Exercising at house is an ideal approach to avoid crowded gyms, sidestep inclement weather, avoid wasting money on memberships, and make progress toward your fitness goals—right on your individual schedule. And adding the best equipment to those at-home workouts may also help keep your routine fresh and difficult. Whether you’ve gotten a whole room to fill or simply a corner to spare, you’ll find some highly effective gear to suit your property gym setup.
Our top picks
For the fast facts on the biggest-ticket items you’ll be able to buy for home use, listed below are some expert-approved highlights:
- Best Treadmill: NordicTrack Commercial 1750$2,499
- Best Exercise Bike: Peloton Bike+$2,495
- Best Rowing Machine: Hydrow Wave Rower$1,895
- Best Elliptical: Schwinn Fitness 470 Elliptical$1,299
- Best Dumbbells: Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells$549
- Best Kettlebell: BowFlex SelectTech 840 Kettlebell$199
All the most effective home workout equipment
Below, we’ve broken down the most effective exercise machines, weights, gadgets, and kit available—for weightlifters, runners, yoga lovers, and more—in response to fitness experts and SELF Home Fitness Award judges.
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The trusty treadmill is a staple of home gyms, so it is smart that there are tons of models on the market to select from, from super-connected smart treadmills to portable folding ’mills with just the essential features. The NordicTrack 1705, as an example, is a particularly sturdy machine with techy bells and whistles like streamable classes via iFit and an HD touchscreen—and it comes highly really helpful by multiple running coaches. Horizon’s T101 treadmill is one other favorite amongst experts. It doesn’t have as many added features as NordicTrack, but it surely costs less and provides a reliable ride with several preset programs. Finally, if walking workouts are your priority, Sunny Health & Fitness’s SF-T4400 model won a 2023 SELF Home Fitness Award for its comfortable belt and small footprint. Plus all three fold upright to avoid wasting space when not in use.
A stationary bike is a highly useful piece of kit if you should add low-impact cardio to your routine. Though it’s a little bit of a splurge, the SELF Certified Peloton Bike+ truly lives as much as the hype. Our tester found it “supercomfortable” and simple to make use of, and she or he noted that the on-demand and live classes were comparable to an in-studio experience—they were motivating, immersive, and fun. But you don’t need to spend a ton to get in an ideal workout. For example, consider the beginner-friendly (and SELF Home Fitness Award–winning) Merach S09 Auto Resistance Bike, which has that studio-sleek look, third party app compatibility, and a comparatively cheaper price tag.
The workout you get from a rowing machine—part cardio, part strength-training—is actually efficient. That’s why a rower is an ideal all-around piece of kit so as to add to your property gym. For a high-tech option, the SELF Home Fitness Award–winning Hydrow Wave comes with lots of of live and on-demand classes that ought to appeal to each beginners and more experienced users. Then there’s the long-standing industry standard, the Concept2’s Model D, which coaches and pros swear by for a solid, somewhat “old fashioned” workout.
An elliptical is one other great option for low-impact cardio, especially if you should do something akin to running but easier in your knees. Both of the machines featured listed below are really helpful by personal trainers and mainly differ when it comes to price and features. Where the Schwinn 470 costs barely more and comes with app and Bluetooth connectivity, Niceday’s machine lacks those add-ons but has 16 resistance levels and a cheaper price.
Working a desk job doesn’t need to mean sitting still all day. From Sunny Health & Fitness’s expert-approved, handle-free walking treadmill to DeskCycle’s Home Fitness Award–winning pedaler, there are some surprisingly high-quality cardio machines you can use if you’re on the clock. The former is our top pick for standing desks, while you need to use the latter while seated.
What exactly is a brilliant home gym? This revolutionary piece of kit normally encompasses a tall mirror or screen that streams classes and fitness instruction. Some systems include exercise equipment like a mat and weights, and you’ll be able to typically expect an all-in-one, metric-tracking, trainer-led home workout (that, admittedly, can cost a reasonably penny). One Home Fitness Awards judge appreciated the tailor-made workout experience she got from Tonal, noting that, as she gained strength, it robotically adjusted its weight and resistance settings to maintain her challenged. Tonal requires a 12-month membership so as to access its class library, which costs $60 per thirty days or $720 for a 12 months.
