Rather than going to the gym, workout at home is always cheaper, easier, faster, and more convenient. Don’t let the narrow flat stop you from creating your own home gym, let me help you!
Below is the best exercise equipment for small spaces that all highlights two things – compact and multifunctional. I assure you they will keep your house from being overwhelmed with stuff.
For Home Gym
Power Tower
One of the most versatile and efficient pieces of home gym equipment is the power tower.
This slim and tall workout station lets you target specific muscle groups of the body by using your own weight. It’s a basic design to provide a full-body workout and help you attain your dream physique.
What’s really cool about this manual fitness apparatus is that you can easily fit it into any space in your home, cutting down on those excuses, not to workout.
Which exercises to do on the machine?
Dips
Hold the dip bars to keep yourself in the air while contracting your abs and glutes to stabilize your body. Keep your feet together.
Keep your hands close to the body, elbows close to the torso throughout the movement, and focus on keeping your head and chest up.
Your core and glutes should remain contracted as you descend. Be sure to lower yourself as far as your shoulders flexibility will allow.
Once fully descended, return to the starting position and repeat.
Pull-ups
Grab the bar a little bit wider than shoulder-width distance. Once in a nice position, keep your body nice-and-tight then, pull yourself up.
Bring your chest as high and close to the bar as you can.
Control the movement and then let yourself go to a dead hang at the bottom. Repeat for repetitions.
Hanging cross-body knee raise
Jump up and grab the bar slightly wider than shoulder-width distance.
Lift one leg at a time.
Focus on bringing your knee as high as you can into the opposing nipple or armpit, then, come back down.
Breathe out all the way up and keep that core engaged.
Make sure to make your leg all the way down to engage the rectus abdominis.
Who makes the best Power tower?
ProGear, Apex, Bowflex, Weider, and Gold’s Gym.
My picks
- ProGear Power Tower
- Apex Power Tower
- Bowflex Body Power Tower
All In One Home Gym
As its name defined, this equipment allows you to do all the exercises with no need to buy a bunch of stuff. It is considered the most multi-functional and versatile gym equipment out there.
A big plus is it’s very compact.
Which exercises to do on the machine?
Chest flys
Adjust your seat height so that your arms are straight parallel with the floor and even with your chest.
Grip the handles, keep your shoulders down, your chest out, and feet firmly on the floor, back straight. This is the starting position.
Inhale and when pulling the handles forward like you’re hugging a tree, exhale.
Inhale on the return.
That’s one rep.
Chest Press
Adjust your seat height to make sure you’re coming at a 90-degree angle pushing forward and the handles are in your nipple level.
Sit down on the seat with feet on a 90-degree angle.
Grab the handles. Make sure your wrists always straight.
When you push, breathe out and breathe in when you come in.
That’s one set.
Tricep Pushdown
Stand with your feet kept together (or shoulder-width apart) and knees slightly bent.
Arch your back and keep your elbows in front of your hips while maintaining a neutral spine.
Grab the handle with both hands, inhale, and bring your elbows in front of the hips. This is the starting position.
Then, push straight down and exhale.
Once you’re on the way down, come up just barely past 90 degrees and then push straight down, exhale again.
Who makes the best All-In-One Home Gym?
Bowflex, Marcy, and Body-Solid.
My picks
- Body-Solid Multi-Station Selectorized Gym (EXM3000LPS)
- Marcy Smith Cage Workout Machine Total Body Training Home Gym System with Linear Bearing
- Bowflex Xtreme 2SE Home Gym
Compact Rowing Machine
This is a great option for people who are finding a great way to beat your body in shape but still substantial to invest in for your small flat.
The exercise equipment combines resistance training and cardio in one compact machine to burn more calories, making it also ideal to lose weight.
Which exercises to do on the machine?
Seated Low Row
Sit down. Put your feet on the footrests.
Come out and slightly bend in the knees while keeping your spine neutral. Make sure your shoulders are down and the chest is out to maintain an arch of your back.
Pull your hands to the torso. Once there, keep everything nice and tight, and squeeze in your back.
When coming forward, come out to a 90-degrees angle, not to a full extension.
That’s one rep.
Wide-Grip Low Row
Grab the handles with hands kept wider than your shoulder-width distance. Place feet on the footrests and push yourself back.
You want to arch your back, keep your chest out, and slightly bend knees.
Bring the handles in almost to your chest.
Come forward. While doing that, keep your back flexed.
Canoe Row
Stand with your knees bent, your butt out, and chest up.
Grab the handles.
Breathe out and push to one side.
Come back to the middle, pause, and push to the other side.
Who makes the best compact rowing machine?
Stamina, Sunny Health & Fitness, Lanos, Circuit Fitness, and GOPLUS.
My picks
- Stamina 35-1215 Orbital Rowing Machine with Free Motion Arms
- Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RW1205 12 Adjustable Resistance Rowing Machine Rower w/Digital Monitor
- Lanos Hydraulic Rowing Machine
For Small Apartment
Adjustable Dumbbells
Packing an assortment of weights in your living room isn’t a good idea if you are living in a squeezed space. However, with a set of adjustable dumbbells, you can enjoy a wide variety of weights in a small apartment and in a tidier fashion.
