Best Home Gym Equipment for Small Spaces, Recommended by Experts

Looking to make gains at home? Even if money isn’t an object, space is usually an issue. Whether you’re living in a one-bedroom apartment or sharing a multi-bedroom house with the family and kids, there isn't always enough room to create the iron paradise of your dreams.

For many guys, the solution is the garage. Out goes the car, and in comes the swole stuff. You don’t have to choose, though. With the right space-saving home gym equipment, you can have a full-fledged fitness center in your garage or house and still have room for the car or whatever else you want around. 

To find the most effective and affordable items for filling out your personal garage of gains, we consulted three home-gym experts. Here’s their advice on how to choose equipment that will last, and their recommendations for high-quality, space-saving pieces for your home gym.

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Best Compact Home Gym Equipment

• Best for Space-Saving Squats and Deadlifts: Rogue R-3W Fold Back Wall Mount Rack
• Best Upgrade for Your Rack: Spud Inc. Super Econo Pulley Systems
• Best Bench: X-Master Adjustable Bench 2.0
• Best Dumbbells: Powerblock Elite USA 90 Adjustable Dumbbells
• Best Small-Space Cardio: Concept2 RowErg
• Best for Versatile Resistance: REP Workout Sandbags
• Best for Your Carry-On: PerformBetter Flat Loop Superbands
• Best for Zone 2 All Day: UREVO Under Desk Treadmill
• Most Unique Piece of Equipment: The SledTred
• Best for Minimal Spaces: Two FringeSport Prime Kettlebells
• Best for New Challenges: Brrrn Board+

The 11 Best Pieces of Home Gym Equipment for Small Spaces

There are thousands of products that can provide results in a home gym, and they can vary in cost from just a few dollars to as much as a car. These 11 products cover the whole range, from budget-friendly ($20-30) up to thousands of dollars. No matter what you spend, these 11 pieces are all tested and loved by our experts; they save space and can create serious gains.

Best for Space-Saving Squats and Deadlifts: Rogue R-3W Fold Back Wall Mount Rack

This Rogue R-3W Fold Back Wall Mount Rack pairs a power rack with a barbell, plates, and a bench, so you’ve basically got a whole gym’s worth of strength training versatility in a single piece of equipment. And this folding version is a favorite of Ryan Koziol, owner of RYKO Fitness. When you’re not using the rack, it can quickly be folded up so it protrudes just five inches from the wall.

“Pull the car out, then pull the rack out, and it still doesn’t take up too much space,” Koziol says. The rack comes in two depths—one that’s 20.5 inches from the wall when fully unfolded and one that’s 40.5 inches from the wall. “Pair that with an adjustable bench, and bingo, you’ve basically got a whole gym.”

The Rogue Rack is made of 11-gauge steel and has pins that easily lock it into place when unfolded. Attach the included pullup bar, and you’ve got a base not just for pulling but for hanging a TRX suspension trainer or bands for even more versatility.

Best Upgrade for Your Rack: Spud Inc. Super Econo Pulley Systems

The Spud Inc. Super Econo Pulley System is a simple, light set of pulleys and cables that turn a squat rack into a cable machine that can help you do lat pulldowns, horizontal rows, face pulls, cable curls, and a zillion other exercises at home. It’s been a game-changer for Shawn Arent, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., chair of the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina.

“I’ve got two of these, and it’s wound up being a better investment that I ever thought it would be,” he says. Instead of having a whole cable stack of weights with a pulley, he says, plates can be hung from one end of the Spud system to act as weight. “They’re great for pushdowns, ab work, woodchoppers. You can set it up to do low rows…anything really.”

One note, Arent says, is that because the plates you attach are suspended by the cable, they can swing when exercises are done quickly. His solution: Use a resistance band to attach the plates to the opposite side of the rack to keep the weights from swinging.

Best Bench: X-Master Adjustable Bench 2.0

Jose Guevara of ShreddedDad.com admits the X-Master Adjustable Bench 2.0 is pricey. But when buying adjustable benches from a big box store, the construction can often be flimsy and uncomfortable. You might be able to find a cheaper option that suits your needs, but this professional bench is the best one Guevara’s ever tested.

When folded flat, there’s no awkward gap between the seat and the back pad. Both pads are thick, a feature many home gym benches lack. It can fold to seven different angles, each of which is marked with a convenient number on the side. And it’s heavy duty, allowing for an unbelievable 1,200 pounds of load.

