All My Favorite Home Workout Tools Under $25
I have some bittersweet news, mostly good news: I’m about to get a Tonal —one of those cutting-edge tablets that attaches to the wall and uses magnets to create resistance that mimics the cable machine at the gym. I’m buying it to review for you, which is certainly good news for all of us, but it will render many of my other home exercise machines useless for a while, so I want to take a moment to commemorate the inexpensive tools I’ve accumulated that make even the simplest yoga on my living room floor more enjoyable.
I’m smitten with Tonal, which costs around $4,000 depending on what sales are going on, but honestly, I’ve achieved a lot with personal training equipment that costs less than $25. Here’s what I think you should buy if you, like me, want to improve your at-home workout results.
Pilates tools were found to be the most helpful
It’s no secret that I’m a devoted Peloton fan, using my stationary bike and the company’s app every day. It offers so many options: from walking to running , from stretching to yoga . I’ve thoroughly enjoyed each category, but ultimately, we’re all creatures of habit and inevitably return to what we enjoy most. For me, that’s Pilates. I go to trendy Reformer studios in Manhattan, take mat Pilates classes at my gym, and, of course, take instructor-led Pilates classes through the Peloton app and even on platforms like YouTube . It’s entirely possible to find and complete classes without any equipment, but I find them boring.
So, the best purchase for my small home gym was Pilates accessories. The first thing I bought was a soft mat. If you do yoga or Pilates, you know that a softer, thicker mat has its pros and cons. The main advantage—no pain in my buttocks and knees when doing floor exercises—outweighs the disadvantages, such as having to be a little more careful and strain a little harder to maintain stability on a less stable surface. If stability is important to you, a thinner mat might be better, but I bought this thick one, which costs about $16 .
Real success came when I got a hula hoop and a Pilates ball .
Of course, they weren’t absolutely necessary; you can get a perfectly adequate workout without them. Furthermore, I saved money—a lot—so I ended up inflating the ball with a straw and attaching the pads to the hoop myself. Not the end of the world, but not as luxurious as I’d like my Pilates classes to be. Still, they’ve really improved my Pilates practice outside the home. I’ve brought them with me to mat Pilates classes and also used them with Peloton and YouTube workouts, so I don’t have to use balls, hoops, or mats that someone else has sweated on.
The mat is also multipurpose. I use it for strength training and yoga at home . I also bought a few yoga blocks , which have helped me when I’m alone and also when I attend classes at a studio or gym. I hesitate to fully recommend my cheap blocks here. Unlike some blocks I’ve used at the studio, mine aren’t very dense or textured. They’re a bit flat, lightweight, and almost slippery. In fact, I fell off one during a hot yoga session at a new studio a few weeks ago. I chalk it up mostly to operator error, as I’m just not a graceful person, and that’s doubly true when I’m covered in sweat, but I think if I’d had higher-quality blocks, this might not have happened. Keep that in mind when choosing cheap items, though I will say I haven’t had any other issues with my inexpensive ones.
The Secret Holy Grail of the Home Gym
I’ve had a lot of other weird, one-off, and highly specialized home workout gear, and frankly, I hardly ever use it. For example, I bought this resistance band and squat bar set , but it sat unused for months because it just couldn’t replicate what I could get at the gym or even with dumbbells at home.
On the other hand, dumbbells seemed out of reach for me for home use for a while because, as you can see, I’m a budget-conscious person, and the heavier the weight, the higher the price—at least at Target or Amazon. Unwilling to pay more than $25, I decided to stick with five-pound dumbbells forever and use them only at the gym. But by pure chance, last week I found myself at Five Below.
Reader, they have dumbbells . Do they even have dumbbells? Dumbbells and kettlebells up to 10 pounds cost no more than $10. They also have resistance bands, weightlifting gloves, wrist weights, the odd “hip trainer,” and much more—all for the same price or less. If you’re looking to spice up your home workouts, check out Five Below—everything is affordable.
Why does this work?
I try to go to the gym or a dedicated studio at least four times a week, but that requires a lot of motivation and planning, and I find that working out at home requires even more, so when I do, I have to commit and push myself. It seems easier because I don’t have to go anywhere, but it’s actually harder because I can just sit on the couch. Having access to equipment that can enhance my home workouts motivates me and makes the process of preparing, finding videos to watch, and practicing certain exercises more worthwhile. Building my arsenal hasn’t cost me much, but even if it had, it would still have been worth it.
And yes, all my exercise equipment is pink. I’ll be myself, and you’ll be yourself.