Top Budget-Friendly Pieces of Exercise Equipment for Your Family Home Gym
We all know we need to exercise to stay healthy. But with all the plethora of equipment, gyms, and programs out there, how do choose something that you will actually use and is worth the investment?
In this post, I’m sharing…
Why creating a movement-friendly home is important
Family-friendly exercise pieces
What exercise equipment we have in our home gym
Exercise equipment on my wish list and ways to fudge it if you don’t have it
Creating a family-friendly home gym
Where to find exercise equipment on the cheap
Getting at least 30 minutes a day of exercise is a great place to start for excellent health and is the minimum recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine. And while there are tons of ways to get exercise by making household tasks more challenging, doing yard work, going for a walk or run, swimming, etc., it’s nice to have some pieces of exercise equipment to mix things up a bit and make exercise fun.
And while a dedicated home gym would be amazing, even just collecting a few pieces of versatile equipment can be used in a variety of ways to keep things interesting and fun for the whole family.
You can do so much with just a few items!
What exercise equipment we have in our home gym
I’ve collected a few pieces of exercise equipment over the years as I have worked as a Physical Therapist and even saw private patients in our own home for a while. I’ve given a lot of pieces away to my clients and always keep some staple items on hand that our whole family enjoys.
Here are my current essentials for our family-friendly home gym:
Exercise bands
A few weights (kettlebells, dumbbells)
A jump rope
A small trampoline/rebounder
An exercise step
An exercise/stability ball
A pull-up bar
A canvas strap (for stretching)
A bolster
We don’t have a space dedicated as a home gym, so we have set up a corner of our bedroom with our exercise pieces. As such, we keep things small and portable so we can tuck them away when not in use. Both for aesthetic reasons and the fact that I don’t want my cat to eat them (he’s a weirdo).
Exercise equipment items on my wish list and ways to fudge it if you don’t have it
• A bosu ball - a great way to challenge your balance and make exercises more difficult.
Fudge it: Stand on a trampoline, pillow, or cushion to simulate an unsteady surface.
• A treadmill - obviously great for walking, running, changing up inclines, etc. to keep cardio challenging without a lot of space. Fudge it: go for a walk/run outside or do laps around your yard or room. Or go up and down your stairs for a change in incline.
• A rowing machine - Nice for a full-body cardio workout with low impact and core strengthening.
Fudge it: Sit on the floor and loop a resistance band around your feet. Hold the ends with both hands. Simulate the rowing motion by curling your body into a ball, then push down with your feet and pull back with your arms at the same time.
Creating a family-friendly home gym
I try to keep all of my equipment kid-friendly as our kids definitely love to play with all the stuff and I want to encourage them to get as much varied movement as possible. They have definitely shown me some creative ways to use pieces of exercise equipment I never would have thought of, like using the pull-up bar as a place to slam dunk sock balls. Great exercise! And also why there are now boys’ socks all over my bathroom floor. But hey, picking up is also great exercise, right?! :)
Although my husband and I like to lift as heavy as possible, for kids, that’s not the best idea as their bones and muscles are still forming and growing. However, lifting lighter weights for endurance is considered to be A-OK, so keeping some lighter weights, resistance bands of varied strengths, and things for bodyweight exercises - like the pull-up bar - can be great with kids. My kids absolutely love to use the pull-up bar, the rebounder, and the stability ball since I leave those out most of the time. I also pull out other things depending on what I’m using that day - jump rope, pinky ball, foam roller, etc. - and they get excited to see “new” things and are quick to give them a try too.
Where to find exercise equipment on the cheap
Although it's not super expensive to buy most of these pieces at a big box store, it's even better if you can find them in unusual places for even less.
Here are three places we have found great deals on exercise equipment:
Thrift stores - I love me a good thrift store (aka op shop) for all kinds of things and have found some huge bargains on exercise equipment. We got our pull-up bar at a thrift store for $3 vs around $20 at regular price. Can't beat it!
TJ Maxx - always a great place to look for things like weights, exercise mats, exercise balls, etc. Not as inexpensive as thrifting, but usually there are some pretty great deals on name-brand exercise stuff!
Bargain Hunt - I don't usually shop here, but the other day decided to stop in and see if there were any treadmills. There weren't. But I did find quite a few other pieces of exercise equipment for super cheap prices. I ended up snagging 25 yards of exercise band for $10. A total steal! I used to buy this stuff for my PT clinic, and it ain't cheap! The great news is, since bands tend to wear out over time, it's easy to replace by cutting a new piece whenever it's needed. Totally worth it!
And while community sites like Facebook marketplace might be another place to find good deals on exercise equipment, in my experience it hasn’t been worth it. We have been in the market for a treadmill for a while, and the ones on FB marketplace are quite high-priced and not great quality. For example, I found a treadmill someone took pictures of in their barn, dirt floor and all. Even the treadmill itself was covered in dirt. The ad said it just needed to be cleaned since it had been stored in the barn. Asking $500 for it! Umm, no thanks. I mean, at least clean the dirt off before taking pics, mmm-kay?
I’m sure there are deals to be had in other areas, so do a quick check to see if you have better options than I found in my area. Or at least things not covered in dirt. ;)
Overall, it doesn’t have to be too complicated or expensive to build a simple home gym situation that encourages whole family fitness and fun. While you may not be able to get all the things you want right away, just starting with a few key pieces can get you started and you can build as you find good bargains here and there.
What are your fave pieces of home exercise equipment?
You might also be interested in…
