According to YouGov data, almost one in five Brits (17%) want to get fit in 2025. It is, after all, one of the most commonly made New Year’s resolutions. One in five also admit to failing to keep their resolution, which can be due to a myriad of reasons.

One of those reasons is cost. The top New Year’s resolution in 2025 is to save money, with 21% of people saying they want to save more and spend less this year. That means, for those two resolutions to live in harmony, there needs to be careful planning so you can work out and not break the bank.

Because unfortunately, keeping fit costs money. And with the cost of gym memberships on the rise, people are seeking alternatives, with 21% of people having invested more in home workout equipment.

Below, we’ll explore how home workouts are becoming increasingly popular thanks to the accessibility and affordability of equipment, especially when compared to other ways to keep fit. We’ll also share tips from fitness experts to help you on your way to creating a fitness space at home, so you can focus on your fitness journey and not be forced to ditch your new routine before you even have the chance to get started.

Budget-friendly workouts you can do at home

You don’t need loads of space or sacks of cash to ensure you have an effective workout at home. With a little creativity, ingenuity and know-how, you can have everything you need. We reached out to top personal trainers and fitness experts to put a list of budget-friendly workout ideas together and help you reach your fitness goals.

Bodyweight HIIT training

Bodyweight HIIT training combines high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups and burpees, which require no equipment. It alternates between short bursts of intense workout followed by brief rest periods, improving both cardiovascular fitness and strength. This efficient, time-saving workout is suitable for all fitness levels and can be done anywhere without the need for a lot of space.

Not sure where to start? Below you can find an equipment-free home workout you can do at home, no matter what your fitness level.

James Bickerstaff, Personal Trainer at OriGym says, ‘Push-ups, sit-ups, planks and lunges are all great for strengthening your muscles and increasing endurance with no equipment. The best part is, you can easily tailor the amount of reps and sets to your preferences and abilities.’

Pete Williams, Functional Medicine Practitioner and Exercise Scientist at Functional Medicine Associates adds, ‘A mix of HIIT exercises improves cardiovascular health and builds strength, and while they’re effective for change, they’re also the most likely to cause injuries, especially for beginners. Water down intensity and duration until you're capable of going harder and help avoid injuries.’

Yoga

Yoga is a low-intensity mind and body practice that originated in India, combining physical postures, controlled breathing, and meditation or mindfulness. It aims to improve flexibility, strength, balance and mental clarity while promoting relaxation and overall wellbeing.

Luke Hughes, Personal Trainer at Active Careers says, ‘Yoga is a training discipline that dates back over 5,000 years and will continue to grow in popularity into 2025. This is because it has multiple benefits and functions that aid our mental and physical wellbeing such as improving our strength, joint health, balance and flexibility, in cohesion with reducing stress and anxiety levels.

‘The beauty of yoga is that it can be done from the comfort of your own home and can be easily adapted for different ability levels, plus you don't need any equipment, just a little bit of space to maneuver. You can adopt a different form of yoga based on your training aims and mood. For example, Ashtanga and vinyasa workouts are more vigorous in nature and often harnessed to build definition, strength and cardiovascular fitness. By contrast, restorative yoga is more relaxed and better served to help you to mentally decompress, enhance mood and improve posture.’

James Bickerstaff adds, ‘Platforms like YouTube have tons of free yoga content that you can use from the comfort of your own home. Search for beginner-friendly sessions, as this will be a great way to ease into practice and learn the different terminologies and movements.’

Pilates

Pilates is a low-impact exercise that helps strengthen muscles, improve posture, enhance flexibility and promote overall body awareness. It involves controlled movements and precise techniques, focusing on core strength, alignment and breathing. Pilates can be done on a mat without needing specialised equipment, making it versatile and suitable for people of all fitness levels.

Pete Williams says, ‘Mat Pilates routines target the core muscles, improving posture, balance, and stability. This is perfect for strengthening the body at home. You can also often find free video routines online.’

