Home Gym Equipment Must Have's (Biggest Bang For Your Buck + Travel)

In all honesty, prior to COVID-19 I didn’t foresee myself ever writing an article relating in any way to home gyms, home workouts, or home equipment. But… here we are.

I have actually grown to really enjoy working out from home and the growth of my “garage gym” has given me tremendous peace of mind in these trying times. While I realize not everyone has the funds to go “all-in” and build out a fully loaded garage gym, there are some things I would recommend everyone add to their “home-gym” - whatever that looks like. The good news is every single one of these options provides extreme versatility, so if you cannot get these all at once for either availability or financial reasons, do not fret. You can piece this equipment arsenal together over time. This list is put together in the exact order i would RECOMMEND getting your hands on these things.

Let’s get into it!

  • BANDS: The king of versatility, portability has to be a set of bands. Not the typical bands with the handles you’ll see littering the group exercise room of a big-box gym. No, what i’m talking about are the bigger “loop” elastic bands that. come in various widths. These can be used to emulate almost every single gym movement in limited space and on a limited budget. Bands travel well too. That’s a really big plus for busy travelers who still want to get a workout in. grabbing a full set of various widths paired with a little bit of creativity can unlock a metaphorical treasure trove of heavy duty movements (more on that later). Regardless of your training ability, bands of about 1/4 , 1/2/,1’ and 1 and 1/2 inch will do the trick. The overall cost for a good set tends to range between $50-100. Not too shabby when you think of the VERSATILITY and portability. Some of my favorite band movements are:

    • Banded straight arm pulldown

    • banded pull aparts

    • banded curls

    • banded chin-ups

    • banded lateral raise

    • banded FACE PULL

    • banded squats

    • banded lunges

    • banded RDL

  • Suspension Trainer: During my time training in a commercial gym, things had a tendency to get pretty crowded. Machines, racks, DUMBBELLS, and even kettlebells had a tendency to become pretty sparse pretty quickly at more high traffic hours. One piece of equipment that was always available (and it probably shouldn’t have been), was the suspension trainer. You can do a TON with a suspension trainer. Core work, stability work, mobility work, and even hardcore resistance training. The thing flat out works. Pair that with the fact that they are extremely affordable, can be mounted over a door, and be used when traveling, they are a no brainer. Suspensions trainers range anywhere from 50-200. I have found plenty of models across this price range that perform well, but do be sure to check reviews before purchasing a suspension trainer - you will be suspending your entire BODY WEIGHT on the thing AFTER ALL.

    • Regarding traveling with a suspension trainer: You can hang most commercial suspension trainers up over a fence, on a tree, and even as I said earlier from a door. This makes it a great option for business travel that may confine you to a hotel room, visiting your parents where a gym drop-in might not be practical, or even a more remote getaway where there is no gym period.

    It is for these reasons I am such a big fan of the suspension trainer as a training tool. Some of my favorite movements are:

    • TRX Row and Row Variations

    • TRX Shoulder Fly Variations

    • TRX “Tucks” and TRX “Pikes”

    • TRX Hamstring Curls

    • TRX Tricep Extensiona

  • Kettlebell: This multi-faceted, versatile hunks of iron go, the kettlebell is king. It’s not just a piece of metal. This tool is perhaps the best posterior chain training and conditioning option to have on your hands in limited time and space. Simply banging out some high quality, high volume kettlebell swings will toast the glutes, hamstrings, and work as a fabulous conditioning option! The fact that you can add some great upper back moves, arm moves, and even use it to train your core are all added bonuses that make this a no-brainer if you ask me. Space is often a premium and being able to add conditioning work anywhere is tremendously valuable for fitness enthusiasts and athletes of all types. As a general rule of thumb, i RECOMMEND that men aim for a kettlebell around 1/4 the weight of their lean body mass, and women do the same to start. YOu can always add one more in as you progress with RELATIVE ease. As far as pricing goes, most kettlebells are going to be priced per pound, so the more weight you need, the more you pay. Some of my favorite kettlebell moves are:

    • KB Swings

    • KB Front Squats

    • KB Ipsilateral lunges

    • KB High-pull

    • KB Curl

    • KB RUssian twist

    • Farmers carries

  • Light Dumbells: DUMBBELLS had to make this list at some point. They are extremely VERSATILE and allow you to do a ton. The only real issue you will find with DUMBBELLS is that often times the weight you have access to is ideal for some moves, just okay for a few, and outright unusable for most. THat’s the only real downside. The workaround here is getting a few pairs (but more on that and some other RECOMMENDATIONS later). I RECOMMEND getting a light pair first as it will compliment some of the “bigger/heavier” work you are doing with your suspension trainer and kettlebell. LIght DUMBBELLS are fantastic for hitting the arm and shoulder muscles as well as loading unilateral movements and INCREASING the demand of some core training. you will find a light set of dumbells at this point will fill the gaps left by your bands, suspension trainer and KETTLEBELL. They are also portable enough to travel in some instances and occasions. I tend to RECOMMEND the following:

    • Novice (women): 8 lbs

    • Intermediate (women): 10 lbs

    • Advanced (women): 12-15 lbs

    • Novice (men): 12-15 lbs

    • Intermediate (Men): 15-20 lbs

    • Advanced (men): 20-25 lbs

  • HEavy DUmbells: Next on the list, we have… more DUMBBELLS. After you have covered your bases with the options outlined above, you may do well to work in some more versatility and plain ol’ heavy weight. while for many, one large kettlebell may do the trick, it’s far from perfect. Heavier dumbells are great for leveling up exercises that require you to load both sides, or that are not well suited for a kettlebell. They also work nicely in tandem with your smaller dumBbells if you want to work in intensifiers, specifically like drop-sets. Here’s what i would RECOMMEND.

    • Novice (women): 20 lbs

    • Intermediate (women): 30 lbs

    • Advanced (women): 35-45 lbs

    • Novice (men): 25 lbs

    • Intermediate (Men): 35-45 lbs

    • Advanced (men): 50 lbs

  • Yoga Ball: A very underrated piece of equipment. There are not nearly as many things to do with a yoga ball as those listed above, but it works in some capacity as a core training tool, bench, and can work well for hamstring curls.

  • MISC: If you compiled the list above, there is probably not a whole lot else you will need, that being said - if you want to go all in and really build out a great gym (and you have the space) consider investing in:

    • A barbell

    • Bumper plates

    • “Change plates”

    • A bench

    • A sled

    • medicine balls

daniel matranga