Which exercises to do on the machine?
Push up rows
Grab a dumbbell on each hand.
Get down into a push-up position with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width distance and keep your core nice-and-tight.
Come down as slow as you can like you’re doing a push-up.
All the way up. Row on one arm, breathe in then, down and exhale. Repeat on the other hand. That’s one rep.
Goblet squat
Pick a dumbbell off the ground with hands underneath, feet shoulder-width apart, and toes out slightly. Remember to always keep hips and shoulders forward - underneath the weight, and the head is high. This is the starting position.
Now, do the squat – drop your butt down, elbows touch the inside the knees, butts back, and the thighs parallel to the ground. Keep your back nice and straight.
Now, push through the ground and come up.
That’s one rep.
Russian Twist
Sit on the floor and lean back a little bit.
Hold a dumbbell as close as you can to the chest so you can rest it on here, then twist side to side.
Level 2: Start holding the weight out in your belly level and twist side to side.
Don’t let your arms do too much of the movement. Instead, keep them straight out in front of you and twist with the core.
Who makes the best adjustable dumbbells?
Weider, Yes4All, Powerblock, Bowflex, and Nordic.
My picks
- PowerBlock EXP Adjustable Dumbbell
- Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Dumbbells
- NordicTrack Adjustable Dumbbells
Adjustable Kettlebells
Kettlebell exercise is practical. And for those people who want to make your own home gym without cramping up too much space, adjustable kettlebells are good equipment to consider.
Which exercises to do on the machine?
High-pulls
Put the feet a little wider than shoulder length apart. Lower your body, bend your knees, and dip your butt down to grab the top of your kettlebell. Don’t let your knees pass your toes.
Get in the starting position – keep your chest up and high and neutral spine.
Come up, push through your heels, and hit about midway. Now, bring the kettlebell up to the bottom of your chin with elbows high.
Then, bend your knee, come back down and allow the kettlebell touch to the ground.
Stiff-Legged Sumo Deadlift
Get a nice wide stance with toes pointed forward.
Bend over and grab the kettlebell while keeping knees straight during the whole exercise. Maintain your abs nice-and-tight.
Then, come up with hips forward and chest up. Breathe out.
When coming down to the starting position, breathe in.
Standing Oblique Crunch
Stand straight.
Keep your feet together or about shoulder-width apart with chest up and shoulders back.
Grab your kettlebell by one hand while the other hand is behind your head.
Go forward and backward, keep your core nice-and-tight, and only bend at the waist. Don’t sway your hip back and forth with the motion. When you’re dipping down, just dip straight down to target those obliques.
Who makes the best adjustable kettlebells?
Kettle Gryp, Empower, Apex, Bowflex, and Stamina | X
My picks
- Kettle Gryp Kettlebell Adjustable Portable Weight Grip
- Empower Kettlebell Weight Set for Women
- Bowflex SelectTech Adjustable Weights
Resistance Band Home Gym
Resistance band home gym might not look like much but don’t quickly judge a book by its cover.
This exercise equipment can give you a tone of benefits, like strengthening the overall body and enhancing mobility. It is considered to be joint-friendly and low-impact as well.
Which exercises to do on the machine?
Reverse Fly
Hook the resistance band into a stable structure and make sure it is even on each side.
Get close enough to the structure to get the full contraction when getting all the way back.
Stand straight with feet shoulder-width apart and knees bent. Grab two ends of the resistance band, maintain a neutral spine, and breathe regularly.
Pull back with both arms just below your chin and keep everything straight. Make sure to keep your elbows up, don’t let them turn down. Maintain a nice tight core.
Or you can try if finding no stable structure:
Skull Crusher
Secure the band to the base of a bench or a rack.
Lay flat on the bench that the band is lined up with your head. Keep your butt against the pad and make sure feet are planted through the entire motion.
Take hold of the band, raise your elbows so that the upper arm is perpendicular to the floor. Don’t bow out your elbows at all throughout the entire exercise. Keep them tight to your body.
Once in the starting position, extend through the elbows to straighten your arms. Pause at the top of the motion and then, return to the starting position.
Upright-Row
Hold two ends of the resistance band. Stand on your feet about shoulder length apart and hold the handles out in front of you.
Lift them up with elbows staying higher than your hands and handles close to your body.
Keep core nice-and-tight, breath out all the way up just about your chin, and then, come back to the starting position, inhale.
Who makes the best resistance band home gym?
Fit Simplify, Letsfit, Limm, Physix Gear Sport, and Tribe
My picks
- Fit Simplify Resistance Loop Exercise Bands
- Letsfit Resistance Loop Bands
- Limm Resistance Bands Exercise Loops - 12-inch
Conclusion
Above are the best exercise equipment for small spaces in my opinion that I have chosen based on their versatility, multifunction, and compactness. I hope this rounded-up list helps you find out the best tools to add to your home gym. Thanks for reading!
Nancy Lang
