Good quality compact home gym setups often don’t come cheap, so you want to make sure you choose the best one for your needs.
To help you out, we’ve put together this expert guide so you can choose the best value compact home gym for your budget and needs.
Let’s jump into it right away!
Best Value Compact Home Gyms
- Best Overall: BodyBoss 2.0 Full Portable Home Gym
- Most Portable: OYO Personal Gym
- Best Full-Featured: Bowflex Home Gym PR1000
- Best Budget: BodyGym Core System Portable Home Gym
- Best Door-Mounted: Body by Jake Tower 200
Best Overall Compact Home Gym: BodyBoss 2.0 Full Portable Home Gym
The BodyBoss 2.0 is super-compact and extremely easy to use. If you’re on the lookout for the best value all-in-one compact home gym, you’ve found it!
Featured Specs
- Size: 15.9 x 2.8 x 20.1 inches
- Assembly Required: Yes
- Weights or Resistance: 40 pounds
If you’re looking for a portable gym that you can assemble anytime, anywhere, the BodyBoss 2.0 is the best one out there!
It’s compact, portable, and is equipped with everything that you might need in your home gym. It’s the best complete compact home gym.
The BodyBoss 2.0 allows you to carry out literally every workout that you would otherwise be doing at the gym including shoulder presses, bicep curls, squats, rear delt flyes, upright rows, triceps extensions, and more!
What’s Included
- Vectofit Base
- Collapsible Workout Bar
- Resistance Bands
- Handles
- Limb Straps
- Door Anchor
Key Features
It comes with a base that can be folded and anchors that are retractable. The best thing about the base is that it’s non-slip and features floor padding, so you don’t really have to worry about slipping.
The bar that is included in the BodyBoss 2.0 is padded that offers an easy grip and added comfort for the user.
The straps too, are padded to give the user maximum comfort and make their workout sessions all more enjoyable.
The bar comes with a 360-degree rotation, that makes way for smooth and natural motion.
The BodyBoss 2.0 also features 30-inch long bands, each of which provides up to 30 pounds of resistance.
The BodyBoss 2.0 also includes padded bands that can fit all sizes of ankles and wrists. The handles can simulate dumbbells. You can adjust the weight by adding or removing bands to suit the workout intensity that you’re up in the mood for.
The package also has a door anchor that locks securely into the door frame and makes it possible for you to undertake workouts like chest flies, lat pull-downs, and triceps extensions.
Drawbacks
On the downside, the BodyBoss 2.0 offers resistance of only 40 pounds which may not be good enough for professional athletes or people who’re looking for more challenging workout routines.
In case you want to add resistance, you’ll have to purchase resistance bands separately. Lastly, a lot of users didn’t find the base to be very sturdy.
Key Takeaway
If you don’t have a room that you can dedicate to a gym, you should invest in the BodyBoss 2.0. It’s super-compact and extremely easy to assemble. If you’re on the lookout for an all-in-one best home compact gym, you’ve found it!
Most Portable Compact Home Gym: OYO Personal Gym
If you are looking for a super portable compact home gym then the OYO Personal Gym is a perfect choice.
Featured Specs
- Size: N/A
- Assembly Required: Yes
- Weights or Resistance: 10 and 25 pounds
The OYO Personal Gym is an ideal product for someone who wishes to enjoy all the perks of the gym in the comfort of their home.
This is one of the best budget home gyms that you will find in the market today that offers excellent value for the money!
Key Features
The OYO Personal Gym comes with two 10 pounds flexpacks, one 5 pounds flexpack, a door anchor, and leg attachments.
It features SpiralFlex resistance technology that helps you build lean muscle. It’s also equipped with patented DoubleFlex activation that provides resistance to the muscle group that is opposing each movement.
You can do over 197 exercises using the OYO Personal Gym. Whatever muscle you wish to target, the OYO Personal Gym is just what you need!
It’s constructed of heavy-duty polymer but weighs only 21 pounds, making this compact home gym equally suitable for both men and women.
The ergonomic handgrips make your workout session super-comfortable. Moreover, the nylon-coated stainless steel cables ensure that the OYO Personal Gym stays with you for many years to come.
