It doesn’t have to cost a fortune to start building your
home gym or to start working out. My go-to store is Target, but there are
certainly places where you can find cheaper workout equipment.
Five Below
The first time I visited Five Below, I was very impressed by
how much fitness equipment they have. They have light dumbbells, light
kettlebells, sandbags, foam rollers, and more. I was even more impressed that
they have cute yoga mats for $5 and slightly saddened that I paid around $30
for my starter kit, although the mat that I have has alignment markers on it
and the kit came with a yoga block and a strap, which I personally find very
helpful as someone who is still somewhat early in my yoga practice.
I also saw some fitness apparel and t-shirts, but none of
them appeared to fit plus-sizes, so I just took mental note of those. I’m in
the market for a new yoga mat and a deep tissue foam roller, so I’ll be going
back there soon to collect those. If you have a Five Below in your area and you
need some fitness gear, check them out. Everything is $5 or less.
Dollar General
Before I learned about Five Below, I was scouting for home
exercise equipment at Dollar General. I noticed that they have dumbbells up to
about 10lbs in most stores, yoga mats, resistance bands, kettlebells, and more.
With the exception of the heavier weights, everything was under $10. If you’re
on a budget and looking to get your home gym started, check out the Dollar
General.
Target and Walmart
As I said earlier, I love Target. I really need to buy a few
shares of Target stock because I spend so much of my money there. I bought my
Gaiam Yoga Starter kit from there and paid roughly $30 for it. I have also
bought two pairs dumbbells and a Gaiam
Quick Fit Kit which included a jump rope, resistance band, and loop band. I was
able to find individual yoga blocks at Walmart for around $3 each, which was
the cheapest I had seen anywhere. Everywhere else, including Dollar General,
have them for around $5 and up. Both stores often have sporting goods and
exercise equipment on clearance, too. For instance, the resistance band kit I
purchased was already on clearance when I bought it at $11. A few days ago, it
was marked down to around $8, so always check the clearance section.
Amazon
Finally, if you’d rather do all of your shopping online,
you’ll find that Amazon probably has the most variety out of all of the
retailers I listed, although you can shop their websites, too. I have found
inexpensive yoga mats between $7-$15, a set of 6 dumbbells that include a small
rack for under $30, and of course, fitness apparel in many sizes. (If you shop
Amazon using my link, I’ll earn a small commission at no additional cost to
you. That’ll help me maintain the blog and focus on producing more content.)
A few things to remember when you’re shopping for fitness equipment, especially if you’re a plus size person:
- Dumbbells are usually sold individually and the heavier they are, the more they will cost. For instance, a 3lb weight may cost $3 for one weight, so if you want a pair, you’ll need to buy two of them for a total of $6. So, it may be cheaper to buy a full 20lb or 30lb set like those sold online.
- For people with bigger bodies, if you plan to use a yoga or fitness mat, you might want to search for a thicker mat or invest in knee pads, especially if you’ll be using it on a hard surface. The standard thickness for most mats is about 5mm. For the moment, I’m on carpet so it doesn’t bother my knees, however, whenever I’m in yoga class at the dance studio, my knees take a beating if I’m not wearing knee pads. Also, I won’t be on carpeted flooring much longer, which is why I’m looking for an additional yoga mat to place on top of the one I already have.
- You don’t need a ton of equipment for a good workout. Most important is that you move your body. The weights and mats are simply tools to make your workouts more effective.
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