Home gyms can be daunting. You have to figure out what you need, where it will go, and how it will fit in your budget. One look through a supplier’s website, like Rogue, can make it seem like a home gym will cost an arm and a leg. But, there are a ton of great pieces of home gym equipment that you can get for under $100.
These pieces will help you spice up your workouts with new movements and different types of loads. Not only will this keep your workouts fun but it will also keep you progressing. After all, different types of stimuli will lead to different types of adaptations.
Without further ado, here are 8 of the best home gym pieces you can get for under $100 – whether you are just starting out or are looking to upgrade your home gym with a few extra pieces.
Read more: What the best CrossFit athletes say you NEED in your home gym
1. Weight Vest
I have highlighted my love for weight vests previously in my article on building a COVID-19 quarantine gym.
The sentiment still remains.
A weight vest is such a versatile investment. Plus, weight vests are so affordable.
Personally, I love them for large range of motion, full-body exercises. They are a simple way to add load to squats, lunges, ring dips, pull-ups, push-ups, and pretty much any other typically bodyweight exercise.
This 40lb weight vest from RunMax available on Amazon is a solid piece. It comes in at about $65 as of the time of writing – you can check the price now, here.
These weight vests come with 3lb increments in them, so really you get a vest that can weigh any amount between 0 and 40 lbs. This customizability makes weight vest perfect for everything from a couple extra pounds on a pull up to a fully loaded squat.
2. Medicine Balls
Medicine balls are another piece of equipment I’ve highlighted in my beginner home gym guide and in my home gym on a budget articles.
I love med balls for their ability to mix up core work. Medicine balls allow you to do things like rotational throws, slams and more traditional core work like Russian twists.
Core work can sometime become boring so having a fun implement to play with is huge.
Med balls are a huge component of upper body power exercises too. Upper body power development can be tough unless you have a barbell and bumper plates. (By the way, a good bar and bumper plates should be on your list of home gym essentials – as I wrote about here).
A variety of medicine ball chest passes, throws for height and throws for distance are key to developing upper body power. The lightness of the med balls all you to produce force fast – which is the main component of power.
Plus, med balls can be held during other exercises (like squats or lunges) to add a bit extra load to the movement.
I recommend a 10-12 lb med ball like this one from Amazon Basics. 10-12 lbs is the perfect balance between enough weight to feel your exercises, but also light enough where you can still work on power development.
This Valeo 10 lb med ball is also a great option available on Amazon.
Rogue also produces some med balls, like this rubber version, which is still affordable despite being Rogue. Rogue also has some cool slam balls that are like med balls but without the bounce. You can check out the Rogue Echo Slam Balls here.
3. Kettlebells
Kettlebells are just so versatile. You can use them to replace dumbbells, in conditioning pieces, for kettlebell specific exercises or to work on stability.
As I continue to progress my training, I find that kettlebells are becoming a bigger part of my training. Exercises just feel better with kettlebells versus dumbbells.
I love them for unilateral upper body pressing. They are magical for heavy, goblet lower body work. Kettlebells swings blow up my hamstrings and butt like no other (plus can crush my aerobic system too!).
The ability to work on shoulder stabilization via bottom-up Turkish get ups, waiter’s carries and farmer’s carries is insane.
Bottom line, you need to invest in some kettlebells.
I would recommend a heavier one, of about 50 lbs, plus a lighter one around 10-20 lbs. The heavy one for your main lifts and conditioning. The lighter one for stabilization and accessory work.
Rogue’s E Coat kettlebells are the go-to. They are basic but look great. Plus, they come with the peace of mind that comes with Rogue products – you know they’ll last.
You can get a 53 lb and a 13lb kettlebell for just over $100 combined. That’s a pretty sweet deal. Check them out from Rogue here.
4. Gymnastic Rings
Rings are another piece of equipment with a high place on the “bang for your buck” list.
Obviously, you can build a ton of muscle and get very strong in your upper body from using gymnastic rings. One look at an Olympic gymnast confirms that. They are SO strong and SO aesthetic.
But one of the things that gets overlooked is using rings for lower body work. I love gymnastic rings for rear foot elevated split squats and hamstring curls while laying on your back.
Getting creative with core work, like roll outs, can take the stabilization demands to the next level.
Overall, for a very small investment, gymnastic rings can provide a great new stimulus. The possibilities for exercises are nearly endless.
The fun that comes with learning new ring skills and pushing yourself in new exercises is hard to match with any other equipment.
For a more budget version, I recommend these ProSource Rings available on Amazon.
These Rogue Wood Rings are an upgrade over the ProSource Rings. Wood just provides a bit different feel and a lot of people prefer wood to plastic. Plus, the Rogue rings are backed by a 2-year warranty.
5. Glute Loops and Hip Circles
These are a break away from my usual suggestions.
Essentially these loops/circles/material bands are key to developing strength around the hips. Whether you’re looking for a booty pump (guys and girls!) or trying to get stronger through the glutes then these bands are worth the small investment.
As a master’s student, I have been studying strength around the hips for multiple years. The ability control body position from having strong hips is a major component to athletic performance and lifting heavy in traditional lifts.
I suggest using the Glute Loop from Bells of Steel as a part of your warm up to activate the lower body muscles and build some strength/endurance through them.