The OYO Personal Gym is a highly versatile, extremely compact, and very portable equipment that makes it possible to transform your home into a full-fledged gym any time you want, without having to dedicate a separate room for it!
The OYO Personal Gym comes with everything that you need to get started, including more than 60 beginner to advanced level workout videos that you can watch and train yourself.
Drawbacks
One of the drawbacks, as reported by users, is that the flexpack spindles become disoriented during use and can be fixed using tools.
Moreover, many users also raised a concern about not being able to add more flexpacks to the equipment to make the workout more challenging.
Key Takeaway
If you are looking for a super portable compact home gym then the OYO Personal Gym is a perfect choice. However, if you’re a professional-level are athlete and like to work out with heavy weights, the OYO Personal Gym may not be the very best choice for you as it only comes with 25 pounds of resistance.
Best Full-Featured Compact Home Gym: Bowflex Home Gym PR1000
The Bowflex PR1000 is the closest you can get to a full-body gym workout in the comfort of your own home.
Featured Specs
- Size: N/A
- Assembly Required: Yes
- Weights or Resistance: 200 pounds
The Bowflex PR1000 is the best value full-featured compact home gym.
It is an all-rounder machine that lets you perform all exercises included in a full-body workout. While the Bowflex PR1000 claims to support 30 exercises, you can actually pull a lot more than that!
Key Features
It’s equipped with power rods instead of the standard free weights. Power rods are associated with a greater number of benefits. They produce a lower impact on the body. And thanks to these power rods, you can challenge yourself with a resistance of up to 210 pounds. This makes the Bowflex PR1000 the best home compact gym for beginner to intermediate level lifters.
The bench can be converted into a rolling seat, that enables you to use it for aerobic rowing. With aerobic rowing, you can use the Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym for building strength and cardio workouts, without feeling the need to go to the gym.
It comes with a built-in media rack. The Bowflex PR1000 features numerous cable pulley positions that allow you to change the angle of the resistance easily and increase the effectiveness of exercises.
All in all, the Bowflex PR1000 is the best full-featured compact home gym for the money that lets you pull off a workout regime that you would otherwise have to go to the gym for.
Drawbacks
One of the major drawbacks associated with the Bowflex PR1000 Home Gym is that it doesn’t come with detailed video tutorials to help beginners get a grip on assembling techniques and basic workout methods.
Moreover, 210 pounds of resistance may not be sufficient for heavy-lifters or professional athletes. Finally, it is definitely not the most compact option on this list so do make sure you have the space for it.
Key Takeaway
If you consider yourself a beginner to the intermediate-level lifter, the Bowflex PR1000 is the best compact home gym for you. It enables you to perform more than 30 exercises at the comfort of your home, which is pretty much better than what other compact home gyms will offer you.
Best Budget Compact Home Gym: BodyGym Portable Home Gym
This is the best portable gym for people who wish to work out on the go, without having to spend too much money or time on assembling the equipment!
Featured Specs
- Size: 17.01 x 10.71 x 2.2 inches
- Assembly Required: Yes
- Weights or Resistance: Adjustable
The BodyGym Portable Home Gym is an outstanding option when it comes to resistance band training.
It’s the best compact home gym equipment for individuals who don’t want to compromise on their fitness amidst hectic routines but are on a tight budget.
Considering the attractive price point, we had to include it on our list of the best compact home gym for the money!
Key Features
It features a simple snap-together design. All you’ve got to do is join the two sections of the bar together, and you’re good to start with absolutely no hassle!
You can perform dozens of gym exercises at your home or wherever you want.
The most prominent feature of the BodyGym Portable Home Gym is the adjustable resistance band. It makes way for customizing your workout as per your comfort and fitness level.
You can conveniently increase or decrease the resistance level if you wish to go lighter or harder on yourself. If you want to keep the resistance on a lower level, all you need to do is roll the band towards you. In case you want to make your workout more challenging, all you’ll have to do is roll the bar further away.
The BodyGym Portable Home Gym features a patented bar that weighs less than 3 pounds. What’s more to this lightweight design is how you can break it down easily to store it away or carry it with you anywhere you want.
