The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.
If the last few years convinced you that working out at home is the best way to get fit and stay fit, you may wonder about home gym cost. One way to create a home gym is to remodel an existing area in your home and then select the exercise equipment you’ll need. There’s too much workout content available online to ignore, both free and paid, so you’ll want electronics for streaming content as well. The home gym cost for remodeling a portion of your home and then purchasing exercise equipment and new electronics can mount quickly. It’s reasonable to assume a minimum expenditure of $3,000 to $5,000 for a lightly remodeled space or significantly more if you buy a lot of workout equipment. As a space-and-cost-saving alternative, you could buy the Tempo Studio, an all-in-one home gym that’s featured in our list of the best at-home workout equipment.
If you’re ready to go all in to convert space in your residence for a home gym, careful planning before you get started is crucial to reach your fitness goals and to stay within your budget. To be a success, a home gym needs to be accessible, adequate, and stocked with the right equipment. You need to figure in the costs for adapting the physical space for your home gym. If you’re starting from scratch, adapting an underused area or a whole room, it’s too easy to blow through a lot of money on upgraded or new flooring, lights, heating, and cooling systems, with little or nothing left over for the equipment you’ll need to get complete workouts at home.
Another home gym remodeling mistake is to splurge on, sometimes literally, tons of weights and exercise machines and accessories but then have no convenient place to use or store them. You also don’t want to wait until your new home gym space is ready to use with the workout equipment of your choice and then discover your internet access isn’t adequate for uninterrupted streaming. If you have unlimited funds, all you need to do is choose a space that’s large enough for your ideal home gym and then start spending. The rest of us need to set up and stick to a budget.
A good first step is deciding what equipment you actually need, which will depend on your fitness goals. It’s not a bad idea to sit down and write out a list that separates what you absolutely need from things you might want but can live without for now. Certain equipment, such as a weight bench, squat rack, dumbbells, and barbells will eat up the bulk of your budget. Olympic weight bars will set you back between $150 and $250 depending on quality, while barbell plates cost between $1 and $4 per pound. That adds up quickly. Squat racks and weight benches run an even wider gamut in terms of cost, from $100 to a few thousand dollars. If you plan to lift heavy, don’t skimp on this stuff — using equipment that isn’t rated for a certain weight can be extremely dangerous.
Electronic equipment like treadmills and stationary bikes will likely set you back even more, especially if it’s brand-name equipment with modern features like internet and app connectivity. Not only will you need to decide what equipment you need, for certain items, you’ll have to figure out what added features you’d like and are willing to pay a premium for. Big equipment like this also take up a lot of room, which is something to consider if floor space is at a premium in your home. Some item might be even completely out of the question if you live in an apartment or condo.
That’s not to say that you can’t build a home gym with limited space and a smaller budget. According to a recent survey, the average home gym costs around $3,000 in the U.S., but you don’t have to spend nearly that much to get started. Minimalist equipment such as resistance bands, a jump rope, adjustable dumbbells, and a door frame-mounted pullup bar can do a lot for less money. If you already have a bicycle, you can get an inexpensive stationary trainer stand that effectively turns it into a stationary bike. Your home gym can be as complex or as simple as you like. Some of this gear, like the aforementioned resistance bands, are even suitable for travel.
Nonetheless, you shouldn’t expect that building a home gym will save you a lot of money on gym membership fees. That may be the case over the long-term, but unless you’re building a minimalist home gym, you’re most likely going to have to pony up a bit of cash to get the workout equipment you need and set up an appropriate space to use this equipment at home. The average gym membership costs almost $60 per month, meaning it would take more than four years for a $3,000 home gym to pay for itself. The advantages of having a home gym, in our opinion, are less about cost savings and more about convenience. You can customize your setup to fit your workout goals and lifestyle, work out on your own time (and save time having to drive to the gym), and do your thing in silence and privacy.
