· By Jessica Lam
Here are the 10 must-have women’s home gym equipment in 2022
The pandemic has changed the home workout landscape drastically over the past few years, with many now investing their time and space in various types of fitness equipment to use in the comfort of their own homes.
If you’re an avid gym-goer currently wondering what to do while staying home, or simply prefer fitness in your own house, it’s time to find the best home workout equipment to suit your space.
We’ve all seen guys at the gym grunting and puffing as he lifts (or tries to lift) massive weights and kettlebells. But you can get an intense workout right in your home with a little floor space.
From pilates rings and adjustable dumbbells to water-filled aqua bags, there are plenty of ways to stay in shape and reach your fitness goals at home without having to set foot in a gym.
How to pick the best home gym equipment?
Budget, functionality, space, and long-term health goals are all driving factors in the type of home exercise equipment people buy. But with a wide range of fitness equipment out there, it’s essential to consider the factor(s) most important to you before committing to a purchase.
Women’s fitness goals can range from flaunting a bikini bod to getting toned to improving well-being and having fun. For most of us, this doesn’t require a squat rack and deadlift set up. There are so many alternatives on the market that you can use for low-impact, at-home workouts.
In this post, we round up our picks for the best fun, portable, and versatile women’s home gym equipment and accessories, and describe how they can elevate your fitness journey and inner strength.
Top 10 must-have women’s home gym equipment
Staying fit and healthy is one of the most important aspects of modern, urban life – especially in fast-paced cities. With at-home fitness equipment, you can easily exercise without losing momentum or having to hire a personal trainer.
But with the urban city’s notoriously small apartments, the key becomes using small and portable fitness equipment that you can quickly roll up and easily store after workout sessions.
1. Pilates rings
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THE LOWDOWN
What is it? A small, flexible ring that you can squeeze between your legs or grip with your hands
How much is it? US$10-$25
Why it’s a must-have for your home gym:
Our Recommendation: Domyos Pilates Ring |
Pilates rings are lightweight, flexible rings that provide resistance for your muscles. Equipped with two padded handles on either side, it allows you to push in or squeeze between different parts of your body, making it a great at-home workout equipment for women.
They help enhance your core stability and create moderate resistance and can be used to target and tone specific areas of the body like the arms, chest, torso, and inner and outer thighs.
So why pick one up?
For one, Pilates rings assist your body in activating isolated muscles more effectively. Its flexibility facilitates enhanced body awareness by providing self-feedback to the participant during exercises, allowing you to self-correct immediately during each set to ensure exercises are performed correctly and effectively. This makes it a great tool for muscle rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
In addition, Pilates rings also add intensity and resistance to your home workouts, and challenge balance and core strength. You can also bring it to your next online or face-to-face Pilates class.
Most Pilates rings in Hong Kong will cost you anywhere from$10 to $25, depending on size (Pilates rings typically range between 12 and 15 inches in diameter). If you’re looking for space-saving, portable fitness equipment, this $12 highly-reviewed Pilates ring from Decathlon is designed to improve posture by working deep muscles and intensifying your Pilates exercises.
2. Resistance bands
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What is it? A stretchable, elastic band used commonly in strength training
How much is it? US$5–$20
Why it’s a must-have for your home gym:
Our Recommendation: Fit Simplify Resistance Loop Bands |
A popular alternative to many traditional weight training programs, resistance bands are inexpensive, versatile, and portable home fitness equipment that works your muscles in a completely different way than your usual weighted dumbbells.
Resistance bands add an external resistance force that can be applied without having to hold the extra weight. They’re an easy-to-use, travel-friendly, and adjustable fitness tool perfect for different resistance levels (light, medium, heavy, and extra heavy) when providing the opposing force with your own body weight. When anchored in place, you can push, pull, or curl against the rubber resistance.
There are many reasons why resistance bands can take your at-home workouts to the next level.
Whether you buy them individually or as a set, resistance bands are a cost-effective, extremely portable, and travel-friendly addition to your home gym equipment. One Amazon shopper says, “Got this product to replace some bulky weights as I am starting to travel again and wanted to continue working out in my hotel room. Easy to pack and tote along anywhere!”
