You don't need Mark Zuckerberg's budget to copy the smartest parts of his home gym

Among hundreds of luxury celeb gyms, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg stands out as a true fitness aficionado, according to a professional gym reviewer.

From The Rock's "Iron Paradise" to Mark Wahlberg's two-story fitness oasis in Beverly Hills, celebrities are known for having eye-popping gym setups that the rest of us could only dream of.

Cooper Mitchell, founder of Garage Gym Reviews, has been assessing fitness setups for over a decade, and said he's rarely wowed by where the rich and famous work out.

"One thing that makes home gyms so great is the creativity that's required because people are working with finite budgets and finite space. It's less impressive when somebody has unlimited money," he told Business Insider.

However, Zuckerberg's home gym is one exception, clearly designed by someone who knows how to break a sweat, as evidenced by his social media posts about his workouts.

Mitchell called it "elite" in his review.

"The equipment that he chose is very niche and very specific," he said. "I don't know him personally, but he seems fit, and it seems like he takes his training seriously. I think the tools that he's using in his gym reflect that too."

Mitchell explained what Zuckerberg's fitness setup reveals about his training style, and the best budget-friendly options for the rest of us.

Squat racks are essential for strength training

Mitchell said the first clue that Zuckerberg is a gym rat was his choice of squat rack.

Designed to hold a heavy barbell for exercises like squats and presses, a rack can be as simple as a steel frame costing a few hundred bucks, or an intricate, personalized setup worth $10,000 or more.

Zuckerberg opted for the latter with the Swedish-made Eleiko Prestera rack, which is particularly customizable, with features like extra slots that let the barbell be positioned at a precise height, a key factor for serious lifters.

A spokesperson for Eleiko said Zuckerberg uses a half rack (the brand's most popular choice for home gyms because of its compact size) with dual integrated cable attachments, which can range between $12,000 to $18,000 depending on the specific features.

"It's one of the most probably thoughtfully designed squat racks of all time," Mitchell said. "It's not just something that people who are wealthy would buy."

However, beginners can get by with more budget-friendly options. The keys to a starter home gym are a sturdy squat rack (Mitchell has reviewed options as cheap as $99), with a barbell and plenty of weight plates, along with dumbbells and a bench.

With those basics, "you can do just an insane amount of work," he said.

Functional trainers build athletic power

The next highlight of Zuckerberg's home gym is a functional trainer machine, from the brand Functional Patterns.

At its most basic, the equipment consists of weight stacks, cables, and pulleys for exercises like pulls, rows, and rotation-based movements. Typically, cable exercises are slow and controlled to put tension on the muscles and avoid slamming the weights.

But this unique version that Zuckerberg uses has a specific cable system that's more fluid to enable faster, higher-momentum movements, ideal for building explosive power or training for sports without jostling the machine or your joints.

"You will never see it in any just big box commercial gym," Mitchell said. "It has a really long cable travel, and what you can do is throw all your might into the cable, and it won't make the stack jump."

Mitchell said it's likely useful for jiu jitsu training, which Zuckerberg has been doing for years.

Weight vests boost cardio and core strength

The fitness trend of rucking, moving with a weighted vest or pack, has exploded in recent years. Zuckerberg was doing it long before it was cool.

The Meta CEO famously shared that he does the annual CrossFit workout Murph, a Memorial Day ritual of 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, and 300 sit-ups in a weight vest, with a mile run before and after.

His vest, a 511 tactical plate carrier, is a solid choice used by top athletes, according to Mitchell. The design, which uses metal weight plates, is streamlined while allowing for heavy weights and quick adjustments.

If you're new to weighted vests, a sandbag vest is a cheaper, smaller option that can be easier for jogging or jumping, a coach previously told Business Insider.

Most people should skip the home treadmill

While Zuckerberg's gym also has a Peloton Tread, you probably don't need high-end cardio equipment; going for an outdoor walk or jog is enough, Mitchell said.

If you do want to spice up your cardio routine, he recommends jump ropes (a budget option), or an air bike or rowing machine (for a splurge), since they add resistance.

Otherwise, save your money for strength training equipment.

"I like Pelotons for certain use cases. A treadmill, that's really expensive, takes a lot of maintenance, takes up a lot of space," he said. "Dumbbells, barbells, squat racks, you name it, those are going to have better return on investment."

Even if you're not a competitive athlete and want to get in shape or improve your health, investing in the right equipment gives you a long runway to progress as you get stronger and lift heavier.

"Strength training is at an all-time high in terms of people desiring to do it and recognizing its value," Mitchell said. "It doesn't matter who it is, whether it's somebody who's really young or somebody who's really old, everybody can benefit from picking things up and putting them down, both mentally and physically."