Best Home Gyms – Guide & Reviews
There are numerous advantages to having a home gym: no excuses not to work out, no extra money every month spent on fuel or membership dues, and the privacy and comfort of your own home to get fit and stay fit.
Best of all though, you can work out 24-7 whenever you have free time, and you can break your workouts up into longer or shorter sessions without worrying about others waiting to use the machines or having to wait yourself.
Choosing the right home gym can be a bit of a chore though, and with so many options to choose from it can be a little intimidating. To take some of the effort out of the process and help you get the most out of your workout time at home, I’ve reviewed the five best home gyms based on features and value.
Recommended Best Home Gyms
Editor's Rating:
When it comes to home gyms, diversity in available exercises is key. You want variable weights, variable positions for exercises, and as much variety as possible in terms of types of exercises you can do on the machine.
Powerline makes top of the line pro-gym equipment, and this particular offering for your home gym compromises nothing in terms of quality and variety.
Not only does it support up to 160lbs with the included weight stack, but it can be upgraded to as much as 210 lbs. With an optional upgrade kit.
The functions of this machine are identical to their professional model, and it includes a 2:1 ratio leg press that is integrated into the machine.
Back presses, bench presses, bicep curls, leg lifts, and a host of other exercises are ready and waiting for you, and weight limit can be instantly adjusted by moving a lynchpin on the weight stack. Bottom line, this is a premium quality, professional-grade home gym that offers the best features for the money.
I’d recommend it for anyone interested in a direct replacement for what they currently use at the gym without having to give up any of the features or exercises at home.
Pros
- Professional grade home gym
- Upgradeable weight stack
- Low, mid, high pulleys for variation in workout intensity
- Wide variety of possible exercises
- Built in 2:1 leg press
- 10 year warranty for powerline
Cons
- Professional assembly recommended
- Large footprint means not the first choice for smaller apartments or homes
- Higher quality and more features means a higher price point
- Not easily moveable without disassembly
- Warranty covers basic equipment failure, not damage or breakage
Editor's Rating:
Many people want a home gym for convenience and privacy, but lack the space necessary to accommodate a home gym within their living space.
Home gyms can be heavy and take up a significant amount of your floorplan, which makes them far less convenient and far less likely to be used or kept.
Fortunately, Marcy offers the MWM-990 Home Gym. With dual functioning, independent motion, chest press arm and vertical butterfly arm press bars, this model offers a significant amount of variety in upper body exercise without taking up a massive amount of space in your home.
The MWM-990 also offers dual functioning leg developers for leg extension and curl exercises, allowing you to give leg day the same amount of workout as arm day.
The overhead station allows you to strengthen your core by working your back and abs, and adjustable preacher curl pad allows you to work your triceps and lats more effectively.
Best of all, with an enclosed selectorized weight stack of up to 150 lbs. you can make sure that every workout meets your needs in terms of rigor and intensity.
I’d recommend this as a good home gym for those who want a high quality machine at an affordable price that doesn’t need its own room in your home.
Pros
- Dual function, independent motion, chest press arm and vertical butterfly
- Dual functioning leg developer for leg extensions/leg curl exercises• High and low pulleys for upper and lower body exercises
- Overhead lat station for back, tricep, and abs with an adjustable preacher curl pad
- Solidsteel weight stack enclosure with 150 lb. selectorized weight stack
Cons
- Less variety of exercises than comparable machines
- Self-contained weight stack can be unreliable long term
- Smaller footprint means it may not be the best choice for larger users
- High quality, but not professional grade
- No long term warranty
Editor's Rating:
For some, the ideal workout involves their own body weight. Pushups, planks, curls, and a stability ball are all they need.
However, when it comes to bodybuilding or weight training, there are few solutions quite as effective as a home gym in terms of convenience and targeting specific muscle groups to build strength and hard muscle.
In the interest of providing the best of both worlds, Best Choice Products Universal offers the Home Gym Fitness Exercise Machine Equipment Body Workout.
Operating with the user’s body weight instead of a weight stack, this machine is designed to help you add strength and muscle tone via resistance training.
