The Best Home Gym Equipment to Get a Full-Body Workout

Establishing or expanding a home gym in order to create a space where you can get a full body workout is a big step. And key to taking this step is knowing which equipment to purchase in order to make the most of your budget, your available square footage and your exercise effort.

The equipment options you'll want to consider include strength equipment, cardio and low-impact gear. But if you're wondering how to identify the right mix of these options for your needs and spending power, you've come to the right place. This guide will address those questions and more, including helping you identify the most versatile equipment for strength, cardio, mobility and recovery, so you can successfully build a full-body workout gym at home.

Read on to find out more about your options, along with information about which fitness equipment may be eligible for HSA coverage for qualified medical needs with supporting documentation.

A full-body workout typically covers every major muscle group, incorporating exercises for your lower body, upper body, and core strength. Identifying just the right mix of equipment to cover all of these bases, however, will vary based on your spending power, space limitations and fitness level, says Luka Hocevar, a coach and founder of Vigor Ground Fitness in Seattle, Washington.

"I believe it's important to work backwards and first determine: How much space do you have? What is your budget? And what do you want to achieve with your training?" says Hocevar.

The first two questions are most important, Hocevar explains, since having more space and budget allow you to invest in a broader range of exercise items, such as a squat rack, bench, and even certain exercise machines that can be very beneficial, but take up more space and are a much bigger investment.

Yet another important consideration as you get started: What sort of workouts are you truly willing to do? While you may have your sights set on flashy equipment, be sure it's not more than you truly need or will even use. A good rule of thumb is thinking about workouts where you felt your best and felt like the exercise was within your abilities. Then, think about the equipment you used during that workout.

The basics to get started on a home gym are pretty simple. They include adjustable dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, bands, and ideally a barbell or trap bar with some weights, says Hocevar. If you're able to invest a little bit more, Hocevar also suggests a squat rack with a pull up bar.

Victor Kanashiro, strength and endurance fitness instructor at RISE FITNESS, stresses the importance of aiming for versatility when initially purchasing home gym equipment or expanding your home gym to accommodate a full body workout. Meaning, it's best to choose equipment that has the potential to train every part of the body and support a full body workout without needing multiple machines.

"Prioritize equipment that supports key movement patterns like squat, hinge, push, pull, carry, and rotate," says Kanashiro. "These patterns reflect how the body naturally moves, so training them helps build balanced strength and overall function."

And underscoring the point mentioned above, if there are certain pieces of equipment that leave you in pain after a workout, then it may make sense to avoid getting that type of equipment for your home gym. Self-assessment is key before making a purchase.

As a potential starting point, Kanashiro recommends purchasing dumbbells and resistance bands, which allow you to cover multiple body movement patterns in one setup.

As you're mapping out your purchase strategy, it's also important to evaluate equipment based on the footprint you'll be operating in, along with the equipment's adjustability and durability. Ease of storage is also a factor to bear in mind. "The best equipment fits your space, is easy to use consistently, and can adapt to different exercises over time," continues Kanashiro. "Consumers should also choose equipment that allows them to increase difficulty gradually, such as adjustable weights or scalable resistance, ensuring workouts can become more challenging over time without needing replacements."

With the tips above in mind, let's dive into some of the essential strength equipment to consider purchasing for your home gym first.

Adjustable dumbbells are an essential starting point for full-body home gyms, says Julio Rivera of Irvine, California-based Rivera Strength Fitness. "A single pair that covers light to heavy replaces an entire dumbbell rack," explains Rivera. "Combined with slow, controlled reps, even moderate weights create significant muscle stimulus. This is the single most versatile piece of equipment you can own."

Adjustable dumbbells are also one of the most versatile tools for establishing a home gym, supporting a wide range of movements including presses, rows, lunges, and carries. As an added benefit, they can be easily scaled as you get stronger without taking up much space.

"Challenging your body with heavier weights, or more reps, is very important when it comes to having your body get stronger and build muscle," explains Hocevar. "You must have heavier weights that you can build up to. That's why adjustable dumbbells are a great choice as you can take years progressing on them and save money from not having to buy all of the dumbbells and a dumbbell rack, which can cost thousands of dollars."

Some of the top adjustable dumbbell options to consider include:

• Core Home Fitness Adjustable Dumbells
• Gronk Fitness SMRTFT NÜOBELL Adjustable Dumbells
• Bells of Steel NÜOBELL Adjustable Dumbbells

Resistance bands are another core part of a home gym designed for a full-body workout, says Rivera. In fact, he believes they're the most underrated home gym addition. "They allow you to perform lat pulldowns, face pulls, and standing rows that are otherwise impossible without a cable machine," Rivera explains.

Resistance bands allow you to train some muscles that you simply can't hit effectively with equipment like dumbbells alone, adds Logan Herlihy, with Nashville,Tennessee-based Reformed Fitness. Long resistance bands, for instance, allow for vertical pulling movements that are not possible to do with dumbbells. And shorter bands can be used to target glute and lower body activation and isolation. "You can train all these areas with dumbbells but they're much easier to isolate with bands," says Herlihy.

As an added bonus, resistance bands are often very inexpensive ($50 or less) depending on the brand, total number and style of band that you buy. There are many different types of bands including looped resistance bands, floss bands,and hip bands. In addition, some bands have handles and others can be attached to a door.

