In today’s fast-paced world, creating an at-home gym is an incredible way to prioritize your fitness journey while saving time and money. Whether you’re working on building strength, improving flexibility, or torching calories, a well-thought-out home gym setup can empower you to reach your fitness goals. The best part? You don’t need an entire room or a hefty budget. With a few versatile tools, you can create a space that works for you. It also eliminates the need to get in the car and drive to the gym, or pay for a gym membership.

Let’s dive into an ideal setup featuring a dumbbell set, yoga mat, yoga block, foam roller, jump rope, resistance bands, and hip bands.

1. Yoga Mat: Your Base for Movement

First things first, your essential home-gym starter pack must include a mat. A mat provides a comfortable, non-slip surface for various exercises. It’s imperative for yoga, stretching, and strength training. A good-quality mat absorbs impact during high-intensity moves like burpees and protects your joints during floor exercises.

• Stretch and Recover: Incorporate a daily stretch routine or mobility flow to improve flexibility and prevent stiffness.
• Bodyweight Exercises: Push-ups, planks, and core work become more comfortable with the support of a yoga mat.

It can be difficult to find a high quality mat, but we’ve found a great brand that stays put during workouts, has a nice weight and feel to it, and is easy to clean. Make sure to keep these factors in mind when creating your home gym! You’ll be glad that you invested in a proper mat that will pass the test of time. 

Here is our pick in the polyurethane material for easy cleaning. Find it here!

2. Dumbbell Set: Strength and Versatility

Dumbbells are the cornerstone of any workout setup. From building muscle to improving joint stability, they’re incredibly versatile. Use them for:

• Upper Body Workouts: Bicep curls, shoulder presses, and tricep kickbacks.
• Lower Body Moves: Goblet squats, lunges, and deadlifts.
• Core Strength: Russian twists and dumbbell side bends.

Massy’s programs require dumbbells in a few different weights. While someone who is a beginner might require a set of 5 lb, 10lb and 12 lb weights, a more experienced fitness enthusiast might require 10 lb, 15lb, 20lb or 25lb dumbbells. We recommend starting with lighter weights and gradually increasing as you build strength. 

Another point to consider is the color of your weights, as you might be setting them on the floor quite a bit. If you want your setup to remain clean and tidy, try going for a darker color weight set so that it doesn’t show the dirt as much as a light color. 

Here is Massy’s pick for high quality weights in different neutral tone colors, perfect for the clean aesthetic girlies. 

For Single Weights, click here, for the set, click here! If you’re looking for an adjustable weight set, Massy recommends this set by ByZoom or a more high-end option by Finer Form. 

3. Yoga Block: Support and Progress

Yoga blocks are underrated heroes of flexibility and mobility training. They provide support during yoga poses and help you modify exercises as you build strength and balance. Massy’s workout programs include yoga blocks so that movements can be modified, you feel more stable, and so that your body is able to do all the movements comfortably. 

Massy created her own yoga block made from high density EVA foam, making it non-slip and soft to the touch. It has beveled edges for stability which will hold your body weight and bring you stability for all poses. You can find her yoga blocks here.

• Beginners’ Best Friend: Use the block to modify challenging poses like triangle or pigeon pose.
• Core and Balance Workouts: Incorporate the block into your routines for added stability.

4. Resistance Bands: Functional Strength

Resistance bands are compact yet powerful tools for toning muscles, improving mobility, and enhancing strength. They’re great for all fitness levels and add variety to your workouts. In Massy’s programming, you might find the use of resistance bands at the gym or at home. The length of these bands allows you to fix them around a pole or sturdy column and use your body weight to create resistance, eliminating the need for heavy-duty barbells or large pieces of equipment, while reducing the amount of impact on your joints.

• Strength Training: Use bands for bicep curls, lateral raises, and glute bridges.
• Rehabilitation: Bands are perfect for gentle exercises to recover from injuries.
• Dynamic Warm-Ups: Add resistance to stretches to activate muscles pre-workout.

Massy uses this set because they are durable, versatile, and the colors match her aesthetic. Find the bands here!

