The Ultimate Guide to 11 Of The Best Home Gym Equipment

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] re you tired of going to the gym and waiting in line for the next available machine? Instead of paying month after month of gym memberships, you could invest some money in a home gym.

Many people are building their own home gyms these days, including good gym flooring for solid grip. They’re closer, cleaner, and can last you ages.

Studies show that if people who own home gyms remain consistent, they exercise more often than gym-goers. Researchers at UC Berkeley found that the majority of people with gym memberships pay monthly but aren’t going.

If you’re shy of commitment but want to get the ultimate body or at least fit, there’s no avoiding a gym that’s right inside your home.

ALSO: Recently we covered, in another post, the best elliptical trainers for home use that are currently available in the market. Worth a read!

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With a home gym equipment installed at your place, there are no lines to wait in or desk employees asking to check your membership card. You only have to pick up after yourself and maintain your own equipment.

If your gym is good enough, you can rent it out to friends or neighbors.

But which equipment would be best for a home gym? You’ll need sturdy, reliable fitness tools. Here is a list of the eleven best at-home workout equipment, from the least to most expensive, that can turn your home into a total gym.

Quick Comparison Table

Brand Star Rating Weight Return Policy
Weider Power Tower 4.1 / 5.0 94 Pounds 30 Days Amazon Return
Exerpeutic 900XL Recumbent Bike 4.2 / 5.0 70 Pounds NA
Exerpeutic 400XL Recumbent Bike 4.5 / 5.0 53 Pounds 30 Days Amazon Return
Weider Ultimate Body Works 4.4 / 5.0 79 Pounds NA
Weslo Cadence G 5.9 Treadmill 4.1 / 5.0 117 Pounds NA
Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike 4.2 / 5.0 81.6 Pounds NA
Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym 4.6 / 5.0 149 Pounds NA
Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike 4.2 / 5.0 101 Pounds NA
Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym 4.4 / 5.0 175 Pounds NA
Bowflex Blaze Home Gym 4.4 / 5.0 214 Pounds NA
LifeSpan TR 1200i Folding Treadmill 4.3 / 5.0 204 Pounds NA

Weider Power Tower

Coming in as the cheapest of the home workout equipment is the Weider Power Tower, a pull up power rack. This type of device is good for upper body workouts, like toning arms or strengthening shoulder and back muscles.

PROS

  • Sturdy Frame
  • Great for core exercises or strengthening back

CONS

  • Heavy
  • Requires space

The pull up rack will take two people to get into your home and assembly is somewhat lengthy. It will need a wide, open room as well for space. Once its put together you can get to work!

The frame is strong and you can feel it. The device barely moves when you pull yourself up on it, whether the frame is placed on wood or carpet.

After a few weeks at it you’ll notice the difference in your pectorals and biceps. To tone, speed your sets up. To build muscle, take things slow.

Exerpeutic 900XL Recumbent Bike

The Exerpeutic 900XL Extended Capacity Recumbent Bike with Pulse is a great in-home elliptical machine for a home gym. People with joint problems or other health issues can use this bike easily without too much exertion.

PROS

  • Quiet
  • Great display
  • Magnetic resistance for different intensities

CONS

  • Hard seats
  • Slight noise on the higher resistance levels

Fairly small and strong, the bike can be easily set in a living room by the television. There’s a seat and display allowing different kinds of postures, a feature that is hard to find amongst other recumbent exercise bikes.

You’ll question the low cost due to how well it runs. Unfortunately, the higher you go in resistance the more grinding sounds you’ll hear. Nothing too distracting, but it is audible.

Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike

The Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike is a smaller exercise bike that fits easily into a home gym setup. This bike helps those who are generally on the run and have little time to really get into their workouts.

There is one main posture allowed and several resistance levels.

PROS

  • Easy to assemble
  • Quiet
  • Small

CONS

  • Pulse meter
  • Not ideal for tall people

It won’t take many people to get this device to your home, seeing as it is small. The manual and diagrams are detailed enough for quick self-assembly.

It’s a small recumbent bike that will fit in well with the rest of your home exercise equipment. It’s also quieter than expected.

The pulse meter appears to be a bit wonky, showing readings that aren't always accurate. No loss, though! There are plenty of other features to take advantage of, like the LCD display, the cooling fan, and the workout programs.

Weider Ultimate Body Works

Weider Ultimate Body Works is a sliding bench device and enhances upper body workouts. You’ll be feeling the exertion in your back and arms after only a few sets.

This sliding bench looks intimidating initially but once set up properly, it’s fairly safe. You’ll need a friend or a car for delivery but putting it together is a much easier task.

PROS

  • Fantastic for cardio and strength training
  • Extremely easy assembly

CONS

  • Noisy

Assembling the Weider Ultimate Body Works should take an hour at most, seeing as how many of the pieces are already together and the guide is extremely detailed.

There is a manual with all sorts of workouts to follow and preform, but there are even more online.

You will need space for the device. It makes up for the space it consumes in the results you get from using it.

The machine works the muscles hard and you’ll more than likely be sore in the morning.

The main downside for this piece of equipment is the noise. The grinding of the bench on the rails is loud enough to be distracting.

Weslo Cadence G 5.9 Treadmill

The Weslo Cadence G 5.9 Treadmill is a bargain buy compared to other high-end treadmills. You can fold it up after you finish working out to save space.

It's ideal for beginners and moderate exercisers, but marathoners beware.

