How to Cheaply Create a Home Gym + Free Workout Signs

One of my favorite ways of working out is at home with my low-key home gym setup. I don’t know about you, but I get super sweaty when I work out. Like puddles of sweat, “is she okay?” sweaty. And I love saving time and hate commuting. So between those two things, I prefer avoiding busy fitness studios. Being able to workout at home, away from walls of mirrors and people who somehow have 0 sweat spots on their baby pink spandex ensembles, is a blessing.

Plus, with the New Year approaching, many of us are thinking about starting our fitness journey or revamping our workout routine. If you’re interested in working out at home, a big question is often what workout equipment is needed for a stocked home gym. As a fitness enthusiast who has worked out at home for years and who worked out exclusively at home for the first 15 years of my workout journey, I can provide guidance on my favorite, versatile workout resources that can help you reach your fitness goals.

Even better, I live in a small apartment. I mean, that’s not better for me necessarily, but it’s better for my guidance. Because I’ll focus on what you can purchase if you have a small workout space and then I’ll provide bonus gear to consider if you have more space and money to invest in your home gym.

The Essentials: The Bare Bones Necessities for a Home Gym

A yoga mat or carpeted area

The first thing you need for a home fitness center is a space to work out. For most of my adolescence and early adulthood I lived in homes that were heavily carpeted. This negated the need for a yoga mat because I always had a soft space to work out on. That being said, even if you have a carpeted area to work out, it’s nice to have a yoga mat so you don’t sweat into the carpet. Blech, but also, I totally did that for years. 

So I highly recommend buying a yoga mat if you have the resources to do so. Look for a yoga mat that has good grip and durability. Many yoga mats these days are made from recycled and/or sustainable materials if you want an environmentally friendlier option. Manduka offers highly rated, environmentally friendly yoga mats.

Resistance bands

You might be surprised that I am recommending resistance bands before dumbbells. However, resistance bands are almost as versatile as dumbbells, they’re lower impact, and they’re much cheaper. Consequently, they are arguably the best option for beginners and more advanced fitness enthusiasts alike. I recommend purchasing a set of 3 resistance bands that include a light, medium, and difficult resistance. You can buy these for about $15-$20 on Amazon or at many sports retailers.

You can also purchase resistance bands that are in a loop. These are helpful for some types of exercises and I do love having one of these bands. However, you can also tie your long resistance bands in a loop and forego the need to buy one if you prefer. The only downside of this is that they are slightly less comfortable to use because the resistance bands can sometimes get rolled up when they are tied in a loop.

Not sure how to use them? Check out my resistance band full-body workout routines for ideas.

A workout plan

Last, you’ll want a workout plan or list of workouts to follow. You don’t necessarily have to purchase these. Like I mentioned above, I have workout plans available for free here. You can also find workout plans through popular publications like Women’s Fitness and Men’s Fitness (these workouts are good for anyone regardless of gender identity) or even YouTube videos of routines. 

If you’re just starting out, you may want to talk with a personal trainer. They can help you design a workout plan that is tailored to your fitness level and goals. If you prefer to forego a trainer, make sure you are starting with a workout routine that is tailored to your experience (such as a beginner fitness routine) and it’s always recommended that you consult with a doctor before starting a new health routine.

The Next Steps for a Home Gym

2-3 pairs of dumbbells (ideally light, medium, and hard)

Resistance bands are awesome for a home workout gym. However, there are some exercises that are just easier with dumbbells, especially if you want to start training with heavier resistance. I recommend having at least two pairs of dumbbells, a medium pair and a heavier pair.

Having a medium and heavy pair will help you build your strength and can last you for quite awhile before you need to scale up. You may also want to have a light pair that you can use for doing lots of reps. This is beneficial for muscle endurance. That being said, you can often use your resistance bands instead of a light pair of dumbbells. 

Before I started climbing and really building up my strength, I relied on my 5-pound dumbbells for my medium set and my 10-pound dumbbells for my heavy set. I also had a pair of 2-pound dumbbells for light, high-rep exercises. You may also find this a useful place to start. However, I recommend checking out a sporting goods store first to try lifting the dumbbells and seeing what weight might work best for you. Consulting with a personal trainer can also help.

A foam roller

As you start working out more, you’ll likely start to feel sore. On top of that, we ideally want to warm up and cool down after each workout. Enter the foam roller. The foam roller is one of my absolute favorite tools. It’s a cylindrical piece of foam that is surprisingly versatile. 

You can roll it over body parts to release knots and scar tissue and improve blood flow. It’s therefore a great way to cool down after a workout. However, research has found that it’s also an awesome warm up. Because it improves blood flow and limbers up muscles, you can do it both before and after a workout. This is really cool because, for the most part, the things we do to warm up before a workout are very different from what we should do after a workout (for more info on this, check out my post on stretching).

You can find foam rollers for less than $20 on places like Amazon and sporting goods and yoga sites. I love the foam Amazon Basics foam roller, it’s excellent quality and has lasted me many years. I recommend getting a long, smooth foam roller if you have the storage space as those are slightly more versatile than shorter ones or ones with nubs.