Moreover, as resistance bands come in multiple levels of difficulty, you can further adjust the amount of resistance while exercising by giving more or less slack on the band or combining multiple bands to modify existing exercises (if you’re up for a challenge, that is).
Depending on the weight of individual resistance bands, you’d be spending anywhere between $5 to $20 – like this one from Decathlon, for example. If you’re looking for one that comes in a set, we recommend this portable, space-saving resistance band from Decathlon as well.
3. Foldable treadmills
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What is it? A walking pad with a running deck that pivots up and locks when folded
How much is it? Over US$150
Why it’s a must-have for your home gym:
Our Recommendation: Horizon Fitness T101 Treadmill |
Looking for a more active home workout with a treadmill but don’t have the space?
Foldable treadmills, also known as under-desk treadmills, can be a great way to squeeze in a cardio workout while also being huge space-savers. They’re ideal for small spaces as they can easily be stored away under your bed or couch. It’s also a must-have during lengthy hotel quarantines.
There are two main types of foldable treadmills:
- Power-folding treadmills: This helps to save the strain on your back. Simply press a button and the treadmill folds and unfolds itself.
- Shock-assisted treadmills: With shock-assisted, you get some help folding the treadmill. These are easier to find and require a little more effort to get the treadmill to fold and unfold.
Regardless of what type of folding mechanism is used, once the treadmill is folded, most have a locking mechanism where you can lock it into place. While it may not be your go-to choice for simple home workout equipment, a foldable treadmill is still one of the best workout machines for women, especially those aiming for weight loss.
One of the primary benefits of foldable treadmills is their accessibility and easy-to-use functions, as it occupies less space, stores and transports quickly, and is easy to clean. People can fold the treadmill up and store it away when it is not in use, which may particularly benefit those living in smaller properties. Foldable models often have wheels on the bottom, making it easier to move them around.
Most foldable treadmills in Hong Kong cost over $150. Decathlon’s RUN100E foldable treadmill is a good place to start, combining connectivity, a wide running deck, and compact folding with free delivery and installation.
4. Medicine balls
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What is it? A weighted ball used for strength training and rehabilitation
How much is it? US$45-$100
Why it’s a must-have for your home gym:
Our Recommendation: Fluid X Boba |
Typically made of leather, vinyl, plastic, or rubber, medicine balls are soft-shell, weighted balls that can be thrown, tossed, carried, or used to add resistance to a movement or specific exercise. Also known as stability balls, working out with medicine balls opens up various exercise options, such as throwing, tossing, and moving in every range of motion.
Due to its versatility, there are many ways you can use a medicine ball in your training. Training with a medicine ball can be aerobic (tossing the ball back and forth) or you can use them alongside strength training for crunches or push-ups.
The Fluid X’s Boba is the perfect medicine ball for at-home workouts. It’s weight-adjustable (up to 13 kg) depending on the volume of water you fill it with. But a heavier weight doesn’t necessarily mean a more intense workout as you’re already training your muscles just by picking it up. And because it’s made with high-grade inflatable PVC material, you don’t have to worry about leakages or tears.
Having the Boba at home can help build up muscle and elevate your strength training, as well as improve overall rehabilitation, balance, and stability while preventing future injuries during your at-home workouts. In addition to coordination and balance, the Boba also progresses your power and conditioning, with explosive moves such as slams that strengthen all of your muscle groups.
The Boba is also incredibly portable, as you can simply drain, deflate, and pack it into your gym bag if you want to bring it to the beach or to the park.
Grab your Boba here at just $69.99.
5. Fitness trackers
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What is it? A wearable electronic device that tracks your daily physical activity
How much is it? Over US$150
Why it’s a must-have for your home gym:
Our Recommendation: FitBit Charge 5 |
If you’ve ever owned a Fitbit or Apple Watch before, you’d definitely be familiar with why fitness trackers remain one of the best gym accessories for women. These are wearable devices, usually with touchscreens, that look very much like a digital watch or a band with a small digital display, and can track the number of steps you’ve taken, your heart rate, and sleep pattern.
Some fitness trackers also have connected apps allowing you to track your overall progress, set fitness goals, and offer guidelines to help you achieve these goals.
So why invest in one?
