There are 3 items I would recommend everyone have access to when aiming for a fitness goal:
We’ve compiled thousands of hours of research and testing into one place with no fluff.
Commercial gym owners, personal trainers and even an engineer at Strong Home Gym have tested and compared hundreds of different gym equipment.
After all of this research and testing here are the results:
- Strong Home Gym's Best Picks ~$3,000
- $500 Home Gym Build
- A Premium Home Gym For ~$1,500
- A Home Gym For Under $1,000
- A Space Saving/ Folding Home Gym ~$2,500
- Money No Object Home Gym ~$8,500
- The One Thing Most People Get Wrong When Building a Home Gym They'll Actually Use!
- Other Strong Home Gym Buying Guides
Strong Home Gym’s Best Picks ~$3,000
After all of this research here is where the best overall value (for most people) lies in our opinion. It’ll end up looking something like this…
- Power rack: REP PR-4000
Looking for an affordable yet high quality power rack?
Look no further!
After comparing over 100 types of squat racks the PR-4000 came out on top.
You can add any attachment to it (including cables, dip bars and plate holders). You can even add additional uprights to back to make it even more of a beast!
The 1 inch westside hole spacing means you can position the spotter arms to the ideal height when you bench press. So you can safely drop the bar and have a full range of motion when you lift.
And the 3×3″ 11 gauge steel make this the best value rack we could find.
- Adjustable bench: REP AB-3000
This is the weight bench we recommend for ‘most people’.
We compared over 70 benches against 12 criteria. This is our highest-ranked flat, incline & decline (FID) bench.
Some adjustable benches can be a bit wobbly when on the incline. But the AB-3000 is very sturdy.
With a height 18mm it’s comparable to benches that cost twice as much.
- Bumper plates: Rogue Fleck (260 lbs)
Bumper plates are ideal for a home gym.
They can last a lifetime and allow you to do additional lifts which require you to drop the bar.
Our team has compared over 100 types and the Rogue Fleck plates came out on top.
They are great value, use color allowing you to quickly see how much you’re lifting and the pattern will give your home gym a unique look.
- Change plates (important for making small progressions): Rogue change plates (2.5, 5 lbs)
- Barbell: Rogue Ohio barbell
This is the bar that we recommend for ‘most people’.
We have spent over 120 hours of research and tested over 100 barbells.
It is affordable but comes with some high specs. The Rogue Work Hardening and 190k PSI tensile strength mean the bar will last a lifetime in a home gym.
It is a multi-purpose bar with a 28.5mm diameter shaft and composite bushings in the sleeves. This means it’s balanced for heavy slow bench presses but you can also perform snatches and fast overhead lifts.
- Barbell collars: Rogue USA Aluminium
- Dumbbells: Nuobell 80lbs adjustable dumbbells
SMRFT Nüobell 80LB Adjustable Dumbbells
These are the dumbbells we recommend for ‘most people’.
We have spent over 50 hours of research and compared over 100 dumbbells. Adjustable dumbbells make sense for most home gyms as they save space.
The Nüobell dumbbells go all the way to 80lbs per hand. This means they are much more versatile than most 50lbs adjustable dumbbells. You can use these for heavy shrugs, squats and bench press etc.
The main reason they are the top pick is because of their shape. They actually feel like real dumbbells and are not awkward to lift like some others.
- Suspension trainer: Pacearth rings
- Cardio: Jump rope
- Cable: Spud Inc Pulley System
We’ve polled over 1,000 people to find out that the average home gym costs $3,141. And our recommendations here come in right in line with this average.
This setup will give you a solid power rack that can evolve with you, an epic barbell and bumper plates. This allows you to do powerlifting, CrossFit or Olympic lifts in one space.
The dumbbells and the cable pulley are perfect for isolation lifts, lat pulldowns, rows, face pulls etc.
The jump rope adds a cardio item which is super affordable.
The quality of this gym will last you a lifetime! And all of these items will also have a high resale value.
This is a home gym to be proud of and will help you make serious gains!
$500 Home Gym Build
When you have this budget we would recommend NOT getting a power rack and barbell. You won’t be able to get many plates and at some stage you’ll want to replace it all.
Instead, we recommend a set of adjustable dumbbells and bench. You can then add to these items over time rather than needing to sell them.
USA $500 Home Gym
- Dumbbells: CAP barbell dumbbells
- Weight bench: Yoleo
- Pull up bar: TOPOKO
- Resistance bands: SUNPOW
- Carabiner and handles: RENRANRING
Other dumbbells options:
- Loadable set: NULTRUMA + AboveGenius Plates
- Loadable without the ends that stick in your legs: Kensui Fitness
- 1″ loadable set (even cheaper): CAPHAUS
UK $500 Home Gym
- Dumbbells: Braingain
- Weight bench: Yoleo
- Pull up bar: HOMCOM
- Resistance bands: HAPBEAR
- Carabiner and handles: XYZDOUBLE
A Premium Home Gym For ~$1,500
If you are on a tight budget this is exactly what I would recommend:
- Power rack: REP PR-1000
- Bench: REP AB-3000
- Plates: PRx Iron Plates (230 lbs)
- Change plates (important for making small progressions): PRx change plates (2.5 & 5lbs pairs)
- Barbell: Rogue Ohio Bar
- Barbell collars: Rogue USA Aluminium Collars
- Cardio: Jump Rope
You still get an adjustable bench and a very good power rack.
There really aren’t many barbells that exist that are better than the Rogue Ohio and the price is a bit of a steal compared to alternatives.
The collars are top class and currently, there aren’t any weight plates that you can get cheaper than the PRx option (plates are the ideal place to save money in my eyes!)
