A home gym under $300, is it any good? Can a low-priced home gym deliver the same results as a more expensive one? Is it worth investing in or should you save up for a high-end model? If these questions describe the back and forth that goes on inside your head when you quietly wonder what to expect from the best home gym under $300, we have the answer for you.
We’ve tested many home gym models under the set budget to make our top with the Fitness Reality X-Class as our Editor’s Choice. We’ve looked for the equipment that would allow having as full of a workout as possible. The factors we were focusing on include weight and dimensions of the gym, so you’d be sure to get the right one for your home space. To be sure, we’ve tested the weight capacity of every gym, as well as the warranty period with customer support response. The list below contains only the most durable and helpful home gym that won’t cost more than $300.
More features: cushion height adjustment, sweat and moisture resistant vinyl bench cover, transportation wheels
The Fitness Reality X-Class Extension Bench targets the abdominal and back area. It measures 36 inches, with width options ranging from 8″-12″, so you can buy one in a size that’s suitable for you. The bench weighs 55.6 lbs. and has a weight capacity of 650 lbs; anyone can use this bench, a feature that makes it popular with both body building buffs and regular fitness chasers alike.
It is very well made and sturdy, and has front and rear stabilizers to enhance its stability. For comfort, the seat is made using 2.5-inch foam padding, and because it keeps the pressure off your body, you can exercise longer. It’s covered in a durable, waterproof double-stitched vinyl material.
One flat adjustment, 3 decline bench adjustments, and 14 thigh support cushion height adjustments provide plenty of options for customizing your workouts. It can be safely used by people who are 5′-6’4″ tall.
Non-slip handle bars, 1.5-inch thick each, ensure that you maintain stability as you do different exercises.
There is very little assembly needed to set it up. You’ll have it all set and ready for use in a little over 10 minutes. The only aspect you may not like about its design is that it doesn’t fold. And given how long it is – it measures 64 x 35 x 28.8 (L x W x H) – you must have enough room not just for its use but for its storage too.
More features: carrying bag included, Base and accessories included, steel bars
This Fusion Motion home gym is an all-in-one full body workout gym. Its steel base is reinforced using premium steel bars to allow for more intense workouts. This gym presents the easiest way to do pushups and squats.
It comes with a variety of accessories, including 4 resistance bands to increase the intensity of the workout, 2 dynamic handles, 2 static handles, 1 ab roller wheel, and a free Fusion carry bag. Also included is an anchor door, squat rack, and resistance pulley to make your movements smooth. It comes with a training guide, included in which are 200 exercises. The versatility of these exercises will motivate you to keep putting in the work.
Changing from one workout and accessory to another takes some time and can slow you down or drain your morale. That’s the main thing we didn’t like about this gym.
Ideal for use both indoors and outdoors, this gym is perfect for people who don’t like to skip their workout since they can carry it with them when traveling. After all, it weighs only 17 lbs. Its low weight capacity (100 lbs.) prohibits many of us from using it, but for those who fall in this weight range, it’s a steal.
It’s easy to set up and requires minimal assembly.
More features: 2-in adaptor sleeves, steel construction, adjustable seat
The Vanswe LAT Pulldown is an upper body gym that comes complete with a lat machine, lat bar, and low row bar. It’s made from sturdy steel, with each tube being 2 inches thick. It has a weight limit of 250 lbs. and measures 46.8 x 24.2 x 76 inches (L x W x H). This gym uses both high and low pulley stations to enable you to exercise a large number of muscles. To ensure efficiency, the manufacturer includes a short stright bar and a lower pulley cable. You can do a wide range of exercises in different positions, from seated lat pull downs and standing lat pull downs to seated rows. There’s an instruction manual that details how to do different exercises. The efficient pulley system ensures that your movements are smooth, and a removable steel foot rest secures the machine in place to keep it from lifting while you do standing workouts.
The base is covered in rubber feet to protect your floor from damage. There is a flip-flop foot plate designed for use during workouts involving the low row bar, and 2 two-inch ad sleeves that you can use with your weights. The latter are designed to fit both standard and Olympic plate weights.
A high-density, dual-layer pad keeps the seat comfortable. The seat is adjustable up to 4 levels between 15.5 inches and 18.5 inches. Use the knob to
quickly adjust the seat. It’s swift and easy.
