Going on a fitness journey can be very tough, especially if you don’t have a lot of motivation, which is why having home fitness equipment is important, especially if you don’t want to drag yourself to a gym regularly. While that sort of equipment tends to be expensive, there are luckily quite a few home gym deals that you can take advantage of, whether it’s things like dumbells or water bottles, which is why we’ve gone out and found our favorite deals and listed them below. You can also check out some other great brand-specific deals, such as these NordicTrack deals and Bowflex deals.
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Adjustable Dumbbell 55-pound 5-In-1 Single — $156, was $190
Echelon Stride — $350, was $400
ProForm Carbon EL — $700, was $800
NordicTrack Commercial VU29 Exercise Bike — $899, was $1,299
NordicTrack RW900 Smart Rower — $884, was $1,599
Matrix ICR50 Indoor Cycle — $999, was $1,199
Schwinn 470 Elliptical Machine — $1,099, was $1,299
NordicTrack Fusion CST — $1,200, was $2,000
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Adjustable Dumbbell 55-pound 5-In-1 Single — $156, was $190
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One of the worst things about dumbbell training is having too many dumbbells. They can take over your whole gym. This deal (on a SINGLE dumbbell, so buy two!) can take the place of five dumbbells in your complete gym kit. Instead of one 55-pound dumbbell, you’re getting an 11-pound dumbbell, a 22-pound dumbbell, and so on up until the 55 pounder. This is advantageous if you’re just starting out with working out and don’t know what weight you need to start with or if you want to do different exercises with different weights. Finally, note that the design of the adjustable dumbbell is quite safe as you can only adjust the weights (via a simple handle turning mechanism) while they are laid carefully on tray. Once they’re off, the weight is “locked in” so to speak until you return them to the try. No lost toenails here!
Echelon Stride — $350, was $400
Echelon
Not all treadmills have to be super expensive, and the Echelon Stride is a good budget-oriented option that still has a lot of features. It has a long but thin 16 x 47-inch belt for you to run on which is also well-suited for smaller spaces. You get a max speed of ten miles per hour, which is pretty solid if you’re just starting out, and the 15 pre-programmed modes should be more than enough, although you can set three custom workouts if you want.
ProForm Carbon EL — $700, was $800
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The ProForm Carbon EL is an elliptical with a 15-pound flywheel that delivers a natural striding experience. To train the way you want, it includes 18 resistance levels, which can be controlled by you or your trainer in an iFIT class, of which you’ll have 30 days of free access to with the purchase of this elliptical. The ProForm Carbon EL has a water bottle holder for your hydration needs and dual 2-inch speakers for your entertainment.
NordicTrack Commercial VU29 Exercise Bike — $899, was $1,299
NordicTrack
The NordicTrack Commercial VU29 is a quiet workout bike for low impact cardio. It is also a rather quiet machine, which is specially designed to keep your workout quiet. Alongside a free 30-day subscription to iFIT, where a trainer can automatically adjust your 24 digital resistance levels, you can also bike in a simulated area of your choosing using Google Maps. The result is a realistic workout simulation without ever having to leave the room. Its quiet nature is perfect for those looking after a baby or who are always on call from the work from home office. The NordicTrack Commercial VU29 carries cyclers up to 325 pounds.
NordicTrack RW900 Smart Rower — $884, was $1,599
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The NordicTrack RW900 Smart Rower provides an indoor rowing environment so you can get the healthful movement of rowing no matter the weather (of if you even have a lake nearby). It has 26 levels of resistance, so you can practice the basic body movements or get a serious resistance workout. At the foot of the NordicTrack RW900 is a 22-inch HD screen which guides you through your iFIT training class. This model comes with 30 days of iFIT for free, where trainers can take over automatically, setting resistance levels and guiding your through a workout.
Matrix ICR50 Indoor Cycle — $999, was $1,199
Matrix
If you want a more traditional cycling experience, you can check the Matrix ICR50, with a magnetic resistance wheel which will give you the feel of a regular bike. You can pick between 11 resistance levels, which is great if you’re just starting to move to the next stage of your training. That said, it’s worth noting that it doesn’t have a screen or heart rate sensor, so if you want either of those two, you’re missing out.
Schwinn 470 Elliptical Machine — $1,099, was $1,299
Schwinn
The Schwinn 470 Elliptical provides a unique elliptical workout experience. It has a 20-inch stride that uses foot motion technology to more properly simulate a natural running motion than most other ellipticals. It is able to be adjusted to 25 different resistance levels and be put on an incline of up to 10-degrees. You can challenge yourself with these settings via the 200+ virtual courses included in the “Explore the World” subscription you can add on to the machine or one of the 29 workout programs included with the machine.
