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Small-Space Home Gym: 16 Essentials for Working Out at Home
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items No gym membership, no spare room? You can still build a solid home setup in a corner of a bedroom or living room. This list covers space-saving strength gear, the floor and cardio basics, and a few recovery and tracking tools that help you stay consi...
Sections
3
Strength Basics
Floor, Cardio & Core
Recover & Stay on Track
Strength Basics
The ultimate space saver: one pair of adjustable dumbbells replaces a whole rack. Turn the dial to change the weight in seconds, and store them in a corner when you're done. A big purchase, but it covers most strength moves you'd do at a gym.
BowFlex Results Series SelectTech Dumbbells
One kettlebell can give you a full-body workout: swings, goblet squats, rows and presses. Simple cast iron with a wide handle for two-handed moves. Beginners often start with a moderate weight and move up once their form is solid.
Amazon Basics Cast Iron Kettlebell, Black
Cheap, tiny and surprisingly versatile. Five resistance levels for glute bridges, lateral walks, shoulder work and warm-ups, and the whole set fits in a drawer or suitcase. A great first purchase if you're not sure how committed you'll be yet.
Fit Simplify Resistance Loop Bands Set of 5
Hangs on a standard door frame using leverage, with no screws or drilling, so it's renter-friendly. Use it for pull-ups and chin-ups, or take it down and put it on the floor for push-ups and dips. Check your door frame's width and trim before buying.
Iron Gym Pull-Up Bar - Adjustable Doorway
An adjustable bench opens up incline, flat and decline presses, rows and step-ups. This one folds flat to slide under a bed or stand in a closet, which is what makes it work in a small apartment.
FLYBIRD WB5 800LBS Adjustable Weight Bench
A tough core exercise for very little money or space. It comes with a knee pad. Start with short rollouts from your knees and extend further as you get stronger. Stop before your lower back starts to sag.
READAEER Heavy Duty Ab Roller Wheel with Knee Pad
Floor, Cardio & Core
A stability ball adds core work to crunches, hamstring curls and planks, and it can stand in for a bench for dumbbell presses. Pick the size by your height (the size chart is on the listing). It comes with a pump and deflates for storage.
URBNFit Yoga Ball - Anti-Burst Exercise Ball Large
The most space-efficient cardio there is: ten minutes of jump rope gets your heart rate up fast. The length is adjustable to your height. Best used outdoors or on a mat in a room with a high enough ceiling.
WOD Nation Adjustable Speed Jump Rope - Fitness
Interlocking foam tiles protect the floor (and your downstairs neighbors) from dropped weights and jumping. They also define a dedicated workout corner, and they come apart for storage or when you move.
BalanceFrom 1/2" EVA Puzzle Exercise Mat
The foundation of any home workout. The 6mm thickness cushions your knees and wrists during floor work, planks and stretching, and it rolls up to stand in a corner. Good for yoga, Pilates and bodyweight circuits.
Gaiam Premium Yoga Mat, 6mm Thick Print Mat
Two discs that turn lunges, mountain climbers and plank variations into much harder core work. They're dual-sided, so they slide on both carpet and hard floors, and they're thin enough to keep in a drawer.
SPRI Dual-Sided Sliding Core Discs, Set of 2
Recover & Stay on Track
A strap with a row of hand loops makes it easy to ease into hamstring, calf and shoulder stretches without having to reach your toes. Handy for a cool-down routine, and it weighs next to nothing.
Gaiam Restore Stretch Strap with Foot & Hand Loops
Syncs your weight to an app and to Apple Health, Google Fit and others, so you can watch the trend rather than one day's number. Treat the body-composition estimates as rough guides, since at-home scales vary. Useful mainly for staying consistent.
RENPHO Smart Scale - Weight, BMI, Fat
A palm-sized percussion massager, a splurge pick for people who train often. It's much quieter and more compact than full-size massage guns, has three speeds and one button, and is small enough for a gym bag or carry-on.
TheraGun Therabody Mini 3rd Gen Massage Gun
A few minutes of rolling after a workout is a popular way to loosen tight legs and back. The firm, hollow-core GRID holds its shape much longer than cheap foam rollers, and at 13 inches it's easy to store.
TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller 13-Inch
The bottle everyone seems to own right now, and for good reason. You can sip through the built-in straw or tilt it back to drink from the spout. Insulated steel keeps water cold through a long session, and the push-button lid locks closed.
Owala FreeSip Stainless Steel Water Bottle 24oz