I’m a Personal Trainer: The Best $100 You Can Spend On Your Home Gym
Vidur Saini
As a seasoned personal trainer, I’ll be the first to admit that gym memberships can burn a hole in the wallet. However, fitness should be accessible to everyone and shouldn’t feel like a financial burden.
Home gyms can be an affordable way to stay active and healthy. A review of 17 randomized controlled trials found that home workouts can improve muscle strength, endurance, power, and balance. (1)
I love home workouts. I do them each week and work with online clients who train at home. Contrary to what most people think, you don’t have to convert your garage into a fully-decked-out home gym to make meaningful progress.
I have helped many of my personal training clients build a small functional home gym for under $100.
“A home workout can be just as effective as a gym workout, as long as you focus on cardio, resistance training, and progression,” said Dr. Mike Israetel (Ph.D. in Sports Physiology).
The $100 equipment listed in this article allows you to do all three to maximize your strength and muscle gains.
Furthermore, knowing that you are within 20 to 50 feet of your home gym increases your odds of sticking to your training regime. It also allows you to play your favorite music, wear what you want, and train with zero self-consciousness.
The Essential $100 Home Gym Equipment: A Personal Trainer’s Recommendation
Woman Exercising With Resistance Band
You must begin with a plan to get the best bang for your buck on a limited budget. Then, consider all the different modalities that might be involved in your training plan to achieve your dream physique.
Here are seven personal trainer-recommended home gym equipment that are perfect for people who want to lose body fat and tone their physique:
Resistance Bands ($15)
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are among the most versatile home gym training equipment. A pack of bands offers various resistance levels (light to extra-heavy), allowing better workout customization. Plus, they are compact enough to take with you while traveling.
You can use resistance bands to train virtually every muscle group. My favorite resistance band exercises include bicep curls, shoulder presses, lateral raises, squats, glute bridges, and rows.
Resistance bands can also be used as counterweights to make bodyweight exercises like pull-ups or inverted rows easier.
Buy on Amazon
Check out the best resistance bands on the market!
Stability Ball ($15)
Stability Ball
The stability ball is an underrated training tool. It can be used to improve core strength, balance, and posture. They can add an instability element to classic exercises like seated dumbbell presses or shoulder presses and force your core muscles to work harder.
I recommend beginners start with crunches on the stability ball to get used to the equipment. You can then include exercises like planks, hamstring curls, push-ups, and leg raises to challenge your core further.
Remember, safety should be your priority while performing stability ball exercises. Avoid copying exercise ball stunts pulled off by social media fitness influencers. For instance, barbell squats on a stability ball have more cons than pros.
Buy on Amazon
Jump Rope ($5)
Jump Rope
This is one of the best budget cardio equipment you can get. A five-minute jump rope training session can get you serious cardio benefits, improve coordination, and strengthen your calves, ankles, and feet.
As you get a hang of skipping rope, you should transition to more challenging variations like crossovers, double, or triple-unders. Alternate between rep and time targets to keep your workouts exciting.
The best thing about these training equipment is that you don’t need to dedicate a space to them in your living room or garage. They are portable enough to store them away after each training session.
Buy on Amazon
Medicine Ball ($20)
Medicine Ball
A med ball is an incredibly effective tool for building power and explosive strength. Exercises like medicine ball throws and slams engage multiple muscle groups and can boost functional strength, which can improve your performance in day-to-day activities.
Pick a medicine ball that suits your fitness level and goals. Leather med balls are a better option if you’ll be doing a lot of throws and slams. Conversely, you should get a rubber med ball if you are into wall ball throws.
Buy on Amazon
Pull-Up Bar ($25)
Pull Up Bar
The pull-up bar is the best budget equipment for building a jacked back, core, and biceps. It also strengthens the entire upper body. I recommend getting a pull-up bar with multiple grip options, as it allows you to train your muscles from different angles and promote hypertrophy.
Intermediate exercisers should start with pull-ups and chin-ups. Beginners, on the other hand, can perform assisted pull-ups using a resistance band. Advanced lifters can overload the muscles with a dip belt.
Since we are working with a $100 budget, we cannot get strength training equipment like adjustable dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, and weight plates. However, that doesn’t mean you must limit yourself to bodyweight workouts.
Combine multiple training equipment to maximize muscle stimulation and promote growth. In this case, you could anchor a resistance band to the pull-up bar and perform exercises like banded chest flyers, face pulls, and tricep pushdowns to boost hypertrophy.
