Buying a home gym is not an easy task. This kind of workout room is something that takes time and research and depends mostly on your goals.
Needless to say, there is a wide choice of equipment that you might use. However, keep in mind that this kind of investment is a long-term one.
If you don’t want to spend money carelessly, the best thing is to check recommendations for the best home gym on the internet.
In this guide, you will find some of the essential features to consider when buying home gym equipment.
Although the final decision depends on your personal preferences, in the following text, you can find our top picks for this year.
Bowflex Blaze Home Gym
What We Love About
- Bowflex Blaze Home Gym has different machines that are assembled in one unit. This unit can support up to 60 different types of exercises. You can choose from various training options from gluteus workouts to quads.
- This machine has the latest technology. It enables you to use customized rods instead of free weights.
- The warranty for Bowflex Blaze is five years. Contrarily, these customized rods have a warranty for a lifetime.
What made us sad
- If you are on the budget, you can find it a bit pricier than some of the other models.
- There is a possibility of rods falling apart regardless of their lifetime warranty.
TAKEAWAY
When it comes to the most comprehensive home gyms that you can find on the market, our pick would be the Bowflex Blaze. This home gym provides a complete workout so you can rest assured that you won’t need any additional exercising items to achieve your fitness goals.
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Editor’s Pick
Body-Solid Strength Tech EXM2500S
What We Love About
- This model comes with 10lb iron plates, which are included in your offer.
- You don’t need to worry about cable maintenance. Body-Solid Strength has a variety of pulleys, so you don’t need to change them.
- The design of Body-Solid Strength is unique and doesn’t require adjustments.
What made us sad
- If you have a low ceiling, Body-Solid Strength might not be the model you want because its height is 83 inches.
- If you are not good with assembling things and you don’t have much time, keep in mind that it takes up to 7 hours to assemble the Body-Solid Strength Tech EXM2500S home gym.
TAKEAWAY
Body-Solid Strength Tech EXM2500S is a model suitable for those who want to have a home gym of the finest quality. This is one of the most famous brands in the market, and it is known for its superior products that offer the most realistic gym-like feeling for those who practice.
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Best High-END
Gold’s Gym XR 55 Home Exercise
What We Love About
- It is a compact model, and it is the right choice for those who have limited space.
- Even though the maximum amount of exercises that Gold’s Gym XR 55 Home Exercise offers is 36, it is still one of the best values for the money.
- This machine has ten weights (12.5lbs each) included. The leg lever of the Gold’s Gym can support up to 330lbs while its maximum resistance is up to 145lbs.
What made us sad
- Like the previous model, Gold’s Gym also needs some time to assemble.
- If you purchase this home exercise system, you don’t have the option of including leg press, which is why it is not recommended for those who want to do advanced training.
TAKEAWAY
This model is most suitable for those who are on the budget. Gold’s Gym provides all of the basic exercising options, and it is still highly functional.
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BUDGET PICK
Thane Total Flex Home Gym
What We Love About
- It is one of the most compact home gyms since you can fold it down to the size of a briefcase.
- Thane Total Flex has simple changeovers. This is why many people find this home gym set up very efficient and easy to use.
- Unlike the other models that we mentioned above, Thane Total Flex doesn’t have complicated assembling procedures, which means that you can use it from the moment you get it.
What made us sad
- This model is known to have lower resistance, so it is not very useful for those who want to do advanced workouts.
- If you purchase this model, you need to know that the number of exercises is limited. This is one of the main reasons why many people use it as a supplement to their regular gym training.
TAKEAWAY
This home gym is recommended for those who want to get the best value for the money they plan to invest.
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BEST VALUE
Powerline Body-Solid Home Gym
What We Love About
- This model is ideal for those who want to save as much space as possible.
- It has nine assembling bolts which make it easy to set up.
- The tensile strength that Powerline offers is 2200 pounds, and it provides about 40 different exercise types focusing on all body parts.
What made us sad
- One of the biggest disadvantages of Powerline Body-Solid is the fact that you don’t get any tutorials or instructional videos with your purchase.
