So you want to lose weight in the convenience of your own home? We don’t blame ya! Going to the gym can be a chore, and nobody likes hoping their favorite machine at the gym is unoccupied upon arrival. That’s the main reason I invested in a power rack, but that article is for another day. Welcome to our guide on choosing the best home exercise equipment to lose weight. In this guide, we’ll show you the light at the end of the tunnel! And by light, we mean the shape your body deserves.
In this comprehensive guide, we share:
- Our Best At-Home Exercise Equipment for Weight Loss
- Home Gym Equipment Reviews
- Tips on How to Lose Weight at Home
| Product | Description |
#1) NordicTrack T Series Treadmills (6.5S & 6.5Si)  |
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#2) Bowflex T216 Treadmill  |
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#3) Ancheer Electric Folding Treadmill with Auto Incline  |
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#4) Xterra Fitness TR150 Folding Treadmill  |
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#5) Precor EFX 222 Energy Series Elliptical Machine  |
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#6) Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Machine  |
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#7) Exerpeutic ExerWorK 1000  |
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#8) Exerpeutic Folding Exercise Bike  |
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#9) Concept2 Model D Indoor Rowing Machine with PM5 Performance Monitor  |
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#10) Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RW5515 Magnetic Rowing Machine  |
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Bonus Pick #1 – Yosuda Stationary Bike  |
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Bonus Pick #2 – Assault AirBike Classic  |
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Reviews: Best Home Gym Equipment for Weight Loss
What did you think of our top selections? Are you pumped to start losing weight or still on the fence about which piece of equipment is best for your home? Allow our individual reviews below to guide you to the best fit for your home. Let’s start with the most productive piece of home exercise equipment for burning calories & losing weight, the ever-reliable treadmill.
NordicTrack T Series
NordicTrack T Series treadmills are top-of-the-line treadmills for home use and just one step below NordicTrack commercial series treadmills. When you buy a NordicTrack treadmill, you invest in a treadmill that’s made by experts and will stand the test of time.
The reason we chose treadmills as the best home exercise equipment to lose weight is that on average treadmills burn the most calories in the least amount of time. The drawback to treadmills is they can be hard on the knees, hips, shins, and other parts of the body. That’s one major reason we choose premium treadmills over imitators to ensure we get the most comfortable treadmill experience.
T Series treadmills feature FlexSelect adjustable cushioning for maximum shock absorption each time your foot makes contact with the belt. You may have also noticed that T Series treadmills have a wider belt at 20″ than cheap treadmills.
10 mph max speed is more than enough for most people, and the 10% max incline allows you to turn up the calorie-burning intensity of your workouts. Outside of the physical features, the NordicTrack computer offers a wide range of on-demand training options to keep you motivated, dedicated, and engaged. In today’s world, we need exciting forms of entertainment to stay engaged and consistent, and NordicTrack offers that. After all, your goal is to lose weight, and consistency is the key.
The coolest part is the trainers who conduct the on-demand workouts can actually adjust your machine in real-time. The NordicTrack T 6.5Si includes a 1-year iFit membership, although, you don’t need to renew it. One of the major complaints is the cost of the iFit membership after year one. Depending on how much you like it, you can easily decide to extend it or opt-out without diminishing the quality of your NordicTrack experience.
- Easy-Peasy Mid-Workout Adjustments
- Excellent for Running, which may sound basic but inferior treadmills just don’t offer this level of comfort
- Extremely Well-Built (worth the money)
- Quiet and Sturdy
- A superb treadmill for any weight-loss journey
- Automatic incline adjustments are awesome
- There’s a good chance you’ll fall in love with iFit
- The speakers could be better
- The wheels are located on the back of the machine instead of the front (harder to move)
- Most complaints are about iFit (be sure to consider the note above to bypass it)
- May require professional installation
- No built-in fan
Bowflex T216 Treadmill
The Bowflex T216 is another premium treadmill for home use that’s one fine piece of machinery. Compared to T Series treadmills, it does cost a good chunk more. Three advantages of the T216 are a larger running belt, a built-in automatic 3-speed fan, and a steeper max incline of 15%. Depending on your weight-loss workout plan, these features may be an essential part of your journey.
Unlike NordicTrack, Bowflex offers the RunSocial app instead of the iFit app. A clear disadvantage is the LCD screen. NordicTrack T Series treadmills offer beautiful touchscreen displays, while the T216 offers a simple LCD display. It’s important to consider whether you value the idea of iFit, which offers on-demand video training programs.
The workaround for this is to use your tablet with the RunSocial app. The T216 provides a place to hold your tablet or phone during your exercise.
Overall, the T216 is a more powerful machine with a 4.0 CHP (continuous horsepower) motor. The Comfort Tech design also stands up to the NordicTrack FlexSelect for superior impact absorption. Either way, these are the two of the best treadmills for home use currently on the market and will be for some time.
