Build the Best Home Gym for Health, Longevity and Performance

If you’re ready to burn fat, build muscle and get in the best shape your life…at home and maybe even save some money while you’re at it, read on.

But don’t jump right in and spend $3000 on a Peloton. You can build an incredible gym at your home for almost nothing.

For under $100, you can get a kettlebell and some online training and have the ability to train from home and home office, for the rest of your life. So there’s literally no excuse in the world why you wouldn’t be able to exercise.

Don’t even have $30 to spare? Get Onnit In 30 Bodyweight, 10 awesome, on-demand workouts for $10.

Here’s how I got back into a fitness routine after thoracic surgery.

My Approach

The easiest way to build your own home gym is to use a modular design by adding pieces of gym equipment over time so that you can start very small and end up with an amazing home gym over a period of time.

I’ve built mine over several year (you can view it below).

Where to start?

First we need to find what a good exercise program looks like for longevity.  According to Dr. Peter Attia (my go-to longevity expert), “A well-crafted exercise program [designed for longevity] should be geared towards strength, muscle mass and respiratory fitness” 

The way I prioritize home gym needs and recommendations are as follows:

• Functional training
• Strength training & muscle building 
• Cardio (HIIT & endurance)
• Balance & stability work
• Recovery & mobility

Recommendations

Functional Training

Functional training includes training that builds strength, cardiovascular health and transitions into everyday life (ie lifting your kids).

Kettlebells

Kettlebells are the ultimate home gym tool because they take up very little space and they’re super functional (or can do unlimited amounts of exercises with them).

What weight do you start with? When in doubt, start with a lighter weight, as you can always increase the weight/size later. If you’re forcing me to pick one for you, knowing NOTHING about you, I’d say consider purchasing a 16kg (35 lbs) if you’re a male or 8kg (18 lbs) if you’re a female.

The average man will do great having just one 16 kilogram or 20 kilograms (35 or 44 pounds) and for women, a 12 kilogram or 16 kilograms will be great (25 or 35 pounds). Of course, you can start with a slightly higher weight if you feel more comfortable.

Exercises such as swings, overhead presses, rows, squats, snatches, farmer walks, curls, chest presses, and triceps extensions allows for a full body strength training and cardio workout.

For the best results, you need two kettlebells of the same size which allow for more exercises. Over time, you can also add more kettlebells to your home gym is a great start. I have one in my home office and one in my home gym.

I recommend Rogue or Onnit kettlebells. Onnit and Rogue both rock, and they both offer the highest quality bells that are quite popular. A kettlebell will last a lifetime so the upfront investment is worth it. Use code TROY10 for 10% off any Onnit products.

CAP is a less expensive and decent quality option. It’s the most highly reviewed and reasonably priced kettlebell I’ve found. 

Sandbags

Sandbags are another universal tool that you can use for a full-body strength and cardio workout.

You just need one to start.

You can purchase strict sandbags or a more functional and multi-purpose sandbag like the Meister sandbag which converts into 3 kettlebells (10, 15 and 20 lbs). Plus, you can add rucksack straps

Here are all the different lifts you can do with the Meister sandbag:

Onnit also has a really good sandbag.

At Home Training

Now that you have some weight, what do you do with it?

I recommend Onnit’s digital programs. For beginners, I suggest Onnit In 30 Kettlebells (it’s only $10 for 10 kettlebell workouts) and for a little more advanced or for a more structured, 6-week program, I recommend Onnit 6 Kettlebell. I love these programs because they’re easy to follow and you can literally do them anywhere. Going on a road trip? All you need is your kettlebell and smartphone.

Now get started!

When you’re ready to add a little more to your home gym, here’s what I recommend.

Low-Cost Add-Ons

A pullup bar, resistance bands, medicine ball, jump rope, and/or ab wheel

Time to move to the next level: a few “bang for your buck” tools that don’t take up that much space and have many options for variation. All of these are perfect for changing things up if you’ve just been using a kettlebell so far.

• A pull-up bar that can be attached to a doorway. Very simple to store, takes almost no space and adds important bodyweight exercise options.
• Resistance bands can assist with pull-ups if you cannot pull your own bodyweight. The bands can also be used for many other strength training exercises.
• An ab wheel is a great tool for, you guessed it, abs/core exercises. Inexpensive, extremely simple to store, and crazy effective for training your core.
• A jump rope is super portable and great for a quick cardio workout, a warm-up or just during a break from staring at the monitor. I have one in my office and one in my home gym.
• A medicine or slam ball allows for some great plyometric exercises and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Medicine balls can be thrown into the air, slammed into the ground, passed over to another person, and much more, and trains the body in a very different way than kettlebells do.
• Parallette Set – This is great for building a strong core and doing different types of gymnastic exercises.

Cardio Training

Cardio equipment

This is a great next step for expanding your existing home gym but will require a larger investment than the previous recommendations. You may be able to find something used at a good price. Having at least one piece of cardio equipment will allow you to exercise in almost any room (even in front of the TV!), in any weather condition and offer ways to train your body in a very different way than the previous categories.

Many of the equipment can be purchased on Amazon but if you want the best of the best, consider purchasing from Rogue.

Zone 2 / Endurance Training

This is exercise that typically lasts longer than 45 minutes and is performed at a lower intensity and is ideal for stimulating mitochondrial growth and function which will improve the ability to utilize fat (important for performance and longevity) and improve aerobic efficiency. Dr. Peter Attia ranks the top four Zone 2 training equipment as follows:

1. Bike – Rogue or Amazon (If you’re buying a stationary bike from the standpoint of form factor, Peter says the Keiser bikes are hands down the best)
2. Treadmill (inclined)
3. Rower / Urg – Rogue or Amazon – great for a full-body workout
4. Elliptical – great for a full-body workout but Peter’s least favorite
5. Peter also loves the Stairmaster for zone 2 and zone 5, though it’s not practical to buy one unless you really love doing it.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

These are great pieces of equipment for performing short but intense bursts of exercise and can be more metabolically demanding. All of theses are great for a full-body workout too.

