Struggling with finding the right home gym equipment that fits into a small space without compromising on workout quality?
In this blog, we explore the best compact home gyms for 2024, ideal for fitness enthusiasts who have limited space but are keen on maintaining a comprehensive exercise routine. We cover a variety of compact home gyms that offer a balance between size, functionality, and versatility, from all-in-one machines that cater to a full-body workout to modular systems that can be customized to individual fitness needs. This includes options for different fitness levels, budgets, and space requirements.
With over 15 years of experience in fitness equipment and home workout solutions, we’ve assisted countless individuals, from beginners to experienced athletes, in selecting the right home gym that aligns with their fitness goals and living spaces. Our selection of the best compact home gyms for 2024 is based on in-depth testing and real-world use, ensuring our recommendations are practical, effective, and space-efficient. These home gyms aren’t just about saving space; they excel at providing a range of workout options, from strength training to cardio, in a compact footprint.
We’ve evaluated them for their exercise variety, build quality, adjustability, and overall value, finding them ideal for anyone seeking to create a versatile and effective workout space in their home.
The best home gyms are the following:
| # | Preview | Product | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Marcy MWM-988 Multifunction Steel Home Gym 150lb... | 1,174 Reviews | Check Price |
| 2 |
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Marcy 150lb. Stack Home Gym with Pulley, Arm, and... | Check Price | |
| 3 |
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PLKOW Dumbbell Rack, Weight Rack for Dumbbells,... | Check Price | |
| 4 |
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Bowflex Xceed Home Gym | Check Price | |
| 5 |
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BalanceFrom Fitvids Home Gym System Workout... | 268 Reviews | Check Price |
With the Bowflex Blaze, you can work out at home at an affordable price
Although it is among many home gyms available within the same price range, the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym is much more advanced than the models at higher prices. If you wish to use this home gym, you will need 310 or 410 pounds of resistance. Other home gyms with this much resistance are more expensive. There are also more than 60 exercises advertised as part of the Bowflex home gym.
There is also a sliding rowing bench included with the Bowflex Blaze Home Gym. For a price this low, it’s an extra.
The Bowflex warranty is the best in the industry. A home with these options and a lower price is the best deal, unless you can find one with fewer choices and a lower price.
Apex G3: Total Gym’s superior home gym with superior quality and features
- VARIETY OF WORKOUTS: Start your own workout...
- QUICK WORKOUTS: Just 15 to 20 minutes a day,...
- TOTAL BODY METHOD: Tones, strengthens, and...
- ACCESSORIES INCLUDED: Includes wing...
- PRODUCT INFO: Padded, ergonomic glide board;...
They designed a quality machine with the XLS Home Gym based on their 40 years of experience as a well-known and respected manufacturer. The Total Gym XLS Home Gym offers solid support where other bodyweight home gyms wobble.
- A 400-pound weight capacity makes the gym hard to beat in terms of quality. Priced extremely competitively, the XLS Home Gym offers a number of extra features that make it stand out from the competition.
- Aside from the main machine, you’ll also receive a leg pull, dip bars, press-up bars, a large stability mat, wings attachments, and an ab crush attachment.
- The quality and sheer amount of extras on this home gym will leave you unmatched. There are more than 80 exercises you can do on this beast. That is the only way to lose weight.
The Marcy Diamond Elite Smith Cage System is designed with pulleys and weight plates made of diamond and steel
- ASSEMBLED DIMENSIONS: 65.75"L x 65.50"W x...
- EXTRA COMFORT – This workout bench has...
- ADJUSTABLE DESIGN – The Marcy Diamond...
- SQUAT RACK – The separate squat rack can be...
- VERSATILE OLYMPIC BENCH – This training...
- The price of this product makes it difficult to match it. A pulley machine, a Smith machine, and free weights are contained within this machine.
- Aside from the free-weight squat rack, a pec deck station, a sealed-bearing press bar, a Marcy Olympic weight bench, a standalone leg developer, and a low pulley with a footrest, the Diamond Elite offers a host of features. Its safety catch and safety stoppers allow you to use heavy weights without a spotter (always remember safety) and to isolate your muscles with a bench and dumbbells (not included).
You can still hit every muscle group with just the cage itself, and you can hit them hard as well. Ultimately, the Marcy Diamond Elite Smith Cage will help you achieve your body goals by letting you exercise fully under your own control.
Body-Solid Double Stack Home Gym: EXM3000LPS comes with two weight stacks
- MULTIFUNCTIONAL: The Body-Solid Multi-Station...
- MULTIUSER: This multi-station home fitness...
- SEVEN STATIONS: This fitness equipment...
- WEIGHT STACK: This powerful home gym comes...
- DIMENSIONS: Measures 91 by 73 by 83 ( L x W x...
Body-Solid EXM3000LPS Double Stack Home Gym comes with two 210 lb weight stacks. With this Body-Solid machine, you can work out with a partner, despite being in a home gym where most people exercise alone.
