Question

I'm looking to get a home gym, but in my past experience I've had bad luck with the machines being sized for taller people, with wider arm reaches, etc. I'm 5'4", which is normal for a woman, but rather short for a man.

I also, am not as strong as most men, and although I can do pushups, I can't do pull ups so — a mere chin up bar is no good for me — I need the ability to work up to that type of exercise. Are there any home gym systems (hopefully not too expensive) that are particularly good for short women?

Answer

It can be tough being a short woman, just ask my wife who thinks she's 5'-6" but is actually 5'-4" just like you (I'm just kidding you're not that short, I just like to tease my wife)…

To be serious for a minute, it can be difficult to find a good home gym if you're not the "typical consumer" that the equipment is made for. You may be too small, too tall, too heavy, too inflexible, too old, too young, too lazy or whatever the case may be - that's why it's important to know what you need before you spend your money (looks like you're off to a good start based on the specifics of your question).

The simple (but not very helpful) answer to your question is, there are tons of home gyms that are a good choice for women.

And the long answer to your question is…

Their aren't any home gyms that are made specifically for women, and there shouldn't be - if you do come across one in the future you're getting scammed and should run away screaming holding onto your wallet tightly. The simple fact of the matter is that men and women can, and should use the same types of training equipment if it's appropriate for their body size and training goals.

If you're trying to gain muscle mass and get lots stronger then get some free weights, a smith machine with a selectorized lat tower or a squat rack (many women won't touch free weights because of the misconception that weight training is only for men and will make them very large and muscular, when that's just not the case - if that were easy to add muscle and bulk up every guy walking the street would be 220 pounds of rock solid muscle).

If you're looking to increase core stability, balance and functional strength you should train with different tools like a Bosu Ball, balance disk, dumbbells or a functional trainer. You'll gain muscular strength and some size with this type of training and help bone density but you're not going to be as "all out strong" as you would be had you trained with heavy free weights.

If you're really trying to get by on the cheap (you said, "not too expensive" but that's relative) and just need some basic equipment I'd get some resistance bands bands like the Bodylastics or a TRX Gym. I especially recommend the TRX if you're looking to do pull ups (as you said) because you can work your way up to full body weight exercises by changing your body angle for each exercise.