Home gym equipment guide

Training shouldn’t be a chore. It doesn’t have to be mundane or monotonous and if it is you likely won’t get very far with it. Your exercise routine should be built around consistency and diversity. For those that are struggling with their training at the moment it’s the diversity that can make the consistency that little bit easier.

A range of equipment at your fingertips allows you variety in your routine, keeps your body guessing and constantly improving to meet the physical demands you place upon it and can help overcome any training plateau.

OK, so you’re sold on the benefits of the home gym. You have four walls, a roof and a floor, but what are you going to put in it? Here we've compiled our gym equipment wish list. Starting with the fundamentals – the essential gear, and then move into the kit that gym junkie dreams are made of, building the ideal gym.

When deciding on equipment you must consider your fitness goals. At fitstream, we’re focused on functional fitness, to be stronger, faster, leaner and generally healthier human beings. We prefer this physique to the unnecessarily bulky frame that traditional bodybuilding promotes. Different equipment is needed for different goals. In our equipment list we’ve provided everything we can think of so that you can have a huge training arsenal at you disposal.

Remember that with most of this equipment you will only have to buy it once and it will last a lifetime, so it’s worth paying that little bit extra for quality kit.

The essential gym equipment - At the very least you need will need an Olympic barbell, Olympic weights, a means of performing pull-ups and maybe some rings. This will be more than enough to kick-off your training routine, but if you have the funds this is our recommended starter package;

Bench

A bench is essential. Buy a decent bench with thick padding that can incline, decline and take leg attachments. A dumbbell bench, without any side prongs can be used in your power rack.

A good quality bench can last many years and you won’t regret paying that little bit more. You can feel the difference in quality quite easily and it’s important you have supreme confidence in the equipment when performing exercises like the bench press.

Power rack

A power rack will give you a safe method of self-spotting for fundamental exercises such as the bench press and squat. Most power racks will come with a pull-up / chin-up facility and offer additional add-ons for dip and high/low pulley capabilities.

If you dont have the money or space for a power rack you can get a pair of squat stands. They will do the same thing but are cheaper and take up less room, but if you opt for this option make sure you still have the capability of doing pull-up exercises within your gym.

7ft Olympic barbell

You need a standard 7 foot long barbell to use with the power rack. Olympic bars are preferred by most, these are the 50mm / 2” in diameter bars and require the Olympic plates as opposed to a standard bar which is around 1” in diameter.

Olympic dumbbells

In an ideal world we'd have a dumbell rack full of a whole stack of incremental one-piece dumbbells, but in reality these are really expensive and take up a lot of space.

Most people have to settle for dumbbell handles, where you add plates and lock them in place like the barbell.

If you opted for the Olympic barbell then also go for the Olympic dumbbells so you can share the weight plates between the two. Dumbbells are a great way of adding variety into your workout especially on bench work.

Olympic plates

 
You need cast iron weight, and lots of it. Olympic plates have the 2” diameter hole to fit the Olympic bars. As a relative beginner you probably won’t need more than 150kg to start training with but make sure you get 0.5kg plates so you can add small increments to your lifts as you gain strength.

Gymnastic rings

The ultimate form of bodyweight training with rings specially designed for fitness. Exercising on rings is highly effective and requires a phenomenal level of strength to perform.

This simple piece of equipment will allow you to train the entire body. If you think bodyweight training can't compare in difficulty or potential gain to weight training then we urge you to pick up a set of fitness rings.

Gymnastics rings are a great option for home gyms because of the range of exercises they allow and small space they take up.

Read More: Read our introductory guide to ring training in our articles directory.

Buy Gymnastic Rings from our Fitness Equipment Store

What next? - When you start to outgrow the core equipment and you're looking for some new additions to your gym to keep you motivted and continue progress consider some of the items listed below.

Kettlebells

Kettlebell training is an efficient way of working out and offer a great blend of weight training and cardiovascular exercise. They allow you to train your entire body in burst of intense, short duration kettlebell swings and lifts.

Read More: Read our introductory guide to kettlebell training for more information.

Buy Kettlebells from our Fitness Store.

Club training

Working out with weighted clubs is the perfect upper-body workout and an excellent method of developing shoulder strength. Clubs offer a great strength / cardio hybrid workout.

Read more in our guide to club training.

Buy Fitness Clubs from our Fitness Store

Weighted vest

Using a weighted vest is a great way to increase your bodyweight when training and speed-up weight loss, increase muscle mass, and improve cardiovascular conditioning.

It's such a versatile bit of kit - you can go for a run in it to build supreme endurance levels or use it to develop phenomenal strength in dips or pull-ups.

Read more about weighted vests in our fitness articles directory.

Buy weighted vests in our store.

Suspension trainer / TRX

Using a suspension trainer you can train your entire body by manipulating your own bodyweight in positions that otherwise just wouldn’t be possible. It allows for some great ab training exercises such as the suspended crunch and the supine pull through, but it’s particularly good for taking your training on the road.

The TRX is the best suspension trainer available. It’s portable, lightweight and can be rigged up to any stable structure including standard door frames without the need for permanent fixings.