PROS

  • Easy assembly
  • Quiet

CONS

  • Uses a lot of energy
  • Shaky on harder workouts

Assembly is easy though a friend or two helping you wouldn’t hurt. You’re going to need a handy surge capacitor before you plug this baby up. Don’t let your home’s circuits fry for the sake of fitness!

Once everything is in order, you can jog away without any hiccups or bumps. The device is small and can fit into certain spaces other treadmills couldn’t.

Due to the lightweight nature, serious runners should be careful. The frame grows shaky the harder you run. Running 11 MPH or above will cause tremors to run along the frame.

Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike

The Schwinn 230 Recumbent Bike is moderately sized and great for cool downs or low impact exercise.

Those who are injured, elderly, or just need a breather can work comfortably on the bike.

PROS

  • Runs smoothly
  • Saves workout preferences for up to 2 users
  • USB port and other features

CONS

  • Large
  • Hard seats

Assembly is lengthy and the box itself is very heavy. Once assembled, the bike runs well and has ports for you to hook up your electronics and play music. The LCD is bright and easy to read.

You can also connect to the popular myfitnesspal.com and log your workouts, an extremely useful tracking feature.

The seats are somewhat hard so a pillow would be a good fix. Also, this device will require more space than the average home workout machine.

Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym

Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym is a seated workout machine with plenty of bells and whistles. There are several tension cords for more resistance options and a power rod you can place your feet on.

PROS

  • Various workouts
  • Quality build
  • Fast assembly
  • Excellent for leg press

CONS

  • For beginners
  • Susceptible to instability

Reviewing Bowflex, it comes with a guide full of workouts and the frame itself is durable and strong. The seating doesn’t wear much and the paint won’t chip for months.

However, this machine appears to be more for beginners. Many professionals feel a lack of challenge from it. If you’re new at fitness, this Bowflex is for you.

Be careful with the settings as the frame tends to shake when you’re working with heavier weights.

Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike

Schwinn 270 Recumbent Bike is one of the more leisurely devices of home workout equipment.

It runs smooth, has a large display, and a comfy seat with back support.

PROS

  • 20+ levels of resistance
  • Comfortable
  • Chargers for electronics

CONS

  • Steady beeping
  • No weight plate loaded

This bike comes with plenty of resistance levels to keep workouts interesting. Monotony can be the factor between using your home gym or abandoning it.

The seating is very comfortable and hour-long workouts won’t leave your backside feeling bruised. There are also chargers for your electronics on the front USB ports and a water bottle holder.

Strangely, this machine beeps every few minutes as a sort of auditory congratulation for working out. It can get annoying so a pair of earphones are necessary before jumping on the bike.

Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym

An already well known brand, the Bowflex PR3000 Home Gym is a large device for the home gym. It allows for all sorts of exercises and a manual stock full of routines. Just make sure you have the space for it!

PROS

  • Wide range of exercises
  • Quiet
  • Sturdy

CONS

  • Tall
  • No Lat Bar

Assembly is fairly easy thanks to the handy guides provided with the device, however transporting it might be an issue. It’ll require two people.

For such a large piece of equipment the Bowflex is relatively quiet, especially with the built in weight stack! I have to add that the leg developer in this one is powerful. The parts are durable and will last for months after purchasing.

Be sure your home gym has a tall ceiling…this Bowflex’s height is nothing to scoff at!

Bowflex Blaze Home Gym

The Bowflex Blaze Home Gym, similar to the PR3000, has a large multi workbench that allows for more upper and lower body exercise wile seated.

It is also very large and requires space.

PROS

  • Fun
  • Workouts for all areas of the body
  • Quality build
  • A true multi station

CONS

  • Low resistance levels
  • Tall
  • No curl attachment

You’ll be surprised to find that this machine is actually fun to use. Something about the equipment draws a person back to it.

You won’t balk at the idea of working out, even on a bad day simply because the machine is so easy to use. Its durable and nice to look at.

This machine is also very tall, so a high ceiling would be best. Assembly is fairly simple, but lengthy. If you have trouble, the Bowflex customer support is very helpful.

Even though the machine is bench-based, it allows for strenuous lower body exercise as well.

The resistance levels on this machine is not as high as one might presume so it is ideal for beginners, not serious fitness like bodybuilding.

LifeSpan TR 1200i Folding Treadmill

LifeSpan TR Folding Treadmill is the priciest of the home workout equipment but it delivers quality.

The treadmill’s belt is quiet and running on it is a smooth experience. There are also helpful features that keep you safe and entertained while working out.

Honestly, the money is well spent seeing how the treadmill gives worthy work outs.

PROS

  • Safety pause feature
  • Free membership to LifeSpan fitness club
  • Warranty

CONS

  • Poor speakers

The ‘safety pause’ feature is one of the best features, particularly if you have children in the house near the home gym. If you stumble or trip the feature will stop the treadmill before you get hurt too bad.

Those awful treadmill belt burns are nothing to worry about with the LifeSpan TR.

Along with the machine, you’re given a free membership to the LifeSpan fitness club. Despite having a home gym if you’re lucky enough to have a LifeSpan club near your home, you can head on over to the gym.

The option of variety is nice. The warranty is also useful in case anything unfortunate happens or something breaks.

The only downsides are the speakers. The sound is barely audible and scratchy at best. If you have an MP3 player, you’re in the clear.