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Sticking to a fitness plan can be difficult, especially if your gym’s hours don’t match your schedule. Home gyms provide flexibility, privacy, and customizable training that most traditional gyms can’t offer. A high-quality home gym allows you to get a full-body workout that’s personalized to help you meet your fitness goals. It may include a simple, adjustable weight bench or a more complex machine with accessories and attachments that supports multiple upper and lower body exercises.
To find the best home gyms on the market, we first spoke with fitness experts to learn which key features to look for in a high-quality option. Then, we tested 8 options at home and in The Verywell Testing Lab, evaluating each piece of equipment’s ease of setup, ease of use, safety, comfort, performance, features, and value. We also had a certified personal trainer from our Review Board review this article for accuracy.
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Easy to adjust with smooth cable action
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Securely folds into itself for space-saving storage
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Highly versatile and sturdy
Key Specs
Product Weight: 610 pounds | Maximum Resistance: 150, 200, or 225 pounds (depends on weight stack size) | Size: 34.9 x 44.6 x 83.8 inches (doors closed), 61.2 x 69.7 x 83.8 inches (doors open) | Style: Foldable cable/weight stack | Our Overall Rating: 4.7/5
Who It’s For
Best if you’re looking for a compact and versatile home gym with a wide range of strength training exercises for all fitness levels.
Why We Love It
Torque Fitness’ F9 Functional Trainer tops our list of home gyms, offering safe, stable, and user-friendly full-body training that rivals more complex systems. During testing, its adjustable cable pulley design proved highly versatile, allowing over 50 exercises with 17 low-to-high handle positions. We love its smooth performance, adjustable weight settings, and ergonomic grips. It feels comfortable, sturdy, and effective, ensuring a natural range of motion while we perform various upper-body, lower-body, and core exercises.
Its cable system makes weight adjustments easy, accommodating users of different fitness levels with the simple pull of a knob. We appreciated that it included an assist strap for pull-ups and dips, which allowed us to build strength and eventually move independently. When we’re done working out, we like how it folds neatly and securely into itself. Ours is stored in a corner in our basement, but we think it’s a great space-saving solution for any size home.
Potential Flaws
- This home gym doesn’t come with a workout bench, which limits its full potential for beneficial exercises. However, you can purchase one separately, which we think is a solid investment.
- While it’s user-friendly, its initial setup was difficult, and we found the instructions vague, requiring us to contact customer support for assistance. We highly recommend having spare hex keys and a friend handy for help.
Most Valuable Insight
“This full-body functional trainer is easy to use and brings club-quality strength training into my home. It adjusts from light weights to heavy weights so easily. I love how it works for everyone in my family. Plus, its fold-away design fits in a corner and offers more exercises than a system with a larger footprint.” —Stacey Wegner, Verywell Fit product tester
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Completely customizable based on fitness goals
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Intuitive and easy to use
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Tracks workouts and makes personalized recommendations
Key Specs
Product Weight: 135 pounds | Maximum Resistance: 200 pounds | Size: 21.5 x 5.3 x 50.9 inches | Style: Smart mirror with resistance arm extensions | Our Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Who It’s For
Best for those who want an intuitive, high-tech home gym that tracks progress and offers personal recommendations.
Why We Love It
Intuitive and high-tech, Tonal’s System can help take your training to the next level. We love its large screen, which we use to view a wide range of beginner to advanced expert-led workout programs. Plus, we love that it also offers more specialized options, including pre-natal, post-natal, and massage gun recovery routines. Boasting plenty of detailed features, like specific metrics, personal recommendations, and form advice, we still found it incredibly intuitive and easy to use.
We also appreciate that its setup process is straightforward, and we had no problem quickly connecting to its app. Its digitally controlled weighted arms give you a solid amount of weight to lift, and we love that its programs learn from our workouts and adjust to our bodies as we exercise. It even tells us exactly which days to work out and offers helpful suggestions on recovery day activities.
Potential Flaws
- While we love this home gym, we wish it came with smart accessories instead of having to purchase them separately. We love that its smart accessories automatically store weight choices and adjust them based on which exercises you’re performing, your form, and your goals.
- It’s bulky and not easy to hide in common living spaces. While its appearance didn’t bother us, others wanting a sleek option may not find this attractive enough if it’s not installed in a dedicated workout space.