Best Dumbbells: Powerblock Elite USA 90 Adjustable Dumbbells

Adjustable dumbbells save a ton of space, and the Powerblock system is the best of the best. Unlike many other adjustable sets that top out around 50 pounds, Powerblock’s boxy offerings can go up to 90 pounds per dumbbell. They’re also built to last. 

As for versatility, they’re dumbbells: You can do almost anything with them! But, Koziol points out, Poweblock’s unique shape puts your hand in a kind of “cage.” For certain exercises, this form can feel a little different than regular dumbbells. This is also true of other adjustable dumbbells, though. The bulky sides can bump your shoulders on curls, for example.

If you don’t think you’ll ever need 90 pounds of resistance on each arm, the Powerblock systems that top out at 70 or 50 pounds are a little less expensive.

Best Small-Space Cardio: Concept2 RowErg

A rowing machine only does one thing, but it does it really well. Full-body cardio on a rower, whether done for slow, steady efforts or in grueling, all-out HIIT sessions, is tough to beat. The Concept2 RowErg is the gold standard for all-over conditioning.

At 6 to 7 feet long, they don’t seem space-saving, though. According to Koziol, a C2 machine is so light that you can roll it to the wall and store it vertically in your room before and after each session. Since it's powered by air resistance, the C2 doesn’t require power. And for even more space saving, it can be easily broken down into two pieces for storage if you want to row only during certain seasons.

Best for Versatile Resistance: REP Workout Sandbags

When Arent and colleagues performed a study using sandbags and resistance bands for a high-rep workout and compared it to using a full gym’s worth of equipment, the sandbag group was able to gain almost as much muscle and strength as the bars-and-plates group. But the sandbag, without sand in it, weighed just a few pounds.

This, he says, makes the bags a great option for travel. Take the empty bags with you on a trip to the beach, and scoop sand into them for a week’s worth of exercise. And since the REP bags, like many other sandbag systems, actually have internal bladders—kind of like mini sandbags within the main bag—you can easily adjust the weight for different exercises. REP bags range from a small size, which can be loaded up to 25 pounds, up to an extra-large bag that can hold 200 pounds.

Sandbags can mimic just about anything you can do with a barbell, Arent says, and may even feel more comfortable. Doing Olympic lifts or front rack exercises like front squats with a sandbag can be easier on the wrists than with a bar.

And sandbags let you do some moves you can’t do with a barbell because the bags can be thrown and tossed. You can lift it from the ground and dump it over your shoulder, again and again, for a conditioning session, toss it laterally across a field or beach, or slam them like medicine balls.

Best for Your Carry-On: PerformBetter Flat Loop Superbands

Looped resistance bands are more versatile than those with handles. In addition to holding them in your hands for curls, overhead presses, and other moves, the PerformBetter Flat Loop Superbands can be used for assisted pullups, or tied to a pole and looped around your waist for resisted lunges or marches. And because they fold flat and weigh almost nothing, they’re perfect for travel, Koziol says.

Unlike the rubber super bands of the past, which can pinch, these PerformBetter Flat Loops are made with stretchy cloth webbing.

They come in five weights, from “light” to “super heavy,” but you don’t need a whole set. Depending on your strength, you’ll probably only need two—a lighter one, like the “medium,” for moves like curls and assisting with pullups, and a slightly heavier one, like the “heavy” or “extra heavy,” for stuff like overhead presses, heavier squats, and pushdowns.

Related: Walmart Is Selling an $800 Cable Machine for $234 That Shoppers Say Makes a Perfect Addition to Any Home Gym

Best for Zone 2 All Day: UREVO Under Desk Treadmill

If doing more Zone 2 training is on your fitness to-do list, a walking pad—basically a treadmill without handles—can be your ticket to 10,000 steps or more. By using one during his workday calls, 39-year-old dad Max Valverde was able to build his aerobic engine to the level where he could compete in the U.S. National championships for ski mountaineering in 2023.

Since they’re handle-free, walking pads aren’t ideal for running, though. The UREVO Under Desk Treadmill lets you dial up the incline, increasing the intensity of your walk without increasing your risk of a fall. And since they’re relatively flat, they can be slid under a bed or folded up into a closet when not in use, Koziol points out.

Most Unique Piece of Equipment: The SledTred

If you’ve always wanted to push a weighted sled but don’t have the space (or don’t want to tear up your backyard), the SledTred could be your new favorite piece of equipment. It’s a pullup and dip station with a folding manual treadmill attached. Step on, lean into the push pads, and you’re in the same position you’d be in to push a sled; and with the treadmill’s adjustable resistance, you can dial up the intensity.