Jump rope

Jump rope is a high-energy cardio exercise that involves jumping over a rope swung beneath your feet and over your head. It improves coordination, agility and endurance and is great for getting the blood pumping. Often used in fitness routines or sports training, jump rope can vary in intensity and is suitable for all skill levels. All you need is a basic rope and it can be done in a small area, such as your back garden if you have one.

Luke Hughes says, ‘If you want a more cardiovascular-based workout that can make exercise a little more fun and engaging, getting a jump rope is a great solution. The high-impact nature of skipping can help improve your bone health, strengthen joints, burn fat and improve things like coordination and balance. You can acquire a skipping rope from as little as £6 and you don't need to be an expert to reap the benefits.’

Home circuit training

Home circuit training is a versatile workout routine which is a series of exercises targeting different muscle groups with minimal rest in between. It typically includes bodyweight movements, cardio drills and light equipment exercises, promoting strength and endurance. Home circuit training is an efficient and customisable workout that can be done in a small space and is ideal for all fitness levels.

Luke Hughes says, ‘It costs nothing to set up your own training circuit using household furniture as props. Circuit training can improve your muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness, and give you a comprehensive all-in-one body workout. Circuits are a great way of getting you to commit to a predesignated workout duration, can be executed in a short time period and don’t require much (if any) equipment. With circuit training, you can adjust the times of each exercise and rest gap based on your fitness levels and even adapt them to target certain muscle groups.

‘For example, if you wanted a 15-minute leg workout, you could select 5 bodyweight-based leg exercises such as air squats, side lunges, knee drivers, split lunges and single-leg glute bridge and then do each exercise for one minute with 30 seconds of rest in between each exercise. You should then repeat the circuit twice.’

Pete Williams adds, ‘Use everyday objects like water bottles as light weights, a sturdy chair for tricep dips, or a towel for sliders to create a strength circuit.’

Essential equipment you’ll need

You don’t need a fully equipped home gym to see amazing results. Instead, focus on affordable equipment you can fit in the space you have, which is also specific to your fitness goals.

Here are some home gym essentials you might want to consider and some insight from fitness experts:

• Kettlebells: Great for strength, power and endurance exercises, kettlebells help with full-body workouts and improving functional fitness.
• Dumbbells: A key piece of equipment for building strength and muscle, dumbbells allow for a wide range of exercises and are easy to store.
• Bodyweight vest: As James Bickerstaff suggests, ‘If you’re looking to build greater strength and burn more calories, you should invest in a weighted vest.’ It adds resistance to bodyweight exercises for enhanced intensity.
• Resistance bands: Compact and adaptable, resistance bands are ‘versatile for strength and mobility work,' according to Pete Williams. They’re perfect for toning muscles and increasing flexibility.
• Jump rope: Ideal for cardio, coordination and agility, a jump rope is an affordable and effective tool for burning calories and improving cardiovascular health.
• Yoga mat: A must-have for floor exercises and stretching. James Bickerstaff highlights that ‘a good quality yoga mat is essential for comfort, protecting your joints from hard surfaces, and preventing balance loss.’
• Pull-up bar: Great for building upper body and core strength, pull-up bars can be installed in doorways or mounted to walls. Just make sure it’s installed correctly to avoid injury!
• Foam roller: Perfect for recovery, foam rollers help reduce muscle soreness, improve flexibility and enhance blood flow after workouts.
• Exercise ball: Useful for core workouts, stability training and improving balance, exercise balls can mix up your routine.
• Suspension straps: These allow for bodyweight exercises targeting strength, stability and flexibility.

If you’re looking to incorporate some basic equipment into your home workouts, here’s a quick and effective plan using just a pair of dumbbells and a pull-up bar. You can tailor it to your fitness level by following the beginner or advanced variations below.

How much does basic fitness equipment cost?

