Top Strength Training Equipment: Winners of the Shape Fitness Awards 2024

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We are elated that the concern of becoming "bulky" seems to be a thing of the past in discussions involving our passion for weightlifting. The advantages of strength training, including injury prevention, functional strength development, and the reduction of certain disease risks, are undeniable.

Although your body may serve as your personal "gym", your strength training results can be significantly boosted with the judicious use of specific workout equipment. We are referring to items like dumbbells, and also devices that enhance your balance, allow you to monitor and adjust your workouts, and even deliver personalized workout programs from the comfort of your home. After a full year of evaluation, we have listed the top strength training gear to make your forthcoming year even stronger.

Vibration plates may seem a tad old-fashioned, but we expect them to make a massive return in 2024, particularly after our extensive research verified their numerous benefits. These include enhanced muscle strength, better balance, and a stronger core. Shifting your regular exercises (for instance, biceps curls or squats) to the plate will challenge your muscles' stability, making them work harder to maintain your balance.

We were significantly impressed by the LifePro vibration plate; a tool that is simple to use and abundant with strength-boosting features. With 60 adjustable speeds and seven kinds of vibration, you can use this plate in countless ways, such as accelerating muscle recovery. Additionally, the device comes equipped with two resistance bands with handles, four mini-loop bands, and an exercise mat, giving you everything you need to strengthen your core.

Suitability: This is perfect for those who are tired of countless crunches and desire a more efficient and practical core workout.

A strength training shoe needs to deliver stability and breadth, ensuring a solid base during your intense lifts. The Nike Metcon has been a popular choice for fitness editors, personal trainers, and CrossFit coaches for quite some time.

In the ninth edition, Nike incorporated a larger heel plate to offer heightened stability in lower-body actions, providing additional ground support. The intelligent lace lock system keeps loose laces out of your way. Also, two types of foam work in sync to deliver suitable cushioning for short cardio sequences, keeping in mind that strength training shoes must not be too flexible or plush. The outsole provides a solid grip, ensuring we remain upright during walking lunges or similar multidirectional movements.

Suitability: It is ideal for those who know that running shoes aren't great for strength training but are unsure about alternatives.

While we do recommend the widely-recognized workout mirrors, we understand that not everyone has the wall area or financial means to buy such costly items. Therefore, our top high-tech workout pick is the Tempo Core, a more minimalist set-up comprising a Core dock and two dumbbells. You also have the option to acquire more weights and accessories in costlier packages.

The Core dock doubles up as an AI-enabled personal trainer when connected to your phone and can stream the workout sessions on your TV. The Tempo app creates a workout plan according to your objectives and body readiness. Once you initiate the workout, 3D cameras scrutinize your performance and give real-time advice. The tech features of the Tempo Core make it a great pick, but the dumbbells also deserve a mention. They come with a polymer coating to protect your floors, and the color-coded plates make the weights easily identifiable.

Suitability: It's perfect for tech-savvy fitness enthusiasts with limited space.

A fitness tracker for strength training should meet certain criteria: It needs to be sleek enough not to obstruct your kettlebell swings, it needs to accurately assess your readiness for particular workouts, it needs to monitor biometric indicators like heart rate, blood oxygen levels, and sleep stages with precision. The Fitbit Inspire 3 meets all these requirements and more for less than $100, making it our top choice for a fitness tracker.

We were especially taken with this small bracelet's automatic tracking feature. We discovered it consistently recorded the beginning and end of our workouts, and our sleep nearly to the minute. Specifically in strength training, the Daily Readiness Score was significant, providing an overall view of recent activities, sleep, and heart rate variability levels compared to your personal benchmark. Importantly, the device adjusts to understand your body norms. Note: Comprehensive statistics are available through Fitbit Premium, but the first six months are free with a purchase.

Suitable For: Those needing a helping hand in understanding their body and the interrelation between their performance and feelings.

Time to mix up the monotone routine of dumbbells and barbells with kettlebell training. Similar to our favorite dumbbell selection, adjustability is crucial when choosing a kettlebell. It's tough to strike a balance between ergonomics, easy adjustments, and comfort in kettlebells.