- Even though the overall warranty for the machine is ten years, some moving parts have a significantly lower one.
TAKEAWAY
If you have limited space in your home, but you still want to purchase a home gym equipment that offers advanced workout possibilities, you should go with the Powerline Body-Solid home gym.
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BEST COMPACT
Buyer’s Guide To Best Home Gym
Fitness Goals
This feature is entirely personal and depends on the type of results you want to achieve.
If you are a beginner, you should consider equipment with basic set up. Still, if you want to achieve serious change, and you plan to dedicate yourself to training, there are different types of home gym options that can help you change your body shape quickly and efficiently.
The main advantage of having a best at home gym and concrete fitness goals is the fact that you can work out whenever you want.
You don’t need to think about gym working hours or crowds. Additionally, practicing in your own space is cleaner, which means that you don’t have to worry about sweat, germs, and so forth.
If you have a long term exercising plan, it can be cheaper to avoid paying memberships and gym fees. Having your training tempo can end up being more motivational.
Technology
Fitness technology has evolved along with all other products on the market. Nowadays, many items offer various high-tech options and improve your overall training.
If you are, however, into purchasing equipment like that, you should consider double-checking online retailers and some remarkably useful and affordable things for your future home gym.
For example, there is best home gym equipment with interfaces that can track your motion. They use devices called gyroscopes, which are usually placed on their handles.
These gyroscopes can measure the force you put into your practice from a few angles.
Additionally, they can measure the speed and overall power of your repetitions during the whole training.
This data can later be used to create some new workout programs, and you can even connect them with your smartwatch if you want to keep track of your heart rate.
The best thing is that these kinds of practicing machines enable you to create quality training sessions regardless of your exercising level.
Adjustability
When we talk about the adjustability of home gym equipment, we have to mention that this feature depends on the type of machines that you want to get, the fitness equipment that is usually considered to be a part of a home gym setting is most often divided into seven categories.
So, when we say home gym, we mostly refer to some of the following machines: benches (usually bodyweight fitness ones), power towers, flex-rod, smith, functional trainers (otherwise known as cable crossovers), weight-stack equipment and power racks.
As you can imagine, each of these categories has different characteristics. Thus there are diverse types of adjustability for all of the above.
This feature mostly refers to machines’ ability to adjust the seat, handles, and other parts to your unique body shape and types of body exercises that you’ll do.
Of course, they all have their advantages and disadvantages, so it is important to consider this aspect when purchasing one.
Versatility
Most of the gym equipment offers different training options. Some of them even allow you to create new types of strength training, for example.
Many manufacturers sell home gym products that have versatile workouts for which you don’t need too much space. Adding basic items such as mats and resistance bands can transform your training environment and positively impact your experience.
It is recommended even to put some mirrors and a sound system if possible.
The primary purpose of creating this kind of comfortable environment is to maximize your results.
If your goal is to try as many exercising options as possible, you can use recommended programs on the machine, or choose equipment that can support workout apps.
One of the most frequently used ones is called JEFIT, and it offers more than 1300 different exercises.
The whole JEFIT library is categorized by muscle group you want to target, and it incorporates a large number of videos and images.
There is also an option of including a timer if you’re going to keep track of your set durations.
Ease of Use
This feature refers to the complexity of handling and maintaining your equipment from the moment you receive it up to the moment you start using it regularly.
Most of the home gym machines don’t need to be assembled.
They arrive packed in a box, and the procedure is quite simple- you just unpack it, and you can start your training. However, some parts are adjustable so we can say some are more complex to handle than others.
If you choose equipment that has a glide board (and most of the machines do), you should pay attention to cushioning, especially for your lower back.
Also, if you want additional comfort, consider gym machines that provide support for your head.
The most common way of introducing any type of home gym equipment is through DVD tutorials.
Some models have additional nutrition and training plans that can be useful depending on your desired results.
If you, however, want something that you can move when you finish working out, you should take into consideration models that are easy to fold up.
Safety
Even though that home gym offers freedom and flexibility, you should be mindful of your safety while working out.
The main difference between the commercial gyms and home gyms is the staff that is available at all times.
