Home gym on a budget: what to buy first and what to skip

The commonest home gym is a treadmill bought in January and a clothes rail by March. The alternative is to buy in the order of what you'll actually use, and to buy the equipment that does the most per pound and per square metre.

First: adjustable dumbbells or kettlebells

A pair of adjustable dumbbells (Bowflex-style dial sets, or a plate-loading set) covers more exercises than any machine, takes a metre of floor, and lasts forever. If money is tight, two kettlebells — a light and a heavy — do the same. Judge by price per kilogram; the brand matters less than the mechanism on adjustables.

Second: a bench

A flat-to-incline bench turns dumbbells into a full upper-body programme. £80 to £150 for one rated to 200 kg or more. Check the user weight rating; the cheap ones are rated low.

Third: pull-up bar or resistance bands

A doorway bar is £20 and covers back and arms. Bands cover mobility and assistance. Both fit in a drawer.

Cardio: only if you'll do it

A rowing machine is the best cardio machine per square metre and folds upright. A bike is quieter. A treadmill is large, loud and the most abandoned. If you buy one, buy for motor rating (2.0 CHP or more for running) and belt length, and buy in March when January's stock is cleared.

Skip

Multi-gyms (huge, limited, hard to sell on). Vibration plates. Anything sold on a shopping channel. Cheap benches rated under 150 kg.

Timing

Fitness equipment is dearest in January and cheapest from late February to April. Reebok, Adidas, and the specialist retailers (Workout For Less among them) clear stock hard then. The price history on the deal page will show whether today's price is the January price or the March one.