NordicTrack Fusion CST — $1,200, was $2,000
NordicTrack
The NordicTrack Fusion CST provides a lot of options for how to work out in a single device. That’s due to its six cables, placed in pair at high, shoulder-height, and low positions. The low cables can be attached to your ankles to work out your legs and build muscles strength. With a device so complex, you’ll be happy to get 30 days of iFIT training for free so your can get a good idea of how to best use the device to suit your needs. You’ll be able to see your trainer on the included 10-inch Smart HD Portal 10i tablet, which lets you follow your iFIT trainer and view your stats all in one convenient place.
More on the best deals on gym equipment, apparel, and fit tech
Fitness trackers are a great way to start any journey into getting into shape. Fitness trackers often sync with your smartphone with a health app so you can track your steps, your mileage activities such as running, cycling, swimming, your calories burnt, and more. They are typically waterproof, dustproof, and generally durable so you can wear them no matter where you are and what you are doing.
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Resistance bands are also great tools for getting into shape, no matter where you are. They are lightweight and usually come with a carrying bag for easy transport. On the other hand, there are total home gyms that bring all of your favorite machines to the comfort of your home. Total home gyms can be on the pricey side, but they are convenient and ultimately save you money in the long run when compared to gym fees. You can mix and match your pricier fitness equipment through elliptical deals and treadmill deals.
If you don’t want to buy too much equipment, yoga is a great way to get into shape and get in touch with your spiritual side. Yoga requires very little supplies since all you really need is a decent yoga mat. We’ve included a great deal on a yoga mat here, but there are hundreds to choose from out there in all different colors and sizes.
If you want to take a more old-school route, dumbbells are a fitness equipment classic. Purchasing a wide range of dumbbells weights can be expensive and take up a lot of space in your home gym. Fortunately, adjustable dumbbell sets that eliminate the space issue and can save money, too. Adjustable dumbbells use various designs that allow you to quickly add and reduce weight. You can easily add and remove weight plates for each muscle group and for your regimen of reps and sets.
Diet and exercise have an important symbiotic relationship. Your body can only work with what you give it. Meal kit deals can save you time and money on meal prep, and provide an easy structure to follow.
Looking for more great stuff? Find more on our curated deals page.
One of the harder parts of committing to a training routine is knowing where to start, and that’s true of those who have never trained regularly before as well as more experienced people coming back after a break.
This 20-minute workout from fitness trainer Lindsey Bomgren, founder of Nourish Move Love on YouTube, is perfect for easing your way into a training routine, especially if you’re coming back from a break because of illness or any other reason.
The workout trains the whole body through two rounds of exercises that you can complete in 20 minutes, even with a quick warm-up and cool-down included.
You do need a set of dumbbells for the workout, with Bomgren suggesting 15-25lb weights as a rough guideline. If you have a set of the best adjustable dumbbells available, you can change the weight to suit each exercise as and when required.
20 Minute FULL BODY Comeback Workout (Easy Re-Entry After Sickness/Break) – YouTube
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The workout contains nine exercises, with some of those being done on both sides for 12 moves in total in each round. You do two rounds of the exercises, completing 10 reps of each move, or 10 on each side if appropriate.
Bomgren demonstrates each move and sets the pace for the session, so you can follow her when possible, or slow down if you need to. Bomgren’s fellow trainer, Rachel, is also on hand to offer easier modifications of some exercises you can do instead.
In order to work as many muscles as possible in 20 minutes, the workout is mostly made up of compound exercises that recruit several joints and muscle groups at once, like squats and lunges.
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There are also some more focused moves like triceps extensions, and your core is also worked with some bicycle crunches and glute bridges.
It’s a fast-paced session that will not only get you fitter and stronger, but also help you prepare for longer, harder workouts if you are kicking off a regular workout routine.
Bomgren also includes a quick warm-up and cool-down in the video, which is invaluable and well worth doing. The warm-up will get you ready for the workout, so you can get the most out of the first few exercises, while the cool-down will help start your recovery and reduce any muscle soreness you might feel after the workout, especially if it’s your first session in a while.
If you are a beginner or finding it hard to match Bomgren’s pace throughout the session, you can also reduce the number of reps you do for each move to six or eight. This will give you a bit more time to complete your set, rather than rushing to do 10 reps and potentially sacrificing good form.
