What Equipment Do You Need for a Small Home Gym? 3 Must-Have Pieces and a Workout Plan

What equipment do you need for a small home gym? And what should a home gym workout plan look like? A lot of people come up with all kinds of excuses not to go to the gym near their house, but they still want to know their RDA—the recommended daily amount of exercise—so they can train sensibly. For them, the inconvenience of getting to the gym is the first and biggest obstacle.

So building a home gym in your garage or spare room is the lowest-cost solution. It also makes it much harder to make excuses, since the gym is only a few steps away. But that means you first need to solve the two questions above. Below, we’ll go over the must-have equipment for a home gym and three workout plans that cover chest, back, legs, shoulders, and arms.

You might think a home gym has to be expensive, but it doesn’t. Sometimes all you need to do is pick the right pieces of equipment. For example, no one would argue that a squat rack at home is a great thing, but they’re expensive and take up a lot of space—especially when you also need room for a barbell and plates. Plus, if you’re training for muscle growth rather than weightlifting, all you really need is a set of dumbbells, a bench, and an empty bar.

The whole point of a home gym is to do as many exercises as possible with as little equipment as possible. Get ready to be as wiped out as you expect.

When it comes to equipment, here are the essentials.

An adjustable bench is the first piece. In theory, you could get away with just standing barbell presses and flat bench presses, but an adjustable bench lets you train in far more ways, so it’s well worth the investment. Look for one that offers multiple angles—incline and decline—and make sure it can lock at 90 degrees so it supports your back when you do overhead extensions. With that kind of bench, you can put the top of your foot on the bench and do Bulgarian split squats.

Adjustable dumbbells are next. If your goal is muscle growth, dumbbells are excellent. Compared with a barbell, dumbbells give you a longer range of motion, and they’re harder to stabilize. Together, those two things mean dumbbells can stimulate your muscle fibers better.

Given that a full dumbbell rack is expensive and takes up a lot of space, there’s a more reliable alternative: choose a set of adjustable dumbbells. The weight usually ranges from about 5 to 100 lb, which covers just about everything you need. If you choose a pair that lets you change weight quickly, you can work more drop sets or supersets into your workout plan.

A pull-up bar and dip station combo is the piece you’ll get the most value from. With it, you can do all kinds of pull-up variations using your bodyweight. To focus on different areas of your back, change your grip or angle. Lean forward a few degrees and you’ll hit your chest and triceps. If space or money makes it impossible to buy one, you can substitute a fixed pull-up bar, a tall box, or a dip stand.

The home gym plan is built around three workouts a week. If your adjustable dumbbells top out around 50–60 lb, that weight is too light for every exercise here. You probably won’t get a good muscle stimulus in the prescribed 8–12 rep range. If that’s all you can use, the only solution is to shorten your rest periods, use fatigue to reach failure, or consider progressive overload.

Supersets with shorter rest let you raise intensity while keeping your joints comfortable. Used correctly, the pull-up and dip combo can deliver a ton of stimulus to your upper-body muscles. If bodyweight isn’t enough, wear a backpack stuffed with weight or use a weight belt around your waist to keep your reps in range. Below are the workouts: chest and back, legs, and shoulders and arms.

The first home gym workout is chest and back. With this plan, you alternate chest and back, then finish with a move that hits both at once—the classic bent-arm dumbbell pullover. Because these are two of the biggest, strongest parts of the body, you have to control your rest intervals very well so you don’t fail to hit the prescribed rep range. Use a timer.

For chest and back, do this:

1. Incline dumbbell press—superset with the next exercise. 4 sets, 8–10 reps.

2. Bent-over dumbbell row—superset with the exercise above. 4 sets, 8–10 reps (90 seconds rest between sets).

3. Dips—add weight if needed. If you can’t complete 10 reps in one set, break the set into segments until you finish 10. 4 sets, 10 reps (90 seconds rest between sets).

4. Pull-ups—add weight if needed. If you can’t complete 10 reps in one set, break the set into segments until you finish 10. 4 sets, 10 reps (90 seconds rest between sets).

5. Dumbbell flyes—4 sets, 12 reps (60 seconds rest between sets).

6. Bent-arm dumbbell pullover—4 sets, 12 reps (60 seconds rest between sets).

The second home gym workout is legs. Start with squat jumps, a move that quickly burns through your muscles and nervous system. Just make sure you don’t go to failure on the squats—leave some in the tank.

Next is the kettlebell squat (you can do it without a kettlebell too), a move that hits the quads and glutes and demands a lot from your core. If your weight won’t let you complete the exercise in the prescribed range, put two dumbbells in a bag and hold it at your chest with both hands.

The third move is the Romanian deadlift, a key exercise for the hamstrings and glutes, followed by alternating dumbbell lunges.

For legs, do this:

1. Squat jumps—superset with the next exercise. 5 sets, 5 reps.

2. Kettlebell squat—superset with the exercise above. 5 sets, 5 reps (90 seconds rest between sets).

3. Romanian deadlift—5 sets, 8–10 reps (90 seconds).

4. Dumbbell lunges—single-leg. 5 sets, 10 reps per side (90 seconds).

5. Standing dumbbell calf raises—single-leg. 4 sets, 20 reps per foot (60 seconds).

The third home gym workout is shoulders and arms. You can do this plan with regular sets, or use supersets or tri-sets to get a pump faster. Ideally, you want to be able to change weights quickly. Supersetting opposing muscle groups, such as triceps and biceps, can give your arms great blood flow and pump.

For shoulders and arms, do this:

1. Seated dumbbell press—4 sets, 8–10 reps (90 seconds).

2. Dumbbell lateral raise—tri-set with the next two exercises. 3 sets, 10–12 reps.

3. Dumbbell front raise—tri-set. 3 sets, 10–12 reps.

4. Bent-over lateral raise—tri-set. 3 sets, 10–12 reps (90 seconds).

5. Seated dumbbell triceps extension—superset with the next exercise. 4 sets, 8–10 reps.

6. Dumbbell curl—superset. 4 sets, 8–10 reps (60 seconds).

7. Single-arm bent-over dumbbell triceps extension—superset with the next exercise. 3 sets, 10–12 reps per side.

8. Incline dumbbell curl—3 sets, 10–12 reps (60 seconds).