What is the best home gym?
The best home gym for you varies based on your personal fitness goals and how much space you have available. To select our top picks for the best home gyms, we considered quality, durability and price. We excluded multi-gyms with poor reviews and gave preference to ones that allow for more versatile workouts at home.
- Our favorite home gym:
Body-Solid StrengthTech EXM2500S - Our pick for value home gym:
Bowflex Xceed - Our pick for cheap home gym:
Lx Free Power Tower - Our pick for compact home gym:
Valor Fitness BD-62 - Our pick for all-in-one home gym:
Bodycraft Galena Pro - Our pick for for bodybuilding:
Marcy Smith Cage Workout Machine - Our pick for weight loss:
Total Gym XLS Plus AbCrunch Bench - Our pick for beginners:
Marcy MWM-990 - Our pick for seniors:
Bowflex Blaze
What are the benefits of a home gym?
Most people get a home gym because they're a convenient and effective way to build muscle at home. Resistance exercises and lifting weights are good for isolating and working different muscle groups to quickly develop muscular size and strength. Gaining or toning muscles and burning fat are essential components of overall health and fitness. Additional home gym benefits include:
- Better workouts: Home gyms make it easier to structure your workout routine with alternating set and rep schemes. Some people find that exposing muscles to diverse and varied stimuli helps break a fitness plateau.
- Convenient versatility: Home gyms are designed to fit a variety of lifestyles. It’s easy to be strategic about your fitness routine with a gym in your garage, basement or spare room. You can completely customize your setup to match your needs and goals.
- Saves time and money: Everything you need is already at home, and you never have to wait to use your favorite workout equipment. Plus, there’s no monthly membership fee with a home gym. Even the most expensive multi-functional home gyms usually pay for themselves within a few years.
- More privacy: Some people feel motivated by the social atmosphere or a gym; others prefer to sweat in private. Home gyms are perfect for athletes who focus better without distractions — plus, you make your own rules about music.
What to look for in a home gym
First of all, why do you want a home gym? For building muscle, look for a weight-based home gym (stack or weight plates) that lets you use as much weight as you need. For toning fat, look for resistance-based home gyms that utilize rods and bands. For weight loss, you should focus on cardio just as much as strength training.
Next, think about your budget and space constraints. Depending on your training level, your home gym price can range from around $200 to $2,000. Since home gym costs can get expensive, it’s essential to have a budget in mind before you start shopping. If you have a limited amount of space for your home gym, it’s smart to put together a floor plan with the equipment laid out.
If you have room, you can supplement your home gym with free weights, medicine and stability balls, resistance bands, yoga mats, jump ropes and other types of smaller equipment and workout accessories. As you shop, look for home gyms with after-sales service warranties that include gym maintenance.
- What to look for
- Sturdy frame
- Power rack or squat stand
- Adjustable bench
- Hexagonal dumbbells
- Barbell and weight plates
- Resistance bands
- Pullup bar
- Lifetime warranty
- What to avoid
- Cheap materials
- Unpadded seats
- Uncoated metal that can rust
- Limited resistance levels
- No weights included
- Buying an extended warranty
Our favorite home gym: Body-Solid StrengthTech EXM2500S
Our pick for value home gym: Bowflex Xceed
Our pick for cheap home gym: Lx Free Power Tower
Our pick for compact home gym: Valor Fitness BD-62
Our pick for all-in-one home gym: Bodycraft Galena Pro
Our pick for home gym for bodybuilding: Marcy Smith Cage Workout Machine
Our pick for home gym for weight loss: Total Gym XLS Plus AbCrunch Bench
Our pick for home gym for beginners: Marcy MWM-990
Our pick for home gym for seniors: Bowflex Blaze
Home gym FAQ
What do I need for a home gym?
You need a combination of workout equipment and accessories for a home gym. A multifunctional gym gives you the best bang for your buck. You can also assemble your own home gym with individual pieces of equipment: dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, plates, benches, resistance bands, a pullup bar and a squat safety rack.
How much does a home gym cost?
Home gyms generally cost between $200 and $2,000 or more. Beginners and light exercisers should be able to find a home gym for less than $500. Intermediate and advanced trainers should look for home gyms in the $500 to $1,500 range. Home gyms that cost more than $1,500 have extra features to benefit professional bodybuilders and athletes.
Home gym vs. gym membership — which is better?
A home gym can be better than a gym membership, but only if you have the right equipment and use it regularly. With a home gym, you can strength train whenever you want, and it’s harder to make excuses to skip a day. The upfront cost of a home gym can be substantial, but you could save money in the long run instead of paying for a gym membership. On the other hand, a commercial gym might have a better selection of exercise equipment, and some people are motivated by the social atmosphere.
What is the best exercise machine for bad knees?
The best exercise machines for bad knees allow you to do low-impact movements for strength training, like resistance bands. Swim spas, elliptical machines and treadmills are also popular among people with bad knees to do cardiovascular exercises.
How often should gym equipment be serviced?
Keep your equipment clean by wiping it down after each use with gym wipes or sports cleaning spray. You should also perform preventative maintenance twice a year to extend the life of your equipment. Your home gym manual should have more details about maintaining your equipment correctly.
Bottom line: Is a home gym worth it?
Think of a home gym as an investment in yourself. If fitness is your hobby or passion, a home gym could be a smart component of your long-term health maintenance plan. A home gym is worth it for serious strength trainers who want the convenience of having top-notch exercise equipment in their garage, basement or spare room.