When you practice alone, it is harder to react quickly if something unpleasant happens.
Warm-up is always great for beginners. It is never recommended to head into training without proper stretching and simple exercises at the beginning.
Also, you should never practice without having the appropriate equipment.
Be mindful of your footwear and clothes. You should have something that doesn’t limit your movements and is breathable.
Back protection is also important so you should include that in your list too.
If you want to bench press 350lbs for example, you shouldn’t even consider it if you don’t have a spotter with you.
This is one of the most frequent errors that people make while training. No matter how strong you are, lifting the weight without anyone around is very risky!
Design
Being able to design your own workout space is one of the greatest advantages of having a home gym.
However, the amount of space you have can also limit you to certain types of equipment that you can get. Also, the design depends on the budget that you have for this feature.
If you want to have Wi-Fi connected machines with high-tech items included, you need to make sure that the internet connection is good.
If not, that means that you will have to give additional money for internet speed improvement.
When setting up the machines, keep in mind that you have to provide enough space above and around them.
The recommended distance between the equipment and the wall, for example, is at least six and a half feet at the back and one and a half feet on sides.
If you don’t have a room with enough space to set up your home gym, the basement is the most common alternative.
With simple wall paintings and floor renewal, it can be affordable and comfortable training space.
Maintenance
You should treat the space in which you work out like any other room in your house.
This means that you have to clean it every day and to take good care of it in general.
All of the gym equipment should be cleaned with a towel and water after every training session.
Also, additional stuff such as yoga mats should be wiped too, along with ropes (if you have any), all handles, resistance bands, and so forth.
From time to time, you can add tree oil or lemon juice into water to refresh the equipment.
If you use storage rather than fixed set up, it is best to clean up before and after your workout.
Don’t forget to vacuum the floors and clean the windows at least once a week.
If you use apps, make sure that they are regularly updated and that all of the additional features are used according to the manufacturer’s user manual.
OUR TOP HOME GYM PICKS AND THEIR COMPARISON
In some of the previous paragraphs, we mentioned that there will be more talk about the suitability and performances of particular home gyms.
In the following table, you can find their comparison through grades such as poor, fair, good, and best.
| Features | Bowflex Blaze Home Gym | Body-Solid Strength Tech EXM2500S | Gold’s Gym XR 55 Home Exercise | Thane Total Flex | Powerline Body-Solid Home Gym |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fitness Goals | Best | Best | Good | Good | Best |
| Technology | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Adjustability | Good | Best | Good | Fair | Good |
| Versatility | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good |
| Ease of Use | Fair | Poor | Best | Good | Good |
| Safety | Good | Good | Good | Good | Best |
| Design | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Maintenance | Best | Good | Good | Good | Best |
| Price Range | 600$ -1100$ | 900$-1100$ | 300$-600$ | 500$-700$ | 800$-1000$ |
| Overall Score | Best | Good | Good/Fair | Good/Fair | Good |
The Final Say So!!
As you could see, the ideal home gym equipment depends mostly on personal references.
However, there are always a few basic features that you need to be focused on while choosing the most suitable options.
You can find many good models in different price ranges, but keep in mind that you will get what you paid for.
Still, if you carefully read our guide, you will understand why Bowflex Blaze was our first choice.
When you compare the quality of its performances and possibilities that this machine offers, we believe that it is worth the price.
Even though there are many different types, and your interest can be divided into few models worth purchasing, if you want to have a full multi-gym experience, Bowflex Blaze is the home gym for you.
Not only you can access more than 60 different quality exercises based on resistance, but Bowflex is also compact and affordable with a warranty of 5 years (reminder: Bowflex’s rods have a lifetime warranty).
Many reviews say that this home gym was a big booster for them because it allowed them to maximize their training and accomplish their goals.
There are several ways to purchase this home gym, but the best one is to order it on Amazon.com.
Shipping price depends on the country you are buying from. Most frequently, you can acquire discount coupons (up to 75$) for this gym machine.
The best way to keep up with the purchase and discount info is to click Bowflex Blaze Home Gym on Amazon.com and look for the discount coupon.