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The beauty of a standing abs workout is that you do not need a mat, much space, or to get down on the ground for any of the exercises. That makes it easy to fit into a busy day, whether you are working out at home, short on space, or prefer to stay off the floor altogether.
None of that means it is easier or delivers fewer results. Pilates instructor and Balance Body Educator Portia Page built this five-move, all-standing core workout to show that you can still challenge your abs effectively without a mat or traditional floor exercises.
Her routine focuses on strength, rotation, balance and power, training the core in an upright position that mirrors how it works in everyday movement and exercise. To get the most out of the workout, having a handle on how to switch your core on can make a real difference.
What is the workout?
1. Standing “Hollow” Scoop + Reach + Deep Squat
Stand tall, feet hip-width, knees soft.
Exhale and scoop your abs up and in (think: ribs to hips, belly hollow).
Keeping the scoop, reach your arms overhead, maintaining the scoop.
Keeping the arms up, bend your knees and sit back & down into a deep, low squat
Straighten legs, lower arms and lift heels into a balance
Repeat, moving slowly down and up
2. High Knee Twist with Extension
Lift your right knee to hip height slowly.
Rotate your ribs toward (not down to) the lifted knee.
Lower leg and extend behind while rotating & extending in the opposite direction.
Repeat 5-10x on one side, repeat the same amount on the other.
Make it harder: Lift the knee higher than hip height and/or hold arms overhead.
3. Lateral Side Crunch
Stand tall, hands behind your head.
Shift weight to one leg.
Lift the opposite leg out to the side.
Pull your ribs toward your lifted hip like a side crunch.
Lower leg and crunch to the other side.
Repeat 5-10 times on each side.
Make it harder: Keep the leg lifted the whole interval. Your obliques will file a complaint!
4. Woodchop Squat & Twist
Bring your hands together over your right shoulder.
Bend the knees slightly, then powerfully chop down toward the left hip.
Pause at the bottom, stop the momentum, then return slowly to start.
Repeat 5-10 times on each side.
5. Single-Leg Hover Hold with Rotation
Stand tall with arms stretched to the side, shift weight to the left foot.
Lift right knee to hip height.
Extend the right leg straight forward, creating an upside-down L-shape while rotating the upper body to the right, and bend the right knee.
Straighten the standing leg and twist back to center.
Repeat 5-10 times. Switch legs.
What’s so good about standing abs workouts?
Standing ab exercises challenge the core in a more upright, everyday way than floor-based exercises do. Instead of working from a fixed position on a mat, you are asking your body to remain stable while standing, moving and balancing, which naturally brings more of the core into play.
Pilates instructor Page explains that this routine works the core through rotation, anti-rotation and lateral stability, the types of strength you use when walking, lifting, or changing direction. Because you are on your feet, balance becomes part of the challenge too, and even small wobbles force the deeper muscles to switch on.
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She also includes elements of controlled power and standing hollow work, which asks the core to absorb and redirect force rather than just hold tension. The result is a stronger, more responsive midsection, without the need for any planks or crunches.
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Fitness and health apps have been promising “smart coaches” and “personalised training plans” for years. But, to date, most programmes have been like online shopping recommendations, with exercises broadly matching your demographic profile and performance level.
However, the rapid advances in real-time image recognition, generative AI and natural language processing are bringing an AI coach worthy of the name within our grasp. And not just for high-tech gyms like Lumin, but also for people working out at home or in the park. Peloton, for example, films how you exercise and provides feedback in real time. Google has also announced AI-powered personalised fitness and health advice for its Fitbit range.
HYROX pro athlete Jake Dearden putting in the work on an indoor bike
Market analysts think the AI fitness market could be worth close to $35b USD by 2030. But how close are we to that future? Which company is training up the supertrainer? And how will that change the way we exercise, sweat and track our progress? And what do we need to know about this new world?
Harnessing AI’s potential to make personalised training available to all
Most fitness apps give generic exercise suggestions
Confidence Udegbue has the perfect CV for designing an AI coach. The Vice President of Product at fitness app Freeletics studied electrical and computer engineering and teaches fitness classes in his free time. His broad shoulders, muscular biceps and infectious spirit are a dead giveaway: this guy knows what he’s talking about.
“In the gym, I can see immediately when someone I’m teaching is making a mistake,” says Udegbue. “But that expertise is hard to scale.” Freeletics is trying to solve that problem with AI. The app has been using a predictive algorithm since 2019 to suggest workouts based on demographic data and self-assessed fitness levels. This means that a 39-year-old man who has been training for two years and is at level 63 in the app won’t receive the same instructions as a 25-year-old beginner.