1. Fan bike – Rogue or Amazon
2. Ski Erg – Rogue or Amazon
3. Versaclimber – Rogue or Amazon
4. Rower – Rogue or Amazon
5. Stationary Bike – Rogue or Amazon
6. Elliptical

Overall, if you want a good, universal piece of cardio equipment that can train both zone 2 and HIIT and work the entire body, go with the rower. If you want the best Zone 2, get a stationary bike and if you want the best HIIT equipment, go with an Assault Bike.

If you don’t know what to choose, get a free 1-week membership at the local gym which is frequently offered and test the different pieces of equipment to find out which best matches you. Before choosing a piece of cardio equipment, the most important question to ask yourself is “Will I enjoy doing this?” because if you won’t, it won’t be used long-term and will end up being just a large piece of clutter.

The last piece of “cardio equipment” that I think EVERYONE should own is a ruck bag. My favorite is GORUCK. Carrying around extra weight whenever you walk is a great way to get in low-impact cardio. It’s much safer and healthier on the joints and can even build strength and bone density.

Advanced Strength Training

A barbell, bench, and power rack

Nothing can build strength and muscle as an old-fashioned barbell. Hence, no home gym is complete without a power rack which safely allows you to do heavy squats and bench presses, if you’re training alone. At the very least, a squat stand. You will also need a bench that inclines, weights and collars to perform these exercises. In total, this option should cost around $1,000 – $1,500, depending on how much weight you purchase and the quality of the rack. Many racks have a built-in pull-up bar too. And make sure to order some rubber tiles as well to save your floor!

I don’t actually recommend buying these from Amazon but, instead, opting for the highest quality option. Rogue makes some of the best barbells, benches and power racks and they will last a lifetime.

Rack Add-Ons

If you have some extra money to invest in your advanced strength training set-up, these are the items I would recommend getting next:

1. Dip Bar – if you have already purchased a Rogue squat or power rack, this dip bar can be added on.
2. V Handle – This will allow you to do other lifts with the barbell like lat pulls.
3. Trap / Hex Bar – This is great for those uncomfortable using a barbell for deadlifts. With this type of bar, quality matters.

Rogue has a bunch of other accessories that you can add to your rack.

Recovery, Mobility & Biohacking

Proper active recovery, mobility, balance and stability training are just as important as general physically training for your health, longevity and performance. Here are some of the key pieces of equipment to include in your home gym.

Must Haves

• Onnit in 30 Morning Mobility online training
• Steel maces and/or steel clubs – The steel mace and club’s disproportionate weight displacement activates a myriad of stabilizer muscles surrounding our joints. This makes these tools some of the most effective ways to build core and rotational strength. They are also great for developing grip strength, rehab/prehab, and balance. Onnit has some great online mace and club programs.

• Yoga mat
• Foam Roller
• Lacrosse ball
• Balance pad

Very Nice to Haves

• Theragun
• Red Light Panel (I recommend GembaRed – use code antifragile for 10% off)
• Vibration Plate (I recommend the GH Accelerator vibration plate)

I highly recommend a sauna (this is the brand I recommend) and ice bath (this is how I built mine), both of which are great for training and recovery. Of course, you need a lot more room once you go here and will probably need to empty your garage for space.

Ultimate Biohacked Gym

If you have a little extra money and want the Minimum Effective Dose for gaining muscle and burning fat, I would highly recommend the X3 Bar, and if you want to accelerate your gainz, the GH Accelerator. The X3 Bar is a 10-15 minute band workout that is easy on the joints and easy to stick too.

What’s next?

The options for expanding the home gym are endless, ranging from speed ladders, gymnastic rings, battle ropes, plyo-boxes, etc.

• Gymnastic rings are dirt-cheap, last forever, and provide a tremendous workout if you’re a bit stronger already. We don’t recommend buying this one if you’re a beginner! the gymnastic rings suspended from the ceiling are best because they allow you to do the widest variety of exercises.
• Battling ropes, which will tear your body down from an endurance and power perspective, and train your body in ways you didn’t imagine were possible!

Personally, I’d go for some battling ropes first, because these can build incredible endurance very quickly, as well as the fact that you can combine them with kettlebells very easily.

Summary

In summary, starting your own home gym can cost under $100 with a good kettlebell and some online training. You’ll have the ability to train from your home and home office forever.

Don’t even have $30 to spare? Get Onnit In 30 Bodyweight, 10 awesome, on-demand workouts for $10.

If you have a little extra money to spend and want the ultimate biohacked gym, I recommend getting the X3 Bar and a GORUCK bag. With these two items, you’ll have everything you need to build muscle and burn fat in the least amount of time. Use code SAVE50 for $50 off the X3.

If you’re the kind of person who really loves working out in an extensive home gym, the costs associated with buying all the equipment mentioned above will be much lower than what you pay on a gym membership in the long-term.

Use code TROY10 for 10% off any Onnit products.

Related Articles

• Part 5 Recovery Series: Become Harder to Kill with Movement & Exercise
• Excel at Your Sport and Life by Training Less
• How I Built My Chest Freezer Ice Bath
• My Review of the Jacuzzi Clearlight Sanctuary Y Infrared Sauna
• How to Hack Your Sauna Experience for Increased Benefits

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Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase. Oftentimes, I’ve worked out a discount for you. Please understand that I have experience with all of these products, and I only recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. Please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them or that they will help you achieve your goals.