- Higher maximum speed than the T Series up to 12 mph
- Built-in “Burn” meter helps you to push your workouts to the max for accelerated weight loss
- Pre-programmed convenient Fat-Burn workouts
- Easily program your own custom workouts (multiple users)
- Ultra-Smooth, Quiet Operation
- Easy to make mid-workout adjustments
- Excellent impact absorption to reduce stress on knees and shins
- Complaints about the machine malfunctioning
- Customer Service isn’t the friendliest bunch
- Several creaking sounds
- Limited Bluetooth capabilities (e.g. not possible to push TV audio through the built-in speakers)
Ancheer Electric Folding Treadmill with Auto Incline
If you’re not fond of the idea of spending a bundle on a Bowflex or NordicTrack, the Ancheer T900 treadmill could be the best affordable treadmill for your weight loss journey. Not everyone needs all the bells whistles. The key to losing weight is to burn calories by any means possible (well, almost), and the T900 is more than sufficient to get that daily task done for you.
The major drawbacks to budget treadmills are weaker motors (lower max mph), narrower running belts, and less robust computer-generated workout programs/progress tracking. It’s important to consider how much these drawbacks mean to you before you buy a piece of home gym equipment for losing weight. For us, it’s not a huge deal as long as we’re getting our daily sweat on.
The advantages of the T900 are it’s lighter, includes automatic incline adjustments for a budget price, and takes up less space in your home, garage, or office.
- Excellent, High-Quality Treadmill for the Money
- Easier to set up than more sophisticated treadmills
- Sturdy, even at high speeds
- Play your own music through the built-in speakers (we love this)
- Highly-Affordable piece of gym equipment for losing weight
- An excellent choice for first-time treadmill owners
- The 10 programs are great
- Quality customer service and warranty on the motor
- Narrower running belt than premium treadmills
- May not fold up as compact as you’d like
- Speakers could be louder for all the hard rockers and bass heads out there
Precor EFX 222
Treadmills may be the best calorie burners of all home gym equipment, but elliptical machines are our personal favorite because our aging knees love them. A Precor elliptical machine makes most people salivate when they first lay eyes on it because of its beautiful design.
Once you step onto a Precor elliptical for the first time and feel how smooth the movements are firsthand, you may never go back to a treadmill. You know what they say, “Once you go elliptical, you never go back.”
Several of the key features we like about the EFX 222 are Heart Rate Monitoring with SmartRate Target Heart Zone, Speed & Elevation Controls, 10 Adjustable Preset Workouts (Up to 2 Users), and a SmartGrip Tablet/Phone holder. Outside of those fun features, you get a true health-club quality machine in your own home that’ll stand the test of time.
Lastly, we want to point out that Precor ellipticals allow you to keep your feet flat on the pedals throughout each motion, which makes for a much better toning session for your glutes and hamstrings. This is elliptical engineering at its finest.
- Top-Notch All-Around Quality
- Extremely Durable
- Excellent, professional customer service
- May cause your desire to workout daily to spike
- Whisper-Quiet Operation
- True Commercial-Grade
- Super Smooth Motion
- Assembly is not easy for everyone
- Large footprint may not be suitable for small home gyms
Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Machine
Sole Fitness is another outstanding elliptical machine manufacturer, and the E35 model sure is something special. If the price tag on the EFX 222 scared you away, the E35 price may feel more welcoming. Despite the difference in price, the E35 still delivers top-notch quality throughout.
One of the features we like the most is the 15-inch non-slip pedals that look oh so inviting. Unlike the EFX 222, the E35 does have a built-in fan.
Supercharge your workouts to burn more calories with up to a 30º incline. The computer system monitors your heart rate and pulse. Music lovers will enjoy the built-in sound system. All in all, the E35 is worth a look and certainly one of the best elliptical machines for home use.
- Health-Club Quality
- Excellent training programs
- Butter-Smooth Motion
- Amazingly Quiet
- Complete control to really dial in your customized workouts
- Longevity (lasts for years of consistent use)
- Sturdy Construction
- Helpful Customer Service
- Can be challenging to assemble
- Be sure to consider the height of the ceiling in the room you plan to put it
- Large Footprint
Exerpeutic Folding Exercise Bike
Exerpeutic exercise bikes are selling like hotcakes for a reason: they’re amazingly awesome and reshaped the paradigm of comfortable home weight loss. Yes, that’s right, comfort and weight loss are now a thing. Just imagine the convenience of working on your computer while burning calories.
This may sound corny, but in the fast-paced world we live in, optimizing our lives is more important than ever before. This means finding ways to multitask without adding stress to your already stressful life. The ExerWorK 1000 is currently our favorite desk exercise bike for home use.
