There are hundreds of items you can buy to build the ultimate home gym. Why waste hours of your day commuting to a gym just to wait half an hour for a squat rack? A home gym is the perfect way to stay in shape from the comfort of your home. If you’re reading this you probably receive a health and wellness stipend from your employer, which means you can start building yours for free! Here are 21 essential home gym ideas for your fitness sanctuary.
Just want to browse? Check out our Amazon Wishlist to see all the home gym items you can buy with your health and wellness stipend.
21 Ideas for Your Home Gym
- Squat Rack
- Bench Rack
- Exercise Bench
- Cable Strength Machine
- Barbell and Weighted Plates
- Smart Fitness Mirror
- Punching Bag and Boxing Globes
- Pull-up Bar
- Dumbbell Set
- Floor Mats
- Theragun
- Foam Roller
- Yoga Mat
- TRX Bands
- Resistance Bands
- Bosu Ball
- Exercise Bike
- Hot Tub
- Full Body Mirror
- Mini Fridge
- Speakers
What is a Home Gym?
A home gym is a designated space for working out in your home. Everybody has a different workout routine, however. Home gyms come in many varieties. Power lifter home gyms will be filled with free weights and barbells. Cross-fit home gyms will have lots of room and more catered to bodyweight exercises. It can be as simple as a yoga mat and a few dumbbells, to a full on Olympic lifting platform with a squat and bench rack. Regardless of your workout preference, the more items you add, the more complete your home gym will be.
Can I Buy Fitness Equipment For My Home Gym With My Health and Wellness Stipend?
Companies offer a health and wellness stipend so that employees can live healthier and more productive lives. A home gym can be the foundation for that. However, whether or not fitness equipment is eligible to be expensed through your wellness stipend is up to your company. Some companies may not allow physical items to be reimbursed through their fitness stipend. Instead, gym memberships, fitness apps and subscriptions are the only allowable options. Read our article 16 Ways to Spend Your Health and Wellness Stipend for more ideas if physical items are out of the question.
1. Squat Rack

Squat Rack – Get it on Amazon
A squat rack is a home gym essential. Squats tone your legs, your abs, and that oh so desirable backside.
A squat rack is large, so you’ll need to be sure there’s enough space in your home gym for it. Due to the size, a squat rack will cost a few hundred dollars or more.
Many squat racks double as a pull-up bar or a bench press rack so make sure to look for these features if you’re going to drop a few benjamins.
2. Bench Press Rack

Bench Press Rack – Get it on Amazon
Bench press racks are another standard gym equipment essential. Bench press works all the large muscle groups in the upper body and kick starts metabolism.
Bench press rigs will often cost one hundred dollars or more, but double as a nice rest bench in between sets
3. Exercise Bench

Workout Bench – Get it on Amazon
Every home gym needs a workout bench. If you don’t buy a bench press rig, you’ll need a workout bench to complete the various workouts you’ll be doing in your sweet new gym.
Workout benches can be great for stretches, exercises and just taking a breather in between sets.
4. Cable Workout Machine

Bowflex Home Gym – Get it on Amazon
You won’t regret getting a workout cable machine for your home gym. A machine like the Bowflex (pictured above) has everything you need for a full body workout.
A cable machine gives you the option of dozens of different workouts. However, you’ll pay for that convenience. Complete home gym cable machines can cost up to $1,000. There are also cable machines designed for one, or a few exercises that will be cheaper. Hopefully you can use your monthly health and wellness stipend from your employer to cover the cost.
5. Barbell and Weighted Plates
Olympic Barbell – Get it on Amazon
Weightlifters will love to hear that barbells and weighted plates can be covered by your health and wellness stipend. Squats, bench press, curls, etc. There are so many workouts you can do with a barbell
Olympic barbells weigh 45 lbs. and will cost between $150-$300.
6. Punching Bag and Boxing Globes

FITVEN Punching Bag Set – Get it on Amazon
Another item you can buy with your wellness stipend for your home gym is a punching bag. Boxing is a great cardio workout. Not to mention, it’s a great form of self defense.
There’s honestly nothing better than just punching something for moments on end. Buying your own punching bag and boxing gloves will save you money in the long run compared to a paid boxing class too.
7. Pull-up Bar

Doorway Pull-up Bar – Get it on Amazon
Pull-ups are a fantastic way to tone your back and biceps. Pull-up bars are cheap and affordable home gym items that can be reimbursed through your health and wellness stipend.
There are pull-up bars designed to hang from a door frame with no additional setup. We’d recommend getting a doorway pull-up bar rather than a full on pull-up rig.
8. Dumbbell Set