It is possible to work out while using two different weight stacks, each operated by a different person. In addition, seven different stations target specific muscle groups on this machine. You will certainly be hitting every muscle in your upper and lower body, as well as your back and abs, when using these stations.
You can target the muscles more effectively when you use multiple stations since they place you in the right position and angle. Because the weight stacks and stations share the workload, your machine is less likely to suffer wear and tear. This home gym has a lifetime warranty from Body-Solid, so it doesn’t really matter.
Your Fitness Goals: What Is the Best Home Gym for You?
You should think about your ultimate goal before choosing your home gym. There is no difference between beginners and experts when it comes to exercising. With a home gym, you are able to customize your exercises, weight, and resistance. “Where would I like my body to be in X amount of time?” is the most important question.
Here are two of the most common directions people take:.
Muscle Growth (Hypertrophy): A fitness goal
Ideally, if you want to build muscle, you should consider a home gym using weight stacks or plates. Weights are allowed to be used in these gyms in order to build muscles.
- You tear your muscles when you exercise with heavyweights. That’s what “No Pain, No Gain” means.
- Your muscles grow a little bit bigger during the process of muscle repair. The process of building muscle mass occurs during this process.
- You can purchase resistance-based home gyms that will help you gain muscles, but they are definitely more expensive and provide more resistance.
The cost of commercially available equipment must be compared to your budget.
Tone or Lose Fat as your fitness goal
- You really can’t go wrong with any home gym if you want to burn calories, lose fat, or tone your body. As far as these goals are concerned, resistance-based home gyms might be better suited because you tend to use less weight than with weight-based gyms. Weight loss and muscle toning are achieved through low weight and high repetition. However, if you have a home gym that includes weights, you can still use low weights.
- You’re better off starting at a gym that focuses on lifting weights, rather than losing weight and toning, if you want to eventually add muscle. It is probably better to use a resistance-based home gym if you do not intend on ever gaining muscle mass. You can definitely find the ideal home gym for you. Once you have reached your ultimate goal, consider what you want.
Resistance or Weight Stacks: Which is Best for Home Gyms?
This section of the review will highlight home gyms that offer resistance training or weight training. Here are some benefits of each home gym style, along with a discussion of the differences.
Exercise Equipment based on Resistance (Rods, Bands & Bodyweight)
- Firstly, I would like to talk about the strength-training home gym. Those with physical limitations and beginners will benefit from resistance-style home gyms. With a resistance system, you can move smoothly without straining your joints.
- Weight stacks or weight plates don’t cause the same level of wear and tear on your body as do weight stacks. Despite its benefits, it has its drawbacks as well.
- This disadvantage is that the bands and rods over time will lose elasticity, which is the main drawback. Physical improvement and the loss of resistance are difficult to distinguish.
- Eventually, you might need to upgrade or replace the rods or bands of your rods. The cost of maintenance for this gym can be high, but it’s a necessity if you want to continue using it. Another drawback of home gyms that rely on resistance training is the difficulty of building muscle mass. You can burn calories, increase your heart rate and tone your body with a resistance-style home gym.
- It is generally recommended that you lift heavy weights to shock your muscles, regardless of whether you lift heavy weights for lower repetitions to build muscle mass. An exercise gym that uses resistance can make this difficult.
Home Gyms Based On-Resistance
In order to simplify things, we can divide resistance-based home gyms into two groups: Bowflex and everyone else. The high quality of Bowflex machines and the innovative resistance systems make them market leaders in the fitness industry. A Bowflex may appear similar to a weight stack gym, but they include a seated bench and/or a horizontal bench, allowing you to perform exercises for your entire body. The resistance system in Bowflex is primarily rods, but higher-end models utilize plates. This group of companies is also known as Total Gym.
Another quality manufacturer, Total Gym, uses resistance bands, incline benches, and body weight as resistance. Resistance-based home gyms with lesser-known designs may not offer the same quality as the top brands. In summary, there are a wide variety of resistance-based home gyms and styles available. It’s important to do your research and pick a home gym that works for you if this is the type of gym you’re looking for.
Weighted Home Gyms (plates & stacks)
Resistance is provided by weight stacks or weight plates in weight-based home gyms. In a commercial gym, you will find machines like these. These home gyms have the advantage of being able to withstand all the wear, tear, and abuse you can dish out. Resistance-based home gyms will eventually lose their elasticity, just like resistance-based gyms. The resistance system needs to be replaced. Weight stacks and weight plates will never need to be replaced.
As you gain muscle and become stronger, your weight stack or weight plates may no longer be able to keep up with you. Thus, even if you need to buy more, you can always have the ones you already own. Using weights as a basis for home gyms has a serious disadvantage. With a weight stack home gym, you’ll be able to lift a certain amount of weight. You’ll need to upgrade once you’ve grown out of that weight. Weight upgrades are not always available with some weight stacks.
The concept of a free lunch does not exist. Weighted plates are not usually included with home gyms that use weight plates. If you need anything, you have to buy it. While you cannot add more weight than the machine can hold, you are allowed to overload it up to the capacity. The amount you will need to invest in a weight-based home gym can be pretty large as you can see from all of this buying. There’s a major drawback here. The cost of these devices can be quite high, however. In any case, these gyms are as durable as any commercial gym and will serve you for a lifetime.
