Do you hate going to the gym? 

Maybe you don’t want to go because the memberships of the gyms near you are just too high for what you get. And there’s no Planet Fitness or YouFit gyms in your city to offer you a $10/month membership. 

This means you’ll have to spend more money to even get to one of these gyms, burning more gas in the process. 

And in 2022, we all know how expensive fuel has become in the United States. Officialdata.org shows the average price of $5.06 (as of July 2022) being the most expensive in U.S. history. 

Maybe you actually do go regularly, paying with a day pass each time. But the pass costs $10-$15, which causes some anxiety. 

This can be painful if you’re a person with a bunch of monthly bills or if you’re a single parent trying to provide for multiple kids while on a budget. 

You know you’re slowly losing money over time. This leads you to consider buying affordable fitness equipment and working out at home instead. 

Well, don’t worry because if you think gyms are too pricey, then this post is for you. If you’re a little skeptical, keep in mind that buying this equipment will help give you great results, even if you’re a beginner. 

After reading this, you’ll realize that investing in your own equipment is the better strategy for your financial needs. 

What Counts as Affordable Fitness Equipment? 

Any price that’s $100 or less is affordable. 

You can definitely find all of the gym equipment on this list with prices under $100. If there’s a product you like that does cost a little more than $100, feel free to invest in it.

When it comes to equipment, it CAN get expensive. It’s not uncommon for fitness machines to cost 4 digits worth of money.

But the big goal here is to make sure you don’t go broke doing this.

This is why Amazon, Walmart, and DICK’S Sporting Goods are the best stores to buy from. You can still gain positive results while sticking to a budget. 

Just know that when I say “affordable,” I don’t mean “cheap.” You can find reasonably priced equipment that still helps you achieve your fitness goals. 

You may not even need all of the equipment on the list to earn success because of how versatile they are. 

What to Look Out for with Your Equipment 

The 4 key things you should look out for in your equipment are price, versatility, durability, and portability. 

• Price – Will this break my bank account?
• Versatility – Can I do a lot of exercises with this? / Can it target multiple areas of my body? / Can I adjust the pressure I put on my body with this?
• Durability – Will this equipment last for a long time? 
• Portability – Can I take this with me wherever I go without it getting in the way?

Since you’re on a budget and using this equipment as a gym substitute, price and versatility are the 2 most important factors to consider. 

Warning: What You Should Ask Yourself Before Buying Anything

Before you go any further, if you expect working out at home will be just like working out at a local gym, you might not get that. You should ask yourself these questions before committing: 

• “Are my kids, pets, roommates, etc. going to distract me?” 
• “Can I still motivate myself to work out, even though I’m in the comfort of my own home?” 
• “Am I going to miss the gym atmosphere?” 
• “Will I be okay if I don’t have hundreds of equipment to choose from?” 
• “Am I prepared to invest a chunk of money upfront to buy these?” 

Take the time to really think about it. You don’t want to end up with regret and wasted time at the end of the day.

6 Pieces of Equipment to Buy

If you are ready to commit, then here are the 6 low-cost pieces of fitness equipment you should buy for your home-exercise needs.  

1) Suspension Trainer

A suspension trainer is a piece of equipment that uses straps to increase strength, burn calories, and boost your cardiovascular system. It’s designed to create resistance training by pulling your body up against gravity. 

These are some of the exercises you can do to target many different areas of your body:

• Pull-ups
• Inverted rows
• Lunges
• Chest Press
• Planks

When it comes to experience groups that benefit from this, there is no specific one. Beginners, intermediates, and experts can all use this and still gain amazing results. 

For example, with the chest press, all you’d have to do would be to change the angle in which you’re standing and drop lower to the floor. The lower to the floor you are, the harder it gets. 

Keep in mind that even though a suspension trainer can build muscle mass, it’s still a body weight exercise. 

This means that there’s a limit to how much muscle you can actually build. So, it’s best used alongside free weights like dumbbells and kettlebells to help maximize your results. 

Also, there’s a low risk of injury when using a suspension trainer, but it’s still possible to hyperextend parts of your body if you’re not careful. 

If you want to buy a good suspension trainer, try the TRX Fit Suspension Trainer from DICK’S Sporting Goods. It’s $99.99, comes with padded handles, and has received over 30 five-star reviews. 

2) Ab Wheel

An ab wheel targets multiple muscles in the upper body, especially the abs. 

And they’re also portable and barely take up any space, just like the suspension trainer.

Plus, it’s affordable, with prices ranging from $10-$120. 

The best part is that you don’t need to spend over $40 to find one that can help produce high-quality results.

However, if you’re a beginner (or even an intermediate), the ab wheel can be tricky because it’s very common to use it incorrectly.

If you’re not used to this equipment, you can become sore and potentially injure yourself, either by overdoing it or not rounding the back.