I also suggest doing some accessory glute work at the end of your workouts. As much as I dislike giving them attention – some of the Instagram booty #fitspo influence type girls actually have some good ways to build mass and strength around the hips.
If you’re not feeling the Glute Loop from Bells of Steel, then Mark Bell makes his version called the Hip Circle. The Hip Circle 2.0 or the Big Ass Hip Circle are my recommendations.
You can get these for $20-30 – so a small investment for big gains.
6. Skipping Rope
Skipping ropes are my go-to cheap recommendation for home-based cardio.
Sure, you could buy a Rogue Echo Bike or a Concept 2 rowing machine to get your cardio in. Or you could spend anywhere from $5-$50 to buy a skipping rope.
Skipping can be used
- As a part of metabolic conditioning workouts
- As its own workout
- To build coordination
- To relive your elementary school days
Regardless of the reason, having a skipping rope is a game changer. They’re cheap, they’re infinitely scalable (there’s like 100+ different ways to skip) and they give a great workout.
The most basic type of skipping rope is this Rogue licorice rope – think of the red one you had in elementary school.
For a step up, this adjustable length rope from Amazon is a great option.
Finally, if you’re serious about skipping, or doing double-unders in metcons then the SR-1 Bearing Speed Rope from Rogue is a great budget-friendly and high performing option.
7. Lifting and Resistance Bands
My favourite addition to my COVID19 quarantine home gym set up was lifting bands from Bells of Steel.
These bands are so sweet. They’re made out of actual material with sewn-in, rather than just rubber. That means that they won’t stretch out and have the layers of rubber (or whatever bands are usually made from) pulling apart and looking gnarly.
Regardless of the material your bands are made from, they make a great addition to a home gym. Lifting bands can be used to add accommodating resistance to major lifts like squats, deadlift, and bench press. I wrote an article that highlights accommodating resistance, and other methods to power through plateaus, here.
You can also use these lifting bands for accessory exercises. I love using banded resistance for bicep curls, triceps extensions, and lateral raises. Not to mention, the straight arm, band pull-apart is a shoulder saver! It should be in everyone’s program.
If you are looking for bands to assist your lifts – as accommodating resistance or a bit of a different stimulus – I really recommend the Bells of Steel Non Slip Bands. I have the purple and red versions.
If you’d like a resistance band set that can give you a full-body workout then you should check out this band set available on Amazon. With 17 different bands, and between 10 to 50 lbs of resistance you can get a solid work out of any part of your body. Pro tip: double up on your bands so you can get even more resistance.
8. Light Dumbbells
I am all for lifting heavy weights. My favourite lifts are the clean, the snatch and the front squat (maybe I grew up training like an Olympic lifter).
But lighter loads are so overlooked when it comes to training.
Sometimes it can be boring or easy to skip but doing accessory lifts with lighter weights are a key to keeping joints healthy. This is particularly true when it comes to the shoulders.
How often do you see someone that crushes bench press, overhead press, maybe a couple rows and then biceps and triceps? If you go to any commercial gym, you’re bound to see it day after day.
All that is doing is setting you up for shoulder issues.
Having a set of light dumbbells allows you to work the rotator cuff and the mid-back muscles that are crucial to getting your shoulder blade to move correctly. Without the shoulder blade moving when and where it is supposed to, you’ll run into the dreaded torn rotator cuff.
Working the smaller muscles around a joint allow you to stabilize – which leads to bigger loads moved safer.
Charles Poliquin famously said in order to have stable and balanced shoulders you should be able to perform single-arm shoulder external rotations at 10% of your bench press 1RM for 8 reps.
So, if you can bench 315 lbs for a 1RM, you should be doing external rotations at above 30 lbs.
You can get dumbbells pretty much anywhere, but if you want the highest quality go for the Rogue Dumbbells – which are a bit expensive.
Otherwise, these York dumbbells are great.
9. Sandbags
I’ve written about it before and I’ll say it again: I love lifting and carrying odd objects.
There’s something “FUNctional” about lifting something up and walking around with it or throwing it over your shoulder. It just seems like training for real life.
Sandbags are a prime example of this.
Picking one up and dropping it can be a great workout. Carrying one around in a bear hug against your chest – also fun. Throwing a sandbag over your shoulder? You better believe that is fun too!
Sandbags are cheap (relatively) and can weight a whole lot. And if you’re creative you can DIY a heavy sandbag.
Straight up, a sandbag is a fun implement to add to your home gym. It’s a solid switch up from the normal dumbbell/kettlebell/barbell/bodyweight routine.
I guarantee you’ll have a big smile on your face when you’re working out (playing) with a sandbag.
The main issue is that sandbags get shipped without any filler (or else shipping would be insanely expensive). So, you need to get yourself the sand to fill the bags, which can add to the price.
Rogue has coloured sandbags and black sandbags versions of their traditional strongman style sandbags.
Bells of Steel also has a great sandbag option with their Mighty Sandbag. It’s way less expensive than the Rogue versions and comes in a greater variety of weights. Plus, the Bells of Steel Mighty Sandbags come with handles so you can use the bags for a few more variations (like lunges with the bag on your back).
These Strongfit Sandbags are super cool too. They’re not as aesthetic as the Rogue one’s listed above but you get WAY more weight for the price (even though Rogue actually ships these from their warehouses too).
I would 100% go with the Strongfit Sandbags – they look badass, have a full year warranty, and aren’t expensive compared to their competition on the market.