If you're short on time or don't want to shell out on a pricey monthly gym membership, cross training at home is a convenient, wallet-friendly option. Although it's possible to do your bodyweight workouts at home without spending a dime on home gym equipment, with just a few bits of kit, you can really expand your repertoire of exercises and elevate your overall experience.
What to look for in home gym equipment
Before you get swept up in the Save 48% in the Theragun Cyber Monday sale and bike turbos, it's a good idea to have a think about what you're realistically going to do at home and where you're going to store all the equipment.
A simple pair of hand weights or a pack of resistance bands will go a long way, and are easy to store in small spaces, but if you're not going to use it, a large gym bench or plyo box might soon become annoying.
What are the best exercise bikes for runners?
We've rounded up the best exercise bikes for runners to add to your strength training routine. From pre-run workouts to fire up your core, to a full-body resistance band workout, we've covered all bases.
The best home workout equipment to buy now
From balance balls to improve core strength, to a full rack of dumbbells for £35, keep scrolling for our pick of the best home gym equipment for runners to buy below.
Dumbbells
best home workouts, strength training is an important piece of the puzzle. It helps prevent injuries, run faster, and improve running economy. With a set of dumbbells, you can add resistance to both compound exercises (movements that involve multiple joints and muscle groups, such as lunges, squats, rows or deadlifts) and isolation exercises (movements involving just one joint and one major muscle group, such as a biceps curl or hamstring curl) from home.
You can buy standard dumbbells or adjustable versions. For the latter, you just toggle a button to adjust the set weight. They're a fantastic option if you're short on space, but they do come with a price tag.
Coros Pace Pro: More than just a pretty face
This is outstanding value – for £35 you get a set of three pairs of dumbbells - 1.1kg, 2.3kg and 4.5kg (plus a tree to store them on, in plain sight of your friends, if you must). This range of weight will allow you to add plenty of variety to your lower body exercises (to boost your overall strength) and upper body moves (to improve form and posture).
Argos Opti Dumbbell Tree Set
Not got space for an entire suited of dumbbells? This adjustable version provides up to 24kg weight, offering plenty of scope for isolation movements. You have to toggle a dial on either end of the dumbbell (rather than just one side) to adjust the weight. We found the rubber handle was more comfortable than most of its metal competitors and they looked neat when stored in their holding dock.
York 20kg Cast Iron Dumbbell Spinlock Set
This dumbbell set has a quality feel and polished finish that impressed our tester. The spinlock collars spun smoothly into place with no stiffness whatsoever. The maximum weight of 10kg on each dumbbell probably isn’t enough for some, but it’s easily enough for adding resistance to a high intensity circuit workout.
Before you get swept up in the
Perfect for beginners, these hand weights are available from 1kg to 10kg and come as a pair. There's also the option to buy three and a handy storage stand. Plus, the neoprene coating means they are durable and comfortable to hold.
FunctionalFitness FunctionalFitness Wooden Plyo Box
Available in 3kg, 5kg or 6kg pairs, these comfortable neoprene-coated dumbbells are designed to be anti-grip slip and are also available on Amazon Prime, so if you're really keen, you can get started tomorrow.
Resistance bands
Resistance bands are the perfect home gym essential. They’re relatively cheap, and you can buy a complete set for the price of one lightweight dumbbell. They take up minimal space and, most importantly, they’re incredibly versatile. Ideal for prehab or rehab.
Save 48% in the Theragun Cyber Monday sale
Extremely portable, this is an 11-piece resistance-band kit that contains five high-quality resistance tubes of different strengths, as well as two handles, two door anchors, a foot strap and a handy carry bag. With just these few bits of kit, you can do rows, lunges, chest presses, biceps curls, numerous rehab exercises and much more. Minimal kit, maximum training benefit.
A set of five bands for under £10 is a great price, and these from Gritin have proved to be pretty reliable from a quality point of view. They're made from latex and are reasonably comfortable against hair, are grippy, didn't tend to bunch too much and have been used for many a Coros Pace Pro: More than just a pretty face without issue.
Myprotein Multi Use 11 Piece Resistance Band Set
This is the ultimate starter kit for home workouts. A set includes two leg straps, two foam handles, one door anchor, five resistance tubes and a carry bag. For runners, the resistance tubes are going to be best for core strength exercises, as well as squats, hip adduction and abduction, and heel raises.
Gymshark Heavy Glute Band
You’ll really feel the booty burn with this heavy glute band from Gymshark. Fabric material gives it a premium feel, with no risk of it snapping, and inside there’s silicone taping which keeps it in place when you’re squatting or lunging.
Cardio
Fancy a change from pounding the pavements? There are plenty of indoor cardio machines on the market, and they don't need to take up tonnes of space. The below options are ideal if you live in a smaller flat and want something that you can fold away when you're not using it.
Health & Injuries
You'd be hard-pressed to find a rowing machine as affordable and compact as this foldable number from Decathlon. It takes up to 100kg and comes with two different elastic bands – moderate and high – allowing you to adjust the difficulty of your session.