Some of the top options to consider include:

• Living Fit Resistance Bands
• Rogue Monster Bands
• Fringe Sport Latex-Free Strength Bands
• Resistance Band Training Economy Fitness Package
• Home Pro Gym Stackable Resistance Band Set

Adding kettlebells to your gym allows for incorporating "ballistic movements such as swings, cleans, and snatches," as part of your exercise routine, says Hocevar. Kettle bells are "great for multidirectional exercises as well. They're versatile in all the things you can do with them," Hocevar adds.

• REP Fitness Kettlebell Set
• Rogue E-Coat Kettlebells
• GIANT V3 Kettlebells
• Yes4All Vinyl Coated Kettlebells

A bench is another foundational part of a home gym set-up because it allows for significantly expanding your exercise options to include presses, rows, step-ups, and core work. This adds variety to your regimen, says Kanashiro.

Some of the options to consider on this front include:

• Rogue Fitness Rogue Adjustable Bench 3.0
• Major Fitness Adjustable Bench
• Titan Fitness TITAN Series Adjustable Bench

If your budget and space allows, adding cardio and conditioning equipment to your home gym can be a smart move to round-out your exercise options. Potential additions might include a treadmill, bike, rowing machine, or elliptical. (Or some combination of these options.)

"As far as cardio and conditioning equipment, starting with an upright bike allows for efficient cardio with minimal impact, making it accessible for most people, including those with joint limitations or who are just getting started," advises Kanashiro.

If you're adding more, a treadmill is a strong option for higher-intensity workouts and weight-bearing activity, Kanashiro continues, while a rowing machine is great for full-body conditioning with low impact. "Overall, the bike is the most essential starting piece, and additional equipment should depend on goals, space, and preference," he says.

Some of the cardio and conditioning equipment options to consider for your home gym include:

Treadmills

• Sunny Health & Fitness Premium Foldable Auto Incline Smart Treadmill
• SOLE Fitness SOLE F80 Treadmill

Bikes

• Peloton Bike
• Rogue Fitness Rogue Echo Bike V3.0
• Titan Fitness Fan Bike

Rowing Machines

• Rogue Fitness Rogue Echo Rower
• Sunny Health & Fitness Smart Magnetic Rowing Machine

Ellipticals

• Sunny Health & Fitness Premium Smart Recumbent Elliptical Cross Trainer
• Life Fitness E1 Elliptical
• Technogym Elliptical

Even in cases when the space available for your home gym equipment is limited or your budget is tight, it's still possible to get a full body workout by making your purchases strategically. Kanashiro suggests focusing on creating a simple "minimum effective setup." What does that look like exactly? All it takes is dumbbells and a bench.

"That gives you everything you need to train your full body while taking up very little space," says Kanashiro. "Going with some adjustable dumbbells and a bench allows you to perform most compound movements like presses, rows, squats, and overhead work using just two pieces of equipment."

If you have a bit more space, adding a squat rack, barbell, and plates gives you more room to progress and train more heavily over time.

Herlihy suggests an even simpler approach if space is especially tight or funds are limited.

"For a bare minimum setup that will get you results, I would look at something like the WhatAFit bands," says Herlihy. "You can get a couple of long bands and short bands for around $40. With this you can target every major muscle group and get a great workout. "

Yet another way to maximize limited space is by opting for foldable or easy-to-store equipment like benches and compact storage racks. On this front, Herlihy suggests considering digital weight equipment and all-in-one home gyms, which take up less space and allow you to vary your exercise routine.

Speediance's Gym Monster All-In-One Smart Home Gym, for instance, "does everything you can do on a typical functional trainer, takes up approximately a quarter of the space, and then folds up neatly when you're done," says Herlihy.

Some additional, space-saving home gym equipment to consider includes:

• Major Fitness Adjustable Bench
• Titan FitnessTITAN Series Adjustable Bench
• Major Fitness F35 Wall-Mount Folding Power Rack
• Sunny Health & Fitness Treadpad 100 Smart Wi-Fi Connected Treadmill

As you embark on creating a home gym for a full-body workout, some initial set-up steps can help ensure success. For instance, before investing in any major equipment, be sure to measure your space carefully including the ceiling height and wall clearance. This will help you avoid purchases that don't work in your space.

It's also a good idea to align your equipment purchases with your current skill and ability level (rather than buying something that will be too difficult for you to use.) If you have a history of injuries, these are important to consider as well. You'll want to avoid purchasing equipment that may potentially reactivate your injury or equipment that will only be of limited use to you due to physical limitations.

Depending on your health condition, you may even want to work with a healthcare provider before starting a new training routine or to ensure that the routine you're considering is safe for your body.

Truemed specializes in helping you to maximize HSA and other health-related benefits, including FSAs.

If you're interested in using HSA funds to pay for home gym equipment, you can begin by searching our platform for products you may be interested in purchasing. Once you've found an item you're interested in learning more about, simply click on the "Shop Now" button to be taken to the brand's own website.

As part of this process, you will be directed to complete a health intake, which a licensed medical provider will review to determine whether you're eligible for HSA spending.

If it's determined that the purchase you're considering is medically necessary to treat or prevent a medical condition, based on your health information, a document known as a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) will be issued. The LMN will be sent to the email address you provide to be saved for your records.

It's also important to note that there is no additional cost to use Truemed when making purchases with your HSA funds. The cost of Truemed's services is included in the item's purchase price.

Establishing a home gym doesn't have to be expensive and you don't even necessarily need a great deal of space to get started. The information in this guide can help you buy smarter, arming you with the knowledge to identify the best combination of equipment for your goals, space, budget and training experience. If you're still unsure where to start or what makes the most sense for your needs, consider speaking with a personal trainer or even a medical professional if you have specific health limitations or concerns.