Best home gym equipment to exercise in your own space
Exercise is a vital part of keeping well both mentally and physically, and there are plenty of ways to work out effectively from the comfort of your own home.
Working out can boost your mood, relieve stress, improve your memory and help you get a better night’s sleep. Luckily there is a range of equipment out there to help you break a sweat without heading to your local gym.
Thanks to social media, we have direct access to top fitness trainers, many of whom run livestream workout classes to help people feel connected without needing to commit to a gym, plus there’s now a range of fitness apps available to help you plan your workouts and stay motivated.
Then there’s the kit you need to take your work out to the next level: from hand weights and rowing machines to yoga mats and fitness skipping ropes.
To help you stay fit without the need for expensive health club memberships, we’ve compiled a list of the best exercise products that will ensure you get the most from your workout.
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The best home exercise equipment for 2022 is:
Best fitness app – Peloton app: £12.99 per month, Onepeloton.co.uk
Best rowing machine – Echelon rower: £749, Echelonfit.co.uk
Best exercise bike – Schwinn IC8 indoor cycle: £799, Fitness-superstore.co.uk
Best boxing gloves – Rival RB1 ultra bag gloves: £79.99, Rivalboxing.co.uk
Best women’s yoga pants – Sweaty Betty gary yoga pants: from £24, Sweatybetty.com
Best men’s yoga pants – Warrior Addict eco-warrior sweatpants: £80, Yogaemporium.co.uk
Best yoga mat – Yogi Bare lunar paws: £74.95, Yogi-bare.co.uk
Best running headphones – Earfun airpro: £69.99 Amazon.co.uk
Best fitness tracker – Withings pulse HR tracker: £89.95, Withings.com
Best fitness skipping rope – Beast Gear beast rope pro: £12.59, Amazon.co.uk
Best reusable water bottle – Hydro Flask wide mouth: £42, Cotswoldoutdoor.com
Best kettlebells – Wolverson competition kettlebells: £54.99, Wolverson-fitness.co.uk
Best dumbbells – Mirafit rubber dumbbells, 5-35kg: From £34.95, Mirafit.co.uk
Peloton app: £12.99 per month, Onepeloton.co.uk
Best: Fitness app
Of all the live gym-turned-livestream workouts we’ve tried, Peloton remains our favourite. Its spin workouts, which are what it’s famous for, will transform your home or gym bike sessions. Instructors are heavy on the positive affirmations and high-intensity bursts.
If your routine is feeling a little dull, one of the app’s music-themed rides (think classic rock or the Eighties) will shake you out of your rut. But the bike is just the tip of what this app offers: from yoga to bootcamp, there are an incredible number of workouts and series included in your membership, as well as multiple live daily classes.
We loved the outdoor series, with coached workouts for runners and walkers off the treadmill. The app is incredibly sleek and adept at personal-trainer style psychology: it measures your streaks and active days, and keeps you accountable with push notifications. And the best part is, the first 30 days of your membership are free.
Read more: Best fitness apps for every workout, from yoga to running
Echelon rower: £749, Echelonfit.uk
Best: Rowing machine
What sets this ergo apart from the pack is its connected rowing experience, which turns your phone or tablet into your performance monitor, via an app. Echelon membership starts at £24.99 a month (currently with the first month free upon purchasing your machine), with the app split into featured, on demand and live tabs, giving access to hundreds of classes for all levels and desired outcomes, with up to five live classes every day – ideal for getting you motivated and keeping training on track.
Away from the app, the Echelon is a quality machine with straightforward assembly and resistance coming from a magnetic flywheel, providing 32 very smooth levels. One of the standout features is the resistance or damper control, which is increased or decreased using two red buttons in the handle, so it’s easy to adjust mid-row without disrupting your stroke. We found that the foot rests were large, sturdy and fully adjustable so that we felt well-anchored throughout, and the rower stayed static during the most energetic of sessions. The Echelon also makes storage very easy – with a simple action you can hinge the rail of the machine to fold it up, so it doesn’t take over a whole room. At the moment, the brand says the machine is marked at its lowest price ever, with a £200 reduction.
Right now, you can get the ergo for £949 and get a free Apple Watch thrown in – it’s hard to say no to that.
Read more: Best rowing machines for working out at home
Schwinn IC8 indoor cycle: £799, Fitness-superstore.co.uk
Best: Excercise bike
As you’d expect from renowned bike manufacturer Schwinn, this indoor cycle is straightforward to put together, doesn’t take up a lot of space, and feels solid and stable once you’re done. The flywheel is super quiet and impressively smooth, using magnetic resistance to level up from 1-100 on the bike’s computer, making it easy to play around with to find the level needed.
