Going to the gym is something most of us do or have at least experienced, after all we all need to get a good workout in and maintain our fitness as well. However I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes it is a bit costly to maintain a gym membership but there are solutions around that, at the very least be quite a bit cheaper, with a few negative sides here and there. While you may not be able to afford every extreme machine out there, at the very least with some research and a little elbow grease, you can have some rather great workout options in the very comfort of your own home. Again you may lose out on some quality time with a trainer, but there’s something about making sure you’re attending to your own fitness in your own home, that makes it so satisfying. So if that is something you are interested in, keep on reading and you may never need to go to the gym again.

Free weights – The sheer versatility of free weights or even adjustable weights is something every home gym must-have and quite frankly it’s why this item is on this list. Of course the cost can be from cheap to astronomically expensive but you can pretty much gauge your own workout need and decide from there. There are so many options available in the market I wouldn’t even know where to start really, but the one thing that is for sure is that your fitness will not go unchecked if you keep using these weights at home. Best part of having these is, no line in the gym to use them too, pretty sweet deal.

Free weights are one of the most common home fitness must-haves. Huge variety, affordable and can be stored easily.

Chin-up bar – Talking about cheap equipment, a chin-bar is a must have workout tool for your home. Chin-ups, pull-ups and what have you can really get a good workout going if you know what you are doing and with a chin-up bar, it makes it all possible. Aside from it being rather cheap, it can pretty much go toe-to-toe with the bulkier and more expensive gym equipment that is used for fitness. Just make sure that you install it properly as an accident on it can really hurt your entire body, if you catch what I mean.

Punching bag – A punching bag is something you can definitely use at home. If you are looking to really get a good sweat going for your workout, plus you know what to do with a punching bag, this could be the ideal item for your fitness, plus it really helps that it is rather cheap to purchase, the only challenge is to figure out where and how to place it in your home. Make sure you leave enough room to allow the punching bag itself to sway around. Add a boxing ring and you’ll have your own boxing gym… just kidding, where would we ever buy a boxing ring anyways?

Stretching mat/yoga mat – Don’t forget the simple stuff, simple and cheap is always good. Notice how every time you go to the gym there is a ton of a mats available for everyone’s use, now why is that? Because they are very useful for most fitness workout plans, so why wouldn’t you want this in your own home gym? Simple, there are a ton of exercises that you can definitely do on mats,  in fact a whole workout program can be done purely on yoga mats or stretching mats, so this is maybe one of the better, cheaper purchases you should have.

Jump rope – While a treadmill or an elliptical machine would be great thing to have in the house, let’s face it, some of those machines are not cheap, in fact some of them cost an astronomical amount, it’s almost like putting out a small loan for a car. Truth of the matter is not everyone has that amount of cash ready for such a purchase. So looking for a simple solution, turn to a cheap and easy to purchase jump rope. No loans required for this one, but if you start getting into the groove of a fitness induced workout, this simple purchase will really sky rocket your workout plans. Don’t worry that you won’t be doing so well at the start, it takes time and quite a bit of rhythm to get it down, but in the end what is really needed is practice, practice and did I mention practice?

Exercise ball – Another good purchase, and rather cheap too while remaining quite sturdy. This can take a lot weight, and quite a bit of beating so you don’t need to dance around it while you are diving into your workout. Getting serious with your fitness, that means you’ll want to focus on your core quite a bit and an exercise ball is exactly what you need. The exercises on this thing is pretty versatile and you can keep training until you’re an expert. 

Exercise or what some people call gym ball is one of my top must-haves when working out at home.

Resistance bands – Now these aren’t what I’d call new, but they haven’t been around for a long time, at least not the ones available in the market today. Not only are the newer ones rather sturdy, they are affordable, useful and finally handy to have around. Great for a lot of workout options out there, getting a few resistance bands is something that will really help you with your fitness plans. Another item that is rather simple but multi-talented tool that can really do a lot of stuff that the gym equipment could do, making it a definite must-have for your own home gym.

Kettlebell – Much like the free weights or dumbbells, this indispensable little home necessity is something no home gym should be without. There are quite a bit of exercises that can work with this item, plus it’s not that expensive in fact for how useful it is, I’d say it’s downright cheap in fact especially considering everything it can do for your fitness. Make sure to research the proper exercises for this wonderful tool, you won’t be sorry you ever bought it, after all you’ll be too busy with your workout to think about those things anyways.

Medicine ball – Another handy device that can really put your home gym to another level, the medicine ball can help your fitness get to where you want it to. There’s always a good workout that can be done with a medicine ball, plus keeping it handy when you’re working out with a friend opens a world with a ton of opportunities to workout. Use the medicine ball to get a little extra weight in a lot of normal exercises, such as squats, maybe up the difficulty of push ups and much more.

Booty-shaping routines at home is made is easier with a kettle bell.

Weight plates – Ideally if you have a little cash set up, I think a full bench would be great in any home gym but facts are facts, those are not cheap. The weight plates however are much more affordable and can be easily purchased. These work as well as dumbbells and kettlebells, so any of the three options would be ideal if you want to get your fitness workout done while at home, get at least one of these options and you’ll be pretty set. Sure they take up some space but again what gym doesn’t right?

And there we have it, some of the must-have and somewhat cheap gym equipment that you should have at home. They are handy and can give your fitness workout a good run for their money. The challenge is knowing what to do and how to do it properly, then from there it’s wash, repeat, wash and repeat again. All of these home equipment options are pretty great, however they won’t do much if all they do is sit in a corner. You need to figure out how to get your workout into your daily routine, your fitness takes time and needs a regular schedule, so regardless if it’s a a home gym or a real gym, take your time and get used to the workout, it will do you a world of good. Stay healthy!