To do it correctly, you have to: 

• 1) Get on your knees into a four-point position 
• 2) Round your back 
• 3) Slowly roll in by using your abs
• 4) Then slowly pull out with your abs
• 5) Repeat steps 3 and 4

As you’re pushing forward, make sure that you have total control over your body and motion so that your stomach doesn’t touch the floor. Think of it as if you’re holding a plank with your knees on the floor.

Also, don’t forget to breathe correctly. This is important because active breathing stops you from becoming exhausted more easily.

When doing a rep for an ab roller wheel, inhale as you roll in. Then exhale as you pull your body out. 

Start small with single-digit reps and work your way up as you become more comfortable. Constant repetition of this will increase your endurance and strengthen your core.

On a separate note, if you want your six-pack to be more visible, make sure you keep doing this while maintaining good nutrition to reduce your body fat.

Once again, ab wheels are low-cost. That means you have a wide variety to choose from. 

Choose one that is less than $40, provides comfort, is stable for basically any weight, and has a low risk of injury, like the Readaeer Metal Handle Ab Roller Wheel.

3) Kettlebells

Kettlebells are useful for building muscle, enhancing cardio, and losing body fat through countless full body exercises, which makes it a versatile piece of equipment. 

Whenever you choose a kettlebell, make sure you choose one that: 

• Fits your fitness goals
• Isn’t too light/heavy

1) Fits your fitness goals:

• Depending on your fitness goals, you might want to invest in a specific size or even a set. Are you trying to gain muscle? If so, it’s best to buy a kettlebell that’s heavy.
• If you’re training to improve your cardio, you should stick to a kettlebell that’s relatively light. Choosing anything heavier will make it harder to do cardio-based exercises. 
• If you’re training with no particular goal in mind, a lightweight bell would work, too. 

2) Isn’t too light/heavy:

• If you choose a kettlebell that’s too light for you, you’re not going to get the full benefits from the workout. Meanwhile, if you choose one that’s too heavy for you, then it’ll be a burden to even try to lift. 

There’s also the risk that if you choose to lift a heavy kettlebell, you could potentially injure yourself. Either way, try to find one that pushes your limits without hurting you. 

• This also comes down to your current fitness level, strength, testosterone, nutrition, etc. 

Remember that the prices can change, based on the factors I just talked about. 

They can also change based on how much weight a kettlebell has. If you were to add 5 pounds to a kettlebell, it may end up costing you up to $20 more.

Before buying a kettlebell, make sure you know yourself and your goals so that you don’t suffer from buyer’s remorse. 

Right now, Amazon has plenty of sizes for the Yes4All Vinyl Coated Kettlebell Weights, ranging from 5-50 pounds at a cost of $13-$76. 

4) Dumbbells

Similar to kettlebells, dumbbells are free weights that are very effective for a full body workout. They can target upper body muscles like the trapezius, pectorals, and abdominals as well as lower body muscles such as the hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

Dumbbells are one of the most common and easy-to-use pieces of equipment out there. You don’t need to do any complicated movements to get results.

Just like with the kettlebells, the size of the dumbbells you buy comes down to what you want out of your fitness. For example: 

• Are you looking to gain muscle mass? 
• Are you trying to lose body fat/weight? 
• Are you just looking for an endurance test?  

For those of you looking to gain muscle, dumbbells definitely improve your strength. 

On the other hand, it can be very costly if you’re going for a pair of weights above 50 pounds. 

What makes this tricky as well is if your routine involves progressive overload (adding more weight/reps to make your future workouts a little harder). Naturally, you’d feel the need to buy heavier dumbbells next time if you want to boost your strength. 

Although, if you don’t want to buy more but still want to build muscle, just purchase one good, singular dumbbell instead. 1Up Nutrition tells you how to effectively do that with just one dumbbell.

Here are a couple of dumbbells that are durable and affordable:

• Champion Barbell Solid Hex Dumbbell
• CAP Barbell Coated Hex Dumbbell

Just make sure that whatever you lift isn’t too bulky for you to handle, or you could hurt yourself. 

For those of you who just want to stay active/don’t care about muscle gains that much, I’d recommend buying a singular dumbbell that weighs less than or equal to your limit to keep you from paying too much. The CAP Barbell Coated Hex Dumbbell would be fine for this, too.

5) Resistance Bands

Resistance bands: 

• Are very affordable
• Are portable
• Are decent for strength training
• Focus on many different areas of the body

On top of that, resistance bands are one of the best pieces of equipment to use for exercising after injury. 

The reason why is because you can adjust the amount of pressure you apply on your body in your workouts. You also don’t have to carry around any equipment that might be too heavy for you, like weights. 

As great as resistance bands are, if you’re focused on building muscle, combining them with free weights would be a better way to use them. 

Just like the suspension trainer, resistance bands are for body weight training. Adding free weights into your routine will produce better results. 

