At Home Workout Equipment List: 11 Essentials for an Effective Home Workout
You Won’t always have time to make it to the gym. Whether you have a busy work week, family responsibilities, travel, or simply prefer exercising at home, having the right home workout equipment can make it much easier to get an effective workout whenever you need one.
The good news is that you don’t need a huge home gym or expensive machines to create an effective home workout space. With just a few versatile pieces of equipment, you can dramatically increase the number of exercises you can perform at home while keeping your workouts challenging and varied.
Here are 11 of my favorite pieces of home fitness equipment for creating an effective and versatile home workout setup.
1. Exercise Bands
Exercise bands are one of the most versatile and affordable pieces of home workout equipment you can own. While you may already have an old resistance band sitting around the house, I recommend investing in a set with multiple resistance levels.
Bands with handles provide additional comfort and give you even more exercise options, including rows, presses, curls, triceps exercises, and a variety of lower-body movements.
Because resistance bands are lightweight and take up virtually no space, they are also excellent for travel.
I have also put together a complete resistance band workout, including photos demonstrating proper form for each exercise.
2. Mini Bands
Mini bands are essentially the little brother of traditional exercise bands—and they are an incredibly efficient way to add resistance to lower-body exercises.
Place a mini band just above your knees during exercises such as squats to increase the demand on the muscles of the hips and legs. You can also place one around your ankles during certain exercises to increase resistance and challenge the glutes.
Mini bands are inexpensive, portable, and take up almost no space, making them an easy addition to any home workout space.
3. Medicine Ball
I love using medicine balls in workouts because they are incredibly versatile while taking up very little room.
You can use a medicine ball to add resistance to squats, crunches, lunges, and other traditional exercises. They can also be incorporated into more dynamic movements and upper-body exercises.
A medicine ball is particularly useful if you want to add variety to your home workouts without purchasing a large amount of equipment.
I have also put together a medicine-ball-only fat-burning workout circuit that you can try at home.
4. A Pair of Dumbbells
If you are going to purchase just one type of traditional weight for your home gym, a pair of dumbbells is a great place to start.
For many people, a 10-pound or 25-pound pair of dumbbells will provide a surprising number of exercise options. The appropriate weight will depend on your current fitness level, strength, and goals.
Dumbbells can be used for exercises ranging from squats, lunges, and Romanian deadlifts to presses, rows, curls, and triceps exercises.
With a little creativity, a single pair of dumbbells can provide an enormous variety of home workout options.
5. Jump Rope
A jump rope is one of the most space-efficient pieces of home workout equipment you can buy.
It can be used as a warm-up before strength training or incorporated into a circuit to increase the cardiovascular demand of your workout. It is also inexpensive and easy to take with you when traveling.
If you live in an apartment or have neighbors below you, however, jumping rope indoors may not be the best option. In that case, take your jump rope outside or find another suitable surface.
6. TRX or Gymnastic Rings
Suspension trainers such as the TRX or gymnastic rings are among the more expensive items on this list, but they provide an exceptional variety of exercises while taking up very little storage space.
With a properly installed and secure anchor point, suspension trainers can be used to train virtually the entire body. Exercises include inverted rows, hamstring curls, pushups, split squats, and many other movements.
They are particularly useful for people who want a wide range of exercise options without filling their home with large pieces of gym equipment.
Important: Always make sure your suspension trainer is attached to a secure, appropriate anchor point and follow the manufacturer's installation instructions.
7. Foam Roller
A foam roller is another worthwhile addition to a home workout space.
Foam rolling can be used as part of a warm-up, cooldown, or recovery routine and may help temporarily reduce the feeling of muscle tightness and improve range of motion.
It is also inexpensive, easy to store, and useful whether you are training at home or in a commercial gym.
I recommend choosing a foam roller that is firm enough to be effective without being unnecessarily uncomfortable. These are typically dark grey in color.
8. Swiss Ball
A Swiss ball, also called a stability ball or exercise ball, is an excellent piece of home workout equipment because it is versatile and relatively inexpensive.
One of my favorite uses is abdominal training. You can perform crunches on the ball or try a Swiss ball pass, an exercise I regularly use at the studio.
To perform a Swiss ball pass, lie flat on your back and pass the ball from your hands to your feet, contracting your abdominals as the ball moves through the middle position.
A Swiss ball can also be incorporated into a variety of strength, stability, and mobility exercises.
9. High-Density Foam Ball
I am obsessed with this!
A high-density foam ball is small enough to keep almost anywhere but can be extremely useful when you want to work on areas that feel tight or sore.
I use one on myself and with clients to apply targeted pressure to areas such as the upper back and legs. I personally prefer a high-density foam ball to a lacrosse ball—the latter can be simply too firm, making the target muscle become tense which is the opposite of our goal.
Like a foam roller, a small massage ball can be a useful addition to a recovery routine and can help you address areas of muscular tension without taking up valuable space.
10. Exercise Mat
An exercise mat can instantly turn a hard floor into a much more comfortable surface for your workouts.
If you plan to do any significant amount of exercise at home, a quality exercise mat is a simple investment that is well worth making. It provides cushioning and traction for floor exercises such as planks, pushups, abdominal exercises, stretching, and mobility work.
Look for a mat that is thick enough to provide the cushioning you need while remaining stable during exercise.
11. Carpet Sliders
Carpet sliders are a simple, inexpensive, and surprisingly versatile addition to a home gym.
They are essentially low-friction discs that allow your hands or feet to slide across carpet and other suitable surfaces. They can dramatically increase the number of exercises you can perform without requiring any additional space.
You can also improvise by placing small towels underneath your feet on certain smooth floors, although dedicated sliders generally provide a more consistent experience.
Sliders can be used for exercises such as hamstring curls, mountain climbers, lunges, pike variations, and a variety of core exercises.
How Much Home Workout Equipment Do You Really Need?
You don't need to buy all 11 pieces of equipment to get a great workout at home.
If you're starting from scratch, I would prioritize a pair of dumbbells, resistance bands, mini bands, an exercise mat, and a medicine ball. Those pieces alone can give you hundreds of possible exercise combinations while taking up very little space.
From there, you can add equipment based on your goals, available space, and the types of workouts you enjoy.
The best home gym isn't necessarily the one with the most equipment. It's the one that gives you enough options to train consistently and effectively.
Build a Home Gym That Works for You
A well-designed home workout space can make exercise dramatically more convenient. You don't need a dedicated room filled with expensive machines—a relatively small collection of versatile equipment can give you everything you need for effective strength training, conditioning, mobility work, and recovery.
If you're unsure what equipment makes sense for your space, fitness level, and goals, I also offer home gym design and equipment guidance to help create a setup that is both functional and efficient.
