Equipment

Choosing Dumbbells for Home: Fixed, Adjustable and What Actually Matters

Dumbbells are the most useful single purchase for a home gym, and the choice between types comes down to space, pace and how you like to train.

Training basics

Progressive Overload at Home: Getting Stronger With Limited Kit

Strength improves when the work gradually becomes harder. At home, adding weight is only one of several ways to do that.

Equipment

Kettlebell or Dumbbell: Which Suits Your Training?

They are both lumps of iron with a handle, but the position of the handle changes what each tool is good at.

Space

Planning a Spare Room Gym: Floor, Layout and Safety

A home gym works when it is easy to start a session and hard to hurt yourself or the house. Plan the room before buying the kit.

Buying

Reading the Terms on Equipment Deals, Bundles and Financing

The headline of an offer is written to be remembered and the conditions are written to be skipped. Ten minutes with the conditions is the best-paid work in fitness.

Buying

Checking a Fitness Brand Before You Buy: Rebrands, Resellers and Reviews

Many equipment brands are labels on goods from shared factories, and labels change. A short background check tells you who will answer when something breaks.