Minimalist Home Gym for At-Home Streaming Workouts (What You Actually Need to Start)

With so many different workout equipment options, it’s hard to know what you really need for an effective at-home workout that gets you results. Pinterest recommendations to get your home gym started include everything from large squat racks to resistance bands in every possible color to perfectly aesthetic workout spaces. Not realistic.

But the truth is you don’t need anything fancy or overly complicated. And the best option is to start today and figure it out as you go. You just need a simple plan you can stick with the minimal amount of equipment to make it happen.

Minimalist Home Gym Essentials for Beginners (What You Actually Need & Why)

When it comes to building a home gym, the good news is that you probably have more than you think. And what you don’t already have is a long-term investment in your health.

Here’s my list of minimalist home gym essentials:

1. Your bodyweight: Your bodyweight is the most underrated and underutilized tool available to you when getting fit at home. And before you spend any money on new equipment, start with your bodyweight first. 

Including bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, lunges, and planks are incredibly effective – especially useful when you’re first starting out. You can even create your own resistance pretending you’re lifting something heavy as you get stronger. 

And the best thing about using bodyweight, you can start today. No waiting. No set up times. No excuses.

2. Dumbbells: If you’re going to invest in at-home gym equipment, dumbbells are the way to go. They’re versatile, and they don’t take up much space. 

A simple pair of dumbbells allows you to work your entire body, progress over time, and keep your workouts efficient and effective.

I recommend starting with a light to heavy set, so you can use them for both upper and lower body exercises. If you’re just starting out, this can mean 5lbs, 10lbs, or 15lbs or less if this feels too heavy. Go to a local sporting goods store and try them out! Sometimes you need 3lbs, 8lbs, and 10lbs.

They even offer budget friendly space-saving options like these beginner friendly adjustable weights that can go from 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 pound weights in one click.

3. Resistance Bands: These are less expensive than dumbbells, but not quite as versatile. However, they’re a great place to start when building your minimalist at-home gym.

That’s because resistance bands are great for targeting everything from your glutes to your upper body and even mobility work. They’re affordable, easy to store in even the smallest spaces, and joint friendly.

If dumbbells feel too intimidating or you’re easing back into strength training, resistance bands are a perfect place to start.

4. A Walking Plan: This is the most overlooked home gym tool that might surprise you. But it’s honestly one of the most powerful things you can add to your minimalist home gym, because it requires nothing if you take a walk outside. It’s also a great calorie burner if you walk at the right pace. 

Walking consistently can:

• Support fat loss
• Improve hormone balance
• Reduce stress
• Help you stay consistent without burning out

It’s a simple, sustainable way to get started walking out at home.

5. An Exercise of Yoga Mat: This is the one piece of home gym equipment that is almost always considered optional, but I always have felt like it should be mandatory for core exercises, floor exercises, and stretching or mobility work – especially if you have hardwood floors. Your knees will thank you! And the right mat can help you avoid slipping during moves. 

Here is the Manduka Pro yoga mat that I have had for over a decade now and is still in excellent condition.

What’s Optional For Your At-Home Gym

Not everything is mandatory when it comes to a minimalist home gym, but there are some optional pieces that will enhance your home workout space by offering more variety and then others that will collect dust in the corner of the room.

Worth It If You’ll Use It!

These items can be great additions to your minimalist home gym, but only if you can imagine yourself using them in your workout routine:

• Adjustable bench: Adds variety, but not necessary unless you’re starting to do more advanced moves. It’s not just for chest press. You can use it for steps up or other strength training exercises.
• Kettlebells: Kettlebells can be super effective, but there’s a learning curve. And they’re not much use unless you’re planning on doing a kettlebell workout.
• Stability ball: This is fun for core and balance work, but definitely not mandatory if you’re just starting out. However, they’re not expensive, and you can inflate and deflate them pretty easily.

Just know that these are all great additions to a home gym and can add variety to your workouts,  but they’re not necessary to work out from home. If you love them, absolutely use them. But if not, you’re not going to miss out on effective workouts.

What Home Workout Equipment Most People Don’t Need

There are a number of optional home gym equipment pieces I’d say I wouldn’t consider for a minimalist gym, but there are some pieces of workout equipment that just aren’t necessary and if you want them, you may want to consider a gym membership over home workouts.

Things you should not include in your home gym:

• Bulky machines: These are always expensive and take up a lot of space. If you have a large home gym, it’s fine. But most of them go unused. They seem like a good idea at the time, but don’t keep your interest for long.
• Trendy fitness gadgets: Think of some of those crazy contraptions you see on late-night infomercials. There is no way to target belly fat. You will always lose weight seemingly faster from the areas of the body where you hold the least fat and see the slowest progress on areas of your body where you hold more fat. That’s just how it works.
• Multiple versions of the same equipment: You don’t need five types of bands of ten sets of weights. For a minimalist home gym, less is always more. As you start to progress, you may need more than a few sets of weights or a couple resistance bands, but not when you’re first starting out.
• Aesthetic-only purchases: A cute pinterest worthy home gym set up may seem like a good idea, but it’s not what’s going to get you results. So keeping those weights in a nearby closet or corner of one room in your home is normal.

How To Build Your Minimalist Home Gym Without Overthinking It

If you’re not sure where to start when creating a minimalist home gym, the idea is to keep it as simple as possible. You want to create a minimalist home gym, here are some tips to help you.

Step 1. Start With What You Have

Sometimes that means nothing but your bodyweight and a pair of sneakers. Sometimes it means starting with some old bands or a single pair of dumbbells. The idea is to just start with what you have. You can always build on as you go.

Step 2: Add One Piece at a Time

If you don’t have anything or very much, a great place to start is dumbbells. Then you can add bands if you want more variety. Dumbbells are an investment in your health and can be used forever. Unfortunately, bands do stretch out and break over time.

Step 3: Focus on Habits First, Equipment Second

When it comes down to getting the best results, consistency matters more than your home gym setup ever will. Because a simple plan done repeatedly will beat an overly complicated workout routine you can’t stick with every single time.

Sample Minimalist Home Gym Workout Plan

Now that you know how to set up a minimalist home gym, here’s what a workout plan can look like in real life:

Beginner Full-Body Routine 

The routine below, these simple at home workout plan or more structured BODi home streaming workouts. designed with the beginner in mind. This is a great strength training routine to start with. 

• Squats (use bodyweight or dumbbells)
• Push-ups (modify if needed)
• Bent-over rows (dumbbells or resistance bands)
• Glute bridges (yoga mat)
• Core (planks, dead bugs or similar) (yoga mat)

Repeat 10-15 reps for 3 sets. You can either do the routine one set at a time for three total sets like a circuit. Or do each move three times before moving on the next move. 

Weekly Workout Structure

Strength train: 2-3 days per week

Walk: most days for 20-40 minutest

That’s all it takes to start working out. I have plenty of 20-minute workout routines to get you started.

Why Simple Home Gyms Work: The Final Wrap-Up

I always wanted a perfectly decorated home workout space with soothing colors and all the equipment I could ever use. But what I’ve learned is that if you don’t have the space (or time or money) to create an intricate workout space, it doesn’t matter. Because you can still get the results.

All you need is a simple set-up you’ll actually use. Because a basic routine done every day will always outperform an overly complex workout routine that you do sometimes.