The right home workout equipment can keep your workouts fun and challenging and keep the exercises from getting stale.
These are the pieces of equipment that I personally have in my home gym and use on a near daily basis. I love all of these products and stand by them 100%.
No equipment? No problem. Check out Bodyweight Exercise Substitutions for suggestions on how to do these workouts equipment-free.
Disclosure: The links below are affiliate links that will earn me a commission if you purchase through them
(at no additional cost to you). If you do, I absolutely appreciate it and if you have any questions about any of
the products please contact me! Please understand that I have experience with all of these products, and I
recommend them because they're awesome and will help you reach your goals faster, not because of the
small commissions I will make if you decide to buy something.
Dip Bar
$79.95
This dip station, made by the guys at Ultimate Body Press, is one of my favorite pieces of home equipment that I own. It’s awesome for abs and arms, and I use it for quite a few of the 12 Minute Athlete workouts.
Plus, it’s easy to take apart and doesn’t take much space. I first got my dip station when I was living in Amsterdam, and it’s since traveled with me to Brooklyn and now San Francisco—that’s how much I love it! See workouts that use the dip bar here.
Gymboss timer
$19.95
Having a timer is crucial for interval training, and while there are some great free websites and apps, sometimes, it’s nice to have a physical timer.
Hands down, the Gymboss timer is the best interval training timer out there. There are tons of different settings, and you can easily change the interval times, number of intervals, and even change it to stopwatch mode if you’re doing a timed challenge workout.
Plus, it has a clip, so it’s perfect for outdoor training!
Kettlebell
$25.34 - $101.08
Kettlebells are right up there with my very favorite pieces of home exercise equipment. They’re insanely versatile, and will get you a good workout, every time.
I like the CAP kettlebells because Amazon sells them (which means you can get free shipping), and they’re good, sturdy kettlebells with the right amount of space for your hands.
You may end up wanting multiple weights eventually, but women can generally start out with a 1/2 pood (~16 lbs) to a 1 pood (~35 lbs - what I use). Men can get a 1 pood to 1 1/2 pood (~50 lbs) to start.
See workouts that use kettlebells here.
Sandbag
$69.99 - $159.99
While it’s perfectly acceptable to make your own sandbag out of a burlap bag, sand and string, it can get pretty messy at times, and even fall apart when you’re swinging it around.
To avoid this, I use the Ultimate Sandbag bags, which have individual filler bags inside of a sturdy duffle-type bag—so they won’t break on you. I’ve never had mine leak once!
There are several different sandbag options, but I recommend
women start with the beginner package (19Lx9W, 20 - 35 lbs) or
strength package (27Lx10W, holds 25 – 80 lbs). Men should get
the strength package or the burly package (80 - 160 lbs).
See workouts that use a sandbag here.
Pull up bar
$29.95
A pull up bar is one of the best investments in home workout equipment you can make. Pull ups, chin ups, burpee pull ups, knees to elbows… the exercise possibilities are endless!
The Ultimate Body Press pull up bar is easy to put together, sturdy, and fits in most standard doors.
See workouts that use a pull up bar here.
Medicine ball
$79.95 - $114.98
Medicine balls are great for wall balls, core training, and more. I use the Dynamax brand because they’re incredibly durable—plus they’re the perfect, awkward size to really ramp up my training. If you’ve ever done CrossFit, these will look familiar, since they’re the same brand many CrossFit gyms use.
You can choose your own weight, but make sure you get one that’s heavy enough to make your workouts challenging. For women, I recommend 12 – 14 lbs (I use 14 lbs). For men, I recommend 20 lbs. See workouts that use a medicine ball here.
Jump rope
$9.95
Jump roping is one of the very best cardio exercises you can do, and it’s easy to take anywhere with you! The Ultimate Body Press jump rope is a great, cheap jump rope that lasts.
See workouts that use a jump rope here.
Plyometric box
$65.25 - $95.00
Plyo boxes are an awesome, versatile tool to have around. And while you can certainly use stairs or benches for box jumps, wooden plyo boxes offer a higher, sturdier surface and last forever.
I love my Rogue plyo box and use it almost daily. It's good quality, easy to put together, and you can choose whichever height you want. I use a 20" box.
See workouts that use a box here.
