This Is the Best Home Gym Equipment for Any Budget

Stocking up on the right home gym equipment solves a very real problem: the gym can be a rough place to spend time—unless you like waiting in line for the squat rack. It’s the energy: the bad vibes they all seem to have cut into the real, holistic benefits that come after breaking a sweat. But working out should feel great. (Or at least pretty good, once you’re finished.)

Home workouts, done right, might be the path. One, there are never bad vibes, if the you’re doing it right. And just as important, the home gym, whether bare bones or bespoke, can offer a pump just as good as the one you can get with a membership. What’s more, they offer a much more relaxed conception of what strength training can be. Get in a workout snack, go back to work, and then break a sweat later on in the day.

We put together four different suggestions for a “gyms” at a few different price points, from a $100 setup that will fit under your bed to a price-is-no-object deal that will require real estate for a squat rack. All will deliver a pump; suggested workouts are included.

If you’re building out a gym for $100, you’ll mostly be supplementing bodyweight work with bands and some weights.

Weider 35 lb. Kettlebell

Everyone, everywhere, needs at least one kettlebell. Because they’re ballistic, they build up power; they also hit every muscle and take a lifetime to master. Choose an appropriate weight—25 or 35 lbs. is a good place to start. Then learn some swing basics, add in some squats, and work up to a get-up.

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Weider 35 pound kettlebell

$40

Dick’s Sporting Goods

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Sunpow resistance bands

Resistance bands, used correctly, can mirror free weights. Use them like you might use a cable machine; these workouts, from departed bodybuilder John Meadows, are a good place to start.

Sunpow resistance band set

$32

Amazon

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Iron Gym Pull-up Bar

Unlike feet pics, push-ups are free; chin-ups, though, require token investment. They’re also great for building up your back, arms and shoulders, which helps with posture. This one fits in most doorways; if it’s no good for yours, get an adjustable one. If you can’t get to a pull-up, lower yourself slowly down—that’s called a negative—and after a while you you’ll get there.

Iron Gym pull-up bar

$26

Amazon

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Five Below Yoga mat

Everyone needs a mat, if only to skirt elbow pain while doing planks.

Five Below yoga mat

Five Below

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Spending more—$250—will push your workouts deeper while relying on bodyweight, space and kettlebells.

Marcy Hammertone 55 pound kettlebell

There’s nothing exciting about getting a second kettlebell; it just offers good bang for the buck. Pick either a lighter-weight bell for isolated foot and calf work, or a heavier one, for squats, deadlifts and carries.

Marcy Hammertone 55 pound kettlebell

$90

Amazon

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GOATA traditional slant board

GOATA is hard to explain, but it’s mostly about reprogramming ankles and feet so that they’re more upright and resilient. The exercises in this video, which use this board, can help with posture and running gait; the equipment has no real gym equivalent.