Figuring out what to have in your home gym can be hard, especially with so many options, but luckily for you I’ve been able to learn from experience.

Finding the right workout mat for you

The first place you should start is with a decent mat/yoga mat because this will make doing the basics more comfortable. Depending on your budget there are a lot of options out there, especially on Amazon, but thanks to some trial and error over the years I can give some insightful unbiased feedback on a few.

Gorilla Mat – Large (6×4)

This is the same mat that the Apple Fitness+ team uses for a lot of their workouts. I’m talking HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), Strength, Core, and Kickboxing. I really understand why too.

It’s a very spacious mat, which lends itself to stationary strength moves as well as the more movement heavy ones in HIIT and Kickboxing workouts. I know an earlier mat I tried would slide around when trying to leap from side to side or jump from the back to the front of the map. Also, having space to do burpees is pretty essential.

Manduka PRO Yoga Mat

This is my favorite yoga mat, but the most expensive one I have owned. These are the yoga mats that the Apple Fitness+ trainers use and it’s for a very good reason. I’ve been using it for about a year now and I absolutely love it.

It’s very comfortable in terms of laying, sitting, and standing. It’s grippy so you don’t tend to slip anywhere near as much during standing yoga poses. Depending on how sweaty your feet get, I recommend getting a yoga mat towel, or a few if you workout often, so that your feet stay steady during standing yoga poses.

I’ve used it for HIIT, functional strength training, core training, Pilates, and yoga. It may seem obvious, but I only use the yoga towels during yoga seeing as I wear workout shoes during HIIT, Functional Strength Training, and Core Training.

Gaiam Yoga Mat

This is my cheaper alternative to the Manduka yoga mat. While it’s not as thick, it is lighter to carry around and costs less for the accompanying yoga towels, which is great if you’re on a tighter home gym budget.

The Gaiam yoga mat definitely works well for yoga, and pilates, but it doesn’t have the best grip contact with the floor when wearing shoes, which makes it less practical for things like HIIT, core training, and functional strength training workouts.

Amazon Basics Yoga Mat

This was my very first yoga mat and it did the job to get me started for sure. I think when I bought it, it was only $9.99 but that was three years ago. I used it mainly for yoga and I was very much a beginner so I was doing a lot of modified and non-complex moves.

Considering both the Amazon and Gaiam yoga mats start at around $18 as of (January 2026) I would suggest going for what you characteristics you care about the most.

If you want a thicker mat that will support your knees better, I’d suggest going with the Amazon one. If you want one that has yoga towels to dry your sweating feet and keep you stable during standing poses as you move through a yoga flow, I would suggest the Gaiam yoga mat.

Reliable dumbbells for a variety of Functional Strength Training moves

If you’re like I was three years ago, you hadn’t touch a set of dumbbells ever and didn’t know where to start. While the idea of strength training can be intimidating, becoming familiar with your equipment is important.

Fitvids Set of 6 Neoprene Dumbbells

These were the first set of dumbbells I started with and I am very glad I did. There are different versions of these available online, but I found these to be great for a very beginner level strength trainer like myself. They come with 3 pounds, 5 pounds, and 8 pound pairs of dumbbells and a small rack which is nice for storage.

Amazon Basics Rubber Hex Dumbbell

These dumbbells are relatively affordable and it may seem obvious, but I feel it’s worth saying that they go up in price with the weight, so don’t go buying a ton of them at once. I’ve found that starting with one pair and trying them out in workouts has been the most effective way to gauge what I can use them for and then buying as needed from there.

The thing I like the most about this style of dumbbells is the versatility. The hexagonal shape allows you to grip them well for doing single dumbbell chops and diagonal raises. They also sit nicely across my hips when doing single dumbbell glute bridges, unlike round dumbbells that can roll or be hard to grip during the chops and raises.

The biggest downside to these is they are sold as single dumbbells. I would say the one advantage to this is for the heavier dumbbells where you may want to start with one to test out your strength and get familiar and stronger with single weighted moves like alternating rows, chest presses, overhead presses, and push presses.

For perspective, I now use 10 pounds, 15 pounds, 20 pounds, and 25 pounds throughout my workouts. Those range from being light, medium, and heavy in terms of difficulty and I adjust according to the moves and how they feel for me.

Indoor cardio equipment that works well

While it is free to run outdoors, having a treadmill during the colder months and an indoor bike to do virtual spin classes can be a nice alternative. It also means that weather and commute time can’t be excuses for you to not work out *wink wink*.

Sunny Health & Fitness Heavy-Duty Indoor Stationary Exercise Bike

While this is a newer model of the indoor stationary bike that I have, I’ve found it to be very reliable for the indoor cycling workouts, which started off as a favorite of mine three years ago. Before then, I used to use it every now and again while listening to a 30-minute playlist. The wheels on the front make it easy to move it around too.

It is a bit bare bones in terms of features, but I bought a cadence/speed sensor that easily attaches to one of the pedals. The reason this is helpful is if you do the Apple Fitness+ workouts because besides just cycling in time with the music it helps you make sure you are actually going as fast as you should be during different phases of the workout with it sending the realtime cycling cadence to the heads up display on the TV or phone.

ProForm Trainer 8.7 Folding Treadmill

I’ve had this treadmill since December of 2024 and I can honestly say it’s my favorite thing to invest in. Like I mentioned earlier, it allows me to run or walk daily without needing to go outside when it’s cold and potentially hazardous.

While this model may be out of stock on Costco.com, there are plenty of similar alternatives out there. It doesn’t have GymKit connection, so it cannot connect to your Apple Watch and feed metrics to the workouts (milage tracking) but it’s very responsive to increases and decreases in speed and incline.

The treadmill has a maximum speed of 12 miles per hour and I’ve only had it up to 11mph before when I was feeling bold for a final 30-second all-out push interval, so it should be great for beginners all the way up to regular recreational athletes.

The treadmill folds up and can be wheeled around pretty easily with some help from another person. I’ve moved it myself, but I always think it’s best to not struggle and get a little help to be safe.

Disclaimer: While I am an avid Apple Fitness + user, I am not endorsed or paid by them to mention their product. I am also not paid to promote any of the products mentioned in this blog post. I’m simply using my experience to help others learn and grow.