From Someone Who Would Know: Best Home Workout Equipment

I enjoy a good resistance workout, but doing it from home can be such a hassle: untangling resistance bands, having to constantly update your free weights when you outgrow them — not to mention, who can fit a reformer machine inside their house? LIT AXIS will replace your cable systems, free weights, power racks, bench equipment, and suspension trainer, and can even act as a Pilates reformer. It’s a smart fitness system that connects to an app that tracks your calories burned, how much weight you’re lifting, and even muscle imbalances. For all that functionality, you’d think it would take up a ton of room, but it’s super tiny — just about the size of a shoebox.

This is a splurge, but if you’re in the market for a new treadmill, you might want to check out this one from iFIT. First of all, it folds so you can save space — that’s like the workout equipment equivalent of telling someone your dress has pockets. More importantly (I guess), the machine is so smart that there’s not enough space to list all its capabilities. But two standouts are that it comes pre-loaded with thousands of workout led by iFIT trainers and the SmartAdjust machine learning technology learns your progress and habits to adjust workouts to you. Plus, it adjusts on both an incline and a decline for even more health benefits.

The Brrrn Board is perfect for those of us on upper floors who want to get a heart-pumping workout without jumping around. (I may or may not have learned this lesson the hard way, thanks to an angry letter from a previous neighbor…) The Brrrn workout is all about sliding, and the website has a number of HIIT, yoga, and other workouts that can be done on the board, with or without supplemental equipment like dumbbells. It is six feet long, so you’d want to factor that in, but if you’re tight on space (or just short, like me), there’s also a five-foot option.

Anyone who’s doing any serious movement or lifting weights at home should probably protect their floors, whether or not they live above anyone. These puzzle piece-like mats come in a variety of thicknesses and are textured to minimize slipping.

Bala bangles are, to put it simply, very cute. These 1-pound ankle weights can take any pilates move, mountain climber, or lunge up a notch. You can also wear them on your wrists to get an upper body workout in.

I’m not a fitness trainer or professional, but kettlebells are widely accepted as a versatile weight. You can use them for strength exercises, like squats and rows, or for movements that incorporate cardio, like kettlebell swings and snatches.

One downside of getting stronger is that you have to keep getting new weights — but with a set of adjustable dumbbells, you won’t have that problem. These start at 5.5 pounds and go up to 27.5 pounds (a wide range), while taking up a fraction of the space that multiple sets of dumbbells would require.

There’s no shortage of aerobic steppers on the market; I bought this one for my home set-up because I liked that the height is adjustable. When placed on top of the foam puzzle pieces, it allows you to get some quiet cardio in, provided you don’t stop too loud when you step up and off the platform. You can also use it to kick some of your favorite workout moves up a notch, like chest-elevated mountain climbers or feet-elevated push-ups.

This half-ball can help you work on your balance, and can also be used to supplement some bodyweight movements to make them more difficult. Flip it so the ball is on the floor and do push-ups or mountain climbers that you’ll definitely feel in your arms the next day. Or, put the flat part on the floor and do ab exercises on the ball part.

If you want the gliding action of the Brrrn board for a fraction of the price (and a whole lot more portability), gliders like these are a great substitute. Use them for lunges, side squats, or even mountain climbers and you’ll feel a different kind of burn.