If you don’t have enough time in your busy schedule to get to the gym or you prefer to work out in the comfort and privacy of your own home, home exercise equipment may be your best option for staying fit and active.

While over 50 million Americans have a gym membership to one of the thousands of health clubs or fitness centers, more people are canceling their memberships and opting to build their own gym at home.

Since there are so many brands on the market, it can be difficult to determine which exercise equipment brands are the best. In our review, we give you all the info you need on some of the best brands available today.

Before you start buying a rowing machine, a treadmill, or other pieces that are essential for a home gym, there are a few things to consider. Let’s discuss some of these buying tips before we jump into the best brands.

A high-quality piece of exercise equipment for home use may be a bit of a financial investment. While there may be cheaper treadmills and other home equipment available, they are less likely to hold up over the years and may have limited features.

For many people who want to adopt a healthier lifestyle and get active, buying gym equipment for home may be a more comfortable option than going to the gym. Unless you’re committed to working out on a regular basis, home equipment might not be an affordable option; that said, don’t let it deter you from buying a treadmill or elliptical for home use.

You don’t need to have a finished basement, a heated garage, or even a spare room in your house for exercise equipment, but space can be an issue and definitely something to consider.

As you’re browsing home equipment, and you have limited space, look for equipment that is easy to fold up and stow away when you need the floor space.

If you live in a small apartment or house, don’t be afraid to buy exercise equipment just keep in mind that you might need to get a little more creative with your options.

One of the main reasons why people head to the gym, aside from the variety of equipment, is for the opportunity to meet with a trainer or take a class. Working out at home takes motivation and self-discipline, but if you need a little extra push or accountability, wearables that track your movement and even online workout tutorials can help you get the most out of your workout.

So if you’re someone who needs instruction, don’t assume that home gyms aren’t a possibility for you.

As soon as you start browsing home gym equipment, you might be unsure of the type of equipment to get. You may want to look for equipment that provides a full-body workout; this may include:

You may benefit from equipment that has varying resistance levels, monitoring systems, and even pre-programmed workouts.

LIFE FITNESS

Life Fitness is an Illinois-based company, and its parent company is the Brunswick Corporation, which is best-known for bowling and boating. Life Fitness has been distributing fitness equipment for over 45 years.

Like other major home exercise equipment brands, Life Fitness carries treadmills and ellipticals. They also distribute upright or recumbent bikes, rowers, and strength training equipment. The Life Fitness Brand has some of the more expensive equipment on the market with prices ranging just below $1,000 and nearly reaching $10,000.

The common features include LCD consoles, wifi capabilities, compatibility with certain apps, and “club quality” performance.

Many reviewers who gave Life Fitness top-ratings like that their equipment is easy to use and set up. Many comments on the durability, comfort, and the quiet motor during operation. A majority of reviewers like the “professional gym” features, such as cushioning and various settings on the LCD display.

We found very few complaints in regards to the Life Fitness brand. Some users gave their equipment a lower rating due to having issues with setting up the machine, wishing that it was a little lighter and easier to move, and noise complaints.

Our overall rating is 5 out of 5.

NordicTrack

In the 1990’s, NordicTrack skiing machines were a popular workout machine for home use. The skier provided a unique full-body workout that other home equipment didn’t offer and with massive marketing, NordicTrack became a household name.

Since the skiing machine, the Utah-based company has continued to expand their home equipment line with treadmills, incline trainers, ellipticals, stationary bikes, and cross training machines. Many of the features include resistance levels, preprogrammed workouts, and wifi capabilities.

Depending on the type of machine you choose, and whether or not it’s new or refurbished, you could spend between $650 to $3,000 on average for a piece of home equipment.

While the company is well-known, it has mixed reviews from the users. The treadmill is one of the company’s most popular-selling pieces of equipment. Many of the users thought their treadmill was a good investment, performed to their expectations, and had top of the line features.

Other users had issues with ordering, a long wait in receiving their equipment, and mechanical issues shortly after using the machine (typically within a year). While NordicTrack treadmills have always been available to purchase in person at Sears, it may be not be an option due to the closing of Sears stores throughout the country.