We found the dipped handlebars were ergonomic and comfortable to grip, and the saddle takes the pressure off in all the right places. There is a small digital display to feed back your usual metrics (time, calories, speed etc), but the bike really comes into its own when you connect it (via Bluetooth) it to an external app like Zwift, Explore the World or even the Peloton app and use the media cradle with your own tablet or phone. We also liked the dual water bottle holders for those super sweaty sessions.
Read more: Best exercise bikes – indoor cycling machines for home workouts
Rival RB1 ultra bag gloves: £79.99, Rivalboxing.co.uk
Best: Boxing gloves
Since 2003, this Canadian manufacturer has proved itself arguably the most innovative brand on the market and has spawned many imitators in terms of graphic and technical design. This is their original and influential bag glove. One of these gloves’ most impressive assets is the high level of stability offered by the velcro strap, which utilises a “wrist lock” system, helping to prevent unintentional buckling when throwing a punch.
We found the layered and high-quality foam provided excellent hand protection, while the gloves fit snugly and comfortably and absorbed the shock and impact of punches extremely well. The superior PU material used for the outer casing ensures that these gloves are an excellent long-term investment, while the graphic design is a pleasing mix of traditional and modern. In short, this is a premium product, offering fantastic value, comfort and longevity.
Read more: Best boxing gloves that really pack a punch
Sweaty Betty gary yoga pants: From £24, Sweatybetty.com
Best: Women’s yoga pants
Not a legging but a pant – these have a looser fit than most standard styles and are the most comfortable thing you could ever hope to put on your lower half. They’re beautifully soft, breathable and loose enough around the legs to feel entirely unrestricted during a class, but not so much that they get in the way (and the cuffed ankles mean they don’t flap around). They have a reasonably high, panelled waist that sits securely but gently against your middle and they’re extremely flattering – perfect if you don’t like skin-tight leggings. Opt for a size down as they come up big. They’re pricey but the high quality will last you for years.
Read more: Best yoga leggings and pants that are comfortable and squat-proof
Warrior Addict eco-warrior sweatpants: £80, Warrioraddict.com
Best: Men’s yoga pants
These sweatpants do everything you want in yoga pants: they stretch effortlessly when you need them to, are lightweight and comfortable, and they stay cool even when your movements are pacey. The material, Tencel, is also antibacterial. Tencel is made from wood pulp and there is even an eco story: Warrior Addict makes them from up-cycled sample fabric – most companies don’t use all their sample fabric. This pair is out of stock at the moment but, according to the brand’s website, it will be back soon and you can reach out to find out when exactly it will be available again.
Read more: Best men’s yoga kit, so you can perfect every pose
Yogi Bare lunar paws: £74.95, Yogi-bare.co.uk
Best: Yoga mat
This mat is a smooth operator. It offered almost everything the other mats did, with no squeak, stretch or curly edges, making it the ideal investment if you’re a committed yogi. The company was founded by British yogi Kat Pither and its mats are PVC-free, made using biodegradable and sustainable rubber instead. It makes sure all its packaging is recyclable, and uses as little as possible, too.
At 4.2mm thick, the mat had that tiny bit more padding, which makes a difference by the end of a longer practice. We didn’t slip once, it’s decently wide (66cm), and we found the mat equally good for vinyasa and hatha yoga. We acknowledge that the alignment system doesn’t compare with the Pharamond Life (£69.99, Pharamondlife.com) and Lululemon (£118, Lululemon.co.uk) versions – you wouldn’t really call it a system at all. Yet the central guiding line and geometric patterned sections at each end were enough to help us place ourselves perfectly in downward dog time after time.
We also love the elemental colour range. As well as this deep ocean blue, there is an earthy forest green, fiery red and slate grey available (plus black), all with slightly different symbols laser-etched into the surface. If it helps you choose, proceeds from sales of Lunar Paws mats go towards helping marine conservation society Sea Shepherd.
Read more: Best yoga mats perfect for using at home or the gym
Earfun airpro: £69.99, Amazon.co.uk
Best: Running headphones
The first thing you’ll notice when you press play on these buds is the crisp, sharp treble, big bass and the kind of noise-cancelling technology that you usually get with earphones double the price. They also offer an ambient mode, which lets voices and sounds into your ear through the microphone and speaker, which is useful if you’re running in a built-up area and want to stay a little more aware of your surroundings. The Earfuns come with three sizes of silicone ear tips that make it easy to get a nice, tight inner ear seal and the buds are sweat- and water-resistant, although the manufacturer does ask that you dry the buds before replacing them in the case. The touch controls worked well and we never had any difficulty in playing or pausing a track.