The best part about Exerpeutic bikes is the price. You don’t have to fork out thousands of bucks to burn calories in the comfort of your own home. Out of all the best home exercise equipment to lose weight in our guide, Exerpeutic exercise bikes are the most affordable and convenient.
- Lightweight design, easy to move around
- Working Mother-Approved
- Super easy on the knees, ankles, and joints
- Super Quiet (no disturbing sounds while you work)
- Very easy to get into a consistent daily workout routine (a key ingredient for successful weight loss)
- A top-rated bike by people who work from home
- Comfortable for hours of use at a time
- Pedal for miles on near autopilot
- The desk could be bigger
- Not as hardcore of a calorie burner as other options in our Top 10
- Clicking/clunking sounds after heavy use
- Durability issues for both models
Concept2 Model D Indoor Rowing Machine with PM5 Performance Monitor
The Concept Model D rowing machine is seriously in a league of its own. If you thought Precor set itself apart from its competitors in the elliptical department, you need to check out what Concept2 is doing in the rowing machine aisle. I’ve actually never seen a better-rated piece of home gym equipment in all my years of reviewing gym equipment. That’s how special the Model D truly is.
The greatest advantage of a rowing machine over the other types of equipment in our Top 10 for weight loss is the fact that you can tone most of your body, including your upper body, on a rowing machine. You may not be able to burn calories as fast as on a treadmill, but you’ll surely tone your entire body faster. Plus, and this is a huge plus, a rowing machine is astronomically easier on your joints.
A key factor to consider before you choose a piece of equipment in our guide is the length of a Concept2 rowing machine. The Model D measures a full 96″ from back to front, yet just 24″ wide.
- An excellent choice for arthritis sufferers
- Great for stretching the body and enhancing flexibility
- Smooth & Quiet Operation (neighbor-friendly)
- Despite its large size, assembly is quite easy for most people
- 10 levels of air resistance perfect for everyone to dial in a workout
- Lightweight and easy to move around
- Significant weight loss, stronger core, and better posture
- Made in the USA
- The display looks somewhat outdated
- You may not feel the seat is as comfortable as it should be
- A small handful of quality control issues
Concept2 Model E vs D
You may also be interested in the Concept2 Model E rowing machine. The main advantages of the Model E are it sits 6″ higher for easier mounting/dismounting, has a sturdier steel base, and PM5 is within direct reach. Check out the Model E below!
Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RW5515 Magnetic Rowing Machine
It feels almost unfair to put the Sunny Health & Fitness rowing machine after Concept2 Models D & E since they’re such a hard act to follow. However, it’s important to keep in mind that Concept2 rowing machines certainly aren’t within everyone’s price range, and the Sunny Health & Fitness model is the best affordable home rowing machine available.
For the price, it’s hard to beat what the SF-RW5515 offers in a rowing machine. What we like the most in terms of weight loss is the scan mode that allows you to track your progress and make sure you’re hitting your daily fitness goals including calories burned.
The SF-RW5515 features give you all you need from a rowing machine to get your full-body cardio workout on at home. The machine is shorter than Concept2 rowers at 82″ and narrower at 19″. Since it’s also lighter, it’s easier to fold up and store when not in use.
- Quiet, Smooth Operation
- Barely takes up any floor space when folded up
- The range of resistance levels allow for a seriously sweaty workout (calories flying out of the body)
- Easy to Assemble
- Unbeatable Price for a home rower
- Top-Notch Customer Service (a company that actually honors its warranty without hassle)
- Unlike other machines in our Top 10, this rower hits the abs with some authority
- Small Screen
- Does not track actual distance rowed
- The computer system certainly isn’t cutting-edge tech
Assault AirBike Classic
Last but not least is the Assault AirBike. An Air Bike or Airdyne Bike is for people who enjoy a hardcore workout in the comfort of their own home. What makes an Air Bike one of the best pieces of home gym equipment for weight loss? The answer is the sheer intensity of the workout. As you peddle harder the intensity of your workout increases, which allows you to take your workouts to uncharted calorie-burning heights.
The Assault AirBike is built like a tank and can support up to 350lbs. For this reason, Assault bikes are ideal for taller men who want to lose weight at home. The Assault AirBike is famous for offering a hardcore Cross-Fit workout in gyms all over the country. This air bike is true commercial-gym quality and built with strictly heavy-duty materials.
Finally, we want to highlight the built-in console with seven programs to choose from with a customizable option to get your workout just the way you like it.