Exercise all of your body parts with a home gym. If you want to raise your heart rate and burn calories, you shouldn’t hesitate to buy a treadmill, elliptical machine, or exercise bike. However, they are not able to give you a full-body workout as well as a home gym. Several types of exercises for the upper and lower body and abdominal area are available from budget-friendly home gyms. Over 100 different exercises are offered by some home gyms. You can still burn calories using a home gym, even if treadmills, bikes, and ellipticals are the best for burning calories. Also, your body will be toned from head to toe. Home gyms are different from other exercise equipment because they build muscle. Cardiovascular health and fat burning are two primary purposes of exercise machines. It can build strength and muscle, too, so it isn’t just a one-stop shop. These 30, 60, or 100 different exercises are performed with heavy resistance, so that your muscles are slowly torn, repaired, and built. You burn more calories exercising and moving when you build more muscle. You become a calorie-burning machine by building muscle. A home gym is unsurpassed when it comes to building muscle. Do you currently live with one of these scenarios? Early morning workouts are your thing. Before you can get crowded at the gym, you rush to your house to eat quickly after work. I don’t have a chance to eat dinner until 8 p.m. after I go to the gym after work. Anyone can benefit from a home gym without a doubt. Wouldn’t it be better to avoid a commercial gym if you didn’t have to? This is true for many exercise items, but it is particularly true for home workout equipment. Depending on the size of the home gym, there are 30 to more than 100 exercises. Exercises like these can target every muscle in your body. Commercial gyms offer exercises that home gyms cannot. Don’t pay membership fees to the gym anymore. Additionally, a home gym has got to be the most convenient. No more waking up early in the morning or eating late dinner to get home in time for the gym. There will be no more excuses to skip your workout because you can’t drive across town to perform your routine. When you work out at home, you have the freedom to work out when it suits you. When you want the machine, it won’t be used by anyone else. You will have more opportunities to exercise when you have your own home gym. Your home gym doesn’t have to be as impressive as the ones owned by Arnold Schwarzenegger or Lou Ferrigno. Fitness gurus and beginners alike can use home gyms to achieve their fitness goals. People who want to exercise in their own homes can use home gyms for a full-body workout. Weight-based home gyms may be more appealing to advanced users. You can do about 50-60 different types of exercises in these gyms, so you can build muscle throughout your body. Your muscles will grow as a result of the heavy weight. However, they are still effective for toning muscles even at low weights/high repetition. Despite providing a great deal of exercise with low weight, resistance-style gyms are great for beginners. It’s perfect for those who wish to adopt a healthier lifestyle or lose weight and tone up by using a compact home gym. Home gyms are also perceived as being expensive by novice users. In recent years, inexpensive home gyms have become more readily available. For as little as $200, you can find a decent home gym. Everyone, no matter what their fitness level, has no reason to hesitate to purchase a home gym. Low-impact exercises are not automatically included in home gyms. The system does, however, have some advantages. Resistance-based home gyms are suited to low-impact exercises. By using elastic bands and rods or by using your own body weight, you can provide your own resistance. In many cases, physical therapists utilize resistance-based exercises to rehabilitate a patient. Exercises that use resistance can improve your flexibility and range of motion. Muscle spasms are less likely to occur when shock and bounce are eliminated. Exercise routines can be performed in painless calorie-burning home gyms. A good workout will only cause you pain.How And Why To Use A Home Gym
Calories burned/muscle mass gained
Variety & Convenience
Suitable for all fitness levels
Low Impact
Your requirements will determine what kind of gym you need at home
Whether you’re on a limited budget or not, you can have the home gym of your dreams. Pay a couple of months’ membership to the gym near your home and you will have your own gym. It’s true, even if you don’t have access to much exercise equipment, you can cut your gym membership costs by installing a home gym. Exercises at home can be done in the same way as those at a commercial gym. With the crowds gone and the waiting for open machines gone, there is no need to worry about what people think about your actions. You will find time for your home gym that you did not know you had.
The use of home gyms isn’t limited to bulking up. Even though it doesn’t have to imply big muscles if you’re big, you can get big if you wish. With a home gym, you can mimic pretty much any body type. Would you be interested in getting smaller? Using strength training, you can burn fat and lose pounds quickly. Are you looking to get leaner?
You can tone your muscles by lowering the resistance as you increase the repetition rate. Is there anything else you would like to do? Muscle mass can be built by lifting weights. In terms of fitness, how would you rate yourself? It can be fun to combine exercises. Home exercise machines appeal to many people for that reason. Fitness is something you are responsible for, so your results will depend on you.
Your personal goals will determine whether a home gym is right for you. Muscle building is your goal, right? If so, you should consider getting a home gym that uses weights. If you are trying to lose weight or tone up, a resistance-based home gym can help. Selecting the right home gym is essential for achieving your end goal. With a home gym, you can lead a healthier lifestyle for the rest of your life.
