The 7 Best Home Gyms to Buy in 2018

Unlike a pair of dumbbells, you can’t tuck a hefty home gym unit away under the bed when you’re done using it. However, some, like the Bowflex Blaze, fold up, helping to save on space (when folded, the Bowflex Blaze is 52’’ long and 38’’ wide).

Despite its compact size, you can still perform 60 exercises on this gym. Features include a lat bar (to help build back and shoulder muscles) and a lower pulley/squat station (to target muscles in the legs). It also comes with Bowflex Power Rod technology, which offers 210 pounds of resistance. And while some home gyms can take hours upon hours to assemble, reviewers of this unit say that it’s relatively simple to set up (it took one user about 1.5 hours).

If you’re looking to bulk up, you’re going to want a home gym unit that allows you to effectively target the majority of your muscles. The Mary Diamond Smith Cage Workout Machine, which combines a Smith machine with a free-weight rack and cable-routed pulley system, has everything you need to increase full-body power, including a multi-function weight bench, leg developer, and pectoral fly station (for working chest muscles). All in all, you can perform over 100 exercises.

According to reviews, the Marcy Diamond system is worth the investment with one user saying that the home gym has so far helped them lose almost 100 pounds. Just note that the weight plates are not included with this home gym.

If you’re willing to splurge on a new piece of exercise equipment, a home gym is a smart buy considering how much use you’ll get out of it. One pricier model to check out is the Body-Solid Light Commercial Gym. Not one, not two, but three people can use the equipment simultaneously. The unit features two 210-lb. weight stacks, a bench press, incline press, low row station, and more. On top of that, plush features like high-density DuraFirm seat pads that are contoured for lumbar support make this home gym exceptionally comfortable to use.

People who own the Body-Solid gym say that it’s well worth the money. They rave about the quality, saying that the home gym works just as well as the exercise machines they’ve used at health clubs.

There are a number of home gyms that fall into the “not too high, not too low” price range, and if you’ve been saving up for a home gym but don’t want to spend a fortune, these are a great pick for you. One of our favorites is the Powerline Home Gym with Leg Press. It comes with low, mid, and high pulleys as well as a 160-lb. weight stack, which can be upgraded to 210 lbs.

The Priceline Home Gym is suitable for users of any size thanks to adjustable seats that ensure a perfect height. Users say that, although the assembly can be a bit challenging, the quality of the equipment is excellent for the price point.

Affordable home gym options may not be as flashy as the pricier models, but they will still help you improve your strength and get closer to your health goals. While this system doesn't look like a lot, it offers 50 body-shaping exercises that target every muscle group with its exercise booklet.  While it mostly uses your body weight as resistance it can also tack on up to 50 pounds of weight for a harder lift.

With over 1,000 reviews, customers love this for the price and versatility it has. They mention setup takes about a half hour and holds up well after daily use.

If you don’t want to dedicate an entire corner of the family room to a home gym unit, then a portable design might be best for you. The BodyBoss allows you to mimic the moves you’d do with a rack of dumbbells or squat rack, but instead uses cloth-covered resistance bands that attach to a fold-up platform. Thanks to its portable design, you can store this home gym under the bed or take it with you while traveling.

Even reviewers who have lifted with free weights in the past say that this unit provides plenty of resistance for effective strength training. Best of all, you can lengthen or shorten the bands to make the exercises easier or more difficult, meaning that the BodyBoss works for all fitness levels.

Personal trainers will tell you that you can effectively tone and strengthen using just your body weight—and it’s true. The TRX suspension system helps you maximize those results and allows you to sculpt your body anywhere that you have a place to anchor the system (such as a door). You can perform over 300 exercises with the system, and with regular use, you’ll improve strength as well as flexibility, mobility, and stability.

Even better, the TRX system is portable, and users say that they bring it with them on vacations and business trips. We love that it takes just 60 seconds to set it up, and once you’re done working out for the day, you can store the product back in its box and tuck it out of sight.