What to buy for a home gym

In order. Most home gyms are bought in the wrong order, which is how people end up with a bench and a treadmill and nothing that loads their legs.

Cardio machines are the most commonly regretted purchase. Buy one last, or not at all.

1. 1Adjustable dumbbells

   £150 to £400

   First, because they cover the most movement patterns per pound spent.

   Best for: Almost every movement pattern

2. 2Pull up bar

   £20 to £60

   The cheapest thing that fixes the biggest gap in a home gym.

   Best for: Vertical pulling, otherwise impossible

3. 3Adjustable bench

   £80 to £250

   Roughly doubles what a pair of dumbbells can do. Stop here and you have a year of training.

   Best for: Incline pressing, rows, hip thrusts

4. 4Resistance bands

   £15 to £30

   Cheap, and the only sensible way to assist a pull up you cannot yet do.

   Best for: Assistance, warm ups, face pulls

5. 5Barbell and plates

   £250 to £600

   What removes the ceiling on lower body work. Not before the first three.

   Best for: Heavy lower body loading

6. 6Squat rack

   £150 to £500

   Only worth it once there is a barbell to put in it.

   Best for: Squatting and pressing safely alone

7. 7Kettlebell

   £30 to £60

   Last, and genuinely optional. One is plenty.

   Best for: Swings, carries, conditioning

The full guide goes into this properly, with the detail this page skips.