PROFORM

The ProForm brand is often considered to be a cheaper alternative to NordicTrack, as the prices vary from about $600 to $2,000. ProForm got its start manufacturing and distributing home exercise equipment in 1987.

The company has a variety of equipment to choose from which include treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes, High Intensity Interval Trainers (HIIT), and other cross training machines.

Like the NordicTrack brand, many of the ProForm equipment has similar features such as wifi capabilities and various resistance levels. ProForm treadmills are also a popular choice among people with limited space because the many of the treadmills have a foldable design for easy storage.

One upside to the brand is that it is easier to find in brick and mortar establishments, such as Walmart, as well as available for purchase online.

Similar to NordicTrack, ProForm users give the brand mixed reviews. The majority of reviewers purchased a ProForm machine because it was it had comparable features to NordicTrack, but at a lower price, and initially, they were happy and confident with their decision.

Upon receiving their exercise equipment, many thought it was easy to put together as well as comfortable and simple to use. Many purchased the treadmill for its foldup design and liked how easy it was to stow away.

Some users became disappointed with their ProForm purchase after having to wait a long time for the equipment to arrive, having issues with assembly, or parts being damaged or missing.

One reviewer paid extra for “white glove service,” which includes delivery and assembly, but became discouraged with the company after the delivery drivers didn’t know how to assemble the equipment.

Yowza Fitness

Yowza Fitness is a Florida-based company and they specialize in manufacturing and distributing exercise equipment for home use that includes machines like ellipticals, seated ellipticals, and treadmills. The company has earned several annual awards in the “best buy” category for treadmills and ellipticals.

Depending on the home equipment you choose, you can expect to spend around and between $800 and $2000 on a treadmill or elliptical. Some of the brand’s features include treadmills with a foldable design, swing-arm suspension, intelligent weight management, surefit pedals, and Bluetooth connectivity.

The majority of reviewers who gave Yowza Fitness a top-rating were happy with how quiet the equipment is, especially compared to other treadmills and ellipticals. Others chose Yowza over competitors due to the price, variety, and the helpful customer service (particularly when trying to the equipment with the “best fit”).

Reviewers who were not happy with the Yowza Fitness brand had difficulty receiving replacement parts or contacting customer service.

Sole Fitness

The Utah-based company is best known for their treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes that are frequently sold in Dick’s Sporting Goods stores. Depending on the type of equipment you purchase, you may spend between $900 and $3,500 on a treadmill or elliptical machine; upright and recumbent bikes top out at about $2,000.

Some of the key features of the Sole Fitness brand include Bluetooth syncing, durable construction, quiet operation, and an easy-to-use design for all fitness levels.

Many users, who gave the Sole Fitness brand a top-rating of five stars, like the ease of use, the quiet operation, and comfortable design. Some reviewers were buying their first piece of home gym equipment while others had not exercised in awhile; the Sole Fitness equipment was not intimidating to use.

Reviewers who were unhappy with the brand had mechanical issues, problems replacing parts, or had issues when dealing with customer service. Some users experienced parts breaking shortly after purchasing, and others had a hard time resolving any of the issues.

Schwinn

If you know how to ride a bicycle, there’s a good chance that you’ve owned, or at least ridden, a Schwinn brand bicycle before. The Schwinn brands dates back to 1895 in Chicago and in the 1960s the company branched out and started to manufacture and distribute exercise bikes.

Today, Schwinn, a company based out of Washington, is one of the top-selling distributors of exercise bikes for home use. The company makes upright and recumbent exercise bikes, ellipticals, and treadmills; they also manufacture and distribute exercise bikes designed specifically for indoor cycling.

The Schwinn brand has more “basic” models of exercise equipment than their competitors and they lack some of the high-tech features, but pricewise the Schwinn brand is a budget-friendly option. Depending on what type of equipment you buy, some models start at around $350.

Users of the Schwinn equipment appreciate the straight forward design and think that it’s easy to use, setup and move around. While the equipment lacks certain features, most didn’t comment on missing wifi capability and other features.

There are few complaints about the Schwinn equipment; most were in regards to being uncomfortable on the machine or not finding the right piece of equipment.

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