, as it allows for a variety of movements and weight training disciplines you can partake in. You can find a bar that caters to a specific strength sport like powerlifting or Olympic weightlifting, or you can find a versatile, multipurpose option.

The best barbells enable you to gain total-body strength through compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, or chest presses. They also offer plenty room for growth, as you can easily add more weight plates to make exercises more challenging.

On their own, barbells aren’t typically too pricey. However, in order to get the most out of them, barbells do require weight plates, collars, and, typically, a squat rack. This can bring up the price pretty substantially.

Our team of athletes and personal trainers has tested dozens of barbells and we recommend the REP Fitness Colorado Bar.

Sometimes, you just can’t beat the classics. Jumping rope can be a great full-body workout that also helps improve your coordination, endurance, and balance. (4) The best jump ropes offer intuitive rotations, comfortable grips, and a good blend of speed and efficiency with each turnover.

As an athlete who has plenty of jump rope experience, I can attest to the cardio workout jumping rope can offer. There are plenty of jump patterns you can learn for an extra challenge and you can even find weighted varieties to add a strength-building component.

I also love that jump ropes are both budget-friendly and easily portable. You can toss your jump rope into a gym bag or backpack and they don’t add much weight at all. They also don’t require a ton of space to use.

Jump ropes aren’t suitable for every athlete, though. For those who have joint sensitivity or knee pain, jumping up and down probably isn’t the safest idea.

After hop, skip, and jumping with plenty of jump ropes, our testers recommend you try the REP Fitness Speed Cable Jump Rope.

From always having access to your gear for worthwhile workouts to potential savings in the long run, the benefits of a home gym are aplenty. Naturally, though, as Amanda Capritto, our expert tester as well as a certified personal trainer, puts it, “The benefits to each category of home gym equipment featured in this round-up are unique.”

When deciding on which home gym equipment to add to your space, you have plenty of options to choose from. Below are areas to consider before building a home gym and what piece of equipment will best suit your floor plan and individual fitness goals.

One of the first items worth considering when constructing your home gym is how you prefer to train. If you enjoy lifting free weights and stressing your muscles with heavy sets, be sure to look at gear that supports this need. If you’re a dedicated runner or just want a home gym to keep your blood pumping with low-impact training, there are options for that as well.

In the end, though, remember that you’re the main client this gym should cater to — there’s no sense in adding equipment that doesn’t align with the types of strength-training and cardio routines you prefer.

Before you begin your home gym renovation project, be sure to break out the tape measure and actually determine how much space you can afford to give up for training. If you want to have a treadmill or set of dumbbells at the ready in your living room, make sure that your chosen pick is capable of being conveniently stored during non-workout days.

You want to make the most of your setup through versatile equipment that gets its regular use rather than a fair share of collected dust. When looking for worthwhile home gym essentials, it can be helpful to opt for picks that will accommodate multiple exercises and movements.

Yes, we appreciate single-use items like landmines and leg presses, but when just starting out, it may be more fruitful to go with items you’ll use more regularly.

Home gym equipment prices can vary from category to category, so giving a range to shoot for can be quite the tall task. When thinking about your top picks and how you’d like to build out your training room, be mindful of how much you can afford and how much you’re willing to invest in your dedicated fitness space.

There aren’t any cut and dry answers when it comes to determining which items are absolute necessities in a home gym. It all depends on your preferred training style and what you’re looking to get out of your personal fitness journey. We recommend thinking through your normal workout routines and circling which pieces you traditionally use often in a given workout, and starting from there.

The “best home gym equipment” is a subjective moniker, and with so many ways to train, we cannot give a concise answer. It all comes down to your preferred training style. If you really enjoy running, for example, we hold the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 in high regard thanks to its quality construction, embedded tech, and comfortable running surface, but we understand that this pick means virtually nothing to a dedicated powerlifter.

Use our recommendations as a guide rather than gospel, and be sure to go with the home gym equipment that creates your best workout setup possible.

There are three main factors to consider before building a home gym: Space, functionality, and budget.

Space: You need to know how much space you have to train. If you’re confined to a guest room, then a power rack is off the table. But dumbbells and some bands are fine. If you have a two-car garage to work with, then you have many more options.

Functionality: What are you training for? If you’re a competitive CrossFitter, you’ll need a lot more equipment than a kettlebell sport athlete.

Budget: This is vital information to know ahead of time. Figure out how much you have to spend upfront, and then figure out which essential pieces are a priority. After that, figure out what pieces you want to add next and adjust your budget accordingly.

This is a tricky one because there isn’t a straightforward answer. Each category of equipment has its own price range, and home gym essentials, in general, can range in price widely from as low as $40 to thousands of dollars for larger pieces (like power racks, cardio machines, and weight plate sets).

We did our best to select high-quality pieces of equipment that were still cost-effective, so you can outfit your space with a variety of equipment rather than blowing your entire budget on one thing.