A Home Gym For Under $1,000
I would highly recommend the above option for 99% of people on a tight budget. However, I know some people just want a decent enough gym for as cheap as possible.
Here are the items I’d recommend to build a home gym for under $1,000:
- Squat stand: Cap Squat Stand
- Spotter arms (essential if lifting alone): Cap Spotter Arms
- Flat bench: Amazon Basic weight bench
- Plates: PRx Iron Plates (230 lbs)
- Change plates (important for making small progressions): PRx change plates (2.5 & 5lbs pairs)
- Barbell: Bells of Steel Utility Bar
- Barbell collars: Bells of Steel Spring Collars
- Cardio: Jump rope
There really aren’t many ways you can save much more money than this option. But the majority is still good enough to have a decent workout.
See how I did this in under 24 hours here:
A Space Saving/ Folding Home Gym ~$2,500
If you’re tight on space or want to use your gym space for something else then here is what I’d recommend:
- Folding rack: PRx ONE Rack
- Folding bench: PRx Flat Bench or the PRx adjustable bench (way more expensive but the only folding adjustable bench option on the market currently)
- Plates: PRx Iron Plates (230 lbs)
- Change plates (important for making small progressions): PRx change plates (2.5 & 5lbs pairs)
- Barbell: PRx Elite Bar (I’d recommend the Bells of Steel above this and it’s cheaper… but sometimes it makes more sense to order everything from one place to save money on shipping)
- Barbell collars: PRx Lock Jaw
- Cable: PRx Elite Pulley System
- Cardio: Jump rope
Money No Object Home Gym ~$8,500
Here are the recommendations for you if money isn’t a concern:
- Power Rack with cable machine (and a ton of potential extras): Force USA G15 or REP Ares Builder
The Force USA G15 combines a Smith machine, a squat rack, and a pulley system in one compact machine.
The G15 pulley cables have a 2-to-1 and a 4-to-1 ratio allowing you to perform any movement on it. The cable length is longer than a 1-to-1 ratio and allows you to lift lighter weight, ideal for lat raises etc.
Add a leg press and lat pull-down attachment to make it become a true all-in-one home gym machine.
After comparing over 100 machines the G15 came out on top for quality, versatility, and nothing competes at this price point.
- Adjustable bench: REP AB-5000 Zero Gap
- Bumper plates: REP competition Bumpers (320 lbs)
- Change plates: REP change plates (10, 5, 2.5, 1.25 lbs pairs)
- Barbell: Rogue Ohio Bar
- Barbell collars: Rogue USA Aluminium Collars
- Dumbbells: Nuobell 80lbs adjustable dumbbells
- Suspension trainer: TRX Pro4
This is the suspension trainer that we recommend for ‘most people’.
We have spent compared over 50 of them and ran them against our criteria.
It’s robust, very high quality, easy to adjust and pack away.
The main reason it gets our top spot is because of its versatility. The adjustable feet straps and rubber handles allow you to do more movements than other trainers that don’t have these features.
- Cardio: Concept 2 rower
There are a lot of extra items of equipment you can get but these are the basics that will be more than enough for 99% of home gym owners.
When you get a very good power rack, cable machine, dumbbells and bumper plates you can do almost any movement in a gym.
Add a great suspension trainer and some cardio machines like a rower and you have enough versatility to avoid getting bored after 12 weeks!
The One Thing Most People Get Wrong When Building a Home Gym They’ll Actually Use!
There are tons of mistakes I’ve seen people make when building a home gym such as:
- Thinking short term (buying cheap stuff)
- Not having a plan
- Buying things you don’t need
- Not sorting out the flooring first
- Having poor ventilation (too hot or cold)
- Choosing style or brands over function
But the main issue that prevents people from actually using their home gym is this…
Procrastinating.
Here’s what I mean…
You have an idea of what equipment you use to reach your goals. You do a quick search (obviously on Strong Home Gym) to find what equipment you’d like.
Then you close your laptop and go about your day.
Three months later you figure, ‘oh yeah… I should look in that squat rack again.’
Then you realize you’re hungry and go look in the fridge.
Three months later, the cycle continues.
It’s far better to just look on Craigslist or FB marketplace and get something… anything.
A set of adjustable dumbbells is infinitely better than nothing. A cheap second-hand barbell and chipped plates will help you gain strength if you use them.
The key here is to start.
You can always sell things on and replace them as you go. And if you follow our advice on how to build a home gym then you’ll be sure to get equipment that holds its value anyway.
Other Strong Home Gym Buying Guides
You can find out a ton more about our testing process in our epic guides here:
For most people, these are the essential 4 items that you will need in a home gym to see serious gains. These 4 items increase the versatility and reduce the amount of equipment you need, which saves money and space!
This is the 80/20 principle at its finest!
You can read more about why we think this suits most people in our how to build a home gym guide. There are some useful tips about setting up your home gym in there too, which can save you $1,000’s and a lot of wasted time.
Some close additional items are:
Other people prefer just to get an all-in-one machine:
If you want to check out more of our guides then you can here:
Barbells
- Best Budget Barbell
- Best Powerlifting Barbell
- Best CrossFit Barbell
- Best Safety Squat Bar
- Best Curl Bar
- Best Trap Bar
- Best Multi-Grip Barbell
- Best Deadlift Bar
- Best Short Barbell
- Best Women’s Olympic Barbell
- Best REP Fitness Barbell
- Best Rogue Fitness Barbell
- Best Titan Fitness Barbell
Squat racks
Home gym machines
- Best Force USA All-In-One Trainers
- Best Bowflex Home Gym Machine
- Best Exercise Machine For Abs
- Best Smith Machine
- Best Functional Trainer
- Best Cable Attachments
- Best Total Gym Model
- Best Power Tower
- Best Calf Machine
- Best Suspension Trainer
