It's that time of year when shopping goes into overdrive and we're all hustling to find out what to get everyone on our list. I’m taking a new approach to gifting this year.
Let's begin with this year's gift guide for the fitness + health fanatic!
Working out at home is one of the most convenient methods to get some exercise into your daily routine. However, with such a large range of home gym equipment available, deciding what is ideal for you and your space may be tough. We've compiled a list of the top home gym equipment to help you on your fitness journey.
You might not be intending to build an entire home gym from scratch (or maybe you are, and need a big bundle to get started), but that’s okay. Home gyms are best created in stages, depending on your needs. Especially if you don't go to the gym too often. If you're doing squats and deadlifts, you don't need a bench, but you might need a bar and plate set instead. Check to see what you (or your giftee) genuinely require achieving your health objectives.
Whatever it is, we have some ideas for you. Check out our contents to discover what things are within your price range:
- $30 Budget – Booty Bands, Jump Ropes, or Resistance bands
- $60 Budget – Gym Rings, Arm Blaster, or Bumper plates
- $120 Budget – Hex Dumbbells, EZ Curl Bar, or Kettlebells
- $200 Budget – Plyo Box, Fractional Plates, or Olympic Bar
- $500 Budget – Lite Pack Bundle, 6angle Adjustable Bench or 10 angle Adjustable bench
- $1000 Budget – Bar and Plate Bundles, Air Bike or Air Skiers
- $30 Budget – Booty Bands, Jump Ropes, or Resistance Bands
If you're worried about costs going up and the holiday season's just around the corner, a little gift under $30 can show your friends they're on your mind. Likewise, a little thoughtfulness in choosing equipment, like compact items that easily fit into a suitcase, goes a long way with regular travellers.
We recommend starting with some booty bands. This set of three bands, available in three colours, adds extra resistance to squats, deadlifts, and other glutes exercises. These bands can be used for a variety of band exercises and variations, thereby enhancing the difficulty and fine-tuning the targeted muscle groups. Plus, they come all packed up in a handy carry bag, so they're an awesome gift for any fitness lover.
Meanwhile jump ropes are the kings of cheap cardio equipment. These cable ropes can give you the cardio workout of a lifetime and are suitable for anyone of any age or fitness level. Furthermore, our jump ropes can be shortened or lengthened as needed. These come in multiple colours, allowing you to freely customize your gift.
Or, if you're not sure what kind of exercises your friend enjoys, Resistance bands are a solid bet. Resistance bands help to activate and tone the muscles, thereby fostering strength development. Like dumbbells, kettlebells, or other free weights, resistance bands offer a simple yet effective way to get an all-around strength workout at home.
- $60 Budget – Gym Rings, Arm Blaster, or Bumper plates
The $60 tier lays out equipment that won't break the bank, which might inspire you to pick up a few pieces. This budget category is suitable for couples or for household multifunctional usage.
Let's dive into the world of gym rings. These are wooden rings attached to a roof or higher bar. Tied to gymnastics, it offers versatility for strength training (elevated push-ups, dips, and chin-ups), necessitating extensive control and core strength. These are best if you're planning to build a full-on home gym or you're a real fitness buff who knows their way around.
Arm blasters give bicep curls an added boost, perfecting technique to make sure each rep is working to its fullest potential. Great for those looking to target specific muscle groups. These are great if they have a specific muscle goal, or if they want to make the most of each exercise. Bicep curls are a staple of any gym and workout, so these arm blasters are the perfect gift for anyone – especially if they have a focus on upper-body exercises.
Bumber plates: Pick up some budget-friendly bumper plates for your gym. We've got muscle motion bumper plates in a variety of different sizes and colors, all designed to meet different needs. We've got the bumper weight plates you need! Pick single weights or grab a bargain with one of our bumper weight plate sets for sale.
- $120 Budget – Hex Dumbbells, EZ Curl Bar, or Kettlebells
We’re moving to the higher value pieces at $120. This could be for a close friend or family member, or you’re trying to get the most out of your purchase and you’re willing to mix and match gifts with others. This allows you to get more ‘non-accessory’ items that last a lot longer and are directly used
Hex dumbbells come in one size pairs of 2.5 kg to 30 kg, and you can buy them cheap at $50.. We’ve moved them down a rung to allow you to add a couple different types of dumbbells. You can train both light and heavy sets, and you can train strength and endurance too. Dumbbells are the most popular free weight gifts, and you can use them with almost any exercise.
EZ curl bar This is a short curved bar that provides support for your wrists, and it matches Olympic bumper plates. It’s durable and extremely useful for building your upper arms, especially if you work your arms a lot or need more support for your arm joints. This bar is an excellent addition to your existing home gym.
Kettlebells sell individually and cost more than dumbbells, but they are specialised and allow you to swing and press kettlebells in a way that dumbbells and other free weights can’t (with almost the same safety and effectiveness). They’re also durable and great for any free weights home gym.
- $200 Budget – Plyo Box, Fractional Platesor Olympic Bar
At $200, you may want to consider buying a few small items or one large item. We’d advise you to consider what your receiver’s specific fitness goals are when deciding what to buy. This budget gives you the freedom to customise exactly what they need for your home gym.
Fractional plates , on the other hand, are unique because they are so specialised. They’re designed to help people build strength slowly but surely, especially when they’re lifting weights that are too heavy for even a 5kg pair of plates. We’ve designed our fractional plates to support Olympic bars and increment up to 0.5kg!
Plyo boxes, or “plyometric boxes” are multi-use even beyond fitness equipment. With three different heights, and weighing 23kg, these boxes are used for functional fitness exercises like step ups, box jumps, dips and so on. This also includes weighted variations, so you can also grab dumbbells. This is great for general fitness, and an easily versatile gift.
Olympic bars The great enabler of bar exercises. The bars themselves weight either 15kg or 20kg and hold up to 900kg – something that most people will never need, so we’d recommend getting the cheaper 300kg capacity, 20kg Olympic barbell. Naturally, this will suit Olympic-sized equipment, and is one of the key items for any home gym. If you want to help make someone’s home gym, this is your best bet.
- $500 Budget – Dumbbells Lite Pack Bundle and 6 Angle and 10 Angle Benches
At this tier, you’re probably looking for a much higher value item for someone you’re close to. This is a major purchase and will add a lot of value to someone’s fitness and workout.
Your best option is our Lite Pack Bundle for a beginner. This is one of the best seller for under $500 on the market and is a great gift for anyone looking to bring their workouts home without expecting a huge investment.
Benches are also effective in enabling a wide range of bench exercises. These work best with dumbbells or barbells and can be adjusted into 6 or 10 different angles. This further allows for incline, decline or standard bench exercises, and is extremely versatile in any home gym. This is the best gift for someone who might not have the space to fully commit to a home gym, but also is looking to continue adding to their equipment selection.