Read more: Best running headphones – wireless earbuds that won’t fall out during a workout
Withings pulse HR tracker: £89.95, Withings.com
Best: Fitness tracker
Withings makes outstanding health and fitness gadgets, from smart bathroom scales to sleep monitoring pads. This one can track over 30 different activities and the built-in heart rate monitor measures continuously during workouts. There’s also sophisticated sleep monitoring that can analyse how well you’ve slept, showing a graph with details in terms of light and deep sleep on your smartphone.
Since it’s lightweight enough to wear in bed, it’s a great sleep companion. You can also set smart alarms, that is, the tracker will spot when you’re going from deep to light sleep and wake you at that moment when it happens just before your set alarm time. This means you are waking up at the optimum moment in your sleep cycle and, because it wakes you through vibration, your significant other can keep slumbering.
Although it doesn’t have GPS built in, if you’re running with your smartphone it can connect to that. The Withings interface on the app is clear and attractive and if you have other Withings devices, the information is collated there, too. Some basic notifications are passed from your phone to your wrist but this is primarily a health gadget.
Read more: Best fitness trackers to help you reach your goals
Beast Gear beast rope pro: £12.59, Amazon.co.uk
Best: Fitness skipping rope
The beast rope pro is fast, durable and pretty nice to look at. It includes a unique double bearing system, which enables a smooth rotation, and a locking mechanism to prevent the cable from slipping, even during the fastest workouts.
The steel-coated cable is ultra strong and can withstand users putting it through its paces day after day in HIIT sessions, interval training and longer aerobic workouts. We loved the smaller, lighter handles, which are hollow, and found it aided our sessions although some beginners might prefer something a little more chunky. Plus, the rope is easy to adjust and you get a nylon bag for storage. What’s not to like?
Read more: Best skipping ropes for fitness to improve stamina and speed
Hydro Flask wide mouth: £42, Cotswoldoutdoor.com
Best: Reusable water bottle
This water bottle may not be small and compact, but it is perfect for everyday situations. It’s ideal for walking or hiking, thanks to the flexible carry strap, and the powder-coat finish of the bottle helps you to keep a good grip on the bottle.
Made using 18/8 pro-grade stainless steel it benefits from double-wall vacuum insulation, which keeps cold drinks cold for up to 24 hours and hot drinks hot for up to 12 hours. It’s lighter than most insulated water bottles, which again is perfect if you’re on the move as it won’t weigh you down. It also has a wide mouth that makes drinking water a lot easier, and since it holds 946ml, you will hit your daily water quota without taking multiple trips to the tap.
The only real downside we could find is that the lid can be difficult to screw on if it’s not aligned correctly, resulting in the water leaking, so it’s essential to check that the lid is on tightly before putting it in your bag. This water bottle is really easy to clean thanks to the wide mouth and is dishwasher friendly, which is a bonus.
Read more: Best reusable water bottles that are good for hydration and the planet
Wolverson competition kettlebells: From £54.99, Wolverson-fitness.co.uk
Best: Kettlebells
The best of the best, these competition kettlebells are internationally renowned for good reason. Solid, one-piece casting with a hollow core, lifting and swinging these kettlebells feels noticeably different, more stable and more directed than any filled kettlebells we tested. We felt in real control of where the weight was going. We tested lower weights, but if we were going to lift heavy (singles go from 4kg up to 48kg) we would do it with one of these. The ergonomics are what make them so outstanding, but the finish, the broad, grip-able handle and cool, retro boxing gym-esque branding made them our firm favourite.
Read more: Best kettlebells to upgrade your at-home fitness setup
Mirafit rubber dumbbells, 5-35kg: From £34.95, Mirafit.co.uk
Best: Dumbbells
These sets from Mirafit can take an awful lot of punishment thanks to the rubber-coating. When you’re coming to the final reps of a particularly exhausting set you can just drop them to give you some relief, without having to worry about damaging the weights, or the weight damaging your floor. The raised steel grip was comfortable and effective, even when we got to the heavier weights in the range, which goes up to an arm-aching 35kg. Being fixed you never need to worry about taking evasive action from a falling weight plate, too, so you can just concentrate on your form. We fully recommend investing in one these sets to get the most out of your workout and the most value for money.
Read more: Best dumbbells and hand weights for home workouts
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