For most people, a basic checklist of home gym equipment should probably include barbells and/or dumbbells, a weight bench (ideally one that can be adjusted to an incline), and a pullup bar. A squat rack is also good if you’re a heavy lifter, but if not, then you can do simpler hack squats which do not require a rack. Supplementary resistance training equipment includes kettlebells and resistance bands if you do any exercises that require them. You can do a lot of different workouts with free weights and a bench, so those are the basics. More specialized equipment like a treadmill, stationary bike or trainer stand, elliptical, rowing machine, stair-climber, and so on are a bit more limited in their utility in that you can only do one or two exercises with them. You’ll have to decide for yourself if these fit into your workout style and fitness goals.
Finally, you don’t want to neglect extras. At a minimum, floor pads are a must if you’re lifting weights in your home, both to protect the surface of your floors as well as to mitigate noise when moving weights around and setting them down. Weights sometimes fall or get dropped, too, so floor pads are a small investment that can save you a big headache down the line. Other consideration when building a home gym include things like lighting, cooling, ventilation, and even mirrors if you’re going all out. Large mirrors aren’t just there so you can check out your muscles — gyms feature these as they are useful for monitoring and adjusting your form while lifting. You don’t need them, but if you decide you want them (and any other extras), then factor these into your budget as well so you don’t spend it all on equipment only to have nothing left over for your home gym’s finishing touches.
If the planning and the expense of remodeling for a home gym are already freaking you out, we recommend you check out the Tempo Studio . For just $2,495, the Tempo Studio is an attractive, compact home gym that includes all the required equipment and technology so you can start working out to meet your fitness goals for less than you’d spend to remodel.
The Tempo Studio answers all your home gym needs including exercise equipment, electronics, and storage. You don’t need to wonder where you’ll keep the included weights when you’re not using them because they store inside the Tempo Studio cabinet.
The Tempo Studio’s freestanding design is a space-saving 72-inches high by 26-inches wide by 16-inches deep. The focal point of the cabinet is a vertically mounted 42-inch HD touchscreen. The Studio has a 10th Gen Intel i5 CPU and a set of 60-watt stereo speakers, ample power in both cases. Connectivity includes Bluetooth, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi, and an Ethernet port. The Studio includes an integrated 3D time of flight (ToF) LIDAR that works in conjunction with Tempo workouts to check your posture and provide personalized coaching.
Additional exercise equipment with the Tempo Studio includes 75 pounds of weight plates, two 7.5-pound dumbbells, four easy-to-change weight collars for the dumbbells, and a 5mm thick workout matt to protect your floor and for your comfort. Tempo sells additional weights and workout equipment to augment the Tempo Studio and Tempo Works workouts, but don’t need anything extra to start working out and reach your goals with your new home gym.
Tempo’s Workouts include live and on-demand interactive training, classes, and a custom, personalized workout plan to meet your goals. While you are working out with Tempo training Workouts, the 3D Tempo Vision uses the integrated LIDAR sensor to track your movements, give instant feedback on your form, and guide you to meeting goals you set in a smartphone app. In addition to form correction, the Tempo experts recommend appropriate weights for each workout, set your pace, count reps, and track your progress. Tempo Workouts are a subscription service that cost $39 a month for the whole family.
If you don’t want to go through the time-consuming and budget-busting process of remodeling part of your home to create a home gym, the Tempo Studio is the smart way to get started quickly. There are other Tempo Studio configurations available with more equipment, but the Tempo Studio Starter set for $2,495 comes with everything you need. There’s also Tempo Move, an even cheaper version, which requires you add your own TV or computer monitor and an iPhone in order to work out with the training classes, but the all-in-one Tempo Studio combines the electronics, the fitness equipment, and storage compartment that lets you get started as soon as you set it up.
The Essential Guide for MenThe Manual is simple — we show men how to live a life that is more engaged. As our name implies, we offer a suite of expert guides on a wide range of topics, including fashion, food, drink, travel, and grooming. We don’t boss you around; we’re simply here to bring authenticity and understanding to all that enriches our lives as men on a daily basis.