This unique piece of equipment is the most surprising apparatus in Guevara’s home gym, he says. He uses it much more than he’d ever anticipated. In addition to the fun and challenge of sled pushing, the manual treadmill can also be used for backwards walking, a popular move for strengthening the knees and lower legs. For added versatility, it also has a pullup bar and dip bars, as well as a setup to do Nordic hamstring curls on the treadmill deck. The multi-handled pullup bar can also be used to anchor resistance bands.

Best for Minimal Spaces: Two FringeSport Prime Kettlebells

The Prime Kettlebells from FringeSport are a must-have for your home gym. Instead of getting one, Koziol suggests getting two so you can do swings for conditioning, multi-exercise complexes for strength endurance, superset-style circuit training, or even straight sets of strength moves.

His recommendation is to get one lighter kettlebell and one heavier one. The heftier bell can be used for swings and heavy squats, while the slightly lighter one can be used for overhead presses, Olympic lifts like cleans, and other lighter moves like curls.

How heavy? It depends on your strength, of course. For the heavy bell, he says, most guys can probably swing a 44- to 53-pound bell. For the lighter one, Koziol suggests choosing one with which you can perform a single-arm overhead lunge. Hold the kettlebell with a straight arm next to your ear, then perform a lunge. If you can do it with that weight, it’s probably light enough for the other moves you’ll want to do, too.

Best for New Challenges: Brrrn Board+

If you’ve seen a slideboard before, you’ve probably watched someone doing cardio like they’re speed skating. And the adjustable Brrrn Board+, which Arent loves, can do that. It’s a form of cardio that’s great for training for skiing, but also for challenging your body in side-to-side motion, a pattern that’s often ignored and can keep you moving more healthfully as you age.

But a slideboard can do much more, Arent says, and has become a serious part of his workout arsenal. By placing one foot on the board, you can perform challenging, sliding lunges to the front, reverse, and side while your other foot is anchored on the ground. You can challenge your abs with pikes, mountain climbers, and body saw movements.

The Brrrn Board+ is also adjustable in length, so you can slide to a stopping point, reducing the risk of overstretching on moves like a side lunge.

Best for Big-Budget Tech Lovers: Tonal 2

With its resistance that can go up to 250 pounds and the included bench, a Tonal really can replace a whole gym’s worth of equipment, Arent says.

The wall-mounted unit uses magnets to create that resistance, so it doesn’t need hundreds of pounds of weights. And the adjustable arms mean you can perform just about any move you could with dumbbells, a barbell, or a cable machine, with workout instructions built in.

It’ll cost you, though. In addition to the price tag, the Tonal 2 requires a 12-month membership at $59.99 per month, more than $700 annually. For that price, you can get a fully kitted-out (but decidedly lower-tech) gym with a rack, barbell, weights, and more.

Related: Boost Your Speed and Sculpt Your Body with the Best Jump Ropes on the Market, Recommended by Experts

What to Look for in Home Gym Equipment

The most important quality in a piece of home gym equipment that saves space is versatility, Huevara says.

While big, commercial gyms can have equipment that’s only good for one exercise, a garage gym doesn’t have that luxury. Try to find items that are versatile. Kettlebells, for example, are great for conditioning through swings, but also sub in well for dumbbells for exercises like rows, overhead presses, and curls. A squat rack, barbell, and bench can be used for almost every type of strength training exercise imaginable.

Once you’ve chosen the right equipment for the exercises you want to do, Guevara suggests thinking about quality. With the rise of fake reviews online, this can be tough: It’s hard to know if a reviewer, even one on video, is just a paid promoter.

The ShreddedDad creator suggests looking for a few things. First, look for multiple video reviews that highlight the same features or weaknesses, as it’s likely that these aspects are more accurate. Second, look for equipment that doesn’t just have a warranty but that comes from an established company.

“Even if a piece of equipment has a lifetime warranty, if the company doesn’t survive, it doesn’t matter,” he says.

Meet the Experts

• Shawn Arent, Ph.D., C.S.C.S., chair of the Department of Exercise Science at the University of South Carolina, studies space-saving gym equipment for military use and uses small-space equipment in his home gym and his laboratory.

• Jose Guevara of ShreddedDad.com, who tortures and tests home gym equipment as a reviewer.

• Ryan Koziol, owner of RYKO Fitness, has trained countless clients in his own garage gym and helps remote clients find the right equipment to use for their in-home training.