The Best Fitness Tools for Your Home Gym Under $100

By Lindsey Emery

Yes, you can get slim without the gym. Here, the top tips and tools you need to tighten and tone right at home when you're on a tight budget.

Related: I Did It: "I Dropped 30 Pounds with My At-Home Gym!"

Basic Workout Tools for Less Than $100

1. In a Jamb
Loop your resistance band or tubing through the Xergym Door Attachment to anchor your rows and other reps. ($4, spri.com)

2. Feather Weights
The GoFit Flat Band Kit includes three bands of varying resistance -- light (equivalent to a 5-pound dumbbell), medium (10-pound), and heavy (15-pound) -- as well as a clip to attach, lengthen, or shorten them, so you can sculpt at every level. ($20, store.gofit.net)

TIP: "This is a good move to start with if you're new to bands," trainer Michelle Lovitt says: Stand with feet hip-width apart on the center of the band, holding the band's ends in each hand, arms by sides. Bend elbows by sides, curling hands up to shoulders, palms facing you; then turn palms forward and press arms overhead. Lower hands to shoulders. Repeat press. Do one to three sets of 12 to 15 reps.

Related: At-Home Gym Equipment for Less Than $500

3. Pump. It. Up.
For the best flat-belly workout you can get, do your ab exercises with the Firm Core Stability Ball. ($17, including a workout DVD and a pump, gaiam.com)

TIP: Pick the right size stability ball (in centimeters) for your height.
4'8" to 5'5" = 45-cm ball
5'6" to 6'0" = 55-cm ball
6'0" to 6'5" = 65-cm ball

4. It's a Stretch
Whether you're doing push-ups or yoga poses, get a grip with this PVC-free Natural Fitness Eco Smart Yoga Mat. ($30, including a free yoga workout download, naturalfitnessinc.com)

5. Cardio Dynamo
Melt 10 calories per minute with the nine-foot Spri Speed Rope. It won't kink or get tangled up while you jump your booty off. ($6, spri.com)

Related: Pro Workout Tools for Less Than $1,200

6. Easy Glider
Celeb trainer secret weapon: Reusable 9-1/2-by-5-3/4-inch Furniture Sliders that act just like exercise disks. These work especially well on carpet and are available with foam padding to cushion hands and knees. ($15 for a set of four, bedbathandbeyond.com)

TIP: "To really work your core, do walking planks across the floor with the gliding disks," trainer Joe Dowdell suggests. Start on the floor in full push-up position with the balls of your feet on the foam side of the disks. Walk hands forward a few inches, then, keeping legs straight, drag the disks forward.

Related: 6 High-Tech Workout Tools


More from FITNESS Magazine: