The Best Home Gym Equipment for Getting Summer Ready
Summer is getting closer, and for many Australians, that means it's time to get back into a consistent training routine.
But getting "summer ready" doesn't have to mean crash diets, endless cardio or suddenly training seven days a week. A better approach is to build a routine you can actually stick to, combining strength training, cardio and regular movement around your goals.
And having the right home gym equipment can make that much easier.
Whether you want to build strength, improve your fitness, increase muscle or simply train more consistently, there are a few pieces of equipment that can form the foundation of an effective home gym.
From multi-station home gyms and functional trainers to dumbbells and cardio machines, here's our guide to the best home gym equipment for getting ready for summer.
1. Home Gyms: Full-Body Strength Training in One Setup
If you want to train multiple muscle groups without filling your garage or spare room with separate machines, a multi-station home gym is a great place to start.
Home gym machines combine several exercise stations into one setup, allowing you to perform a range of upper and lower-body exercises from the same training area.
Depending on the machine, exercises can include:
- Chest presses
- Pec flys
- Lat pulldowns
- Seated rows
- Leg extensions
- Leg presses
- Bicep curls
- Tricep exercises
This makes them particularly useful if your summer goal is to establish a consistent full-body strength training routine at home.
WFA Pick: BodyIron Studio S250 Multi Station Home Gym With Leg Press
The BodyIron Studio S250 Multi Station Home Gym With Leg Press combines several strength stations with a 90kg weight stack.
Its exercise stations include a dual chest press/pec dec, high and low pulleys, leg extension, preacher pad and an integrated leg press.
The leg press is particularly clever because it's incorporated into the machine without requiring an additional dedicated leg-press station — useful when you're trying to maximise your available home gym space.
Best for: Full-body strength training and anyone who wants multiple exercises from one machine.
BodyIron® Studio S250 Multi Station Home Gym With Leg Press
Explore: Multi-Station Home Gyms
2. Functional Trainers: The Versatile Summer Strength Upgrade
If exercise variety is high on your list, a functional trainer deserves serious consideration.
Functional trainers use adjustable cable pulleys to create resistance from different heights and angles. This gives you the freedom to perform a huge variety of exercises rather than following a fixed movement path.
Depending on your setup, cable exercises can include:
- Cable chest flys
- Rows
- Bicep curls
- Tricep pushdowns
- Lateral raises
- Face pulls
- Cable squats
- Lunges
- Woodchops and rotational exercises
That versatility makes a functional trainer particularly useful for building a full-body home workout around your individual goals.
You can also easily move between upper body, lower body and core exercises, making it a strong option for supersets and circuit-style sessions when you want to keep your workout moving.
WFA Pick: BodyIron Commercial Functional Trainer FTB90
The BodyIron Commercial Functional Trainer FTB90 features two independently adjustable cable columns with 180-degree cable positioning, dual 110kg weight stacks and a built-in chin-up bar.
Its open-front design also makes the machine wheelchair accessible, providing space for wheelchair users to train directly from their chair.
For a home gym where versatility is the priority, a functional trainer gives you plenty of room to change your exercises as your training evolves.
Best for: Full-body cable workouts, exercise variety and functional strength training.
BodyIron® Commercial Functional Trainer FTB90 (Wheelchair Accessible)
Explore: Functional Trainers
3. Dumbbells: Small Equipment, Huge Exercise Variety
You don't need a huge home gym to start strength training for summer.
A pair of dumbbells can be used to train virtually every major muscle group and take up considerably less space than a large strength machine.
For your lower body, think:
- Goblet squats
- Romanian deadlifts
- Lunges
- Bulgarian split squats
- Step-ups
For your upper body:
- Chest presses
- Shoulder presses
- Rows
- Bicep curls
- Tricep extensions
- Lateral raises
You can also combine several movements into a full-body dumbbell workout or use lighter weights during higher-repetition circuit training.
WFA Pick: ProForm Adjustable Dumbbells 20kg Pair
For smaller home gyms, the ProForm Adjustable Dumbbells 20kg Pair offer five selectable weights in each dumbbell: 4kg, 8kg, 12kg, 16kg and 20kg.
Together, the pair provides 40kg of adjustable weight while replacing multiple pairs of traditional fixed-weight dumbbells.
That makes adjustable dumbbells particularly useful for garage gyms, apartments and spare rooms where you want plenty of resistance options without dedicating an entire wall to dumbbell storage.
If you prefer traditional free weights, World Fitness also offers individual rubber hex dumbbells and complete dumbbell packages.
Best for: Strength training, smaller spaces, full-body workouts and anyone building their first home gym.
ProForm Adjustable Dumbbells 20kg Pair | 4kg–20kg Adjustable Dumbbell Set
Explore: Dumbbells and Adjustable Dumbbells
4. Cardio Equipment: Build Fitness Without Leaving Home
Strength training is only one part of a well-rounded fitness routine.
Adding cardio equipment to your home gym gives you an easy way to work on cardiovascular fitness without relying on the weather, travelling to the gym or planning your workout around opening hours.
And there's no single "best" cardio machine for everyone.
The right choice depends on how you actually like to train.
Treadmills: Best for Walking and Running
A treadmill is an obvious choice if you enjoy walking, jogging or running.
Depending on the machine and its available settings, you can alternate between easier steady-state sessions and more challenging workouts involving changes in speed or incline.
It's also useful when Melbourne's summer weather decides that an outdoor run should come with 35-degree heat.
Explore: Treadmills
Exercise Bikes: Best for Low-Impact Cardio
An exercise bike gives you a seated cardio workout and can work well for everything from steady sessions to higher-intensity intervals.
They're also generally more compact than some larger cardio machines, making them worth considering when home gym space is limited.
Explore: Exercise Bikes
Rowing Machines: Best for Full-Body Cardio
If you want cardio that involves both the upper and lower body, consider a rowing machine.
The rowing motion recruits multiple major muscle groups while challenging your cardiovascular system, making rowers useful for steady workouts as well as shorter interval sessions.
One option in the current World Fitness range is the BodyIron RM200 Rowing Machine, alongside air, magnetic and water-resistance rowers.
Explore: Rowing Machines
Cross Trainers: Best for Low-Impact Full-Body Movement
A cross trainer or elliptical provides continuous cardio while incorporating both upper and lower-body movement.
If running isn't your preferred style of cardio, an elliptical can give you another way to increase your training volume while keeping the movement low-impact.
Explore: Cardio Equipment
Strength or Cardio: Which Is Better for Getting Summer Ready?
You don't necessarily need to choose.
If your goal is to improve your overall fitness and body composition, combining resistance training and cardio can give you a more balanced training program.
Strength training can help you build and maintain muscle, while cardio can improve cardiovascular fitness and increase the amount of physical activity you're doing each week.
What your training cannot do is selectively remove body fat from your stomach, legs, arms or anywhere else.
If fat loss is one of your goals, your overall energy balance matters. Training can support that goal, but nutrition, sleep, recovery and consistency all play a role too.
Rather than trying to find one magical "summer body workout", focus on building habits you can continue well beyond summer.
What Home Gym Equipment Should You Buy First?
You don't need everything on this list to create an effective home gym.
Choose your equipment based on your goals, available space, budget and the type of training you actually enjoy.
If you're just getting started:
A pair of adjustable dumbbells gives you plenty of exercise variety with a relatively small footprint.
If strength training is your priority:
Consider a multi-station home gym for guided resistance exercises or a functional trainer if you want more freedom and cable exercise variety.
If improving cardiovascular fitness is your main goal:
Choose the cardio machine you're most likely to use consistently, whether that's a treadmill, exercise bike, rower or cross trainer.
If you're building a complete home gym:
Combining one versatile strength station, free weights and a cardio machine can give you options for strength, conditioning and full-body workouts from one training space.
World Fitness Australia also offers complete Home Gym Fit-Outs combining strength, cardio and functional equipment.
A Simple Summer-Ready Home Workout Routine
Once you've got the equipment, the most important part is actually using it.
A simple week could look something like this:
Monday: Full-Body Strength
Home gym or functional trainer workout focusing on pushing, pulling and lower-body movements.
Tuesday: Cardio
20–40 minutes on your treadmill, rower, exercise bike or cross trainer.
Wednesday: Rest or Active Recovery
Thursday: Dumbbell Strength
Squats, Romanian deadlifts, chest presses, rows, shoulder presses and core work.
Friday: Cardio or Conditioning
Steady cardio or a shorter interval-based session.
Weekend: Optional Workout or Active Recovery
The exact program will depend on your fitness level and goals, but you don't need to make it complicated.
A routine you can consistently follow will beat an overly ambitious program you abandon after two weeks.
Build Your Summer Home Gym
Getting ready for summer isn't about finding one piece of equipment that promises instant results.
It's about creating a training environment that makes consistency easier.
A multi-station home gym can give you a complete strength setup. A functional trainer can unlock hundreds of cable exercise variations. Dumbbells can give you full-body strength training without requiring much space, while cardio equipment can help build your cardiovascular fitness from home.
Choose equipment around the way you want to train, set realistic goals and give yourself enough time to make progress.
Because the best home gym equipment isn't the equipment that looks impressive sitting in your garage.
It's the equipment you'll actually use.
Ready to start training for summer?
Explore Home Gym Equipment at World Fitness Australia and build a setup that works for your space, goals and training style.
Buy Smart. Train Hard.
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