Can be added to the overall weight via a pair of weight bars (sold separately). Overall, the chief advantage of this machine is its size: it’s durable metal frame folds up easily for storage, and it is lightweight and easy to move.
I’d recommend this model for anyone whose storage and workout space is at a premium, and they are looking for the simplest solution at an affordable price.
Pros
- Applies user’s own body weight for resistance
- Offers over 60 exercises
- Additional weights can be added for higher resistance training
- Adjustable resistance allows users to increase or decrease the intensity of their workout as needed.
- Strong folding frame allows for easy movement and storage
- Attractive features at an economical price point.
Cons
- Smaller size makes this difficult for larger users
- Balancing can be a bit tricky
- Some assembly required
- Performing some exercises can be tricky
- Lighter weight makes for less stability
Editor's Rating:
A household name for decades, Bowflex is one of the premier producers of home gym machines.
The PR1000 is one of their best selling and highest rated models for building and maintaining your fitness level and strength, and it is also one of the most affordable options on the market.
Using resistance bars to provide tension from five to 210 pounds, the PR-1000 can be used for over 30 strength training exercises.
Moreover, this home gym also includes a horizontal bench press and lat pull down bar, allowing you to easily strengthen your chest and shoulder muscle groups.
Overall this is a fantastic option for a home gym machine that offers the most variety of workouts with a small footprint and simple assembly.
I’d recommend this machine for anyone who wants a complete home gym solution that fits well in small spaces and offers significant workout intensity at an affordable price.
Pros
- Total body workout
- Up to 210 pounds total resistance
- 30+ strength exercises
- Built in bench press and lat pull down
- Unique patented design with proven results
Cons
- Required footprint 100”x78”
- 300 lb. max user weight
- Assembly required, professional installation recommended
- Resistance based workouts affect results differently
- Some users may find machine too lightweight for their needs
Editor's Rating:
When it comes to strength training and fitness, no name is more recognizable or respected than Gold’s Gym.
Their home gym machine line offers many different options, but the best for the money is their XR-55 model.
Offering up to 330 lbs. of maximum resistance and a 125 lb. vinyl weight stack, this model offers rapid results at an affordable price point.
Additionally, with high and low pulleys, a 4-roll leg developer, and an adjustable preacher pad, users can focus on core strengthening and upper body work without skipping leg day.
All in all, this model offers a wide variety of features and workouts at a very affordable price point. I’d recommend this model for anyone that wants all the features of a pro machine at home without paying an arm and a leg for a stronger, healthier body.
Pros
- 330 lbs. max resistance
- 125 lb. weight stack
- Combination chest press/butterfly arms
- High and low pulleys for upper and lower body workouts
- 4-roll leg developer
- High quality construction with a medium footprint
Cons
- Open plate design means extra caution needed when working out
- Footprint may not be suitable for some smaller homes
- Does not provide as much weight in the stack as some comparable models
- Vinyl weights do not provide the same durability as iron.
How To Choose - Best Home Gyms
There are some important points to consider when purchasing a home gym. Here’s what matters most:
Footprint
If you can’t fit it inside your house, it isn’t going to workout. Worse is when it takes up too much space, and you never make use of it. Choose wisely and measure your machine’s footprint out before buying.
Weight
Your home gym needs to offer sufficient weight for strength training. If it doesn’t, you are buying something you will need to replace as your achieve your long term fitness goals. Make sure that your machine is going to go the distance with you.
Comfort
Home gyms need to be comfortable to use for extended periods of time. Make sure that you are happy with the feel of the machine over time as you use it. If you can’t maintain form comfortably, you may need to choose a different machine.
Final Verdict
For my money, I’d buy the Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym. It offers the most features at an exceptional price, and I especially like that the selectable plates are contained within cover to keep them from catching on anything.
If you are a pet owner who uses a home gym, the self contained plate system is extremely important. I also like that this model offers not only a superior weight capacity, but it also has the best features in its price point.
Get a Marcy MWM-990 Home Gym, and enjoy the benefits of a professional quality gym machine in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
