Best Equipment for Compound Movements at Home (2026 Guide)

If you're serious about building strength and getting the most out of your training, the right equipment matters. Compound movements are the foundation of any effective programme — but without the correct setup you'll struggle to maintain form, load heavy enough, or progress over time.

This guide breaks down the best equipment for compound movements at home, in the order most people should buy it.

What Equipment Do You Need for Compound Movements?

Compound exercises work multiple muscle groups at once, so your equipment needs to be versatile, durable, and scalable for progressive overload. The setup has to let you perform squats, deadlifts, presses and rows — and keep letting you do them as you get stronger.

The Essential Equipment for Compound Training

1. Barbell and Weight Plates

If you want to build serious strength, an Olympic barbell is the single most important purchase. It's the only tool that lets you load heavy enough on deadlifts and squats to keep progressing for years.

Buy an Olympic bar, not a fixed-weight bar. Fixed barbells are excellent for circuits and studio classes because there's no loading time, but you can't add weight to them — which makes progressive overload impossible on the big lifts.

Olympic BarbellsFrom £168View range →Weight PlatesFrom £26View range →

2. A Rack

A squat stand or power rack is what makes barbell training possible at home. It covers squats, presses and pull-ups — three of the six lifts in a standard compound session — and safety arms mean you can train alone without a spotter.

Racks & RigsFrom £652View range →

Not sure which type? Our power rack vs squat rack guide settles it in about two minutes.

3. Dumbbells

Dumbbells are the most versatile thing you can own. They cover bench press, shoulder press, rows, lunges and renegade rows, and they let you iron out side-to-side imbalances a barbell can hide.

Buy hex, not round. Round dumbbells roll out from under you mid-rep on renegade rows and push-ups.

DumbbellsFrom £13 per pairView range →

4. Kettlebells

Kettlebells are ideal for explosive, functional movement and conditioning — swings, cleans, carries and full-body work. One good bell goes a long way. Most men start at 16–24kg, most women at 8–12kg.

KettlebellsFrom £21View range →

5. Weight Bench

The most underrated piece in a home gym. A solid adjustable bench unlocks bench press, dumbbell press, supported rows and core work — and instantly multiplies the number of effective exercises available to you.

Weight BenchesFrom £594View range →

6. Cable Machine (once the basics are in)

A cable machine adds face pulls, rows, pulldowns and controlled-resistance accessory work a barbell can't replicate. It's the best single addition once you already have a rack, bar and plates — not the first thing to buy.

Cable MachinesCommercial & home optionsView range →

How to Build It Gradually

You don't need everything at once. A sensible buying order:

1. Rack, barbell and plates — covers four of the six main compound lifts
2. Bench — unlocks pressing and supported rows
3. Dumbbells and a kettlebell — accessory and conditioning work
4. Cable machine — when you want to add volume without more joint stress

This keeps costs controlled and means every purchase earns its floor space before the next one arrives.

Recommended Equipment, In Buying Order

1. Racks & RigsFrom £652View range →2. Olympic BarbellsFrom £168View range →3. Weight PlatesFrom £26View range →4. BenchesFrom £594View range →5. DumbbellsFrom £13View range →6. KettlebellsFrom £21View range →

Put This Equipment Into Action

Once the setup is built, the next step is using it properly. Follow the full session here: One-Hour Full-Body Workout Using Compound Movements.

Planning a whole room rather than a few pieces? Our complete home gym setup guide covers flooring, layout and budgets.

Final Thoughts

Building a home gym for compound movements doesn't need to be complicated. Focus on high-quality, versatile equipment that lets you train effectively and add weight over time. Buy the rack and bar properly and everything else can come gradually.