Create the Perfect Home Gym Setup For Your Best Workouts Ever

Whether your home gym setup features the Peloton Tread, a Peloton Bike or Bike+, a Peloton Row, or is simply a backdrop for all of your favorite strength workouts on the Peloton App, there are so many ways to personalize your space with other home gym essentials. Depending on your individual workout goals, we’ll take you through some of the must-haves for your home gym to see what you really need to enhance your fitness routine and supercharge your workouts.

And, as we all know, part of the battle with maintaining a regular workout schedule is sticking to it. So, creating a space that’s not only conducive to a great workout but is also your well-being oasis where you feel inspired can help you achieve your workout goals. This is where your home gym setup can make all the difference. From a cozy nook to a full basement, no matter what kind of space you have, we’ll show you a few easy ways to energize and optimize it, so it becomes your favorite room in your home.

Choosing the Right Space

When it comes to setting up your home gym, the first thing you’ll need to think about is its space and location. Whatever size of space you have available, making sure it’s a space you feel comfortable in is important not only for your workout, but also to keep you coming back for more. And, you don’t need to have a huge space for an effective and successful home gym setup. Just as long as you can fit your equipment with a little extra space for a mat—if you're looking to do floor exercises too—you’re good to go. 

The light of the space is always going to be an important factor in comfort level and mood. Natural light is always a great motivator, especially in summer, so windows are always a plus. If you don’t have windows, get creative with your lighting to keep the space inviting and exciting (more on this to come).

Getting a good sweat on is all part of a successful home workout, so ventilation is also a key consideration for your space. You’ll want a good air flow, whether that’s from a window that can be opened, overhead fan, air con, or if needed, floor fans.

Keeping your space organized and tidy is great not only for maintaining your equipment, but also in making sure the space stays inviting and purposeful. Think about storage options when planning out your home gym setup. And, if you don’t have a ton of space for this, you can get inventive with using floating shelves and hanging storage solutions. 

Essential Workout Equipment

Choosing the right workout equipment for your home gym setup will come down to your specific fitness goals and what you’re looking to achieve in the space. If you’re not sure where to begin, a good rule of thumb is to start small with a few home gym essentials, such as a workout mat, bike mat, resistance bands, and build from there. As you start to make the most of your home gym, assess what else you need, and then equip accordingly. 

And, if you’re tight on space, don’t worry, most of this fitness gear—resistance bands and heart rate monitors, especially, is compact and easy to store in even the smallest spaces, so you won’t have to worry about clutter. Even better, all of this gear pairs well with the workouts you already know and love, like Peloton yoga, strength training, stretching classes, and more. Peloton instructors typically call out several of these items (we love you, bike weights!) during classes, so as you're getting your workout routine set up, make sure you have everything you need for a proper at-home workout before you get your sweat on. Here’s our list of home gym essentials.

Resistance Bands

When you amp up the resistance on your Peloton Bike, you’re really putting your leg strength to the test. With resistance bands, you can give your arms the same treatment. Must-haves for your home gym and great whether you’re on or off the bike, Peloton’s three bands—light, medium, and heavy resistance, will add a new challenge to working out at home. You can use them whatever way you’d like, either as a replacement for bike weights during cycling class, an add-on to your bootcamp-inspired workout, or for a post-class stretch.

Reversible Workout Mat

A home gym essential, give your workouts the supportive foundation they need with a two-sided, multi-purpose workout mat. One side, which has top-of-the-line gripping, is made with your HIIT and bootcamp-inspired exercises in mind (think: squats, plank jacks, and burpees). The other side, which has a soft yet textured feel, is geared toward your pre- and post-class stretch, or even for your yoga flow on a recovery day. That means you can get everything you need in one easy-to-roll (a.k.a. easy-to-store) mat. 

Bike Weights

If you’re a cycling newbie, make sure you have a pair of bike weights to incorporate strength training into your favorite cycling classes. Even if you already have dumbbells or bootcamp weights (more on those later) on hand, you'll likely need to purchase a special set. Arm workouts on the Bike are designed for low weight, high repetition arm exercises and range from one to three pounds in weight. Oh, and that little cage on the back of your Bike seat? They'll fit right in, so no additional storage needed.

Bike Mat 

You already have a cushioned mat to support you during yoga poses and floor exercises, but consider this your friendly reminder to give your Peloton Bike the same level of TLC. Along with being easy to wipe down after sweaty workouts, a bike mat is the best—and really, the only way to protect your floor from the bike’s weight and impact, and your more generous sweat sessions. When you want to move your cycling to another spot, just take the mat along with it. 

Yoga Blocks

Some days you need a boost and that's exactly what yoga blocks are for. Think of them as your home gym support system. With three different height options depending on how you position them, they give you an extra lift to help you reach for more challenging yoga poses or simply, to help your body ease into basic poses when you’re struggling. That way you don’t have to worry about pushing your body in an unsafe way to reach new heights. 

Yoga Strap

Everyone’s recovery days look different. If yours involve yoga or stretching of some kind, then consider adding a yoga strap to your home gym setup. An adjustable nylon strap, it will take your stretching up a notch by improving your overall range of motion. With extra length and proper alignment in your favor, you’ll be able to improve your flexibility, making it possible to finally nail those poses or binds you’ve been practicing for years. 

