Welcome to the third of my three part series on outfitting a home gym with different budget parameters in mind. We’ve covered how to really trick out a space and how to hit that mid-range sweet spot with a home gym. Today, let’s tackle a budget exercise space!

A couple of points: A complete home gym will offer options for all types of exercise: cardiovascular, strength, flexibility, and neuromotor. My lists assume a complete set of equipment for an indoor workout. I did not include sneakers, clothing, or other optional equipment in my lists. My calculations assume that the average cost of a monthly gym membership is $60 (or $720 annually). My pictures/links are only for price comparison purposes (read: nothing sponsored). While I did choose equipment that I myself would purchase or recommend, obviously, do your due diligence.

I think most of us can relate to needing budget things in our lives. Those items that serve a purpose but we don’t feel the need to spend a lot of money on. I have a family and I can certainly empathize with the how-to-stretch-a-dollar necessity of life. Many of us may not have a huge amount of space to dedicate to a home gym either. I tried to tackle both aspects of “budget” with this list: money and space.

Cardiovascular

I am a huge fan and proponent of the idea that a good workout is never more than a pair of sneakers away. Taking a walk outside is free and being outside offers other health benefits. But that isn’t always an option. Enter the jump rope. Jump ropes are inexpensive, easy to store, usable in a variety of ways, and cheap. Plus, you’ll feel like a little kid again. Cost $7.

Strength Training

All hail the resistance band. To all the physical therapists out there who sent these home with patients and inspired a new way of working out, thank you. Resistance bands are, essentially, giant elastic bands. They allow exercisers to mimic the effects of free weight exercises without needing a ton of big, heavy, expensive stuff. Resistance bands come in lots of different varieties. I’ve picked a set that includes straight bands with handles and resistance loops, as well as anchors. You can obviously find more basic sets for less, but this is what I’m buying when my current set bites it. Cost $32.

A bonus piece for strength training is a door mounted pull up bar. If you are one of the few that can pull up, or you’d like to count yourself among them, this is a piece to add. Resistance bands are amazing, but they can’t quite come close to real pull ups. Cost $20.

Flexibility

I mentioned with my two previous lists that you’ll never go wrong with basic stretches. And I stand by that. You don’t have to do any proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitative (say that five times fast) protocols or twist yourself into a human pretzel to gain the benefits from stretching. But a yoga mat will make that easier. And if you so choose to partner that mat with a free yoga workout (check Fitness Blender or YouTube), you’ll have the minimal equipment you need. Cost $15.

Balance and Neuromotor Training

Agility ladders are great pieces to have in a minimal or budget arsenal. They fold up quite compactly and are super versatile. They are great for agility training (as the name implies), but they can double for cardiovascular activities. And if you have kids, they’ll think you are starting an indoor gymnastics academy. Cost $10.

I know you guys are anxiously awaiting the final tally.

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You ready? If you purchase every single piece, the grand total is $94. Yeah, you read that correctly. A complete home gym for under $100. Throw in the availability of free workouts on the internet (you guys know I love Fitness Blender) and tricks like the playing card workout I posted awhile back and that’s a pretty awesome set up! If you skip the pull up bar, you’re looking at only $74, or one tenth the cost of an annual gym membership. When you figure that every single piece on this list (save the pull up bar) can be easily stored under a bed, in a basket, or on a shelf in a closet, there is no excuse not to have what you need for great workouts!

Tell me in the comments how you would use each of these pieces in your own workouts!