Working out from home is a great way to crush a workout when you can’t make it to the gym, or if you simply don’t want to pay for a gym membership. However, one downside to creating a home gym can be the cost, and some home gyms can cost in the thousands.
This doesn’t always have to be the case! You can still get some great equipment and build a basic home gym setup all while staying within a budget.
To get you started, in this article I'll cover 12 items that you can get for under $100 each and how to get started based on your specific goals.
BEST GYM EQUIPMENT UNDER $100
All of the below items I managed to find on Amazon for the prices listed. This is just the baseline as you could end up paying a bit more (or less) depending on the brand of equipment you choose.
- Ab wheel: $20
- Jump rope: $20
- Foam roller: $25
- Lacrosse ball: $5
- Agility ladder: $25
- 25lb Weight vest: $80
- Resistance bands: $20
- Peanut lacrosse ball: $10
- Door frame pullup bar: $25
- TRX/suspension trainer system: $75
- Wood plyometric box (12/14/16”): $60
- Cast iron kettlebell: 40lb - $60/ 60lb - $75
As you can see, even on a budget there are still quite a few options out there and you can make your dollars go quite far.
BEST EQUIPMENT FOR YOUR GOALS
We went over lost of options above but to get you headed in the right direction I have broken things down for you into what to look for based on your goals. Here are some ideas of how you can spend your $100 home gym budget, to best meet your workout goals and your living situation.
Mobility/flexibility/core
Foam roller
Lacrosse ball
Ab wheel roller
Resistance bands
Peanut lacrosse ball
Strength 1
Kettlebell (60lb)
Doorframe pull-up bar
Strength 2
25lb weight vest
Doorframe pull-up bar
Bodyweight 1
Doorframe pull-up bar
TRX/suspension trainer system
Bodyweight 2
Ab wheel
Jump rope
Resistance bands
Doorframe pull-up bar
Agility/speed/plyometrics
Agility ladder
Wooden plyo box (12/14/16” combo)
Apartment or small living space
Kettlebell (60lb)
Resistance bands
There are many more ways to spend your workout cash, but these examples will hopefully help you get the wheels turning and get you started into building your setup.
BUYING SECOND-HAND EQUIPMENT
Another option for buying home workout equipment on a budget is to simply buy used equipment. Popular sites like Craigslist.com or OfferUp.com can be good starting points for your search. Another option is to stop by a second-hand sporting goods store, like Play-It-Again Sports.
You’ll most likely get a much better deal buying used equipment than buying it off Amazon.
SUMMARYGetting some basic gear for your home workouts doesn’t need to be an expensive affair. You can buy quite a bit of equipment for under $100 so price shouldn't stand in your way. If you’re really looking for a deal, try searching for used equipment online, or at your local sporting goods store.
If you are unsure of what to do with all of the equipment that you have, check out our workout program for home gyms.