Recently, a friend reached out to me for help setting up a gym at her office. Her company is converting an empty office into a workout room and she called me to get some equipment ideas for what she should buy to get the most bang for her company’s buck. We talked for a few minutes and I gave her some ideas, and promised to get back in touch with her with more ideas; and then it hit me! I’m sure a lot of people often wonder what equipment they should purchase for home, travel, or office workouts; so I decided to put together my list of recommended equipment and share it with you!
I would recommend starting out with a few pieces of equipment and adding as you get stronger or want to add variety to your workouts. If you have any questions about what to purchase, please feel free to contact me.
Swiss Balls
- Can be used instead of a bench for a variety of exercises
- Excellent tool for core exercises
- When sitting on the ball, knees and hips should be at ~90°
- 45-centimeter Swiss ball – for people under 5′ tall
- 55-centimeter Swiss ball – for people 5′ to 5′ 7″ tall
- 65-centimeter Swiss ball – for people 5′ 8″ – 6′ 3″ tall
- 75-centimeter Swiss ball – for people over 6′ 3″ tall
Rssistance Bands
- Resistance Bands
- Can be used instead of dumbbells for a variety of weight resistance exercises
- Easy to pack for travel
- Unless elderly or using for rehab, yellow and green will probably be too light
- very light gauge (yellow)
- light gauge (green)
- medium gauge (red)
- heavy gauge (blue)
- very heavy gauge (purple)
TRX Suspension Trainer
- TRX Suspension Trainer
- Uses body weight as resistance
- Provides excellent core workout
- Provides total body workout with one piece of equipment
Medicine Balls
- Can be used to assist in a variety of core exercises
- 4-pound medicine ball
- 6-pound medicine ball
- 8-pound medicine ball
- 10-pound medicine ball
Dumbbells
- Used for weight resistance exercises
- Good for muscle isolation exercises
- 1 to 20-pound dumbbells
- 15 to 120-pound dumbbells
BOSU Balance Trainer
- BOSU Balance Trainer
- Can be used for balance, core work, strength training
- Can be used as shown or flipped so flat side is up
Kettlebells
- Kettlebells
- Excellent for recruiting stabilizer muscles during weight lifting
- Very different type of exercise
Large Strength Training Machines and Equipment
- Power Rack/Cage with Lat Pulldown and Low Row
- Barbell and 300-Pound Olympic Set
- Adjustable Bench
- Leg Extension/Leg Curl Attachment
Rollers
- Perform self-massage for enhanced muscular and soft tissue recovery
- High Density Foam Roller
- Grid Trigger Point Roller
- Rumbleroller
- The Stick
Mats/Stretching Items
- Adds comfort to floor exercises
- Yoga Mat
- Thick Exercise Mat
- Yoga Strap
Cardio Equipment
- Walking or running through your neighborhood is always an option, but it’s nice having indoor cardio equipment during inclement weather
- Cardio equipment will most likely be most expensive gym purchase
- Life Fitness Treadmill
- Life Fitness Elliptical
- Lifecycle Spin Bike
- Questions:
- What home or office exercise equipment do you recommend?
- What’s your favorite home exercise to do?
- Does your office have a gym or exercise room?
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on the blue product link and then make a purchase, I will receive a commission for referring you. You will pay no more or less for the product; however, Amazon will show their gratitude for my referral by paying me a small commission.
Can you move closer so I can come workout at your gym? 🙂 I have a hard time exercising at home. I find a million other things to do and my boys think that it’s an invitation to play and constantly get in my way.
Sue @This Mama Runs For Cupcakes recently posted…Mama Cupcake’s 12 Days of Super Swag Giveaway–Day 3 Handana Giftcard
After just going through the remodel, I can’t imagine moving. You’ll have to move closer this way! 🙂
These are all my work gym!! Now can you just come help me figure out how to use them?! 🙂
Becky recently posted…Getting Back on Track
🙂
That’s a great list of stuff! I love using kettlebells at home. They’re very versatile.
Courtney @ Don’t Blink. Just Run. recently posted…5th Anniversary – Love In Pictures
Most of the kettlebell exercises I do are compound and involve a lot of squats and lunges, and leave my quads screaming (in a good way)! 🙂
That would be a sweet home gym. When I exercise at home I typically do core exercises on the mat or swiss ball, or some body weight exercises, such as burpees, pushups and mountain climbers
You are doing some great core exercises! Keep it up!
My favorite home exercise to do is a Jillian Michaels DVD workout! Are you surprised?
Meagan recently posted…My epic fail win
Not at all! 😉
Thanks for this, Deb! The Swiss ball is next on my list, although I really do want to teach myself how to use the BOSU, too! 🙂
Holly @ Run With Holly recently posted…Stretch of the Week: C-Curves (Sides #1/Back #1)
So many fun toys!
Hi Deb,
Is the Grid foam roller the one that you personally use?
If not, what’s your favorite roller and why?
Thanks
Daniel
Between the high density foam roller, the Grid, and the Rumbleroller, I use my Grid the most. It seems to give me just the right amount of pressure for releasing those nasty trigger points!
Great post! I agree that mats should be in place to ensure the safety of both you and your home. This can help lower your risk to injury, protect the foundation of your home, and ensure oneself that you are getting the most out of your workout. Thanks for sharing!
Agreed! We added a 3/8″ rubber flooring to our home gym last fall. What a difference that has made.
It’s a great home gym. Thank you for the detailed photos.
Tony Gym recently posted…Best Treadmills Under $300
I think training can be a good idea for a lot of people. Not so many excuses. And there can be a good result with minimal time. When I started training, I had less equipment than you listed). You did a great job. Thank you for your post.
Michael recently posted…Best Home Gym Under $500
As long as the home gym equipment isn’t just used for hanging dirty clothes on… 😉
The company I work with have blessed us all with $1000 to buy things for our home office and gym for a more comfortable environment while working at home due to the pandemic. I came across this page and these are all great ideas! I’ll definitely use while ordering the gym supplies.
Thanks so much!
You are very welcome! Have fun shopping for your home office/gym!