The simplistic lightweight design makes storing the compact home gym when not in use. So with this budget-friendly home gym, space won’t be an issue.
The BodyGym Home Gym also includes a DVD workout class, led by the famous Marie Osmond. It’s a 94-minute long workout class that helps you through some of the best exercises that you can do using this best home compact gym.
Another DVD contains 250 minutes of exercises, which you can start doing right away! The package also includes a travel bag so that you can carry your portable gym with you anywhere you go.
Drawbacks
One of the major drawbacks of the BodyGym Core System Home Gym is its core focus – resistance band training. Not everyone is very fond of this type of training as it limits the group of muscles being worked.
Moreover, resistance bands are made of pure latex. While latex is quite durable and light in weight, some people may be allergic to it.
Key Takeaways
The BodyGym Core System Home Gym is the best portable gym for people who wish to work out on the go or in the comfort of their homes, without having to spend too much money or time on assembling the equipment!
Best Door Mounted Compact Home Gym Body by Jake Tower 200
The Body by Jack Tower 200 is a great value compact home gym option. It doesn't take up much space while also allowing you to perform 100s of exercises in your own home.
Featured Specs
- Size: 24.02 x 5.98 x 14.02 inches
- Assembly Required: No
- Weights or Resistance: 200 pounds
The Tower 200 by Body by Jake is the best compact home gym with no assembly required.
When you open the package, all you’ll need to do is hook the top of the equipment to the top of any door in your home and secure the lower portion to the bottom of the door, and that’s pretty much it.
It requires no assembly time nor any extra effort to secure it to the door frames.
Key Features
The Body by Jack Tower 200 is very well-constructed. It feels sturdy and looks solid and highly durable. You can pull on the handles as hard as you want without worrying about the equipment breaking.
The package comes with a handle and multi-tension power cords that offer an incredible resistance of about 200 pounds.
You can perform more than 200 exercises using this very affordable home gym system, making it one of the best-value compact home gyms on the market.
This compact home gym emphasizes weight training and hence is great for individuals who’re looking for a convenient home gym for full-body workouts.
Drawbacks
Though it comes super cheap, which is a major plus point, the Body by Jake Tower 200 has some drawbacks.
The first on the list is that it comes with just one handle. You need two handles for an efficient workout, and hence, it implies that you’ve got to spend some extra dollars on an additional handle.
Another drawback that we noticed was that its metal brackets that hold on to the door frame aren’t padded enough that may scuff up the door. You might have to install rubber bumpers to avoid this from happening.
Extra Features
The Body by Jack Tower 200 comes with a DVD that contains 11 minutes of total body workout, 3 minutes of routines for biceps/ triceps, abs, and chest and shoulder, MMA total body workout by the renowned Randy Couture.
The routines included in the DVD are very well-thought-out, comprehensive, and most importantly, fast.
Another attractive feature of the Body by Jack Tower 200 is the adjustable resistance. You can increase or decrease the resistance as per your preferences by simply hooking the carabineers of the handle to any of the three resistance bands present on each side.
Key Takeaway
The Body by Jack Tower 200 is a great value compact home gym option. It doesn’t take up much space while also allowing you to perform 100s of exercises in your own home.
Compact Home Gym FAQ
How Much Space Do I Need For A Compact Home Gym?
The idea of setting up a gym in your home is bound by the available space. The space that you need for a home gym depends on the size and number of pieces of gym equipment that you’re planning to keep.
However, things are different with compact home gyms. Some compact home gyms are foldable and can be kept under the bed, while others are big enough to take up a small corner of your room.
This is what makes a compact home gym such a popular choice for individuals living in apartments, condos, and small shared spaces. The best compact home gym equipment will serve the purpose of a gym well without taking up too much space.
Free Weights Vs. Resistance?
Although both free weights as well as elastic resistance bands and machines provide resistance, allow a free range of motion, make way for progressive resistance, and allow movements of variable weights, they’re both two different things in regards to how they work and the results they give.