Depending on the type of workout you’re looking to do at home, you may need some basic equipment. The need to spend money can be a stumbling block for many people’s fitness journey, but it doesn’t have to. Lots of equipment can be pretty affordable, and there are ways to reduce the cost further by using health and fitness voucher codes which you can use at popular fitness retailers including Decathalon, Sports Direct, My Protein and more.

Here is what you might expect to pay for some basic fitness equipment for an effective home workout.

How much do home gym machines cost?

While you can have a fantastic workout at home without advanced equipment, home gym machines can vary your routine and help you achieve your fitness goals. While not always cheap, machines should be looked at as an investment, so long as you have the space and budget available. Not only can they boost your workout, but over time it can work out cheaper than going to the gym (and not forgetting the cost of actually getting there).

For more information, read our blog post answering how much would a home gym cost?

Fitness trends for 2025

2025 promises to bring exciting trends that will continue to change how we approach health and wellbeing. Staying updated on these innovations can enhance workouts, keep you motivated and introduce cutting-edge techniques into your routines. Here’s what personal trainers predict for the fitness landscape in 2025:

1. AI Integration in fitness technology

Wearable technology, like smartwatches, will use AI to monitor performance, provide feedback in real-time and even help prevent injuries.

James Bickerstaff knows the impact AI will have on fitness, saying, ‘There are a bunch of studies online that have already shown that AI software can monitor your athletic performance and provide detailed feedback on how to improve your performance and even prevent injuries, so expect to see much more AI integration this year.’

2. Rise of exercise snacks

Exercise snacks (not the food kind), or short bursts of 2–5-minute workouts, are gaining traction as studies highlight their effectiveness for health. These quick sessions fit into busy schedules, allowing people to improve fitness at home, work, or on the go.

With personalised AI-driven data, these mini workouts will become more targeted and efficient, further boosting their appeal.

Pete Williams says: ‘Snacks will become hugely popular as the scientific evidence shows how effective they are for optimising health. This changes the need to always go to the gym for a certain amount of time. Getting the heart rate up in these snacks has real benefits and fits more into our busy lives. We can always find a frequent few minutes in the day either at home or at work.’

3. Community-centric fitness

The importance of social connections for wellbeing will lead to a rise in community-focused fitness in 2025.

Eloise Skinner, Author and Fitness Instructor, says, ‘Since research demonstrates the importance of community ties, we're more likely to see community aspects integrated into fitness trends.’ So, expect more clubs, fitness socials, team sports and local competitions to emerge which is great for motivation.’

4. Hybrid athlete competitions

Competitive fitness for hybrid athletes – those combining endurance, strength and functional fitness – will continue to grow.

Scotty Moore, CF-L1 Trainer, BWL certified coach, says, ‘⁠We’re going to see the rise of fitness competitions aimed at the ‘hybrid’ athletes. We’ve had competitive CrossFit and functional fitness for the longest time. The world has gone Hyrox mad the last couple of years and with other names coming through like the World Fitness Project I think we’re going to see all sorts of independent events out there and a lot of athletes crossing over between them all on the regular and making a name for themselves.’

5. Strength training renaissance

The trend of hybrid fitness and endurance events will come full circle, bringing strength training back into the spotlight.

Strongman and strongwoman competitions are gaining popularity, with increased inclusivity and recognition. More people will embrace gym routines and structured programs to build strength and resilience.

Sean Pritchard, British Army physical training instructor and owner of CrossFit WDN says, ‘I predict the fitness trend will have come full circle; we’ve seen the endurance events become very popular and hybrid athletes are everywhere - I think 2025 is going to be about strength.’

Conclusion

Establishing a workout routine at home can be incredibly rewarding, and the costs don’t need to be a stumbling block for finding something that works for you. Even with a small budget and limited space, you can regularly work up a sweat and meet your fitness goals this year.

To help you get started, you can find great discounts at loads of popular health and fitness retailers that give you big savings on the equipment you need. Browse health and fitness voucher codes today.