Bench + weights. Cardio is easy without a machine, weightlifting is not. If you’re not into weightlifting, then yeah, small treadmills/walking pads are great.
this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2026
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Whatever you are going to use regularly and not get bored with. Consistency is key.
I'm torn between rower (as lots of people here have said) and one of those pull up station racks that also has dip bars. I love rowers for the efficiency of movement and you get lots of big muscle groups at once but the first thing that got me consistently working out was body weight exercises in my local park. I started with bands on a pull up bar and worked my way up to different pull up variations.
Only cardio machine you need is a rower - it's full body and is different from all other cardio which is simply an augmentation on something you probably already have access to already (bike, stairs, the ground) - most don't have a rowboat/canoe. Also a fantastic workout and my personal go-to. But you can just walk and get all the cardio you need with less wear of your joints/free.
For strength exercise, you can use a combination of bodyweight, bands, kettlebells, adjustable dumbbells, rings and a weighted vest to get massively strong. I'd recommend an adjustable bench and a strong cross bar to hang things off to do rings and pull-ups. Rubber matting also makes things a bit nicer. You can build a home gym in a couple of meters of space if that's all you have. I say this even though I have a vast array of gym toys (rack, barbells, FT, plyo, leg sled, leg extension/curl, rings, dip bars, bike, rower, treadmill, pool, kettlebells, dumbbells, vest etc) but I started off small with just rings and kettlebells.
Bondage swing set.
Great cardio but you’ll need a buddy every single time to make it work.
Or, alternatively, also work on your flexibility...
Rowing machine.
I like this answer. Good cardio, good for the core. Full body exercise. Rowing machines the best machine imo. Also quite hard to fuck up on or hurt yourself with, in my experiance.
Lots of movement in many joints too.
Also quite hard to fuck up on or hurt yourself with, in my experiance.
Just make sure to keep the motions seperate; legs first, stomach second, arms only move at the end. Both ways (but reversed).
If you don’t actually use it then it’s really useless as a clothes rack :p
I tried a rowing machine, would never do it a second time. Now, I have bad knees, but I still thought it wouldn't be that bad. Maybe it was a bad machine, maybe I used it wrong, maybe they aren't for everyone.
Free weights. Especially something with changeable plates and a bench. Take up the same space as a machine but allow a higher range of exercises.
Yep.
I have a handful of ancient, beatup dumbbells. So much you can do with even that.
You can also get adjustable dumbbells today, so you can add modify your dumbbells rather than needing to buy new ones.
My dumbells also become barbells. It's crazy what you can do with adjustable dumbells.
Weights and a bench like many have said, and what a lot of people don't realize is that lifting (even low weights) can be very cardio intensive.
Put the money back in you pocket and use YouTube and the muscle wiki to do a combination of body weight training and yoga.
If you gotta buy something, get a good workout mat, sneakers, and wireless headphones.
Some personally experienced and psychologically supported things to consist
- Unless you're getting into serious weight training, marathon running, or a very specific physical shape, any large purchase is just going to exist as a guilt bank if you don't get the results you want out of it.
- Any machine you get is going to fail you if you don't have proper form and thus either hurt your progress or body if you don't spend enough time up front getting that form.
- Are you making this your passion? Most people work out for a goal and when you hit that goal you're going to find it a lot harder to justify the space the equipment takes when you're working out for maintenance instead of progress.
On the counter to that, body weight training uses nothing, can be done everywhere, and focuses on form. Combining it with yoga and you either get a perfect rounded workout that will get your results with minimal recovery time, or you will figure out where you need the most help while building that form you need for a machine. Then you will already know what you need to buy and have an understanding your body instead of the advice of a pool of strangers who don't know you, don't know what you need, and don't know what you're expecting.
Personally, after that I'd use the money for a local martial arts program, which will also give you a support community to encourage you to keep working at it.
Any age I try to enter on different browsers only allows 13 or 100?
The two ages
If you're getting free weights, I'd get an adjustable bench as well. If you already have a bike, you can get a bike trainer to ride inside when weather isn't cooperating. I'd avoid a treadmill since as you mentioned, the outside is accessible, and if you're not in a climate with snow and ice, a little rain sometimes feels good during a run.