150 Pound Dumbbell Set – Get it on Amazon
No home gym is complete without a dumbbell set. Using dumbbells is a sure fire way to burn calories and spend your wellness stipend.
New dumbbells go for $2 to $4 per pound – so you’ll want to be selective about which weights you pick. With a recurring monthly stipend, you could get a new weight every month!
9. Floor Mats

Gym Flooring Mats for Home – Get it on Amazon
Floor mats are heavily recommended for any home gym setup. They protect your floor from the impact of dropping weights and give you a non-slip surface for all your physical activity.
You’ll find all sorts of colors and sizes that you can mix and match on Amazon.
10. Theragun

Theragun PRO – Get it on Amazon
Relax your muscles and improve recovery time with the Theragun. The Theragun is a patented deep tissue muscle massage treatment and endorsed by many famous athletes.
These small but powerful items go for $200+ dollars, enough to spend your wellness stipend for multiple months.
11. Foam Roller

Moji Foam Roller – Get on Amazon
Start and end your workouts with a heated foam roller. One of these in your home gym and you’ll always be stretched out and ready to for your workout or your day.
Non-heated options start at $20 and are an affordable home workout item to spend your health and wellness stipend on.
12. Exercise Mat

CAMBIVO Large Workout Mat – Get it on Amazon
If you don’t want to cover the entire floor with exercise mats, you can also purchase a standalone exercise mat. These are great for stretching, doing ab exercises and protect your floor at home.
You really don’t want to do your home workouts on a hardwood floor or carpet. Use your wellness stipend and snag a workout mat for less than $100.
13. TRX Bands

TRX Bands PRO – Get it on Amazon
Invented by former Navy SEAL Randy Hetrick while he was on board a ship, TRX Bands are the ultimate home workout item. Heck, they are the ultimate workout from anywhere item.
The exercise possibilities are endless with these simple heavy duty bands. TRX bands use body weight and leverage to power a fat blasting workout. They also offer tons of on-demand content to teach you the basics of TRX.
14. Resistance Bands
WIKDAY Resistance Bands – Get it on Amazon
Resistance bands are elastic tools designed to help you stretch and apply constant pressure to muscles and tendons. There are hundreds of workouts and stretches that will benefit from the extra effort you’ll need to apply with resistance bands.
They are cheap items that will hardly make a dent in your wellness stipend. Resistance bands also don’t take up a lot of room if you have a small home gym space.
15. Bosu Ball

Bosu Ball – Get it on Amazon
A Bosu Ball is half a ball with a flat plastic side. It is designed for stabilization exercises such as planks and squats. A lot of athletes use it to tone their core and build smaller muscles.
They start at $100 and come in dozens of color varieties.
16. Exercise Bike

Sunny Health and Fitness Indoor Cycling Bike – Get it on Amazon
The exercise bike is a classic workout machine for your home gym. There are hundreds of workout bikes to choose from including the popular Peloton.
Despite their inability to go anywhere, workout bikes are pretty costly. It aways helps to have that wellness stipend to cover some of the cost.
17. Rowing Machine

Rowing Machine with LCD Monitor – Get it on Amazon
Rowing machines are great purchases for any home gym. If you hate running for cardio, this could be the key to burning calories and blasting fat.
Rowing machines like all other fitness machines can cost an arm and a leg, so don’t forget to apply your wellness funds towards the purchase.
18. Full Body Mirror

NeuType Full Length Mirror – Get it on Amazon
Look good , feel good. No home gym is complete without a full body mirror. You’ll be doing reps in picture perfect form in no time and you can check yourself out with noone around to judge you in your home gym!
19. Mini Fridge

NewAir Large Beverage Refrigerator – Get it on Amazon
Cool down with a chilled water or gatorade stored in your new home gym refrigerator. This might not quite qualify with your employer as an eligible health and wellness expense, but it’s worth a try.
20. Speakers

Klipsch R-41M Speaker Set – Get it on Amazon
21. Treadmill

Goplus 2 in 1 Folding Treadmill – Get it on Amazon
No home gym list would be complete without the classic treadmill. Avoid those time-consuming trips to the gym and workout in your air conditioned home.
Looking For More Ways to Spend Your Health and Wellness Stipend?
That wraps up our list of 21 essential home gym items eligible for reimbursement through your company’s health and wellness stipend. If you’re still eager for ideas you can check out our shop page or read all of our other articles in the health and wellness category such as 16 Ways to Spend Your Health and Wellness Stipend.
Have you started to build out your brand new home gym? We’d love to learn about what you’ve bought to deck out your personal workouts space. Comment and leave pictures below!