- Extremely durable commercial-quality Airdyne bike
- Built-in shelf to hold your tablet or phone
- Simple to use/understand console
- Serious weight loss results
- A full-body toning workout
- Quickly burn calories
- Awesome for tightening the core
- Not for the faint of heart
- Noisier than an elliptical or rowing machine
- The seat may not be for you
Tips on How to Lose Weight at Home
A lot of people overcomplicate weight loss. They buy into fancy diets of the month while forgetting one thing that will always work for weight loss in healthy individuals: a caloric deficit.
A caloric deficit is nothing more than burning more calories in a day than you eat. Of course, this is a lot easier than it sounds. However, there are ways to make it easier and a lot less miserable, such as taking an effective diet pill with appetite suppressants.
We drink a lot of green tea and practice intermittent fasting. In our opinion, this is the ultimate combination for maintaining energy and a caloric deficit, which brings us to our next point.
Maintaining a Caloric Deficit
You can’t expect to go into a caloric deficit for one day and lose weight, or go into it for three days out of the week and splurge on the other four. People think if they eat “good” for a few days, they can splurge those other days and get away with it.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. The number of calories you eat is more important than what you eat. Just ask the science teacher who lost 56 lbs in six months eating nothing but McDonald’s while limiting his calories and engaging in consistent exercise:
The amazing part is he also lowered his cholesterol. All in all, he limited his calories and did 45 minutes of light cardio (walking) 4-5 days per week.
While this is an isolated case and shouldn’t be viewed as a foolproof method for weight loss, it does show that limiting calories and exercising is more important than you might have thought.
Lastly, keep in mind that he stayed in a caloric deficit daily. After 90 days, he lost 37 lbs. He didn’t go on a paleo diet, ketogenic diet, Atkins diet, or any of those low-carb diets. He simply stayed in a caloric deficit.
Another great example is former NFL wide receiver, Chad Johnson. He’s well-known for chowing down McDonald’s, yet he’s in magnificent shape. The difference between Johnson and someone who gains weight from eating McDonald’s is Johnson works out hard, which equals burning all those calories off.
The moral of the story and the greatest tip on how to lose weight at home is to: A. Eat fewer calories than you burn, and B. Invest in a piece of home gym equipment for weight loss.
How to Calculate Your Calories
The online calorie calculator at Calculator.net is 100% free to use. There’s even a free Food Energy Converter with a calorie-counting guide.
Several more options are a BMI Calculator, Body Fat Calculator, and Ideal Weight Calculator. They even threw in several free charts that show the number of calories in common foods.
Once you calculate the number of calories you eat, be sure to consider the number of calories you burn. For this reason, it’s essential to invest in a piece of gym equipment with an accurate calorie counter to give you the most accurate results during your weight-loss journey.
Stay Consistent
When you choose the best home gym equipment to lose weight, consider consistency. Are you going to use the equipment more than once? Don’t buy an expensive treadmill because you’re feeling great one day about weight loss.
Perhaps the exercise bike with a desk is a better option you’ll use more often.
Have you experienced pain while running on a treadmill before? Pain and discomfort can quickly derail any weight-loss journey.
An elliptical machine or rowing machine might be your best bet since they put significantly less strain on the knees, legs, and major joints.
We all love to watch movies and our favorite TV shows. Choosing a piece of home gym equipment that allows you to watch your favorite show while working out is a great idea.
Another excellent option to stay motivated is to get into a routine of following the on-demand workout programs on NordicTrack iFit.
These are just several ideas to stay consistent that you may want to consider before you buy a machine in our Top 10.
Which exercise machine burns the most calories per hour?
According to Men’s Health, the best exercise machine to lose weight is the treadmill at an average of 17 calories burned per minute of use (1,020 per hour).
That’s why we have four treadmills at the top of our list because more calories burned in less time = a better chance to lose more weight faster.
After the treadmill:
- Stationary Bike – 14 calories per minute (840 calories per hour)
- Elliptical Machine – 13 calories per minute (780 calories per hour)
- Rowing Machine – 11 calories per minute (660 calories per hour)
- Airdyne Bike (vigorous cycling) – 13.4 calories per minute (800 calories per hour)
Health.gov provides a wonderful chart to find your recommended daily calorie intake according to age and sex. Click Here to find your recommended intake.
The recommended daily intake for men ranges from 2,000 to 3,000 calories and for women 1,600 to 2,400 calories. As you can see, the exercise machines in our guide are superb choices for weight loss and burning a significant number of daily calories.
Bottom Line
Since you made it this far, we’re confident that you know everything you need to know about the best at-home exercise equipment to lose weight and how to select the right machine for your home. We’re also confident that you picked up some valuable tips on how to lose weight at home that’ll make your weight-loss journey a very productive one.
The key takeaway is to keep things simple. The stress of overcomplicating weight loss will only hinder your efforts and lead nowhere positive. Remember these two words “caloric deficit,” and you’ll be way ahead of most people.