Freeletics uses AI-based motion analysis powered by models like those from Google’s MediaPipe framework, which includes BlazePose – the successor to the earlier PoseNet model. The models provide a skeletal muscle database that can replicate all types of exercises, for which Freeletics sports scientists then define the movements. That way, the system can assess whether that squat you just did went low enough.
Can an AI coach give useful real-time workout feedback?
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World-class sabre fencer Olga Kharlan checks her phone
In 2024, Freeletics introduced the Coach+ feature – an AI-powered chatbot with Freeletics expertise and access to anonymised data from over 59m user journeys. Users can ask the virtual coach questions like, “How can I build muscle mass?” or “I feel weak – how can I motivate myself?”
Freeletics is currently testing a version that will allow the app to see you work out. As of April, users have been able to record themselves exercising on their smartphones. “AI counts the reps and gives direct feedback,” Udegbue says. That is particularly helpful because even experienced athletes do not always perform pistol squats or burpees correctly.
A personal coach was long the preserve of Hollywood actors, top models and CEOs – a highly competent service provider, always available whenever a slot opened up in their client’s busy schedule. They know their clients’ allergies, preferences and weak spots. They always know how to set the pace. Sometimes they’re pushy, sometimes they go easy. They are a mix of therapist, personal assistant and best friend – open 24/7, all major credit cards accepted.
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In the soccer world, the manager is often called “boss” – a figure of respect who takes care of the players both on and off the field. A good coach can tell when something is off in a movement – when the person’s mind is elsewhere, or they’re lacking energy. Anyone who has had that person in their life knows that a good coach is worth their weight in gold, which is why there are coaches for everything – careers, relationships, nutrition – and why the idea of a personalised fitness coach is so appealing.
AI has no body or talent. It doesn’t know what it feels like for sweat to run down the skin or for muscles to cramp or for adrenaline to rush through the veins. But it does recognise patterns and make predictions that we humans can use increasingly often and, in the best-case scenario, find out more about ourselves in the process.
Mirrors show you how you see yourself. But the Magic AI Mirror promises that you will like what you see if you follow the exercises and tips on the reflective screen. Behind the glass surface is an AI coach who steers your workouts in real time.
Growl goes even deeper into movement detection. The start-up has developed an exercise boxing bag that captures every movement with 3D cameras and Lidar (light detection and ranging) technology. AI corrects your posture or encourages you when your energy decreases.
Whoop’s fitness trackers combine biometric data with generative AI. If you’re wondering when you got your best sleep, you’ll get a precise answer: “On July 14, because the allergy season was over and you didn’t drink alcohol.” You can chat with your body.
Freeletics is also banking on predictive AI. “Soon the system will recognise that user X has had an increased resting heart rate for days, so I won’t suggest high-intensity exercises,” says Udegbue.
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The vision all companies are working on is a multimodal coach: AI that unlocks information – biometrics, genetics, video, training history – and conveys it intuitively to the user. But a perfect coach is more than just an algorithm. Researchers are working on reinforcement learning systems that set individual step goals that are challenging but achievable, and adapt whenever progress has been made.
“We will not be able to deliver on the promise of absolute personalisation for the mass market,” Eskofier says. But before you lose hope, you should know what he means by personalisation.
His laboratory supports, among other people, Sebastian Steudtner, the big wave surfer and world record holder. To do this, they measured his body in an MRI scanner, carried out psychological assessments, calculated strength curves and even fitted his surfboard and wetsuit with sensors.
Eskofier’s team created Steudtner’s digital twin. By the time the project concluded in May 2025, their AI system could already discuss with a real coach what angle Steudtner should surf a 100-foot wave at, and whether he’d be strong enough to do it.
The one thing AI will never change in fitness training
No equipment, no excuses – embrace the simplicity of pure movement
“We can’t offer that service to millions of people,” Eskofier says. “But these systems can still create real added value.” He believes AI coaches are a good base: “AI can take over data processing and routine personalisation, while real coaches can focus on mentoring.”
AI coaches are getting smarter all the time, too, which is why it’s important to know what they can and can’t do. Limited data sets can lead to bias if too few women or people of below-average height are represented in the data.
“No matter how good the technology gets, one thing will never change,” says Udegbue. “A coach can only make you better if you want to be better yourself, too.” It’s all in your hands.