Resistance bands offer a greater number of possibilities and options when it comes to the direction of resistance during strength training. When you pull on a resistance band in a particular direction, resistance is automatically produced in the opposite direction.
This makes it possible for the user to manipulate the direction of resistance during their workouts. In the case of free weights, the direction of resistance is always downwards. Resistance bands also provide greater control. The more or less you stretch it, the more or less the resistance will be.
Another key difference between the two is the impact on the biceps. The direction of resistance in the case of free weights, as mentioned earlier, is always downwards. As a result, they tend to stay in motion until or unless the user stops. They gain momentum due to their weight, and not due to the efforts of the user.
This does not put any real stress on the biceps, making the exercise pretty useless for bicep muscle building. However, resistance bands need to be pulled by the user. The muscles of the arms are worked, and hence, resistance bands are excellent for the biceps.
Not to forget the safety factor of the two. Resistance bands are a lot safer as compared to free weights. There’s always a chance of dropping the weight onto your feet or spraining your back and shoulders in an attempt to lift heavy weights.
With resistance bands, you can enjoy a more pain-free, stress-free, and a lot more enjoyable workout routine.
What Does Every Home Gym Need?
Setting up a home gym can be exhilarating. You can have all the essential gym equipment at home, making sticking to your fitness schedule less of a hassle.
If you’re planning to set up a home gym, you might want to know the things that every home gym needs. Your question has been answered below:
- Dumbbells
The number of exercises that you can do using dumbbells is huge. So the first thing that you should equip your home gym with is – dumbbells. Dumbbells of varying weights are what you need to carry out literally an endless variety of exercises in your home gym.
- Kettlebell
While kettlebells aren’t deemed essential for a gym, there are plenty of movements that are enhanced with kettlebells. If you want to make the most out of your home gym, you should definitely get kettlebells for your home gym. For those short on space or money, check out our guide to the best adjustable kettlebells.
- Pull-Up Bar
A pull-up bar is a gym essential, and no gym can be complete without it – not even your home gym. Here is our guide to our favorite pull-up bars for any home gym.
- Jump Rope
Another thing that your home gym needs is a jump rope. Jumping rope is not just a fun activity from your childhood, but it’s a fantastic cardio workout! It also works on your coordination. Don’t forget to include it in your home gym. Even better, get a weighted jump rope to accelerate the gains.
- Barbell
Barbells are like all other free weights – only much better. They offer excellent coordination and stabilization to your workout. Your home gym can’t be complete without barbells.
- Weight Plates
Buy a variety of weight plates for your home gym, including numbers 2.5, 5, 10, 25, and 45 if you’re a seasoned gym goer.
- Stereo System
Apart from the regular gym equipment, your home gym needs a good stereo system. What’s a workout without some good music? Loud music helps you come in the mood for some serious exercise, and hence, you just shouldn’t miss this one out!
Can You Get In Shape At Home?
Yes. You can most definitely get in shape at home. There are plenty of exercises and workouts that you can do in the comfort of your home and stay in shape.
These include routines like planks, pull-ups, pushups, etc. Then there are home cardio workouts like jumping jacks and mountain climbers.
Squats and lunges are also great for your lower body. You don’t even need any equipment for these simple yet effective workout routines and exercises.
So, if you want to keep your body in shape but don’t have the time or budget to go to the gym, there is no reason why you can’t stay in shape while staying at home.
Conclusion
You’ll be bombarded with choices when you go out to buy a compact home gym. You might even feel overwhelmed.
Not all compact home gyms are as good as they claim to be, so make a conscious choice and don’t jump into investing in the first compact home gym you come across.
To save you from spending your money on the wrong compact home gym, our guide has a list of the best compact home gyms for the money.
All of the compact home gyms in this guide are on the list for a reason. They deliver the purpose well, and that too, at a great price. If you’re looking for a compact home gym that offers the best value for money, you can buy any of the ones listed above and consider yourself sorted for good!
With the best compact home gym at your disposal, you can no more excuse yourself from your daily workout routine and blame your hectic routine. You’ve got all that you’ll need right at your disposal at all times. So, what’s your excuse for not working out regularly now?
