Home Gym Tour – My Favorite Pieces of Our Home Gym

A while ago, a few months ago, a reader requested a “gym tour” in a comment on a Friday Favorites post.  Admittedly, life has been crazy, and I haven’t had a chance to get one posted.  I think that comment, quite honestly, could have been six months ago. But I’m glad I waited because now you essentially get three gym tours. One is at our old house in Arizona, which we sold two years ago. 

We are renting one at our current house in Arziona. (The renters made it into a gym too!)

And in  the new house that we rent in Texas, gym equipment is spread out everywhere.  If we bought a house here, we would likely find somewhere or organize a bit better to have an actual gym again.  But there is only so much you can do in a rental, so it is what it is.  

The treadmill in the office. 

Some stuff in the garage.

I’ll probably bring those box jumps in; I use them a lot.  

Some are in a spare bedroom but will be rearranged as we will be getting a bed for a guest.  

The question I got was about what equipment I would recommend and what I’ve used the most.  Mr. Hungry and I have been living together since 2011 and have acquired all of our things “through the years.”  So that’s 11 years of acquiring things. And we bought mostly used equipment over the years.   I’ve suggested to clients that they set aside money they would use for a monthly gym membership and buy equipment each month until they’re happy.  Even if you can only set aside 10 dollars a month, you could buy something probably twice a year.  

Easily, the pieces I use the most are the box jumps, the treadmill, and the free weights. A foam roller might be nice, but I’m not that consistent on it. Before we had the box jumps, I used to do a lot of step-ups and stuff on the bench, which was wobbly. If I only had those three things, I’d be happy.  Some of the other pieces we have are really used by Mr. Hungry more, but because we have them I use them too.  

Here are some items in our home gym:

•  treadmill
  • We got this after KJ was born, and I’m so glad we spent a little more time on it.  Running is so easy; you can jump on the treadmill and get a great workout in a short amount of time.  I also walk on it during the day, sometimes during meetings, especially now that it’s in the office. 
•  weight set and rack (we have 1s, 5s, 8s, 10s, 12s, 15s -60s increasing in 5lb intervals) 
  • Some smaller weights were bought new, and many were bought and used.  We’ve acquired different sizes over time.  I want a pair of 17.5 lbs and 22.5 lbs, but those half sizes are hard and expensive!
•  bench 
  • I bought it used, and honestly, I couldn’t live without it, but it is nice to have.  
• punching bag 
  • Mr. Hungry uses this.  
•  resistance bands 
  • I use these daily for glute exercises, which are a must-have.  I have these ones and these ones.  The fabric ones are definitely stronger, but I use each set for different reasons.  
•  power tower for pull-ups
  • this is nice to have. I love working on my pull-ups, but they’re bulky, so more than once, it has lived in the garage and has been used less.  
• resistance bands for assisted pull-ups 
  • if you are gonna have a pull-up bar, then you need resistance bands to build up unless you are already doing them
•  slam ball
  • I love this thing, but if you’re working out at home, you will likely want to take it outside.  This was my most recent addition to the gym.  
• medicine ball 
  • I use this for some rehab stuff, but I could not have it and be just as happy.  
• kettlebells 
  • I use these sometimes, I could live without them, but they are nice to have.  I just don’t do a lot of kettlebell-specific exercises anymore, like KB swings.  
• ab ball – we both use this on and off.   exercises. 
• foam rollers
  • must have; my recommendation is not to go soft on a foam roller; your body will get used to it, and you’ll wish you had a firmer one.  Ours was purchased in 2013 and is not available anymore, but here are two good options here and here. 
• massage balls for a trigger point release
  • this one is great for your glutes! Recommended by my chiropractor.  
  • this one is great for your feet!
  • This one is great for shoulder blades and chest 

Things we used to have that broke: 

•  rower
  • I would so like to have this again.  
•  Airdyne 
  • Mr. Hungry would like to get another one of these.  

Things we have that we don’t really use:

•  massage stick – I used to use this more when I was running half marathons
•  trigger point cane – Mr. Hungry uses this somewhat
•  ab roller

Things I want: 

• 17.5lbs weights
• 22.5lb weights
• rower
• half bosu would be fun 
• TRX straps 

My in-laws have this really cool Bowflex that we got them one year.  I used it a fair amount at their house when we stayed there, and I liked it!  So, if you want an all-in-one, that gets you pretty close.  You just need to add cardio.  

I think the basics are weights of varying sizes, an open space to be able to move, and a mirror.  Something for cardio is a bonus, like a treadmill, elliptical, bike, or rower.  You can build up from there!  What about you guys? What are some of your favorite pieces for your home gym or wish list? 

Related Posts:

• Boredom Busting Treadmill Workouts
• Review of our Home Gym Treadmill – 3G Pro Runner
• How I Lost 50lbs Working Out At Home