Buying guide for Best portable home gyms
Going to the gym isn’t for everyone. Cost, travel time, and social settings may not be compatible with your life, and for those who travel often, a gym membership may not be convenient. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t get an intense, diverse workout at home — or wherever you are.
With the right portable home gym, you can get the personalized workout you want while saving space and time. The term “portable home gym” is an umbrella term that encompasses resistance training devices and apparatuses that are small and lightweight while still offering a complete workout. Most consist of a central component and resistance bands that you can use to perform a host of effective exercises.
Key considerations
How portable home gyms work
Portable home gyms forgo weights and heavy machinery, focusing instead on resistance training with bands, springs, and other simple devices. Resistance training forces your muscles to work against a weight, which in turn tones and strengthens the muscles. While the resistance you use at the gym might be a bulky, heavy machine, it might be a wall, door frame, or even your own body weight at home.
A common resistance band exercise involves doing curls by attaching one end securely to a doorknob and holding the other end in your hand, securing it to your feet, or wrapping it around your forearm or ankle. Resistance bands come in different levels of tension, too. Some are more forgiving, while others are more demanding.
Components
In addition to resistance bands or straps, many portable home gyms have a platform or bar.
Platform: Some portable home gyms have an exercise platform to which you connect the bands. On this platform, you may also perform curls, squats, or step exercises. Often, the platform is foldable.
Bar: A portable home gym may include a bar to which the straps connect. This durable bar may be collapsible or telescopic to allow for easy storage and travel. In conjunction with straps, the bar can be used for a variety of exercises. It may have a toggle to increase or decrease resistance.
More complex portable home gyms include a platform and a bar to allow for a greater number of possible exercises.
Expert Tip
Since they do not come with dumbbells, portable home gyms are great for high-rep workouts due to their resistance band options. I recommend 3 sets of 15-20 reps for most exercises.
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Benefits
Fitness: Resistance training offers a chance to improve strength, enhance muscle definition, and strengthen the bone. A person’s flexibility and balance also benefit. Because extra control is required when using bands at home (as opposed to using a machine at the gym), stabilizing muscles are also engaged.
Convenience: Portable home gyms and bands are relatively small and easy to store and pack for travel. With a portable home gym, you can formulate a workout schedule that fits your life.
Drawbacks
Learning curve: Learning how to perform an effective and safe workout with a portable home gym may take time. Using resistance bands forces you to focus on your motion more than you would with a gym weight machine.
Plateaus: Some portable gym users may encounter a workout plateau, where the body has adapted to the stress of the workout. At this point, you may need to diversify and intensify your workout to notice a difference.
Quality matters: It’s important to seek out high-quality resistance bands that maintain durability. A cheaper product could wear down over time.
Exercises
Portable home gyms offer a seemingly endless variety of exercises. The placement, grip, and motion of the resistance can be slightly altered to achieve different results. Curls, pull-downs, pull-ups, and flexes are among the many options.
There are also exercises you can incorporate into your workout that don’t require any accessories, like push-ups, sit-ups, and planks.
Caution
With so many possible exercises, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with a home gym. Start simple, and move to more complex motions and exercises only when ready.
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Features
Travel bag
With an emphasis on portability, some companies include a travel bag with their portable home gym. This is useful for when you’re on the go, and it can also help you keep your fitness gear in one spot.
Number of bands
A portable home gym may come with any number of bands, depending on the exercises promoted. While extra bands may offer more variety in your fitness journey, it may become tedious to regularly switch out bands for specific exercises, especially when alternating between upper- and lower-body workouts. Note that with some home gyms, you can toggle the resistance of the bands on a bar or other part of the device instead of switching out bands.
Door anchor
A portable home gym set may include a door anchor, which makes connecting to a door frame simple and safe. A stable connection is highly important when attaching to a fixture.
Expert Tip
Since portable home gyms come with a variety of accessories to target all muscle groups, I’d recommend performing full-body workouts during each session. This will ensure more fat burning, lean muscle development, and an increase in human growth hormone.
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Training guide
Many portable home gyms come with a training guide or exercise manual to help you get acquainted with all the potential workouts. While understanding the possibilities is important, some of the workouts may not be tailored to your lifestyle or goals.
Accessories
Water bottle: Always stay hydrated, especially after working out.
Balance ball: A balance, yoga, or stability ball is a useful device to incorporate into your home workout routine that targets core strength, balance, and flexibility.
Gym bag: A gym bag is a savvy investment when you’re on the go, especially when you need to carry your bands, sneakers, towels, and other accessories.
Inflatable gym mat: If you want to practice gymnastics or martial arts moves, but you don't have permanent space to dedicate, an inflatable gym mat provides cushioning when you need it and packs away when you don't.
"Store your home gym in a cool, dry place, preferably in a durable bag for protection. "
STAFF
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Portable home gym prices
Inexpensive
Portable home gyms under $50 consist of various resistance bands and likely a simple bar to use in conjunction with the exercises.
Mid-range
For between $50 and $100, you’ll find a wide range of portable gyms that use a variety of resistance bands in tandem with a bar or platform.
Expensive
For over $100, you’ll find the most durable and elaborate portable home gym devices. These heavier-duty devices are designed for variety and usually feature a complex bar, platform, or both.
Expert Tip
As always, I highly recommend performing a 5- to 10-minute warm-up of mobility and dynamic stretches to slowly elevate the core temperature, increase blood flow to the major muscle groups, and elevate the heart rate.
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Tips
Be sure to stretch. It’s imperative to stretch before and after your workout to avoid injury and keep your muscles in good working condition.
Practice motions. Home gyms don’t control your movements to target specific muscles as weight machines do. Make sure you perform every exercise correctly and gently to avoid injury.
Keep your workout diverse. You don’t want to focus too much on a specific muscle to the exclusion of others. Diversifying your workout keeps your entire body involved and also makes the exercise more interesting and exciting.
Wipe down regularly. Sweat and bacteria can build up on your equipment, so wipe down and clean your gear regularly.
FAQ
Q. What’s the best workout?
A. The best workout is one that is balanced, progressive, and moderated. There is no specific workout or activity that is demonstrably better than another. However, we offer a few tips to keep in mind.
It’s wise to exercise both sides of your body as well as opposing muscles so strength develops equally. For example, pair a triceps exercise with a biceps exercise to stay even.
Exercise is not just good for your physical health; working out can be mentally and emotionally stimulating as well, offering you a sense of accomplishment and exhilaration.
Exercise can be scheduled to help you get up in the morning, break up your workday, or calm you at night. The best workout is the one that caters to your lifestyle and brings you joy and health.
Q. Are portable home gyms safe?
A. Portable home gyms may not be as intuitive as weight machines, which directly guide you on how to perform certain exercises. As such, it’s important to read the instructions on how to use your home gym.
Resistance training bands do not offer the same stabilization that machines do. The bands can offer a more comprehensive workout, but they can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing. Use caution, and take care to perform the exercise safely and deliberately for maximum effectiveness. Sprains, strains, and other injuries can be common if you fail to focus on form.
Q. How often should I work out, and at what intensity?
A. Most fitness enthusiasts subscribe to the idea of progressive overload, where users gradually increase frequency and intensity during workouts. That means slowly upping reps, sets, and resistances, as well as the duration of time you hold certain positions. Consider using a fitness tracker so you can monitor your progress over time and adjust your workout accordingly.
