Bands, a chair, a wall. That is a gym.
The fitness industry sells machines. Strength only asks for resistance.
Why bands cover so much
A set of resistance bands loads every pattern a beginner or intermediate plan asks for: rows, presses, squats, hinges, in any room, scaling from gentle to hard by shortening the band. Physiotherapists hand them out for a reason. For most people they postpone the need for weights by years.
What to add, and when
Nothing, until the bands feel easy on your strongest moves. Then a pair of adjustable dumbbells is the single best upgrade. A tracker is optional: useful if numbers motivate you, unnecessary if they do not. The guided workouts here need no equipment at all to start.
The two things worth measuring
Most of the fitness tests on this site need nothing you do not already own: a floor, a wall, four metres of corridor, a phone timer. Two are the exception. Grip strength cannot be done at all without a hand dynamometer, and a waist-to-height ratio needs a soft tape, though a piece of string held against a ruler is the same measurement for nothing. Everything else on this page is optional in the ordinary sense: useful if you will use it, dead weight if you will not.
The real equipment is the schedule
Two strength sessions a week, booked like appointments, beat any purchase. Start with our Full-Body Basics plan; the timer counts you through every exercise, and the bands slot in whenever a move gets too easy.
The cheapest strength equipment that works
A set of bands covers every exercise a beginner strength plan asks for, at any level, in any room, for the price of one gym visit.
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The grip test needs one piece of equipment
A hand dynamometer is the only thing on this site you cannot do the test without, and it runs $25 to $40. Check it reads in kilograms, that the handle adjusts to your hand, and that the range goes to at least 90 kg. A spring gripper is not the same device: it trains grip, it does not measure it, and there is no way to convert one into the other.
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For the waist measurement
A soft cloth or fiberglass tape, about $5. A metal builder’s tape will not sit flat around a waist and a piece of string held against a ruler does the job free, so buy one only if you will measure often.
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If you are buying a fitness tracker
Step count and resting heart rate are the two numbers that matter, and any major-brand band tracks both well. You do not need the expensive model to walk more.
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More home device guides
Common questions
Are resistance bands as good as weights?
What should a beginner buy for home workouts?
Do I need a fitness tracker?
Written by the AskDoc Medical Team. We take no money from any brand; picks are what doctors tell patients to look for.