Strength Training Equipment for Home – Introduction
What is the best home strength training equipment list for 2025?
While there is nothing wrong with joining and training at a gym, many people prefer to work out at home.
The best home workout equipment offers several advantages over gym training, including:
Fitness independence – you can work out on your terms, whenever and however you want.
Cost-effectiveness – no expensive gym membership fees to pay.
Time efficiency – no need to waste time commuting to the gym.
Privacy – not everyone wants to be an Instagram star!
Better workouts – no chance of someone using the exercise you plan on using next.
No queues – not even for the showers!
Your choice of music – no more canned mainstream dance music.
Wear what you want – who’s going to care if you don’t change your T-shirt for a week?
The only real downside to at-home workouts is that you’ll need to spend some money on a few items of exercise equipment.
Of course, you CAN develop a good level of fitness, muscle mass, and strength using just your body weight.
However, cranking out hundreds of push-ups and squats will eventually get old.
So, in this article, we reveal the best strength training equipment for home use in 2025.
That’s not to say you need ALL this stuff.
But, if you are thinking about setting up a home gym, any of the items on this list will make a good start.
Strength Training Equipment List
Looking to install your own smart home gym equipment but not sure where to begin?
Here are 15 of our favorite home strength training tools for better workouts in 2025!
#1. Squat rack/pull-up bar
If you are serious about strength training, you should find space in your home gym for a squat rack/pull-up bar.
Combined with a barbell, some weight plates, and an adjustable bench, you’ll have everything you need to build strength and muscle mass at home.
Recommended product: Sunny Health & Fitness Power Zone Squat Stand
You can see more squat rack options in the 5 Best Cheap Power Racks and Squat Racks for Sale Today
#2. Incline/decline bench
An adjustable bench can add a new dimension to your workouts.
Changing the angle of your body means you can hit your muscles from a variety of positions which can help make your workouts more productive.
So, while there is nothing wrong with flat weight benches, an incline/decline bench gives you another great option for training.
Recommended product: BARWING Adjustable Weight Bench
Visit The 5 Best Budget Weight Benches for Your Home Gym for more great choices.
#3. Barbell set
Squats, deadlifts, power cleans, bent-over rows, and the bench press – they’re all great exercises.
But, to do them, you’ll need a barbell.
Keep things simple by buying a barbell set that comes complete with all the weights you’ll need for your workouts.
In most cases, this is the most cost-effective way to buy a barbell and weight plates.
Recommended product: BalanceFrom 300-pound, 7FT Olympic Barbell Set
Check out the following articles if you are looking for additional affordable barbells and bumper plates:
- 7 Best Budget Olympic Barbells for Your Home Gym
- The 7 Best Budget Bumper Plates for Your Home or Garage Gym
#4. Adjustable dumbbells
A set of dumbbells can add a lot to your workouts.
While barbells are better for heavy lifting, dumbbells are great for functional exercises and increasing your range of motion.
In addition, dumbbells allow you to train one limb at a time, addressing and fixing any left-to-right strength imbalances you might have.
Adjustable dumbbells are ideal for home lifters as they are an excellent strength training option for small spaces.
Recommended product: Keppi Adjustable Dumbbells Set
See more of the best selection of reasonably-priced dumbbells at The 5 Best Budget Dumbbells this Year
#5. Dipping bars
While you’ll have no problem doing pull-ups in a squat rack, you probably won’t be able to do dips unless your rack is compatible with some kind of aftermarket dipping attachment.
A set of freestanding dip bars fixes this problem and will add a new dimension to your upper body workouts.
The best dipping bars are light, stable, and portable, so you can move them around and even train outdoors when the weather is fine.
Recommended product: Lebert Fitness Dip Bar Stand
#6. Kettlebells
Dumbbells are useful for slow-tempo strength training but are not so good for power workouts.
Kettlebells are much more comfortable for swings, cleans, and snatches.
A set of kettlebells is quite an investment, but given how effective kettlebell training is, it’s money well spent!
Recommended Product: Bintiva Cast Iron Vinyl Coated Kettlebell Set
See 5 Epic Kettlebell Swing Benefits for Total Body Conditioning if you’re still wondering why a regular exercise routine with kettlebells is a workout that’s hard to beat.
#7. Gymnastic rings
Are you bored with bodyweight training?
We hear you!
Make calisthenic strength training fun again with gymnastic rings.
Hang them from your power rack, roof beam, or tree branch to add a new dimension to pull-ups, dips, rows, pull-ups, and even leg curls and Bulgarian split squats.