The number one reason why people use fitness trackers is the feeling of having personal accountability during their workouts. Many trackers keep track of your goals and progress to help encourage you to get more steps in than the day before, run faster than yesterday, and sustain a higher peak heart rate for a little longer.
In addition, fitness trackers also offer users the chance to make individualized, tailor-made workout goals for themselves. Many fitness trackers have workouts, tips, suggestions, and realistic goals you can set and adjust to match your own personal wellness goals.
While popular tracking fitness trackers like Fitbit cost you anywhere over $150, Decathlon Hong Kong has a wide range of affordable, Bluetooth-pairing fitness trackers available – including this $35 belt designed for visualizing your heart rate on your compatible smartphone or GPS watch.
6. Online fitness memberships
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THE LOWDOWN What is it? Monthly or yearly online access to workout videos, live classes, individualized diet plans and/or personal trainers How much is it? Ranges from free to US$40 a week Why it’s a must-have for your home gym:
Our Recommendation: TodayFit Fitness App |
With many of us opting to stay home amid uncertainty brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, virtual fitness memberships can offer unique benefits to help you overcome the current challenges.
Online fitness memberships gives you monthly subscription access to a wide range of live stream home workout classes you can take anywhere and anytime from studios in both Hong Kong and around the world. Through these classes, you can participate in group exercises and one-on-one training sessions, regardless of your exercise program or fitness level.
But are virtual fitness classes for you?
With on-demand workouts, you can exercise when and where you want to do your virtual training at home. Motivation is built in to keep you moving forward toward your fitness goals. In addition, you can modify your classes and personalize them specifically to meet your needs regardless of class size. Online fitness instructors value your fitness goals, pushing you above and beyond to reach them through personalized, tailor-made classes.
With so many options for online fitness memberships out there, it can be overwhelming. Fluid X recently teamed up with TodayFit, the world’s first sustainable personal training app, to provide you with one-on-one, app-based personal training for all your Fluid X workouts.
A member of the TodayFit community says, “I’d work so hard in the gym but I just couldn’t seem to look how I wanted. Now my coach keeps me accountable, messages me every day and finally has me adding the lean muscle I want.”
7. Foam rollers
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THE LOWDOWN What is it? A lightweight, cylindrical tube made of soft foam How much is it? US$10–$35 Why it’s a must-have for your home gym:
Our Recommendation: Aptonia 3-in-1 massage kit |
Foam rollers are performance and recovery tools offering an effective and affordable way to achieve a deep tissue massage, releasing painful knots and stimulating blood flow to enhance performance and speed up the healing process. So how exactly do they work, and how can they help facilitate your home workouts?
Foam rollers let you self-massage painful knots and tense muscles – also known as ‘trigger points’ – by placing them underneath you and slowly rolling over the tender or stiff areas. The benefits of foam rolling could range from warming up your muscles to actually helping you recover faster after a workout.
One of its main benefits comes in its ability to reduce chronic back pain, since using foam rollers helps release painful knots, reduce inflammation, and relieve discomfort and pain. Moreover, foam rollers also relieve muscle stiffness and serve as a great post-workout and pre-workout tool for preventing future injuries.
If you’re looking to purchase a user-friendly, cost-effective foam roller to accompany your at-home workouts, Decathlon’s foam rollers range anywhere from $10 to $35, with this highly-reviewed 3-in-1 kit being a top seller.
8. Exercise cards
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THE LOWDOWN What is it? A deck of cards with different sets of exercises on each card How much is it? US$10-50 Why it’s a must-have for your home gym:
Our Recommendation: QuickFit Bodyweight Exercise Cards |
Are you looking for an alternative to virtual fitness classes? Exercise cards just may be what you need to roll out your yoga mat and spice up your at-home workouts.
Exercise cards, also known as a ‘deck of cards workout’, is a fast-paced, conditioning-style workout that uses a deck of cards to randomly serve up various exercise routines and rep counts. Each deck corresponds to variations of a specific exercise targeting specific muscles, and the card number indicates the number of reps you have to complete. Different deck of cards feature different types of exercise variations, such as yoga or strength training.
Exercise cards are relatively easy to find and shop for online, with most decks offering a variety of challenging workout routines for you to try during your at-home workouts. These cheap bodyweight fitness cards, for example, offer 50 2.5" x 3.5" unique workout cards with detailed instructional illustrations for each exercise.
