Despite our best intentions, sometimes it’s really hard to motivate ourselves to set the alarm extra early or drag ourselves out again after a long day at work to hit the gym and get our sweat on. If you have a membership you pay for but barely use or find joining a gym too expensive to begin with, here’s some basic equipment to help you maximize your workouts from the comfort of your own home.
AmazonBasics Neoprene Dumbell Set with Stand – $41.99
You don’t have to be dead-lifting 150 pounds to see noticeable differences in your upper arms. In fact, doing more reps with lower weights can actually help tone you up just as well if you’re not looking to become a bodybuilder. This set is a good solid beginner set and includes a pair of weights at 3 pounds, 5 pounds, and 8 pounds, so you’ll get a complete home workout for sure.
Trendyest Push Up Training System – $30.99
If you want to become one of those people who can do loads of push-ups (they’re HARD, OK?!) but don’t know where to start, a training set like this one is a good place to start. It features a board that allows you to target specific muscle groups by placing the hand grips accordingly. You’ll be ripped in no time.
Tribe 11 Piece Resistance Band Set – $20.98
Resistance bands are kinda my favorite things ever. They’re great for rehab when you have a sports injury, they’re great for strengthening particular muscle groups, and they’re easy to store and don’t take up a ton of room. Any set will do, but I like this one because it has hand grips, ankle/wrist straps, and a door anchor included, plus a bag to keep them in.
HerculesGrip Ab Wheel Roller – $21.99
If you want tight abs/a toned core (and who doesn’t), you might be into ab rolling. You could get some of the same benefits from basic push-ups, but the roller wheel takes things up a notch by incorporating some extra upper arm strength in a way that I find particularly satisfying. This one also comes with a jump rope (ULTIMATE cardio burn!), a couple of resistance bands, and two gliding disks. For a complete set, this is a great price.
Smarterlife Exercise Ball – $12.97 – $25.97
Pretty much everyone is into yoga these days (or would like to be) and this exercise ball definitely comes in handy for helping increase balance and stability. Plus, it’s just comfy to sit on instead of your desk chair sometimes. It also has a weight max of 2000 lbs so people of any size can use it. Price depends on color.
Stamina 36-inch Folding Trampoline – $30.49
I don’t know about you but I used to LOVE jumping on the trampoline when I was a kid. One of my best friends had a giant one in her house and we’d spend hours just bouncing around and acting like idiots on it. I don’t know anyone (any adults, anyway) with a full-blown trampoline these days, but having a mini one to burn loads of calories on is pretty great too.
UB Toner for Upper Body – $29.95
Think of this kind of like a thigh master for your arms… so an Arm Master… or something. Either way, it provides resistance training to help tone your biceps, triceps, and that pesky under-arm hanging saggy skin bit I like to call “bingo wings” (please tell me I’m not the only one who has that).
AmazonBasics 1/2 Inch Extra Thick Exercise Mat – $17.77
If you live in a house/apartment with hardwood floors and/or carpet that’s not very comfy, you’ll probably need an exercise mat for stretching, yoga, etc. This option from Amazon is basic but pretty solid, giving you some nice cushioning and coming in a variety of colors. It’s held up well for me since I bought it about 9 months ago, so I think it’s a pretty solid buy for the price.
IVIM Thigh Toner – $9.99
I couldn’t do this post without a (cheaper version of a) ThighMaster, now could I? I know it seems silly and cringeworthy, but this thing packs a punch. It really helped me build the muscles in my hip flexors when I was having knee pain from running, solving the issue completely. It also helped tone up my inner thighs quite well, though I am still working on a few wobbly bits that I don’t think any amount of exercise will fix. This is well worth having around, especially since you can do it while working, watching TV, etc.
Yosuda Pedal Exerciser For Under-Desk – $45.99
If you’re in a job where you have to sit at a desk most of the day without much of a chance of getting up (seriously, you should get up more often), it might be helpful to keep the blood flowing to your lower body and burn some calories by having an under-desk bike. This one is considerably cheaper than the DeskCycle, but I think it works fine for my purposes and I’d highly recommend it.
Tone Fitness Kettle Bell Set – $29.99
Kettlebell workouts are all the rage these days, and for good reason—they work amazingly well for muscle building and core strength. This set comes with a 5 lb, 10 lb, and 15 lb option so it’s good for all workout and fitness levels. Doing squats with these is INTENSE, let me tell you.
URBNFit Balance Board – $27.99
I feel like I’ve said the word “core strength” about 8,000 times in this article, but it’s important! My core is also the weakest part of me and the one I’ve been working the hardest to get stronger, so I’m basically a sucker for any product that promises to help me in that regard. I’ve seen a lot of improvement with this and if dancers use it, it must be good, right?
PLENY Foldable Upright Stationary Exercise Bike – $125
For the serious fitness freak, why not have a stationary bike at home to do your workouts on? I’m someone who can pop a new series on Netflix while cycling and happily pass an hour working up a sweat and watching some TV. It folds up easily to be slotted away in the closet (where I keep mine) and the adjustable resistance, as well as the digital display, really do make me feel like I’m at the gym.