You also have to make sure you don’t hurt yourself. If you let go of them while they’re fully extended, the bands can snap back and hit you, potentially injuring you. 

If that isn’t enough, you can ruin them by not protecting them. FittyLife explains how to clean and care for them so that they’ll last longer.

Overstretching them, overusing one, having them touch a hard, grungy surface, and leaving them in sunlight (if they’re latex) are all things you need to watch out for.

Even though some resistance bands offer similar benefits, not all of them serve the same purpose. Here are some of the types of bands you can buy:

• Looped Bands – Looped bands are thick, tough, and durable bands that don’t snap that easily. These bands are great for any type of fitness goal, and they are extremely versatile.
• Tubed Bands – Tubed bands are very skinny and don’t offer that much resistance in general. However, you can use them to do exercises that would normally use dumbbells (like the bent over row and the overhead press). Overall, tubed bands would be good to use if you’re just trying to maintain fitness and stay active.
• Therapy Bands – If you’re recovering from injury or have weak bones, therapy bands are the right bands to buy.  They’re lighter than other resistance bands. And because of that, you can also use these at the beginning or end of every training session for pre-workout/post-workout exercises.
• Pull-Up Bands – Just as the name suggests, pull up bands help you perform pull-up exercises. What it specifically does is gives you a lift whenever you feel your body wearing down from doing pull-ups and chin-ups. Think of it as a stool helping you reach a kitchen cabinet. 
• Flat Bands – Flat bands are one of the best bands you can use for strengthening and toning the muscles. Just like looped bands, they offer many options for exercises. They’re also similar to the therapy bands because of their flat appearance.

Which band is the right one for you? Well, once again, it depends on your fitness goals. 

Do you want to build your glutes? Chest? Arms? Everything?

Since bands are generally low-cost, you can afford to be picky and flexible with your options. Here are some good ones for each type of resistance band (all under $40):

• Looped bands: Himaly Resistance Bands Loop Exercise Bands Set with 5 Different Resistance Levels 
• Tubed bands: Fitness Gear Resistance Tubes 
• Therapy bands: THERABAND Resistance Band Set | DICK’S Sporting Goods
• Pull-up bands: LEEKEY Resistance Band Set, Pull-Up Assist Bands
• Flat bands: Vive Flat Resistance Band

6) Jump Rope

For those of you wanting to lose weight, a jump rope is one of the most important pieces of equipment you can buy. 

It helps you lose calories quickly and activates your muscles (especially the lower body).  

And the best part? You can get a high-quality one for less than $30, to keep for many years to come! 

You’re probably thinking “Well, if I wanted a cardio workout, shouldn’t I just go buy a treadmill?” 

You could, and it might even be more effective. 

But remember: our goal is to save money. 

Even though a treadmill has an incline, status trackers, and customizable workouts, a jump rope has even more benefits over it. 

A jump rope costs less than a treadmill, is much easier to move around, barely takes up any space, and doesn’t need a socket to work. 

This isn’t to mention how many workouts you can do with it.

Even though jumping rope is fantastic, there is a downside: As you’re hitting the ground after you jump, pressure builds up in your ankles. This can eventually cause joint and knee pain. Too much exercise at once can lead to injuries.

To do your best at preventing any injuries:

• Do warm up exercises 
• Do not over exhaust yourself
• Invest in a fitness mat to jump rope on 
• If you can’t buy a fitness mat, make sure the surface you’re jumping on isn’t too rough
• Jump at a relatively low height (about 2 inches from the ground)

Finally, what kind of jump rope should you choose? 

To choose the right jump rope for you, find one that’s the right size and has durable material. You also need to find one that supports your fitness goals and matches your experience level.

You can find all kinds of jump ropes, some of which include:

• Beaded Rope – A heavy jump rope used to create a rhythm in between jumps because of the sound it makes after hitting the floor. Anyone can use this.
  • • Long Jump Rope, Double Dutch Jump Rope, Soft Beaded Segment Jump Rope | JUMP Yuedong
• Weighted Rope – One of the heaviest jump ropes out there and suited for more experienced people. Because of how heavy it is, it provides more resistance-focused training.
  • • Weighted Jump Rope for Fitness | KOOKGYM
• Speed Rope – A thin rope that anyone can use for exercises. However, they aren’t as durable as other ropes.
  • • Jump Rope, Tangle-Free Rapid Speed Jumping Rope Cable with Ball Bearings for Women, Men, and Kids | Loocio

Final Thoughts

And that’s it. 

Those are the 6 pieces of affordable fitness equipment you should buy if you want to skip the gym and work out at home instead.

On top of the equipment I recommended, you can also do basic exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, and walking/running as add-ons to your routine.

Are there any other kinds of equipment you’d recommend using with the ones I’ve already talked about? Let me know in the comments.