The best home gym equipment to buy now

best home gym equipment

by Bryony Firth-Bernard |
Updated on

Progress doesn’t always have to be made in a gym setting as you can make some serious gains with the best home gym equipment. Whether you’re keen to build lean muscle, up your cardio or increase your overall fitness levels, it can all be achieved from the comfort of your home.

You don’t need anything complicated or fancy either as, remember, you can complete an effective full-body workout with something as simple as a pair of dumbbells. Just remember to take into consideration how much space you have for your home gym equipment before you buy it. If you have a dedicated area, like a garage, great — kit it out! If you don’t, and are planning to complete your workouts in an outdoor setting, make sure to prioritise versatile pieces of equipment that you can get the most out of.

The best home gym equipment at a glance:

Best dumbbells: BULLDOG GEAR Hex Dumbbells 2.0

Best kettlebell: Mirafit Cast Iron Kettlebell

Weight bench: Again Faster® Team Plus Adjustable Bench

Exercise bike: Nero Sports Upright Exercise Bike

Best weighted vest: Bulldog Gear 20KG Adjustable Weight Vest

Multi gym: Marcy MD9010G Deluxe Smith Machine Home Multi Gym

Resistance band set: Myprotein Multi Use 11 Piece Resistance Band Set

What equipment do I need?

Here’s a full list of equipment you could consider for your home gym set-up:

Dumbbells (set or adjustable if you lack space)
Kettlebells
Weight bench
Gym mat
Resistance bands
Exercise bike/spin bike
Wrist weights
Ankle weights
Weighted vest
Multi gym
Treadmill
Skipping rope
Punchbag
Boxing gloves and pads

Remember, you don’t need everything on this list, it will depend on what your goals are and the amount of space you have. If you are short on space then we definitely recommend getting a versatile bit of equipment like some dumbbells, resistance bands or a kettlebell.

Best home gym equipment

Best dumbbells

BULLDOG GEAR HEX DUMBBELLS 2
Price: £45 (2.5KG Pair)

bulldoggear.com

You can’t go wrong with BULLDOG GEAR and their hex dumbbells are no exception. The heads have been coated in shock-absorbent virgin rubber to protect your floor, while the knurled rubber handles allow your grip to remain tight, even when your palms begin to sweat. The hex shape means you can perform dumbbell exercises, such as renegade rows and push-ups, without the risk of them rolling away mid-exercise. They’re available to purchase in a huge weight variety too — from 2.5kg up to 50kg.

Pros

  • Dumbbell heads are made from shock-absorbent rubber to protect the floor
  • Hex shape prevents dumbbells from rolling away mid-exercise and makes it easier to stack
  • Knurled rubber handles for grip and resistance against sweat

Cons

  • Some may not find the grip as good as chrome

Best kettlebell

Another versatile piece of weight equipment to work your entire body with is the kettlebell. This one from Mirafit has got an easy grip handle for comfort, a sturdy flat base and we really like the fact the weight is printed in full force on the front (for easy identification). Available in a weight range from 8kg all the way up to 32kg.

Pros

  • Easy grip handle
  • Available in a range of different weights

Cons

  • Can easily scuff

Adjustable weight bench

Again Faster® Team Plus Adjustable Bench
Price: £220.50 (was £245)

againfaster.eu

If you’ve forked out on a pair of dumbbells, then why not complete the package with a weight bench? Whether you’re doing chest press, bicep curls or step-ups or hip thrusts, a bench is a handy piece of equipment to give your body sufficient support and take your gains to the next level. This one has six adjustable positions so you can target incline movements too, a urethane handle and rear wheels so you can easily manoeuvre it around and a 450kg weight capacity. Plus, we like it’s non-fussy and unbranded design, which will suit any home gym.

Pros

  • Rear wheels for easy manoeuvrebility
  • Six adjustable positions
  • Minimal assembly required

Cons

  • Only available in black

Best exercise bike

We love the sporty look of this electric yellow and black exercise bike, perfect for pumping up the cardio. As well as somewhere to store your much-needed water bottle, there’s also an iPad and phone holder, so you can stay entertained whilst working out. The seat is easy to adjust, plus it measures your speed, time, distance, calories and heart rate so you can track how well you're progressing.

Pros

  • Great value
  • Easy to assemble

Cons

  • More feature-rich bikes are available

Best weighted vest

Another versatile piece of equipment that you may not have thought of adding to your home gym is a weighted vest — perfect for runs and adding some extra intensity to bodyweight workouts. This one from Bulldog Gear has 18 pockets, split over the front and back of the vest, and comes with 18 solid metal 1KG weights so that you can tailor the weight to your workout. It’s comfy too, with padded shoulder straps, so there'll be no digging into the skin and it has a contoured shape to hug the body nicely.

Pros

  • Removable weights for flexibility
  • Padded shoulder straps for comfort
  • Shorter in length to prevent other body contact during the workout

Cons

  • A little bulky, which can reduce the ROM with some exercises

Best multi gym

If you have the space then why not forget about buying multiple pieces of equipment and just get a home multi gym instead? While this one is pricey, it comes with everything you need — from a lat pull down bar, tricep extension ropes, a smith press and so much more. With a 90kg pull system, a 135kg smith press and a 45kg arm curl, this multi gym will really put you through the paces.

Pros

  • Don't need extra equipment — allows you to perform a big variety of exercises
  • Comes with a smith press
  • Well designed

Cons

  • Takes a while to assemble

Best resistance band set

They may not be the most fancy looking gym equipment, but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss resistance bands, as they’re great for strength training and barely take up any room. This tube band set from Myprotien comes with different attachments to help you achieve a grueling full body workout, including two leg straps and two foam handles. It even comes with a door anchor so you can perform exercises such as lat pull downs and tricep extensions. They have a total weight range of 68.2kg and you even get a nylon bag to store everything neatly in — pretty good value we’d say.

Pros

  • Great value
  • Comes with a range of attachments to easily perform full body workouts
  • Storage bag to store bands neatly away

Cons

  • Slightly less weight than some regular resistance bands

Best gym mat

Every home gym needs a mat or some sort of floor protection. And not only can this gym mat be used as a floor protector for larger pieces of equipment, like an exercise bike or treadmill, but it's 5mm thicken also makes it great for working out on too. Two uses for the price of one, winning.

Pros

  • Can be used as floor protection and a fitness mat
  • Rubber protection
  • Good value

Cons

  • Not available in additional colours

FAQs

What’s the best piece of home gym equipment?

It depends on your fitness goals and the amount of space you have available. As we’ve previously mentioned, if you don’t have a big set-up then you want to choose a piece of equipment you can get the most out of. That’s why dumbbells are a great choice (and if you’re really tight for space a pair of adjustable dumbbells are perfect).

There’s a reason why dumbbells dominate the gym floor and it’s because they’re a damn good piece of equipment that you can achieve lots with. They’re great for building up your strength and muscle gains, but they can also be easily incorporated into a HIIT workout to improve your cardiovascular fitness. If you enjoy running then you can even stick them in a backpack to make things a little more intense and burn more calories. A good quality kettlebell is also great, but by using a set of dumbbells you can focus working on any imbalances in your muscles.

Bryony Firth-Bernard is a Health and Fitness Product Writer for What's The Best. She specialises in strength training.

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