Read more about suspension training or buy the TRX from Fitness Anywhere.

Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are cheap and flexible and a good addition to any home gym to develop explosive strength and maximise the intensity of your workouts.

Read more about resistance band training in our fitness articles.

Buy resistance bands in our fitness store.

Cardio equipment

Good for dropping body fat and warming up before a workout. If you haven’t got the budget or room for serious cardio kit like a indoor bike or rower, you have the world at your disposal so try running, or for indoor work a skipping rope can develop impressive fitness levels. 

Gym utopia - OK, now we're getting into the truly niche equipment, equipment from the atypical gym and things start to look at little playground. Don't let that fool you - there's nothing listed here that can't be used to develop a great physique. Adding some of these pieces allows you to mix your training up and keep you stimulated.

Keep you routine from getting stale and consider some of the kit below to fit in and around your normal routines.

Tyre and sledgehammer

Sledgehammer training is not a new form of conditioning, but it's excellent for improving endurance levels, and developing core, grip and forearm strength.

The tyre can also be used for flipping. Tyre flipping is a typical strongman event and is a great test of total body strength and explosiveness. Do your research on the correct form for tyre flipping first though. 

Climbing rope \ Rope ladder

We’re not talking agility ladders here, these are for climbing. Climbing exercises are a great functional bodyweight exercise and really develop superior functional upper-body strength. You can pick up a set from DIY stores or there are specially designed versions for fitness such as the Universal Strength Apparatus, sold by Bodyweight Culture.

Climbing ropes is a lost art and much more difficult than it appears. It's a true demonstration of upper-body strength to climb a rope and a great addition to any gym!

Plyometric boxes / Plyo boxes

Plyo boxes are great for developing explosive leg power, overall leg strength and agility.

Power wheel

The simple ab wheel has been around for years and is massively underrated as it's an excellent core workout piece. The power wheel builds on this design and has been made to work with both hands and feet making it one of the simplest, yet most effective and versatile core body trainers available.

Buy the power wheel from Monkey Bar Gym.

Crash mats

When you start training with equipment like gymnastic rings and parallettes many people develop a new found appreciation for gymnastics based training and the bodyweight workout. A crash mat will allow you to test out some of your more adventurous skills and keep things interesting!

Weighted Sled

Using a weight sled is a good endurance based exercise. Run with the sled weighted down and tied to you and you will also find it's great for working the back and arms when you start dragging it towards you.

Buy weighted sleds from our fitness store.

Specialty Olympic bars

You can get along fine with just your barbell and dumbbells but many people also prefer some speciality Olympic bars for certain exercises. Here are some examples:

• Squat bar 
• Deadlift bar
• E-Z Curl Bar
• Dual revolving handle Olympic bar
• Olympic tricep bar

Parallettes

Parallettes are gymnastics equipment found in pairs that can be used for some seriously difficult bodyweight exercises. It takes time to make progress on parallettes but you can build some serious strength. Try your hand at exercises like L-sits, V-sits, handstand (presses and push-ups), and dips.

Instead of buying parallettes consider making your own. There are plenty of guides out there showing you how to make parallettes out of PVC piping.

The gym extras - Here's a list of the things you don't workout with but might just need in your gym.

Gym Chalk

Hiighly recommended. Lose the gloves, use chalk. It's great for grip strength, training with chalk will absorb excess moisture and can help you squeeze out that last rep that you might otherwise not have hit. You can store it in a bucket and dust up between sets. Beware of the mess though.

Weight plate tree & bar holder

A plate tree and bar holder goes a long way to keeping your gym tidy and organised.

Sound system

An essential addition. Music can change a run-of-the-mill workout to an exceptional workout.

TV / entertainment system

Some people like having a TV in their gym. We’re not always a fan of this because it can be too much of a distraction but it probably depends on the type of workout you are having at the time and what you’re watching.

Whiteboard

Great for monitoring progress. We have a huge whiteboard on the wall that we use for tracking our routines sets, reps and weights with exercises and personal bests. Oh, and the odd amusing doodle.

Fan / heater

If you have a garage gym you might need a fan for the summer and heater for the winter - because training too hot or cold will affect your workout.

Training log

A training log is an excellent way to track your progress and monitor your development over time. A simple notebook will suffice.

Record anything that is important to you, including entries like routines, weights, sets, reps, bodily measurements, diet and supplements used.

Water bottle

Training is taxing on the body’s water levels so it’s important to stay hydrated throughout.

Gym Mirrors

Having mirrors in your gym is handy for monitoring your form.

Final thoughts - There’s something addictive about collecting gym equipment, acquiring these basic tools that last a lifetime, that represent countless hours of physical conditioning and have helped shape your physique into what you have today.

As our bodies develop so should our gyms – build on them over time, introducing new equipment to ensure that no two workouts ever have to be the same.

At the same time, don’t dwell on the equipment too much and remember that it’s a means to an end, you have your goals and some of this kit will help you get there, but it takes more than putting your hands in your pocket to do so.

 Article tags: gym equipment, home gym equipment, workout equipment, exercise equipment, training equipment