Build the Ultimate Home Gym with Our Guide to the Very Best Home Gym Equipment

When it comes to exercise equipment, less is always more. You don't need racks and racks of dumbbells or 15x15m metre space in which to crush a home workout in 2023, nor do you need an 'Iron Paradise' like Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson. Far from it, actually — you can build muscle, hit your fat stores and feel healthier with minimal kit and, crucially, minimal space.

But, as with anything, knowing where to start can be the biggest obstacle in assembling your ideal home gym set-up. One kettlebell or two? An adjustable dumbbell or a pull-up bar? An exercise bike or a weight bench?

It's a head-scratcher, that's for sure. Here, Men's Health UK is on hand to help you separate necessity from luxury, alongside our recommendations on where to spend your hard-earned cash.

Not only will you save swathes of money, you'll make a health and fitness nirvana that, on a cost-per-use basis, could be the best money you've ever spent. And we're not exaggerating. What's more, when you've got your own gear, you don't have to worry about unwelcome germs or sweaty kit. The only downside? You'll have zero excuses for shirking a workout. Let's go.

The OG of muscle-building, there's very little the humble kettlebell can't do. From kettlebell swings to overhead presses and thrusters, they're the ultimate fat-burning, muscle-building tool.

There's a few things to consider when buying a kettlebell. The most important is choosing a suitable weight. Unless you opt for an adjustable kettlebell, or you buy an entire set, you should choose a weight that allows you to perform the most exercises. As our fitness editor Andrew Tracey puts it in our guide to the best kettlebells: 'You want something light enough to perform smaller, single-joint movements but heavy enough to provide a stronger stimulus on exercises like swings, squats, and deadlifts.'

When it comes to kitting out your home gym, it's also worth considering the material of the equipment. Think about the space you have to work with. If you're in a flat or your workout space isn't on the ground floor, or you're worried about scratching your flooring, a softer weight might be more appropriate.

The material of the weight you choose will also depend on your training. As Tracey explains: 'Ballistic movements like cleans and snatches, when you're learning the movements, will beat up your wrists and your collarbone as you're moving the kettlebell down.' To avoid this, consider buying a kettlebell with a soft coating.

Tried, tested and devilishly effective, you could invest in a set of dumbbells (or an adjustable set) and consider your mission for exercise equipment a roaring success.

Easily-scalable, they're great for accelerating fat loss, developing strength, building muscle mass and improving your cardio – plus, you don’t need to worry about setting up a machine or loading up a barbell before getting your pump on.

Here's five of our favourites. For a full breakdown of each, plus more, see our guides to the best dumbbells and the best adjustable dumbbells.

There's three main things worth considering when shopping for dumbbells: space, material and shape. If you've got the space and budget for a full rack of dumbbells, then go for it. For most people, though, an adjustable dumbbell will be the more appropriate option. The only downside of adjustable models is that it takes a little extra time to switch between weights.

Like kettlebells, if you're working out in a space where you want to keep noise to a minimum or you're worried about damaging your flooring, opt for a dumbbell with a soft coating, like rubber. The same can be said if you plan to perform ballistic movements, where your body would benefit from a softer material.

While circular dumbbells are the classic shape, triangular and hexagonal options are worth choosing if you plan to perform floor-based exercises, such as push-ups, as unlike circular options, they won't move about.

One of the most effective pieces of home workout gear, the humble resistance band is still vastly under-rated by the average person, despite being a low-cost and high-impact piece of kit. Let's change that, shall we?

Not only is resistance band training cost-effective and great for adding variety to your workouts, but it keeps your muscles under constant tension throughout the full range of motion, without momentum, helping to improve the quality of your reps, train smaller muscle groups, and improve your form. Here's a few of our favourites.

There's a few different types of resistance bands to choose between. Tube resistance bands often come with handles and door attachments, making them a great option for hypertrophy training. Flat resistance bands, on the other hand, are ideal for strength and mobility work, while mini resistance bands are best suited to lower-body warm-ups and strengthening work.

For a full breakdown of each of the above products, see our complete guide to the best resistance bands. Once you've picked one (or a couple) up, get some inspiration for how to incorporate them into your workouts with our guide to best resistance bands exercises for every muscle group, which includes 20 exercises you can do anywhere.

Cardio Machines

Spin classes are old hat. For many, exercises bikes are one of the best ways to stay fit, especially if poor weather or injuries are stopping you from getting your daily dose of outdoor exercise.

Below are some of the top-rated picks from our guides to the best rowing machines, the best treadmills and the best exercise bikes – all tried and tested by the Men's Health Lab.

Boxing Bags

If you're ready to finish your home workout like a true knockout artist, or just want a conditioning workout or to simply sharpen your self defence skills, a boxing bag does it all.

Blows to the head and body aside, boxing training is hugely beneficial to your health. Not only does it help to improve your cardiovascular fitness, but due to their weight, boxing bags take a powerful punch to budge, drawing on all the main muscle groups.

Boxing also helps to build mental strength, requiring precision, coordination, stability and focus to throw effective punches and move efficiently. It also lets you blow off steam, which can boost your mood, support with stress and help deal with anger management.

Consider the following conditioning kit as optional extras that aren't essential but nice to have anyway. Each has its own benefits, which are listed below.

No home gym is complete without a weight bench. Perfect for upping your chest workout, your leg sessions and so much more, investing in a good quality bench will undoubtedly level up your set-up.

There's a few different styles of weight benches available to buy. If your budget allows, we'd recommend investing in an adjustable bench, like the ones you find in commercial gyms, as they can be adjusted to an incline or decline, allowing you to target different muscle groups.

Flat benches are usually a little cheaper as they are naturally more basic in design. If you want to keep things simple, a flat bench is still a good option and will be great for bench presses, tricep dips, shoulder presses and more.

If you're seeking a true all-in-one weight bench, a multipurpose bench is the way to go. Look out for models with a barbell rack, attachments for leg extensions and hamstring curls, a dip station, butterfly attachments and more.

Pull-up Bars

No home gym is complete without a pull-up bar – or pull-up rack, if you have the space. Dubbed 'the upper-body squat', pull-ups are a bodyweight movement that predominantly use the muscles in your back, shoulders, core and your biceps. Pull-ups are also scalable: simply attach a weight to a weight belt or put on a weighted vest to up the difficulty.

Though simple, there's few things to watch out for when buying a pull-up bar. Firstly, consider the space you have to work with. If you're after something wall-mounted, can your walls take screws, or would a hanging pull-bar bar be more appropriate? If space is not an issue, consider investing in a pull-up rack. Not only do they require less DIY know-how than wall-mounted options, but they're also more stable and usually come with attachments for dips and barbell brackets for squats. Here's a few that made our guide to the best pull-ups bars and pull-up racks.

It's no secret that wearing the right clobber will elevate your workout on both a psychological and scientific level. Our picks will take your session to the next level. For more gym kit recommendations, see our guides to the best gym tops, the best gym shorts, the best tank tops and the best weightlifting shoes.

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