The Best Compact Exercise Equipment for Even the Smallest Home Gym (or Living Room)

DMoose offers a pull-up bar that easily attaches to standard-sized door frames without needing to bust out your drill, and it can hold up to 243 pounds. For a more permanent pull-up situation, consider Titan Fitness’s wall-mounted pull-up bar (supports up to 400 pounds) or REP Fitness’s bar (500-pound weight limit) that you can install to either a wall or ceiling.

One of the most versatile options for small exercise rooms is an all-in-one system. For example, the G1 by Force USA combines five workout machines: a power rack, functional trainer, suspension trainer, core trainer, and chin-up station.

And the Titan Nemesis is an all-in-one trainer that the brand says allows for up to 1,000 different workouts, and it’s slimmer and shorter than the G1, so it’ll fit more easily into a tight space. Smallest of all is Bells of Steel’s all-in-one machine, which allows for hundreds of cable and barbell exercises.

As SELF has previously reported, ellipticals are great for folks who are looking for a no-to-low-impact cardio option. The ProForm Carbon E7 is a compact machine that connects to iFit to give you personalized workouts (your trainer can even auto-adjust the resistance on the machine as you exercise). The NordicTrack FS14i also includes iFit access, but with an even smaller footprint and customizable design. When we tested these machines, our reviewers were into the adjustable stride length, which means it can be comfortable for people of different heights to use The FS14i has 26 resistance levels and has smart auto-adjust tech that matches the resistance and incline to the programs you’re using.

If you’re looking for an easy-to-use elliptical, check out this option from Sunny Health & Fitness. It doesn’t have advanced bells and whistles, but it gives you eight levels of resistance, a heart rate monitor, and an LCD screen. Plus, you can’t beat the price.

The benefits of compact exercise equipment

Essentially, at-home equipment offers a level of ease that forces you to “delete your excuses,” Sydney Bueckert, NASM-CPT, lead in-house fitness instructor at Sunny Health & Fitness in California, tells SELF. “You don’t have to travel to the gym, you don’t have to deal with crummy weather conditions, you have everything you need to get the job done. You’ll have days when things come up, you pull a long day at work, the kids need help with a school project.” Even if you just have a few minutes, having a home setup that helps you reap the benefits of short workouts is such a win.

If you don’t have much square-footage to spare, compact equipment allows you to make the most of the space you do have. Another benefit: opting for multi-use equipment can often help you save money because doing so eliminates the need to buy a whole gym’s worth of machines.

How to choose the best compact exercise equipment

To help you avoid overwhelm or decision fatigue, we’ve narrowed down what to consider when choosing compact workout items across all equipment categories.

Portability

Not everyone has a dedicated home gym; some folks buy compact equipment that they’ll scooch into a corner or a closet when they’re not using it. Products that are lightweight, have wheels, or are small in size tend to be the most portable.

Versatility

The more that one piece of equipment can do, the fewer items you need. So when you’re looking to save space, consider the number of workouts or exercise modalities you can do with the machine or tool.

Cost

Budget is a major factor when you’re scanning the digital aisles for new workout equipment. In fact, Franco Calabrese, DPT, a physical therapist based in Chicago, previously told SELF that cost is among the most important considerations you’ll make when it comes to picking your fitness gear. While shelling out a month’s rent for machines and weights may seem excessive, when you consider the costs of gym memberships, you might realize you’re saving money in the long run.

Size

Not to state the obvious, but size matters when you’re picking home gym equipment. Dr. Calabrese previously told SELF that small, versatile options like kettlebells, dumbbells, and resistance bands are winners for tight spaces: “They don’t take up a lot of space and they can be moved with ease from room to room or from inside to outside depending on your preferred workout area.”