This problem is addressed by the Bowflex Adjustable Kettlebell, a slim and relatively condensed product ranging from 8 to 40 pounds. Our evaluators labeled it as an "excellent space saver" and "highly adaptable". The weight adjustment process is simple and saves time as it only requires placing the kettlebell on its base and rotating a dial.

Suitable For: Anyone fed up with barbells and wants a change from dumbbells.

If you are still using a worn-out, thin yoga mat for your strength training workouts, take this as an opportunity to upgrade. The Lululemon workout mat, we highly recommend, offers several smart features exclusive to strength training.

For instance, the tactfully elevated bumps on top of the mat enhance grip and traction, an essential asset for exercises like burpees or skater jumps. The mat's material is sweat, water, and other liquids resistant, ensuring longevity. Lastly, it is versatile and could invite a session of meditation or two.

Suitable For: Anyone having done a hard-floor workout using just a beach towel for comfort.

Adjustable dumbbells are superior alternatives to multiple dumbbells sets for a household gym owing to their space-saving and adjustable weight features. FitRX’s surprisingly affordable dumbbells have, so far, been valuable.

These dumbbells are easy to handle and have a comfortable, non-slip grip. The weight can be adjusted from 5 to 52.5 pounds, offering a broad window for muscle growth. You can also incorporate a storage rack to keep the dumbbells easily accessible. These dumbbells put forward a performance that far exceeds their price tag.

Suitable For: The novice strength trainer prepared to gradually push their boundaries. We enthusiastically recommend this 16-piece resistance bands set that only costs $40. Each set contains five classic resistance bands, two handles, a door anchor, an ankle strap, and five mini-loop bands that can be conveniently packed into a backpack.

During testing, we found this set quite adaptable, as it allowed for various resistance levels and exercises. The grip on the handles was comfortable and never snagged our activewear or skin.

Suitable For: Anyone who doesn't want travel disrupting their strength training program.

We’re all content creators now — but taking a water bottle, your phone, and a tripod to the gym is a little much. We were delighted to discover the RhinoShield AquaStand Bottle this year, which cleverly adds a MagSafe-compatible phone grip to the water bottle top. You can play around with angles and landscape vs. portrait mode shooting if you’re capturing content. We also found ourselves using it as a stand for streaming our Peloton workouts at the gym instead of awkwardly leaning our phone against a dumbbell. 

The water bottle itself comes with plenty of options to choose from (straw vs. no straw, Tritan plastic vs. stainless steel), and it’s quickly become a staple in our gym bags.

Who It’s For: The budding fit-fluencer who films her workouts on the reg.

Yes, the Fitbit Inspire 3 can track your heart rate and is a solid tool for gauging your general heart rate and zones of effort. But if you want to level up your intensity a bit (and make sure you’re working as hard as your Daily Readiness Score recommends), a chest-strap heart rate like the Garmin HRM-Pro Plus monitor is the more accurate way to go. 

We loved how incredibly easy this heart rate monitor was to set up (literally, you just… unbox it) and how quickly it connected to our exercise equipment via Bluetooth. We’re also very picky about how clothing and textures feel against our skin (hence our passion for finding the most comfortable, chafe-free sports bras that exist), and this chest strap was both soft and simple to adjust. In fact, the fit was so seamless, we almost accidentally wore it into the shower after a workout — that’s how much it felt like a second skin.

Who It’s For: The data nerds who love knowing exactly how every effort translates into metrics.

Kristen Geil is the Senior Commerce Editor at Shape, where she tests, reviews, and analyzes all the products and gear that can help enhance your wellness journey. As a NASM-certified personal trainer, she's particularly passionate about testing new fitness equipment and finding her next favorite pair of running shoes. Before moving to Commerce, Kristen was Shape's Senior Fitness Editor, where she oversaw the Fitness category and covered workout trends, exercise tips, recovery, and more. For this article, she personally tested the Tempo Core, the Nike Metcon 9 shoes, and the Bowflex Adjustable Kettlebell.