5. Jump Rope: Cardio Anywhere

Don’t underestimate the power of this simple tool! Jumping rope is a fantastic cardio workout that builds endurance, burns calories, and improves coordination. You don’t need anything fancy! Get an affordable, tangle-free jump rope that you can take on the go out in nature, or use at the gym. You’ll be surprised at how quickly jump roping increases your heart rate and gets you pumped for a workout. Massy uses this jump rope, but there are tons of other options out there. Here’s a simple at-home workout that you can try with a jump rope.

• Warm-Up Staple: A few minutes of jumping rope gets your heart rate up and your body ready to move.
• Quick HIIT Sessions: Alternate 30 seconds of jumping with 15 seconds of rest for an efficient calorie burn.

6. Hip Bands: Glute and Lower Body Activation

Hip bands, also known as booty bands, are designed for lower body training. They’re excellent for targeting glutes, hips, and thighs, adding resistance to bodyweight moves.

• Lower Body Workouts: Use them for squats, clamshells, and lateral band walks.
• Warm-Up Essential: Activating your glutes before a leg day ensures optimal performance.

Massy’s preference in bands are ones that stay secure during workouts, and that eliminate the rubber feel against your skin. That’s why she created her own set of fabric bands that she actually uses day to day, and they have remained her go-to set of bands. Try the TRU Training Booty Bands and see for yourself! 

7. Foam Roller: Recovery and Relaxation

Foam rollers are essential for self-myofascial release, a fancy term for massaging away muscle tension. Regular rolling improves blood circulation, enhances mobility, and speeds up recovery.

Massy uses her foam roller religiously to relieve muscle tension after every workout. Find her top pick here!

• Post-Workout Relief: Focus on major muscle groups like your quads, hamstrings, and back.
• Warm-Up Tool: Roll lightly before workouts to stimulate blood flow and prepare your muscles.

8. Water Bottle 

Staying hydrated is essential when starting your fitness journey, so get a bottle that you’re excited to use! Not only is it important to get plenty of fluids during workouts, but it’s also incredibly important to stay hydrated throughout your day, even if you’re not working out. 

Drinking water is essential for flushing out toxins from our bodies, as well as keeping our skin clear and our organs operating at their highest potential, keeping our metabolism regulated and our digestive system running smoothly.

Make sure to choose a water bottle that will make you want to keep drinking, whether you’re at home or out in public. Try TRU Hydrate to add electrolytes for deeper hydration, and yummy flavor to make drinking large quantities of water easier and more enjoyable! 

Also, make sure to get a bottle with parts that are easy to clean. Mold can form on mechanisms inside your bottle that could lead to sickness, so be careful to clean your bottle inside and out, so that it stays sanitized and clean.

Try TRU’s 64oz water jug in blue or pink to make sure that you’re getting plenty of fluids!

9. Foam Pad for Kneeling Exercises

When creating your home gym, and if you’re following Massy’s programing, you will need a foam pad to protect your knees and joints for certain movements. Depending on where you exercise space is located and what type of flooring you have in that area, you will need some extra padding to ease the pressure on your knees for floor exercises. While having a cushioned mat will help, we recommend using an additional foam pad for extra support.

This protection can also be added using a pillow, but using a foam pad will ensure that the padding is even and will not slip and slide under your body weight. Massy is a huge proponent of using mats and pads to decrease the risk of injury and bone/joint wear over time. Please make sure that you are completing workouts on padding to keep your body mobile and functioning with ease over time. Here is Massy’s pick for foam pads.

Creating Your Space

Designate a Space: Choose a spot with enough room to move freely. A corner in your living room, garage, outdoor space, or a section of your bedroom works well.

Personalize It: Add motivational posters, a speaker for music, and good lighting to create a positive workout space.  A floor-length mirror on the wall will also help you watch your form and make sure you’re doing movements properly. 

Stay Organized: Use bins or racks to keep your gear neat and accessible. Having a table set your laptop on for follow-along programs, or a TV to watch your programs on might help to functionalize the space for your goals. 

Bring the Vibes: Add an essential oil diffuser with energizing scents to get you motivated, or calming scents to make the environment pleasant and help you associate good feelings with your space.