More features: foam cushioning, eight incline levels, rolling seat, resistance band
A full body workout gym with a weight capacity of 250 lbs., the Weider Ultimate Body Works can be used by people of all fitness levels. It has an incline function with 8 levels that make it possible for you to customize and intensify your workout.
This gym measures 59 x 27.5 x 48 inches (L x W x H), weighs 72 lbs., and is every bit as solid as it looks. Its frame, made from sturdy steel, is designed to withstand the pressure of heavy weights and remains stable under the pressure of your weight. It also has resistance bands that can make your workout more challenging.
The rolling seat allows you to do a diverse range of exercises and add variation to your pushups, curls, and lower body exercises. Foam cushioning on the seat ensures maximum comfort during exercise.
It has pulleys on both sides – the upper end and lower end. The gym’s high pulley system is designed to work on your upper body, while the low pulley system works on your thighs, butt, and legs.
Range of motions is excellent, even for tall users, who because of the large size of the seat, can extend their arms and legs without constrictions. It may look bulky, but this gym is easy to assemble. You’ll need help moving it to the location where you intend to set it up, but the assembling process is straightforward.
More features: LCD monitor, foldable, anti-rust paint, alloy steel construction
Use the Hurbo Vertical Climber to imitate the climbing motion your body makes when you’re going up a surface. It’s an intense calorie burner that gets your heart pumping in minutes and treats you to a full body workout, targeting the legs, arms, calf, and abs.
The gym’s ergonomic design allows you to assume a natural pose while you exercise, thereby minimizing risk of strain and injury. It’s made from a solid steel alloy for guaranteed stability during use and durability. A coat of anti-rust paint keeps it rust free and preserves the integrity of the metal.
It has a weight limit of 350 lbs., and thanks to its adjustable height, it can be used by people of different heights. The handles are covered in thick sponge-like material to provide a comfortable, non-slip grip.
This is an easy to use machine that requires little assembly. It’s 2 meters long and weighs 44.09 lbs. It folds easily for storage, and you can lift and carry it easily if you need to relocate it. For folks who like outdoor adventures, taking turns to go up and down the climber can be a fun way to bond with family and friends.
It comes with a highly visible LCD monitor that shows your climbing speed, time, datable, and calories burned.
In this section, we’ll see how a cheap home gym can change your life and what benefits you stand to gain by using it. We’ll also discuss some exercises you can do on your home gym, and look at the health precautions you need to observe for safe usage of your home gym. Finally, we’ll explain what you need to look for when buying a cheap home gym and answer a few FANS about this type of equipment.
A cheap home gym works as well as any other gym and will help improve your fitness level. You just need to stay committed and show up 3-5 times each week, and in a few weeks’ time, you’ll begin to feel great and see changes in your body. Others will see it too, and that alone is bound to motivate you to keep going.
Your home gym can help you lose weight, get toned, build a bit of muscle, and get stronger.
Many of the workouts you do at a commercial gym, you can do with your home gym. And those that you can’t replicate, you can substitute. At the end of the day, you’ll be enjoying all the health benefits of a commercial gym, but in your own space.
All these health benefits come with savings. By choosing a low-cost home gym instead of an expensive one, you get to save at least a thousand dollars. And by continuing to use the gym at home, you save a tidy sum that could have gone to gym membership fees. And if your gym is a distance away, you’re saving on gas too.
The exercises you can do at home depend on the type of gym equipment you have. If you have a bench, you can do flat presses, pushups, sit ups, crunches, you can lift weights, and if the bench has a decline function, you can also do decline presses.
If you have a vertical gym, you can do chest presses, leg extensions, curls, bicep curls, and lat pull downs. Challenge yourself to do both front and rear pull downs so you can work the muscles in your chest and back area.
Depending on how your gym is designed and whether it has a seat/bench, you may be able to do both seated lat pull downs and standing lat pull downs to give those back muscles a thorough workout.
You can add a ball, weights, resistance bands, etc. to create a more challenging workout.
If you’re new to gym workouts, here are some safety precautions to help prevent injury and accidents.
First, ensure that your equipment is correctly set up and that it’s stable. Set it on a flat surface so you can be sure it won’t wobble.
Next, use the equipment the right way. If you’re not sure how a certain piece of equipment is used, you’re better off not using it for the time being and learning how to use it first, than attempting to use it and ending up with an injury.
Start small and build your sustenance gradually. One of the most useful things you can learn in fitness is how to pace yourself, and it starts right from the beginning. Just like a child can’t run before they learn how to walk; you can’t lift a 50 lbs. weight before you can comfortably lift a 5 lbs. one.