Bootcamp Weights 

Free weights offer limitless possibilities. You can hold them by your side as you squat or lunge, build your upper body strength with bicep curls and tricep dips, or you can use them to stabilize your body during planks and push-ups. Get even more options for your home gym by picking up an assortment of Peloton's uniquely designed weights, ranging in five-pound increments from five to 30 pounds. Or, shop the whole set so you’ll have exactly what you need as you build your strength and endurance. Ours have a textured, non-slip grip and shock-absorbent coating to protect your floors from any impact (and family members from loud thuds in case they fall) and fit neatly in the zippered compartment on the side of your Tread when you're not using them.

Heart Rate Monitor

Sure, your Apple Watch or FitBit gets the job done, but a heart rate monitor that straps on your chest is your best bet for an accurate read. Ideal for any and every workout, this high-tech monitor is an easy way to better analyze your performance while working out at home because it tracks your heart rate and connects instantly with the Peloton Bike to relay your stats. Of course, if you want something that can give you the 4-1-1 while you’re running outside, hiking, or even walking from one store to the next, a smartwatch may be a better option for your on-the-go lifestyle. 

Foam Roller

If you’ve never tried foam rolling, then, well, you’re seriously missing out. With all the cycling, running, and weight lifting you’ll be doing, you need to give your body the proper care and recovery it needs to keep going. With a foam roller, you can smooth out any knots and target particular trouble spots in your body—tight quads, aching shoulders, or hips that just don’t sit right. While it may be painful in the moment, the results make it well worth it, and, if done regularly, you’ll relieve the tension and aches in your body, allowing you to have better mobility for future workouts. Not to mention you won’t have to spend as much on massages since you can reap the same benefits in the comfort of your home gym. 

Looped Resistance Bands

A similar idea to the resistance bands mentioned earlier, a set of looped resistance bands of varying levels allows you to customize your at-home workout. Lighter and more versatile than dumbbells, you can use resistance bands while doing squats, leg lifts, and other toning-focused leg exercises. They’re perfect paired with an intense cardio class (so, Peloton Bike or Tread) or as a cool down from heavy weight training sessions. If you're a total newbie to working out at home, they serve as a great starting point that you can easily build on over time.

Make Your Work Out Room Motivating

Having the right equipment in your home gym setup is one thing, but putting a little thought and attention to detail into the atmosphere and mood of the space can take things to a whole new level. Making it a place you’re excited about spending time in is so important not only for crushing your fitness goals, but also for creating a little haven of well-being in your home. 

Here are a few home gym essentials for decor and atmosphere that can take your space from zero to one hundred.

Invest in Quality Sound Equipment

When your power jam comes on during class, you’re obviously going to need to be able to crank up the volume and rock out. Having quality Bluetooth speakers set up nearby will help you feel more immersed in the music, like you’re right there in the studio with the instructor. And, if you’ve got family members or neighbors who might not appreciate listening to your workout, a nice pair of headphones will do the trick too.

Hang Art That Motivates

Many Members cover the walls of their home gym with Peloton-related inspiration, whether it’s a collage of instructor pictures, a letter board featuring their favorite mantras, or a custom-made sign of their Leaderboard name. Or, you can hang something else fitness-related—if you’re training for a race, you could opt for your last finisher's medal, or a photo of the person who makes you get up and train every day, or even put up motivational messages on the wall. Whatever you choose to put up in your home gym, just make sure it’s something that makes you want to push harder to achieve your health goals.

Stay Cool

We can promise you this much, there’s going to be a lot of sweat, so you’ll probably need to surround yourself with fans. The more the merrier—but they don’t have to take up too much room to be effective. Look for a tall tower design or hang a small one from the handlebars.

Put All the Necessities Within Reach

You never know what you might need to grab in the middle of a class, whether it’s a tissue, your baby monitor, another towel, or your phone (to take that #sweatyselfie, of course). Having a small table, accessory tray, or floating shelves set up near your Peloton equipment will give you peace of mind, knowing that your essentials are always nearby when you need them.

Brighten Up the Place

Get the party started with some fancy lighting—we’ve seen our Members use combinations of LED light strips, hue lights, and DJ lights to create an ambiance while they’re working out. The lights can pulse to the beat of the music or simply give off a colorful glow that sets the mood. Either way, you’ll be feeling like a rock star.

Treat Yourself to a Mini Fridge

There’s nothing like an ice-cold drink immediately after a hard workout, whether it’s water or a glass of chocolate milk to kickstart your recovery process--and a chilled towel or washcloth is a treat too. Place a mini fridge close to your Bike or Tread, so you can start hydrating and cooling down once class is over. You earned it!

You don’t have to break the bank to have a strong home gym setup. Add things as you go, and assess what you need to enhance the space over time. Rotate and refresh your art regularly to keep the space exciting and fun. And, don’t forget candles for your wind-down time too.  

Got your home gym setup? Get your workout schedule in gear with all the different classes and much, much more—on the Peloton App!