RitFit · Home Gym & Fitness
Buffalo Smith Machine Power Cage
Cage, Smith bar, lat tower and cables. A whole gym in one footprint.
$1,000+
Shop Now →The Boyfriend Home Gym · /home-gym-equipment/
The Boyfriend Home Gym: one rack, one machine, one recovery room
Home gyms fail in February, not January, and they fail for two reasons: the equipment is boring, or it is scattered across four purchases that never quite make a gym. The fix is to buy one frame that does everything and one machine with a reason to come back.
The third purchase is recovery, and it is the one people skip. A sauna gets used far more than a foam roller ever will.
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The frame
Squat rack, Smith bar, lat pulldown and cable crossover in a single footprint. Measure his ceiling before ordering.
The cardio he will actually do
Treadmills fail because running alone is boring, not because the belt is bad. Peloton solved the boredom. Factor the subscription in.
Peloton · Home Gym & Fitness
Peloton Tread
The treadmill people actually use, because of the screen not the belt.
$1,000+
Shop Now →
Recovery
Canadian red cedar with a panoramic window — the detail that separates a sauna you use from a box you regret.
Weights and recovery
Adjustable kettlebells that solve the floor-space problem, and percussion massage for the days after.
Concept2 · Home Gym & Fitness
Concept2 RowErg Indoor Rowing Machine with PM5 Monitor
The rower every gym and every navy uses. Buy it once and it outlives the house.
$500–$1,000
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REP · Home Gym & Fitness
REP FID Foldable Adjustable Weight Bench
Flat, incline, decline, and it folds. REP build commercial-grade kit at home prices.
$250–$500
Shop the Look →
NordicTrack · Home Gym & Fitness
NordicTrack Select-a-Weight Adjustable Dumbbells
Twenty pairs of dumbbells in one footprint. The whole argument for adjustables.
$250–$500
See Price →
Sunny Health & Fitness · Home Gym & Fitness
Sunny Health & Fitness Full-Size Power Cage
Squat, bench and pull up in one frame with safety bars. The centre of any real home gym.
$250–$500
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Bowflex · Home Gym & Fitness
Bowflex SelectTech 840 Adjustable Kettlebell
Eight kettlebells in one. Solves the single biggest problem with a home gym, which is floor space.
$100–$250
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Hyperice · Home Gym & Fitness
Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2 Percussion Massage Gun
Pocket-sized percussion massage. Quiet enough to use in front of the television.
$100–$250
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Theragun · Home Gym & Fitness
Theragun Mini 3rd Gen Portable Massage Gun
The travel Theragun. Fits in a carry-on, which is when he will most want it.
$100–$250
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Therabody · Home Gym & Fitness
Therabody Relief Massage Gun, 3-Speed
Therabody's simplest model. Three speeds, no app, no learning curve.
$100–$250
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Sunny Health & Fitness · Home Gym & Fitness
Sunny Health & Fitness Smart Magnetic Rower
A fifth the price of the Concept2, and quiet enough for a flat with neighbours below.
$100–$250
See Price →
Merach · Home Gym & Fitness
Merach Q1S Magnetic Rowing Machine
Dual slide rail and quiet enough for a flat with neighbours below. Folds against a wall.
$100–$250
Buy This for Him →
Sunny Health & Fitness · Home Gym & Fitness
Sunny Health & Fitness Smart Full Motion Rower
Twelve resistance levels and app tracking. Rowing is the whole body in twenty minutes.
$100–$250
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Amazon Basics · Home Gym & Fitness
Amazon Basics Cast Iron Kettlebell
Cast iron does not care who made it. The cheapest honest entry to strength training.
Under $100
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Fit Simplify · Home Gym & Fitness
Fit Simplify Resistance Loop Bands, Set of 5
Ten dollars, and the thing physiotherapists actually prescribe. Absurd value.
Under $100
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Yes4All · Home Gym & Fitness
Yes4All Powder-Coated Cast Iron Kettlebell
Powder coat grips better than vinyl and does not smell. Buy one heavy, not three light.
Under $100
Get It Here →
CAP Barbell · Home Gym & Fitness
CAP Barbell Cast Iron Kettlebell
Single-cast iron with a wide handle for two hands. Swings, cleans and nothing to break.
Under $100
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CAP · Home Gym & Fitness
CAP A-Frame Dumbbell Rack
Twenty-five dollars stops dumbbells living on the floor and being tripped over.
Under $100
Shop the Look →
TriggerPoint · Home Gym & Fitness
TriggerPoint Grid Foam Roller
The multi-density surface works better than plain foam, and it does not go soft.
Under $100
See Price →
Ally Peaks · Home Gym & Fitness
Ally Peaks Doorway Pull Up Bar
Twenty-eight dollars, no screws, and pull-ups are the one exercise a flat can accommodate.
Under $100
Shop the Look →
Home Gym FAQ
What is the best all-in-one home gym machine?
A power cage with an integrated Smith bar, lat tower and cable crossover, like the RitFit Buffalo. One frame replaces four purchases and, more importantly, one footprint replaces four footprints.
Is a Peloton Tread worth it?
If the reason his last treadmill failed was boredom rather than mechanics, yes. The classes are the product; the belt is the delivery mechanism. Budget for the monthly subscription as part of the gift.
Sauna or cold plunge first?
Sauna. It gets used more often, it is more pleasant in winter, and it needs no plumbing if you buy a cedar barrel unit. Add the plunge once the habit exists.