Most Valuable Insight
“It does a really great job tracking your workouts, your data, and the weight you’re lifting. It also tracks what muscle groups you work the most and recommends workouts based on what you haven’t worked on lately, which is cool and could be helpful for someone with specific goals.” —Kristen Geil, Verywell Fit product tester
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Key Specs
Product Weight: 6 pounds | Maximum Resistance: 110, 210, or 520 pounds (depends on bundle) | Size: 56 inches | Style: Resistance bands | Our Overall Rating: 4.8/5
Who It’s For
Best for lifters who love to use barbells in the gym but don’t have the space for a traditional barbell and weight plate set at home or prefer a space-saving option.
Why We Love It
Gorilla Bow’s Original Total Bundle looks like a barbell but gets its resistance from durable resistance bands rather than weight plates. We love its easy setup–simply attach one or more of the included bands to each side of the bow and use it to perform various traditional weightlifting exercises you’d typically do with a barbell. We like using ours to perform seated rows, bicep curls, shoulder presses, and more.
During more intense workouts where our hands get sweaty, we appreciate its great grip, never feeling like we’re slipping or sliding around. We also love that our sweat dries super quickly as we grasp the bow, allowing us to continue our workout without having to stop and dry off. We particularly like that it’s a breeze to quickly attach up to four bands to the bow for added resistance, making it ideal for anyone who wants to increase their strength over time.
Potential Flaws
- We love how lightweight and versatile this piece of equipment is; however, it’s too large to take on the go easily.
Most Valuable Insight
“This is great for incorporating different and new exercises into my workout! I often use these for chest and tricep presses, back rows, and bicep curls. It’s also easy to adjust the resistance, which I like to do after each set. These are great in terms of versatility, plus they’re well-made and sturdy.” —Stella Yu, Verywell Fit product tester
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Quiet, with smooth cable action
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Handles are comfy and easy to grip, even when sweaty
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High-quality and durable
Key Specs
Product Weight: 875 pounds | Maximum Resistance: 448 pounds | Size: 36 x 58 x 85.5 inches | Style: Cable training system | Our Overall Rating: 4.7/5
Who It’s For
Best if you’re focused on mostly upper-body strength training and want a durable, high-quality home gym with a commercial-grade feel.
Why We Love It
REP Fitness’ Functional Trainer FT 5000 2.0 is a commercial-grade cable strength training home gym with all the functionality you need to stay on top of your upper body regimen. We love using it to perform tricep kickbacks and bicep curls, and its impressive 21 cable positions allow us to customize our routine easily. We appreciate its comfortable, padded handles, which provide a solid grip, even during sweatier workouts. And while it focuses on upper-body strength training, it also works great for lower-body compound exercises, including squat pulls, leg presses, and leg kickbacks.
We like that this durable home gym accommodates taller users without being overly wide. We also appreciate that its cables feel smooth when in use and are easy to adjust, with laser-etched markings and numbers to show you exactly where to line the handles up each time. Plus, it’s quiet, and there’s even a handy visual of exercises displayed on this machine’s top panel to guide beginners. With the durability and stability of professional gym equipment, we think this high-quality machine is a great investment to elevate any home gym.
Potential Flaws
- Large and heavy, this machine isn’t ideal for small home gym spaces.
- This machine’s initial setup was challenging and time-consuming, taking about two hours to complete and requiring multiple people for assembly. Once set up, however, it’s very easy to use.
Most Valuable Insight
“If someone’s biggest hurdle with exercise is finding the time to get to the gym, I think having this machine would help. It’s a really well-rounded, high-quality, and sleek machine that lets you perform a full-body workout. It also offers a wide range of weight adjustments, making it suitable for most fitness levels.” —Michelle Parente, commerce editor and Verywell Fit product tester
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Lightweight and easy to store
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Easy to quickly adjust resistance
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Comes with accessories, including resistance bands and ankle straps
Key Specs
Product Weight: 16 pounds | Maximum Resistance: 60 pounds | Size: 15.9 x 2.8 x 20.1 inches | Style: Portable resistance band-based home gym kit | Our Overall Rating: 4.0/5
Who It’s For
Best for beginner exercisers who travel a lot or want the flexibility to work out in different rooms or even outside with an easily portable home gym.
Why We Love It
If you want to be able to take your workout with you on the go, consider BodyBoss’ Full Portable Home Gym. We love that it’s no bigger than a yoga mat, and when carried or stored, it fits neatly into its lightweight case. We love using this resistance band-based home gym to complete tough upper-body workouts, lower-body workouts, boxing workouts, and more.