But like others mentioned, dumbbells and a kettlebell will be all you need to do a lot of strength exercises. An adjustable bench allows you to expand on that. You can get dumbbells that use plates, so you dont need a full set, just the bars and plates. In the future you could get other bars for different strength training if you feel the need and you can just use existing plates.
Otherwise as someone else mentioned, you can do a lot with just bodyweight traing too. A good mat will go a long ways for that. You can supplement that with resistance bands that take up minimal space.
Get the cushioning matting and use it as a general exercise area.
Get free weights, medicine balls, etc.
Do squats, press ups, all sorts of body exercises, augment them with weights.
If any machine... mount a chin up bar to a wall or get a free standing one.
Rower is my choice
If you're set on a machine i think a rowing machine.
Does arms legs core and cardio.
after my wife had knee surgery we got one of those cross country ski things where your arms and feet move sorta counter to each other left right with an incline mode. We got it because she needed something that would be almost zero impact. Its likely the best thing you can get if you want to excersise when you have limitations.
Dumbells and a bench
I made it through the pandemic with nothing but a 16 and 24 kg kettlebell, and highly recommend them as the best bang-for-buck option.
Totally understandable if you’re puzzled on where to start with them, but fortunately, they were popularized in the US by a single person (Pavel Tsatsouline) who’s made a full career out of beginner-friendly instructionals. I recommend this as a starting point, but Enter the Kettlebell is also a great option:
https://www.amazon.com/Kettlebell-Simple-Sinister-Revised-Updated/dp/0989892433
Total cost: $100-150, and 3-4 sqft of storage space :).
Kettlebell, adjustable dumbbells. Still saves you space.
Pullup bar and gymnastic rings to hang in the pullup bar. You are set for life with bodyweight exersizes.
Kettlebells are a very good option. I will say, however, that they’re typically more expensive than a dumbbell, and there’s very little you can do with a KB that you can’t also do with dumbbells, and you will pretty quickly get stronger, initially.
Rowing machine is my votes I’m a Concept2 fan; they make great equipment. They’re in the USA but the company is a Perpetual Purpose Trust, in Vermont, so it’s a lefty company. I’ve heard good things about WaterRowers too. You’ll be able to test a concept2 at nearly any decent gym, as they’re the standard rowing machine (and thus will last virtually forever). I recommend testing, extensively, if you can.
Treadmills, to my knowledge, are expensive if they are going to last. They’re heavy and large.
I’ve tried to answer that multiple times.
First attempt: rowing machine. On paper, it’s the best solution.
However, using it for a year, I found it really difficult to get motivated to use it, and any sort of injury, strain or discomfort was an excuse to skip the day’s row.
I’ve also tried a recumbent stationary bicycle and a spinner. Again, both worked well for a while, but were hard to maintain.
The ones with lasting power for me are:
Combination chinup bar / captain’s chair / dip bar — this thing gets a LOT of use, as you can just do a few reps in passing or do a solid circuit training session.
Kettleball - again, you can just pick it up and use it.
Likewise, dumbbells.
I’ve found that for any large piece of equipment, one that’s good enough quality to enjoy using is usually the cost of a gym membership. And with the membership, you get to use ALL the machines if you can discipline yourself to actually show up.
Whatever is most fun for you, I like stairsteppers or an exercise bike that I can do something while riding to distract myself, which makes me ride longer.
Barbell and rack is what I'd go for with static equipment.
An indoor bike would be another option I'd look for if I wanted some cardio equipment, but in all honesty I just prefer running/cycling outside
I would get a smart trainer (that you attach a real bike to) for Zwift etc. rather than a whole indoor exercise bike.
That's what I was thinking about, yeah!
Shoes
Power rack. You can do benches and squats with safety bars.
Cross trainer. Hands down. Moves the whole body.
I was thinking a small treadmill, but I can just go outside most of the time, and I don’t really want to walk inside.
Treadmill is easier on your joints, shoes, soles off your feet I believe. I think it's overall just more healthy for people when running. I wish o had access to one but I'm not ready to shell out for gym membership yet.
You'll also be able to go for a run whenever you want, because let's be real, traffic, weather, and prying eyes get in the way of running comfortably.