Recommended product: Double Circle Wood Gymnastics Rings
#8. Medicine balls
Bodyweight abs exercises are fine for beginners, but if you’ve been training for a few months, your strong midsection probably means you have to do a lot of reps to fatigue your muscles.
One way around this problem is to use medicine balls to overload your abs.
You can also use medicine balls for different exercises, like thrusters and slams to burn calories and improve your fitness.
Recommended product: RitFit Weighted Medicine Ball Set
Not sure how to use a medicine ball?
Discover the 7 Best Medicine Ball Exercises You Can Do for Abs, plus an incredibly effective six-pack core workout.
#9. Weighted vest
The great thing about bodyweight exercises is you don’t need any equipment to do them.
The downside is your body weight is fixed, so it’s much harder to progress your workouts as you get stronger.
One way around this is to wear an adjustable weighted vest.
Adding just a few pounds will make a variety of exercises like push-ups, lunges, and squats much more demanding.
Recommended product: miR 50-pound Air Flow Weighted Vest with Zipper
You can find more great choices in this article: 5 Best Weighted Vests for All Fitness Workouts on the Market Today
And a user’s guide here: The 5 Best Weight Vest Workouts: Training Benefits + Users Guide
#10. Abs wheel
Do you want strong, powerful abs?
Then get an abs wheel!
Abs wheel rollouts are one of the best core exercises around, and they also give your lats and upper back a great workout.
Make abs wheel rollouts even more effective by wearing a weighted vest or progressing to the standing variation.
Recommended product: Perfect Fitness Ab Carver Pro Roller Wheel
For an excellent core workout you can do in the comfort of your home, see the 11 Best Middle Abs Exercises for Beginners + Workout
#11. Doorway pull-up bar
Space is not an issue if you have a spare bedroom or garage in which to install your home gym.
But, if you are short on space and still want to work out at home, you’ll need some compact training options.
Doorway pull-up bars are ideal because you can take them down when not in use.
The best doorway pull-up bars are also suitable for chin-ups, push-ups, and sit-ups, so you can get a total body workout in just a few feet of space.
Recommended product: Armpow Pull-Up Bar
To understand why pull-ups are such a fantastic exercise, visit 10 Amazing Benefits of Pull-Ups + How-To and Muscles Worked
#12. Gym flooring
The last thing you want to do is slip during a workout or drop a heavy weight and damage your floor.
High-density, non-slip, shock-absorbing matting will protect your floor and home from the rigors of your workouts.
You can also use it in place of a gym mat for floor exercises.
Recommended product: Prosource Fit Extra Thick Puzzle Exercise Mat
With a barbell, plates, and only a couple of heavy-duty mats, you can set up a deadlift studio that can dramatically change your body.
#13. Power tower
Not a big fan of lifting weights?
No problem!
You can still get stronger and build muscle at home with a power tower.
Power towers are freestanding pull-up, chin-up, dip, and push-up stands that are ideal for home bodyweight training.
With nothing but a compact power tower, you have everything you need to sculpt a strong and muscular upper body.
Recommended product: Weider Power Tower
See the 5 Best Power Tower Exercises to Get Ripped + Workout Routine to get the most out of a power tower.
#14. Isometric training straps
Isometrics is the ultimate at-home workout convenience.
Armed with nothing but an adjustable strap, you can train every muscle in your entire body and build strength and muscle size.
This type of workout is also very time efficient and joint-friendly, and you won’t need to spend much money on equipment, either.
Use isometrics as a supplement to or replacement for strength training with weights.
Recommended product: WorldFit ISO Trainer
#15. Resistance band set
Why pump iron when you can pump rubber?
Barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, and medicine balls are great, but they take up a lot of space and can be noisy to use.
They’re relatively expensive too, but they are very versatile and long-lasting.
If you want to train your muscles without weights, give resistance band training a go.
With resistance bands, you can replicate almost every free weight and machine exercise to build muscle and strength in the comfort of your home.
Then, when your workout is finished, just put your bands in a bag and put them in a closet until you need them again.
Recommended product: XTREME TECH Resistance Training Bands Set
The Best Home Strength Training Equipment List – Wrapping up
You can spend as little or as much as you like on your own home gym, but whatever you spend will be a great investment in your future fitness and health.
Having 24/7/365 access to your gym means you’re a lot less likely to skip workouts, which will help you reach your training goals sooner.
And you don’t have to fill your home gym with every piece of equipment mentioned above right away.
You can start small and add to your gym over several weeks or even years.
I’m still adding equipment to my gym even after over five years of workouts at home.
Working out at home is convenient and time-efficient, which means you can train whenever it suits you best.
Whatever you are training for, you’ll have no problem achieving your fitness goals with home gym workouts.
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