This home gym allows us to perform more than 300 exercises, and we like that we can quickly make the moves easier or more difficult by lengthening or shortening its resistance bands. We also appreciate that it comes with many useful accessories, including ankle straps, a collapsible workout bar, and more. Its portable, lightweight design is useful for anyone who wants to maintain consistency with their workouts, whether at home or on the go.
Potential Flaws
- While highly versatile, its base shifts around during certain exercises, including kickbacks and squats. This home gym is ideal for exercises where your feet stay firmly in place.
Most Valuable Insight
“The best thing about this product is its versatility and the fact that you can do many different exercises with it, even though it’s space-efficient. Its resistance bands also feel really durable. It comes with an exercise manual, which shows you different exercises you can perform with it, which is also helpful.” —Isabella Broggini, associate editorial director and Verywell Fit product tester
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Key Specs
Product Weight: 260 pounds | Maximum Resistance: 150 pounds | Size: 26 x 79 x 68 inches | Style: Cable/weight stack | Our Overall Rating: 4.4/5
Who It’s For
Best for beginner and intermediate exercisers who want a budget-friendly, sturdy, and classic home gym.
Why We Love It
If you’re looking for a budget-friendly option, Marcy’s Stack Weight Home Gym is a sturdy steel piece of equipment that provides full-body strength training without a huge investment or footprint. We love that it offers 30 different exercise options detailed on its weight stack’s built-in chart—perfect for beginner and intermediate exercisers looking for a fuss-free routine. Designed with high and low pulleys, a leg developer, a removable preacher curl pad, and a dual-function chest press, we appreciate its versatility and how it makes working out more accessible and easy to plan.
Supportive and padded, we found that it allows for a comfortable range of motion during various exercises, including pull-downs, arm presses, leg presses, and more. Plus, its handles and grips absorbed sweat without feeling slippery or unsafe—which helped us stay engaged and focused as we increased the intensity of our workout. We also love that its frame feels very stable and sturdy yet is compact enough to fit comfortably in many homes or garages. And we always feel super safe using this home gym, regardless of which exercise we’re performing.
Potential Flaws
- While this machine made workouts simple once set up, its assembly process was difficult and took us over four hours to complete due to unclear instructions and unlabeled parts. We suggest assembling this with the help of a friend and watching a YouTube video for additional help if needed.
- While we love this machine and feel it effectively gives us a full-body workout, we wish its seat and leg press were more adjustable to better suit petite exercisers.
Most Valuable Insight
“This really eliminates the challenge of getting to the gym. I can work out my whole body with this intuitive machine, and because of this, I don’t have to have a bunch of free weights to complete my workouts. I worked out more having this home gym.” —Tatiana Kennedy, Verywell Fit product tester
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Versatile with smooth cable action
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Attachments allow for quick and seamless exercise transitions
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Comfortable rubber grip handles
Key Specs
Product Weight: 1,525 pounds (with packing materials) | Maximum Resistance: 992 pounds | Size: 67 x 79 x 91 inches, optional 60 inch swing arm attachment | Style: All-in-one weightlifting machine | Our Overall Rating: 4.2/5
Who It’s For
Best for bodybuilders or those focusing on isolation exercises rather than heavy powerlifting or CrossFit.
Why We Love It
For serious lifters, we recommend Force USA’s G20 Pro All-In-One Trainer. This versatile machine offers smooth cable operation and unique features like a built-in Smith machine and 290-pound dual cable stacks, allowing you to perform nearly any load-bearing weight exercise. With around 160 exercise options, this home gym is incredibly versatile. Thanks to easy attachment adjustments, transitions between exercises like face pulls, cable crossovers, and seated rows are more seamless and quick, with our workouts completed in just 45 minutes instead of our usual 90 minutes when we use multiple pieces of equipment.
With comfort and efficiency in mind, its rubber-grip handles and single-handed pulley adjustments feel comfortable and natural, regardless of exerciser height or size. Its attachments, like the footplate for seated rows and the leg pad for lat pulldowns, are simple to set up thanks to numbered placement slots, which helped us keep our resistance consistent between workouts. Overall, we found this home gym ideal for those who want the benefits of commercial gym equipment in a streamlined, all-in-one system.
Potential Flaws
- This machine performed well for most exercises but felt less stable than other options during heavy barbell lifts, squats, and leg presses.
