Best Equipment For Home Workouts

Most of us have been forced indoors on more than one occasion, with lockdowns still happening throughout Australia a year on from the initial COVID-19 outbreak.

The popularity of home workouts has exploded due to the coronavirus pandemic. Restrictions in Australia have seen gyms and other recreational centres close multiple times, and with no certainty as to what the future holds, it’s still a wise idea to have some equipment options at home.

Even with gyms mostly open now (depending on where you are of course!) and people becoming more accustomed to life with the pandemic, many people continue to enjoy the convenience and safety of home workouts. With the explosion of zoom classes and workout videos online, there is no shortage of workouts to keep you motivated from the comfort of your home.

In fact, home workouts have given people a lot more options and variety, with the added bonus of making fitness more accessible and affordable.

For some, setting up a home gym with all the bells and whistles may not be possible. Many of us live in apartments or share houses where space is limited or have budgetary constraints. If you are limited by space and budget, there are still plenty of affordable and versatile equipment options perfect for home workouts.

To help build your covid gym equipment essentials, we’ve curated a list of the best equipment for home workouts. These pieces are low investment and extremely versatile allowing you to complete unlimited workouts, while still being small enough to tuck away in your wardrobe. No shed conversions needed!

Here’s our hand-picked list of the best equipment for home workouts during COVID-19.

Yoga Mat/Exercise Mats

Yoga mats are an absolute essential for any home workout. Without one, doing floor exercises could be painful. Towels and carpets may seem like a great temporary option, but these can slide out from under you, causing injury.

Our range of exercise mats are non-slip and suitable for a range of activities from yoga to HIIT workouts. They are also a super lightweight piece of gym equipment making them easy to take with you outdoors. Even if you’re attending yoga classes in a studio, many request that you bring your own mat.

Our FitClub Yoga Mat has helpful guidelines to make correcting your poses at home easier!

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Resistance Bands AKA Booty Bands

Resistance bands - the ultimate lightweight and versatile piece of equipment you’ll ever own.

Not only can these fit in your pocket, but they are also very affordable. In most cases, you can purchase a set of bands with multiple resistance levels, which allows you to build your strength over time without investing in expensive weights.

Resistance bands are one of the best equipment options for home workouts because they’re great for building strength, toning your muscles, injury recovery and stretching. On top of this, they can be used in many different ways to target both your lower and upper body. Check out our booty band workout for inspo on the exercises you can do.

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Skipping Rope/Jump Rope

Another lightweight and low investment home gym equipment essential is a skipping rope.

Jumping is a great option for improving your cardio. It’s an extremely affordable equipment option for adding cardio to your home workouts vs purchasing expensive cardio machines. While not ideal for use in everyone’s living room, it’s versatile so you can take it outside and skip in the fresh air even in a fairly small space.

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Dumbbells

Dumbbells are undoubtedly one of the best equipment options for home workouts. They are extremely versatile as you can use them for isolation exercises and in other movements like squats.

There are many types of dumbbells to choose from to fit your training needs, work out space and budget. If you’re just starting out with weight training and are limited on space, adjustable dumbbell sets are great because they are compact and come with interchangeable weights.

Fixed dumbbells on the other hand are great for heavyweight isolation training and workouts where you change equipment and exercises frequently, like HIIT workouts. Fixed weights can become impractical if you have a very small space, as you will need multiple sets.

Try our upper body workout routine using dumbbells.

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Kettlebells

Kettlebells are another must-have gym essential. These make for the best equipment for home workouts because they’re so versatile and affordable.

Kettlebells utilise hundreds of muscles in each exercise, giving you a full-body workout. If your training goal is to increase strength and function with compound movements then kettlebells are a perfect option. If you’re working out from your lounge room and don’t have any floor protection, opt for vinyl or urethane kettlebells as these will reduce scratches/scuffs to your floors.

For inspiration on exercising with kettlebells, check out our full-body kettlebell workout.

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Pump Set

Pump sets are suitable for all fitness levels and come at an affordable price point. Unlike barbells, pump sets are much shorter and lighter and easy to adjust.

The addition of an aerobic step to your pump sets provides even more versatility to your workouts. They can be used for a massive variety of training styles, including strength, HIIT, functional training, Plyometrics and even rehabilitation. Check out our stepper workout for inspo on the exercises you can do with a pump set and step.

Both are easy to pack up and very transportable, making them perfect for small workout spaces.

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Bench

While a slightly higher investment than the other items mentioned in this article, weight benches are a must for those who want to do weight training. On a bench, you can safely do exercises like chest presses, steps ups and one-arm dumbbell rows.

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Plan Your Workouts Before Buying

Before you invest in any of the equipment suggested in this article, it’s important to think about the types of exercises that are going to motivate you. Have a think about the type of workouts you think you will like and buy equipment that supports these exercises.

It’s also important to keep variety in mind, so you may need a couple of pieces of different equipment to give you more exercise options.