Side note, a foam roller is a perfect gift for the fitness enthusiasts in your life! Many people don’t have one yet or don’t have the long ones. And it’s great for fitness fans regardless of their preferred fitness activity.

A fitness app

If you are working out regularly and have the money for it, I recommend looking into a fitness app subscription. For best results, we should regularly switch up our exercises so that our muscles and cardiovascular system have new challenges. This is part of how our muscles grow stronger over time. However, if you’re responsible for finding or coming up with your own workout plans all the time, it’s exhausting and time-consuming to keep searching out new content. 

This is where a fitness app can be a great way to switch things up. Fitness apps can provide a bevvy or workout routines to keep you interested. I’ve used the Peloton and Tone It Up apps for their workout routines and have enjoyed both. If you love yoga, subscribing to Yoga with Adriene’s YouTube channel is a great, free option for getting a wide range of yoga routines.

Advanced / Helpful Supplements for a Home Gym

Kettlebell

You might wonder how a kettlebell differs from dumbbells. Both are used for strength training and both are incredibly effective. However, kettlebells have different exercises they’re really good for and somewhat less good for. Because kettlebells have a nice handle, they can be easier to use for things like weighted squats. You can also use kettlebells for some one-armed and two-armed exercises. This means you can use them to get a quite challenging one-armed workout or a more moderate two-armed workout. Finally, you can use kettlebells for kettlebell swings. 

With a basic kettlebell swing, you grasp the handle in two hands and bend your knees, with the kettlebell hanging below you. You then thrust your hips forward, engaging your glutes, and swinging the kettlebell with straight arms so that it reaches chest height before returning to the starting position. This whole move happens in a couple of seconds and is a great way of strengthening your lower body. It’s really not an arm exercise, the swinging kettlebell just adds extra resistance and a stability challenge for your lower body.

All of this is to say that a kettlebell is an amazing addition to your strength training routine. It can complement your dumbbells and resistance bands while adding new benefits and exercise options.

Stationary bike, treadmill, rowing machine

We’re now at the crème de la crème of fitness gear. If you have the money and space, adding a stationary bike, treadmill, rowing machine, or other exercise machine that supports cardiovascular exercise can truly complete your gym. You can get a good cardio workout without any of these machines. For example, dancing, plyometric exercises (basically exercises with jumping like burpees or box jumps), and HIIT workouts can be done at home and can strengthen your heart and lungs.

However, if you live in an upper-floor apartment like me, these exercises can feel a little invasive of downstairs neighbors. And it can feel limiting to be restricted to these options. A stationary bike, treadmill, rowing machine, etc. offers a great cardio workout without having to leave the house. 

We have a Sunny Bike that we love. We bought it from Amazon for about $350. It’s a much cheaper option that a Peloton bike and I use it in tandem with the Peloton app on my phone. If you’re looking into these options, you can check out price and quality comparisons of stationary bikes, treadmills, and rowing machines.

Extras

If you’re looking for even more great tools, I love our pushup bars. They’ve been a big help when I’ve had wrist injuries as they make exercises like planks and pushups easier on your wrists. Plus, they actually allow for harder pushups since you can go deeper into a pushup than you would otherwise be able to.

For those who love yoga, I highly recommend yoga blocks. They make so many yoga poses more accessible by bringing the ground up to you. Plus you can use them for a variety of yoga poses that you can’t do without blocks.

Home Gym Workout Signs

And finally, if you want to spruce up your workout room with a little home gym decor, check out these free printable home gym signs in a number of unique designs to fit your personal style. You can download them in PDF format and print them at home or your local print shop. You can even frame them for a great gift!

Below I include a few home gym wall art options for your home gym or home yoga studio. The first five feature a motivational quote in a variety of colors and different sizes. Motivational wall art is a perfect addition to a home gym to provide a little extra pep for your workout routines.

The second set of options are custom gym signs. If you reach out via the contact form, you can get a personalized home gym sign featuring the gym name of your choice. This can provide a personal touch to your home gym. This custom listing will only be offered for a limited type, so make sure to reach out by February 1^st, 2024 to put in your special requests for a personalized home gym sign. After this point, I will be charging a design fee for custom signs. Please note that delivery times range from 3-5 business days for custom signs and they will be delivered to you via email.

Final Thoughts on Home Gym Setups

I hope this post has given you the inspiration to skip the sweaty locker room and design your own personal fitness center! For less than $100, you can get the key pieces of equipment you need for a great workout. Add a free home gym sign, and you’re all set.

And if you’re looking for workouts to actually do in your home gym, check out my posts on resistance band workouts, 10 minute workouts for beginners, and upper body workouts with no dumbbells.

Finally, remember I am not a personal trainer. While I have completed the National Academy of Sports Medicine’s personal trainer course, I am not currently certified. Make sure to consult with a medical or fitness professional before starting a workout routine.

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