- For the price, we expected a more robust construction, but some components felt lighter and less durable than anticipated. However, it has held up well with regular use.
Most Valuable Insight
“The machine is very easy to use. You can move the pulleys up and down single-handedly, and switching exercises is often just a matter of changing cable attachments. Because its pulleys move up and down so easily, it seamlessly accommodates different body sizes and full ranges of motion. I’m about a foot taller than my wife, and we both had no problem using its cables.” —Robert Tutton, Verywell Fit product tester
We Also Tested
We tested eight home gyms, but only seven impressed us enough to make our final list of recommendations. Although we liked some of its features, the following home gym didn’t meet our rigorous testing requirements to be selected as a top pick.
- Once set up, Vitruvian’s Form Trainer+ is easy to use for basic exercises like arm curls, squats, and shoulder presses. It also feels sturdy and well-made. However, we found its performance uncomfortable and awkward for most exercises, as it lacks appropriate platform padding and doesn’t allow for a full range of motion. Plus, its required app’s interface was difficult to navigate.
What We’ve Updated
- Since publishing our initial part-researched-based, part-tested roundup of the best home gyms, we’ve re-evaluated our previous picks and hands-on tested five additional options from top brands. We also continued long-term testing of some original picks. This is now a fully tested article, solely featuring our hands-on experience with each recommended home gym.
- Based on our testing insights, we’ve reworked some of our product picks and superlatives, including Best Overall and Best for Bodybuilding. We’ve also added two new superlatives: Best for Upper Body and Best Affordable.
- We consulted two new experts, a certified personal trainer and a fitness expert, to ensure our advice on choosing home gyms is accurate and up-to-date.
What to Look for When Shopping for a Home Gym
- Size: Before buying a home gym, consider how large it is. Options on our list range from commercial-style rigs to simple, foldable setups that can be used virtually anywhere. Be sure the home gym you’re eyeing will fit in your garage, dedicated workout space, bonus room, or corner of your apartment, with plenty of room for you to use it correctly and safely.
- Style: Any home gym that provides progressive resistance will help you build muscle. The style of home gym that’s right for your workout depends on your fitness level and goals. Look for a machine or system that provides a variety of full-body exercises and allows you to increase the resistance over time.
- Versatility: Typically, more versatile machines keep your muscles guessing which moves you’ll challenge them with next. Some home gyms can be used to perform 20 different exercises, while others can handle hundreds. Think about what your current workout routine looks like and how you may want your workouts to change in the future when selecting a home gym.
- Maximum Resistance: Many home gyms allow you to lift heavy weights without purchasing individual weight plates, a free weight bench, or a rack. If you’re a serious lifter, pay close attention to maximum weight plates and cable resistance settings while you shop.
Benefits of Owning a Home Gym
Owning a home gym can have several advantages. Whether you have a busy schedule, want to save on membership fees, or prefer to work out in private, the following are some key advantages to investing in an at-home workout system.
- Convenience: Owning your workout equipment helps you skip the commute to and from the gym, saving time and making it easier to fit workouts into your busy schedule instead of around gym hours. Plus, this may make it easier to stick to your fitness routine.
- Efficient, Private Workouts: With no need to travel or wait for equipment, workouts can be quicker and more efficient. Plus, you won’t need to work out in front of other individuals if this is something you’re not comfortable with.
- Cost-Effective: Investing in personal gym equipment can save money on recurring gym membership fees and transportation costs, especially for multi-person households.
- Customization: Get tailored workouts by choosing equipment that caters to your fitness goals, whether you’re doing strength training, cardio, or flexibility work. You can also create a customized workout environment that suits your comfort level, from playing music to controlling the temperature or lighting.
- Hygiene: Since it’s your own space, you can control the cleanliness and hygiene of equipment better than in shared gym spaces.
How We Tested the Home Gyms
To find the best home gyms on the market, we tested eight options at home and in our Lab, performing exercises like face pulls, leg presses, bicep curls, and more. When testing home gyms, we evaluate each option based on the following key criteria.
- Ease of Setup: When evaluating for ease of setup, we consider how easy it is to assemble the home gym. Are the manufacturer’s instructions clear and easy to follow? How long does it take to put together fully? Can it be done alone, or does it require multiple people?
- Ease of Use: When considering ease of use, we ask ourselves how easy it is to perform various exercises. How much space does the home gym take up? How easy is it to adjust, and does it remain stable? We prioritize home gyms that are easy to adjust and accommodate various exercises while remaining completely stable.