Always listen to your body. Before any physical signs of distress manifest, your body will warn you. If you start to have difficulty breathing or feel faint or lightheaded, stop the exercise immediately. It’s okay to pause midway through the exercise, and it’s okay to abandon a workout if your body can’t take it. It gets better and easier, though, as you get accustomed to working out.
Let’s now look at the specific features you should consider when looking for the best home gym under $300.
What type of exercises is the gym designed for? Some gyms support full body workouts, examples being Weider Ultimate Body Works, Fusion Motion, and Hurbo Vertical Climber. Others target specific areas of the body. For example, Fitness Reality X-Class Bench targets the abdominal and back area, while Vanswe LAT Pulldown targets the upper body.
Choose a home gym with a long warranty period. The longer the warranty period, the longer you remain under the manufacturer’s or seller’s covering, and should the gym malfunction during this period, they can fix it or replace it at no extra cost to you. Look for warranties that last at least 3 years. Some gym models with excellent warranties are Fitness Reality and Vanswe LAT Pulldown; they both have a 10-year guarantee. Usually, the warranty for the frame is separate from the one for parts. Typically, the frame has a longer warranty period than the parts.
You’ll be exerting a lot of pressure on the gym and maybe adding weights to your workout, so it needs to be sturdy enough to withstand the impact. Look for a model with a solid steel frame. This type is tough, stable, and durable, just what you want.
Avoid models with too many plastic bits because 1) the plastic components will soon enough break, and 2) if the manufacturer is using poor quality material, they may not have been keen on using heavy duty metal on the frame.
If you like to exercise in different locations, consider getting a portable gym. That way, you can take it outside if the weather is good or carry it with you when traveling so you can keep up with your exercise routine. Two things will determine portability: weight and ease of movement. The gym should be lightweight, like Fusion Motion (only 17 lbs.) or Hurbo Vertical Climber (44 lbs.). If the gym has transportation wheels, it can be moved from place to place even if it’s a bit on the heavy side.
If your intention is to put away the gym after each workout session, you must consider its weight in relation to who will be moving it, and how far of a distance this will be. Still on weight, consider the gym’s weight capacity as this determines whether it can support your weight or not. If the gym will be used by different people, choose a gym with a high weight capacity so that everyone can use it. In this situation, a gym like Fusion Motion wouldn’t be of much use to you if everyone in the group weighs 200+ lbs. because its weight limit is 100 lbs. Someone who weighs 97 lbs., however, can comfortably use it. One of the best high weight capacity gyms is Fitness Reality X-Class, a high performance bench with a weight capacity of 650 lbs.
Consider its dimensions too, and make sure that you have enough space to accommodate it. If space is limited, choose a compact and foldable model like Fusion Motion or Hurbo Vertical.
If the gym is easy to assemble, you’re less likely to make errors during set up. Unfortunately, this can be hard to tell beforehand, so you have to go with the seller’s word on ease or difficulty of assembly. What always helps is a clear manual with instructions on assembly. If you’re lucky to get a video demo of the assembly, the task becomes even easier. Because some of these machines are big, expect the assembly to take a while even if it is not complex simply because there may be many components to piece together.
Home gyms are easy to clean. Because the frame is largely made of metal, you only need to wipe it down with a wet cloth. If the gym has upholstery surfaces, check that they are covered in a moisture resistant material. Vinyl is the material most commonly used for this. It’s used in the Weider Ultimate Body Works and the X-Class bench, for instance. With a non-absorbent material like vinyl, sweat won’t seep into the equipment and pose a health risk. It’s also easy to clean, and like steel, you only need to wipe it down with a wet cloth.
The Fitness Reality X-Class Bench takes the top spot because of, among other things, its sturdiness and durability. There’s plenty we like about this gym, like the high weight capacity – literally anyone can use it, the versatility of the exercises you can do here, the multiple height and decline adjustment levels.
In second place is the Fusion Motion Portable Gym, a full body workout gym with a sturdy frame, lightweight, easy to set up, and comes with 200 exercises. There are enough of them to keep you busy all year. It also comes with attachments and a guide to doing the exercises.
One more best home gym under $300 is Weider Ultimate Body Works, which stands out for its sturdy build, comfort, excellent pulley system, and flawless range of motion. It’s also highly customizable, with 8 incline levels and several accessories for increasing resistance and intensity.