Vidur Saini
As a seasoned personal trainer, I’ll be the first to admit that gym memberships can burn a hole in the wallet. However, fitness should be accessible to everyone and shouldn’t feel like a financial burden.
Home gyms can be an affordable way to stay active and healthy. A review of 17 randomized controlled trials found that home workouts can improve muscle strength, endurance, power, and balance. (1)
I love home workouts. I do them each week and work with online clients who train at home. Contrary to what most people think, you don’t have to convert your garage into a fully-decked-out home gym to make meaningful progress.
I have helped many of my personal training clients build a small functional home gym for under $100.
“A home workout can be just as effective as a gym workout, as long as you focus on cardio, resistance training, and progression,” said Dr. Mike Israetel (Ph.D. in Sports Physiology).
The $100 equipment listed in this article allows you to do all three to maximize your strength and muscle gains.
Furthermore, knowing that you are within 20 to 50 feet of your home gym increases your odds of sticking to your training regime. It also allows you to play your favorite music, wear what you want, and train with zero self-consciousness.
The Essential $100 Home Gym Equipment: A Personal Trainer’s Recommendation
Woman Exercising With Resistance Band
You must begin with a plan to get the best bang for your buck on a limited budget. Then, consider all the different modalities that might be involved in your training plan to achieve your dream physique.
Here are seven personal trainer-recommended home gym equipment that are perfect for people who want to lose body fat and tone their physique:
Resistance Bands ($15)
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are among the most versatile home gym training equipment. A pack of bands offers various resistance levels (light to extra-heavy), allowing better workout customization. Plus, they are compact enough to take with you while traveling.
You can use resistance bands to train virtually every muscle group. My favorite resistance band exercises include bicep curls, shoulder presses, lateral raises, squats, glute bridges, and rows.
Resistance bands can also be used as counterweights to make bodyweight exercises like pull-ups or inverted rows easier.
Buy on Amazon
Check out the best resistance bands on the market!
Stability Ball ($15)
Stability Ball
The stability ball is an underrated training tool. It can be used to improve core strength, balance, and posture. They can add an instability element to classic exercises like seated dumbbell presses or shoulder presses and force your core muscles to work harder.
I recommend beginners start with crunches on the stability ball to get used to the equipment. You can then include exercises like planks, hamstring curls, push-ups, and leg raises to challenge your core further.
Remember, safety should be your priority while performing stability ball exercises. Avoid copying exercise ball stunts pulled off by social media fitness influencers. For instance, barbell squats on a stability ball have more cons than pros.
Buy on Amazon
Jump Rope ($5)
Jump Rope
This is one of the best budget cardio equipment you can get. A five-minute jump rope training session can get you serious cardio benefits, improve coordination, and strengthen your calves, ankles, and feet.
As you get a hang of skipping rope, you should transition to more challenging variations like crossovers, double, or triple-unders. Alternate between rep and time targets to keep your workouts exciting.
The best thing about these training equipment is that you don’t need to dedicate a space to them in your living room or garage. They are portable enough to store them away after each training session.
Buy on Amazon
Medicine Ball ($20)
Medicine Ball
A med ball is an incredibly effective tool for building power and explosive strength. Exercises like medicine ball throws and slams engage multiple muscle groups and can boost functional strength, which can improve your performance in day-to-day activities.
Pick a medicine ball that suits your fitness level and goals. Leather med balls are a better option if you’ll be doing a lot of throws and slams. Conversely, you should get a rubber med ball if you are into wall ball throws.
Buy on Amazon
Pull-Up Bar ($25)
Pull Up Bar
The pull-up bar is the best budget equipment for building a jacked back, core, and biceps. It also strengthens the entire upper body. I recommend getting a pull-up bar with multiple grip options, as it allows you to train your muscles from different angles and promote hypertrophy.
Intermediate exercisers should start with pull-ups and chin-ups. Beginners, on the other hand, can perform assisted pull-ups using a resistance band. Advanced lifters can overload the muscles with a dip belt.
Since we are working with a $100 budget, we cannot get strength training equipment like adjustable dumbbells, kettlebells, barbells, and weight plates. However, that doesn’t mean you must limit yourself to bodyweight workouts.
Combine multiple training equipment to maximize muscle stimulation and promote growth. In this case, you could anchor a resistance band to the pull-up bar and perform exercises like banded chest flyers, face pulls, and tricep pushdowns to boost hypertrophy.
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Summary
Personal trainer recommends affordable home gyms for improved fitness and health. Home workouts can boost muscle strength, endurance, power, and balance. A $100 budget can build a functional home gym with essential equipment like resistance bands. This setup increases the odds of sticking to