If I were building a small home gym from scratch, I’d start with a pull-up bar, a dip station and enough clear floor space to do a split squat. I’d add resistance once I knew which exercises I wanted to make heavier. That gets you training while you still have a bit of floor left.

A 40-minute gym session sounds easy to fit into your day. Then you pack a bag, get there, wait for a bench and go home again. In my apartment, the gym is two doorways away. There’s occasionally a cat in the way. That’s about it for the commute.

What do you need for a small home gym?

A pull-up bar gives you pull-ups and chin-ups. A dip station gives you dips, and the floor gives you push-ups, squats and split squats. That’s enough to see which exercises you’ll actually do and how the setup fits into your week.

I’d buy the bar first if floor space is tight. Check that your doorway or wall meets the manufacturer’s mounting requirements. If mounting is out of the question, look at a freestanding pull-up and dip station. A combined station puts both exercises in one spot. Separate pieces let you put the bar where it fits and store the dip bars between workouts.

If you can’t do a pull-up or dip yet, give yourself a version you can train now. A band-assisted pull-up or a resistance-band row gives you a way to practise pulling. Incline push-ups work as a starting point for pressing. For legs, start with bodyweight squats, reverse lunges or split squats. If your legs could comfortably do more, a pair of adjustable dumbbells is one way to make those same movements harder.

How much space do you need?

My gym is about 8 m² (86 sq ft). You can start in less space if you’ve got room for the movements you plan to do. The number I’d pay attention to is how much clear space you have once the equipment is set up.

• Check overhead clearance where the pull-up bar will go. Think about where your head goes at the top of a rep.

• Mark out the equipment footprint on the floor and step through a lunge, a push-up and any cable movements you plan to do.

• If you want a bench, check where it sits in use and where it goes when you need the floor back.

If I trained in a living room, I’d keep the things I use every session together and time how long it takes to get started. If setting up means moving the sofa every Tuesday, I’d pick different equipment or a different spot.

What I use in my 8 m² apartment gym

I wanted to keep doing presses, rows, Romanian deadlifts and curls at home, with enough resistance to progress. I use an InnoDigym P1 Max with a bench and a few attachments. It’s a digital cable machine that looks like an oversized bathroom scale. I bought it with my own money.

I can change the resistance between sets without loading or re-racking plates. I still move the bench and swap attachments, so the order of exercises matters. I’ll do the work that needs the bench while it’s out, then move it once. The bench is always free. Occasionally covered in cat hair, but free.

The P1 Max and the separate bench were a bigger spend than a pull-up bar and dip station. I use the extra options often enough that it made sense for me. If the only thing missing from your setup is a heavier split squat, I’d price a pair of dumbbells before a digital gym. If you regularly want loaded squats, rows and cable presses in the same room, a compact cable setup might earn its space.

How I’d fit a 30-minute home workout into a busy week

Pick two days you can usually count on and choose three movements before the session starts. With the basic setup I’d do a squat or split squat, a pull-up variation or band row, and a push-up or dip. With my cable setup I might do a Romanian deadlift, a row and a press.

Here’s how I’d use the half hour.

1. Use the first five minutes to get set up and do a few easy warm-up reps.

2. Spend about 20 minutes on the three movements. Start with two work sets of each and give yourself time to rest between sets.

3. Use the last five minutes to log your sets and put things back where you’ll reach them next time.

I train six days a week because I enjoy it and my setup makes it easy to get started. If you’re juggling work and dinner, two sessions you can put in the calendar are a good place to begin. Give them a few weeks. You’ll find out which movement needs more resistance and which piece of equipment can wait.

If you’d like help building a training plan around the space and time you have, tell me what your week looks like.