- Safety: Stability, sturdiness, and proper performance are essential to ensure safety. Do we feel safe or unsafe while using the home gym? Is the manufacturing description clear about the safety components that come with it? As we work out, we note whether the system and its adjustment mechanisms feel sturdy, wobbly, or unstable.
- Comfort: We pay attention to how comfortable the equipment is—does it dig into our skin? Are seats and backrests comfortably padded, and are handles and grips ergonomically designed to fit our hands comfortably? Is there any discomfort while using the machine?
- Performance: To evaluate performance, we note what exercises the system allows us to perform and if there are any limitations to the types of workouts that can be done. Can we customize our workout routine? How versatile is it for different exercise types and intensities? Does it perform smoothly and comfortably?
- Features: During testing, we note whether each home gym has any helpful features, special functions, or settings that make it easier, more pleasant, or beneficial to use. Do its features make it versatile, allowing us to switch up our workouts with new exercises, or do we feel limited to the same few moves? We prioritize home gyms that offer several exercises to target different muscle groups, allowing for engaging, full-body workouts.
- Value: To accurately rate each home gym’s value, we don’t check the price until the end of the testing period after we’ve evaluated it in all other key categories. Considering its performance in all other areas, is its price fair? Would we only buy it on sale? We prioritize home gyms whose quality exceeds their value.
Our Experts
We consulted experts at each stage of our research, testing, and reporting process. The following experts advised us on which key features to look for when selecting a high-quality home gym. Although we choose products independently, expert input influences our decisions.
- Parker Oliver, CFSC, general manager, certified functional strength coach, and nutritionist at BRX Performance
- Adrien Deffes, ACE-CPT, certified personal trainer in New York
- Mike Julom, ACE-CPT, CrossFit level 1 trainer and certified personal trainer in Los Angeles, CA
- Marc Coronel, senior master course instructor and presenter for the Under Armour Training team, TRX, Trigger Point, LifeFitness, and ActivMotionBar
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can benefit from a home gym?
Anyone interested in improving their muscular strength and endurance from the comfort of their own home can benefit from a home gym. Before buying one, ask yourself if you would use a heavyweight bench and squat rack rig, a high-tech screen that projects strength training classes, or an option somewhere in between.
What is the best flooring for a home gym?
The best flooring for a home gym prevents heavy equipment from damaging the permanent floors in your home and gives your joints a more forgiving surface to exercise on. Choose flooring that is thick, easy to assemble, durable against more aggressive use, and comfortable.
How much does a good home gym cost?
You can usually expect to pay between $200 and $4,000 for a high-quality home gym, although this can vary, says Julom. While the initial cost of setting up a home gym may be a lot up front, it may pay off in the long term compared to the monthly cost of a gym membership. Home gym subscriptions can also be more cost-effective in the long run.
What are the different types of home gyms?
Home gyms come in various styles and sizes, including all-in-one training machines that combine multiple strength training modalities in one unit, simpler free weight sets with dumbbells, barbells, and benches for customizable strength training, and cardio-focused equipment, like treadmills, stationary bikes, and rowing machines. Some home gym setups include functional training systems such as resistance bands, cables, and suspension trainers for bodyweight exercises and versatility-focused workouts.
Is it cheaper to build a home gym or have a gym membership?
Building a home gym can be pricier upfront due to equipment costs—especially if it’s a large or complex system. Both Julom and Coronel agree that after a few years, a home gym can pay for itself, while a gym membership—while less expensive initially—can add up fast and cost significantly more in the long run.
Why Trust Verywell Fit
Jessica Murtaugh, NASM-CPT, CNC, is a Los Angeles-based certified personal trainer and health, fitness, and lifestyle writer dedicated to recommending trustworthy products and evidence-based practices to help readers achieve sustainable wellness. A lifelong athlete, runner, and certified personal trainer, she owns and uses several home gyms to help her cross-train. For this roundup, she prioritized trustworthy home gym equipment brands that provide safe and effective products.
Additional reporting contributed by Alena Hall
As a former personal trainer, seasoned health writer, and avid exerciser, Alena Hall understands how important it is to pick the right home gym equipment. She is always exploring the latest and greatest wellness tools, machines, and gadgets. But more importantly, she carefully considers the quality and features that make these fitness products worthwhile investments.
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