9. Aqua bags
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THE LOWDOWN What is it? A water-filled exercise bag for functional strength training, yoga, and rehabilitation. It’s 3-in-1: Adjustable Dumbbells + Kettlebells + Medicine Ball. How much is it? US$45-$100 Why it’s a must-have for your home gym:
Our Recommendation: Fluid X Aqua Bags |
Aqua bags are a water-filled training tool that can be used to carry out a variety of exercises involving lifting, running, jumping, squatting, lunging, and rowing movements. The constant change of flowing water in aqua bags adds weight and instability that other training tools don’t offer, making for a unique yet killer at-home workout.
Switching to aqua bags from the more traditional dumbbells or weights can benefit you in many ways.
- Toning and building muscle: Aqua bags help tone and build muscles while improving your cardiovascular health and endurance at the same time.
- Fully adjustable: Depending on your preference, the more water you add – the heavier and more stable the aqua bag becomes. You can always adjust to a lighter weight at any time.
- Durability: Aqua bags are far easier to set up and install compared to traditional dumbbells or weights, so you can work out from home anytime, at any place.
- Versatility: Aqua bags are the perfect at-home workout tool for all kinds of movements – from cardio and HIIT training to functional strength training and Olympic movements such as lifts, swings, curls, step-ups, and rows.
Fluid X aqua bags can be used in conjunction with a variety of full-body workouts, providing the ultimate workout challenge to step up your home workout to a whole new level. You can explore any of our Fluid X aqua bag workouts and accomplish all of your fitness goals with a single piece of portable equipment.
Our water-filled aqua bag products, like the Tank, Boba, and Cube, range from $45 to $100, and are available to buy on both our official website and Decathlon Hong Kong. You can get our heaviest aqua bag, the 20kg FX Tank, for just $63. Customize your aqua bags with our color drops!
10. Gliding discs
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THE LOWDOWN What is it? Flat, two-sided round discs – with one side being hard plastic and the other being fabric How much is it? US$10-$35 Why it’s a must-have for your home gym:
Our Recommendation: Decathlon Gliding Discs |
Gliding discs, also known as a sliding disc or core slider, are widely used for their ability to provide low-impact, full-body conditioning. They are the perfect piece of equipment for beginners or individuals with pre-existing injuries, and are a great choice for interval training at home.
Similar to the size and look of a frisbee, glider discs are flat, two-sided round discs – with one side being hard plastic and the other being fabric. Gliding discs work by sliding your hands and feet across the floor while also supporting your own body weight, which makes the muscles in the weight-bearing limbs work even harder as your core stabilizes to control the movements.
So why try them out?
Gliding discs offer a low-impact workout, which means the exercises you perform with them are easy on your joints. Working out with glider discs helps create muscular tension, since you’re in contact with an unstable (sliding) surface throughout the entire range of motion for each move.
They also generate muscular contractions and improve your overall balance and stability. In addition, gliding discs are also often also used during physical therapy for athletes who want to maintain their fitness levels while recovering from injuries.
These at-home workout tools are super affordable and easy to find. If you’re looking for a pair to use to accompany your next home workout, these $10 gliding discs from Decathlon are a good place to start.
Wrapping up
In this post, we covered the best affordable, beginner-friendly, and portable women’s home gym equipment, and how they can further elevate your fitness journey and push you to reach your long-term fitness goals.
While there are plenty of at-home fitness equipment to choose from outside of our list, Fluid X aqua bags offer a portable, all-in-one versatile workout that you can use at any time and anywhere. With aqua bags, you can perform various forms of movements and exercises in a way that is both unique and different from the traditional weights found in the gym.
Fluid X offers two different types of aqua bags: Tank and Boba which come in four different sizes and adjustable weights ranging from 0 to 20 kilograms when fully filled. You can easily adjust the weight by adjusting the water level. With Fluid X’s aqua bags, you have complete control over the degree of instability.
Whether you’re looking for new at-home workouts or adding equipment to spice up your home gym setup, the versatility of aqua bags can help you achieve your fitness goals, whatever they may be.
Learn more about our aqua bags at www.thefluidx.com.