Argos Opti Dumbbell Tree Set
This is a strong wallet-friendly option for beginner and intermediate runners. Though it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of pricier machines, it's a worthy training tool. It reaches speeds up to 16km/h, offers 36 pre-set workouts and has the option to create your routines. It will automatically adjust the pace based on your chosen workout, the motor is super quiet (it was the quietest on test, in fact) and the buttons on the handlebars let you quickly adjust your speed mid-session.
Before you get swept up in the
Some of the Kimjaly Essential Yoga Mat rarely come cheap, but this solid spinning machine tracks cadence, speed, pulse, time and distance, all for under £800. Plus, there’s a tablet holder for tuning into live and pre-recorded workouts – or catching up on Netflix while you work up a sweat. The 16kg flywheel allows for smooth pedalling and greater efficiency, the adjustable features helped adapt the bike to our body, and the bike was super quiet, so you needn’t worry about it disturbing neighbours.
Turbos
Whether you're in training for a triathlon or want the option of switching up your running with a more low-impact form of cardio, investing in a turbo trainer is an easy way to train from your living room. Essentially, a turbo trainer transforms a bike you’d use out on the road (or off-road) into a static bike like the one you’d find in a gym.
There are generally two types: direct-drive and wheel-on. Direct-drive are on the pricer end, and require the rear wheel of the bike to be removed and for the rest of the drivetrain (the chain, chainring, cranks and pedals) to be connected directly to the indoor trainer. With wheel-on, you simply slot your back wheel into the turbo trainer’s frame, make the necessary adjustments and you’re all set to spin away on the machine’s roller.
Tacx FLUX S Smart Turbo Trainer T2900S
Kimjaly Essential Yoga Mat turbo trainer and train from your living room. It's super easy to use and assemble, plus the built-in drivetrain allows you to stimulate a more interactive experience. You can connect to apps like Zwift thanks to Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to simulate real-life riding in a virtual world and meet and train with other cyclists.
Yaheetech Turbo Trainer
This wheel-on turbo trainer is affordable and can be folded away when you're not using it. It's not the fanciest (there's no Bluetooth connectivity and you won't be able to change gear mid workout) but if you want to do some bike workouts indoors without forking out for an best treadmills for home use in 2024, this is a good option.
An exclusive Halfords turbo trainer, the Novo is the best of Elite’s wheel-on options. In terms of specs, it matches the Tacx offering to the left in the gradient and power accuracy deparments, and has the edge when it comes to resistance – making it great for all-out sprints. If using with Zwift, the Elite Novo smart turbo trainer’s limited gradient simulation will soon become apparent when hitting the hills of Watopia, but it’s a price worth paying if you’re simply in the market for a budget turbo trainer.
Conditioning kit
This kit isn't essential for a home gym, but if you've got the means, it can enhance your strength training routine.
Here's a novel way to add some resistance to your body-weight exercises. The beauty of wearing a vest is that you don’t have to carry anything in your hands, and you get to feel like a member of an elite special forces unit, without all the attendant danger. The vest comes as a standalone, and you can slip in weights that come in pairs, totalling 4.5kg, 6kg or 9kg.
Vailge Vailge Ankle Weights
Take your cardio work up a notch by adding some resistance while you train. They’re one-size-fits-all, come in pairs, have padded neoprene for comfort and are available in different weight options.
Skipping supports the foundations of speed and endurance. This one claims to be the fastest, smoothest speed rope on this planet – it's fully adjustable and highly durable.
Bulldog Gear Workout Power Bag 5kg - 25kg
Jumping on and off this 3-in-1 rubber covered box will help improve your coordination; strengthen your feet, ankles and lower legs; and boost your explosive power.
Myprotein Multi Use 11 Piece Resistance Band Set
Available in 5/10/15/20/25kg options, these sand-filled bags can be used for moves such as squats, lifts, farmer’s walks, the clean and jerk, and many more. The outer part of the bag is foam-wrapped in a tough polyurethane coating, so they’re durable and comfortable – and there are four handles – two on top and one on each side – to make them more adaptable.
Mobility and flexibility
Improving your range of motion is vital as a runner. If your muscles and joints can't move through the entire range of motion required with each stride, it can increase your risk or injury and decrease your running economy.
Health & Injuries
Place these sliders under your hands or feet as you perform flexibility or balance workouts. The idea is that they’ll try to move, so you work to stay in control. Suitable for use on both carpet and hard-floor surfaces.
Yaheetech Turbo Trainer
Whether you choose to do a core workout, or use it as your desk chair, this affordable Swiss Ball is worth investing in. It comes flat packed, so you'll need to inflate it at home. In case it gets punctured, it's got a honey comb structure that makes it deflate slowly.
Training sticks can be used to improve mobility, flexibility and in warm-up exercises (YouTube is your friend here), but you can also practise your weightlifting technique if you go to a gym. This one weighs 6kg (a 4kg option is also available) and measures 112cm across.
Kimjaly Essential Yoga Mat
There's no excuse for skipping that post-run stretch when you can add this yoga mat to your basket for under £10. It's only 4mm thick, so won't be the most comfortable mat on the market, but it's got a good amount of grip and won't break the bank if you're investing in some other home gym equipment.