Why waste precious space on a rack of dumbbells when you’ll be able to go for an adjustable pair, like this expert-recommended set from Bowflex? It won a Home Fitness Award last 12 months for its efficient design and ease of use: Just drop the dumbbells of their case, select your required weight, and lift. If you’ve gotten space to spare—or simply prefer a more analog vibe—Rep Fitness’s Ergo Hex Dumbbells have a solid, durable feel that won over our Home Fitness Awards judges.
In the identical vein as Bowflex’s adjustable dumbbell, the SelectTech 840 Kettlebell prevents clutter with its large choice of weight options, which range from 8 to 40 kilos. No wonder it’s also a Home Fitness Award–winner.
Though light resistance bands can assist with energetic recovery and stretching, heavier ones can complement your strength training for muscle groups in your lower upper body. In other words, they’re super versatile—not to say travel- and apartment-friendly, especially if you happen to don’t have a variety of space. A great set of mini bands (like Te-Rich’s Home Fitness Award–winning ones) could be a helpful workout buddy. And multiple trainers recommend the Better Band from Committed HP for larger bodies: It has 4 different fit categories and a hook attachment that makes it easier to loop.
Speaking of versatility, David Harvey, CPTa trainer and yoga instructor based in Texas, tells SELF that a medication ball is a dependable piece of weight-training equipment to have available: Whether you’re working your arms, legs, or core, you’ll be able to add one to quite a lot of exercises to up the intensity. This Prosource ball is made to be easy to catch and grip, plus it’s available in several different weights.
Wrist and ankle weights could make various exercises a bit more difficult (but still approachable). “I prefer to recommend them to my friends who’re intimidated by weights but still need to ramp up their workout routine,” Christine Choi, a licensed personal trainer in Atlanta, tells SELF. This pair is on the market in one-, two-, and three-pound sizes.
If you should get a difficult cardio workout in minimal space, it’s possible you’ll need to try a jump rope. Sonic Boom’s speed rope won a 2022 Home Fitness Award for its adjustable length and cozy, grippy handles.
A great yoga mat will cushion your joints whilst you stretch, provide a stable base during balance poses, and keep you from slipping and sliding when things get sweaty. Manduka’s Pro yoga mat—described because the “Rolls Royce of yoga mats” by one instructor—can do all that and more. It’s heavy-duty, easy to scrub, and just thick enough. We also like The Big Mat from Lululemon, which brought home the award for best mat for giant and tall folks in 2023’s Home Fitness Awards. “Because it’s wider, longer, and thicker than other yoga mats, it protects your body (and floors!) rather well,” one judge noted.
We can’t stress the importance of workout recovery enough, and using a massager may also help make those off-days from exercising feel especially restorative. The Home Fitness Award–winning Theragun Mini is sufficiently small to operate with one hand, but it surely still has loads of power for kneading out knots and breaking up tightened fascia around your muscles. Hyperice’s Normatec Go boots use air compression to massage your calves after a run, and are available really helpful by SELF’s director of fitness and food, Christa Sgobba, CPT.
A foam roller is one other recovery essential, and the Triggerpoint is a solid (and Home Fitness Award–winning) option. Its dense, textured grid has long, smooth sections for rolling out sensitive areas that need a gentler touch, in addition to smaller spikes to dig into deeply-set knots.
“If used appropriately, the all-in-one TRX system could be the one piece of kit that you just need,” Victoria Nolan, an ACSM–certified personal trainer based in Houston, tells SELF. The Home2 System, particularly, won a SELF Home Fitness Award for its low-tech setup, ease of use, and skill to offer a very difficult full-body workout with minimal fuss. “It’s effective for each assisting and amplifying body weight strength, flexibility, and mobility,” one judge explained. “That means you need to use it to make some moves more intense and other moves more accessible.”
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