The home fitness revolution shows no signs of slowing down. What started as a necessity has evolved into a lifestyle choice, with millions discovering that working out at home offers unbeatable convenience, privacy, and cost-effectiveness. No more battling rush-hour traffic to make that 6pm spin class, no more waiting for equipment during peak hours, and no more hefty monthly membership fees that drain your bank account whether you show up or not.
In 2025, the home gym has become as common as the home office. Smart fitness technology, streaming workout platforms, and increasingly sophisticated equipment have made it easier than ever to achieve professional-level results from your spare bedroom, garage, or even living room corner. Whether you’re a fitness enthusiast looking to supplement your gym routine, a busy professional squeezing in early morning workouts, or someone who simply prefers the comfort and flexibility of exercising at home, having the right equipment is crucial.
But here’s the thing: you don’t need to spend thousands on fancy machines or dedicate an entire room to create an effective home gym. With just a handful of versatile, space-efficient pieces, you can build strength, improve cardiovascular fitness, and maintain flexibility – all without leaving your house.
The key is choosing equipment that offers maximum versatility and durability while fitting both your space and budget. After all, the best home gym is one you’ll actually use consistently.
With that in mind, here are 7 essential items you need in your home gym.
Kettlebells
Kettlebell workouts are excellent for developing strength without necessarily bulking up excessively. They help you develop a lean and muscular physique by enabling you to exercise various muscle groups and are particularly adept at building forearm strength, a much neglected area, because the kettlebell handle is significantly thicker than a dumb or bar bell’s.
Kettlebells are also great for burning calories; an intense workout with one can help you burn up to 400 calories in just 20 minutes, according to Web MD.
Kettlebell workouts are designed to be easy on your joints while focusing not just on building your strength but also your balance. Some of the most effective exercises you can include in your routine include kettlebell goblet squats, kettlebell deadlifts, kettlebell swings, and thrusters.
And the best part? Kettlebells are some of the easiest home gym items to store, taking up minimal room. For equipment with this much variety and muscle reach, that’s a very rare thing.
Dumbbells
When it comes to strength training, dumbbells are amongst the most dynamic pieces of equipment you can invest in. They are small, inexpensive when you consider their longevity, and can be used to target a wide variety of muscle groups.
Your home gym is incomplete without a good set of dumbbells, whether you’re looking to build muscle mass or get toned. Not only do they help you increase your strength, but they also improve your flexibility and strengthen your bones, muscles, and connective tissue.
For a home gym, adjustable dumbbells are ideal as they require little storage space and allow you to gradually increase the difficulty of the exercises by adding more weight plates to the dumbbells as you get stronger and more disciplined in your approach.
Most sets come with a range of weight plates in different configurations – say 2x 1kg, 2x 2.5 kg and 2x 5kg, allowing you to mix and match your workout regimes accordingly.
Though the initial outlay on dumb or bar bells does feel quite high – the perennially popular Pro Iron 20kg Cast Iron Adjustable Dumbbell Set will set you back £139.99, for instance – rest assured that, due to their durability, such iron sets lose little value over time. This means they command a high resale value should you decide to move on or move back to the gym. Should you find that after working out a while, your strength exceeds your set, weight plates in larger kilogram configurations are available online as single units.
However, even though adjustable dumbbells require smaller storage space compared to fixed dumbbells, in some situations, the latter may be a better option. For instance, if you wish to perform a drop set, fixed dumbbells are your go-to home gym equipment.
Resistance Bands
Bodyweight training is an excellent way of toning your muscles, targeting multiple muscle groups at the same time, and building strength without the risk of injury. Storage wise, they require next to no space, and need no extra equipment, either. The only issue is that as you progress and build your strength, bodyweight exercises using resistance bands may start to feel less challenging. This can limit your development.
By using resistance bands during your bodyweight workouts, you can increase the intensity of the exercises. In addition to supplementing your training, there are various dedicated exercises you can perform using resistance bands. A set of resistance bands generally comes with 4 bands, each with different levels of stiffness, allowing you to diversify the intensity of your workouts.
On top of that, these bands are compact in size, so you can easily fit them in your pocket should you choose to take your workouts outside when the weather warms up.
Read: A personal trainer’s top tips on building muscle without weights
Ergometer
An ergometer is any machine that can measure the amount of effort exerted during exercise. It provides details such as distance covered, calories burnt, speed, workout duration, and intensity. Some of them even measure your heartbeat and blood pressure, allowing you to target the cut and thrust of your workouts according to your needs.
Generally speaking, an ergometer’s two most popular forms are stationary bikes and indoor rowing machines, depending on your preference and the space you have available to you.A stationary bike is excellent for completing cardio routines without adding stress to your joints. On the other hand, a rowing machine is not only great for cardio but also helps you build your strength by providing a full-body workout.
Either of these would be a great addition to your home gym, though exercise bikes do tend to be easier to store, particularly if space within your house or flat is at a premium. You can find a decent range of foldable, indoor exercise bikes for around £150.
Power Racks
Ask any keen bodybuilder or weightlifter what they missed most about the gym during the lockdown days, and nine times out of ten, they’ll say the power racks.
Power racks provide safety and support for those looking to increase their range of motion, improve their strength and up their resistance, and can help the user perform more advanced weight training exercises while ensuring proper posture and form are maintained.
Safety is at the heart of a power rack’s design (look for dual mounted safety bars with ‘J’ hooks) and this should be super reassuring for the home gym enthusiast without gym buddies to spot them.
Using a power rack, you can perform squats, deadlifts, bench presses (you’ll need a bench, however) and heavy rows, amongst many other routines. Those with pull up capabilities are a real bonus – goodbye dodgy, dangerous pull-up bar slung between your bedroom door frame!
These racks (sometimes referred to as cages) needn’t cost you a fortune; you can find some very capable ones in the region of £400. Look for those which come with a bench included if you’re keen to diversify your range from home.
Medicine Ball
Nightmares of secondary school PE aside, medicine balls offer a wide range of benefits and have no specific storage requirements. Essentially weighted balls that come in different sizes, they can be used as weights to develop strength and stamina, and are particularly useful at targeting your hamstrings, adductors and glutes, as well as giving you a good ab workout, to boot. Actually, don’t boot a medicine ball; you’ll do yourself an injury.
What sets them apart from other workout aids is that a large number of exercises that involve medicine balls work on improving your balance. This is because medicine ball workouts engage your core muscles, helping develop your balance, posture, and coordination.
Yoga Mat
While yoga mats are primarily used for yoga, they also come in handy during bodyweight exercises and warm ups and warm downs. Furthermore, they require little storage space and can be easily rolled up and propped against a wall.
Oh, and yoga’s not exactly bad for you, either! Check out these tips on how to choose the best yoga mat for more.
The Bottom Line
The best equipment for your home gym are those items that allow you to target multiple muscle groups and perform various types of exercises, as these make the most sense financially, as well as in terms of space versus efficiency.
If you’re tired of doing endless press-ups and sit-ups on your living room floor and want to take your home workouts up a notch, these are the items you need!
