Here's what I think is a great variety of inexpensive pieces of equipment to have for at home workouts:
1. Resistance Bands -- one lighter and one heavier resistance About $8-$10 each
These are great because they are compact and unlike weights you can vary your resistance right as you are doing an exercise by either tightening or loosening the slack. Plus you can work multiple muscles at the same time--so you save time as well. They can be placed under your feet, behind your back, hooked onto your foot, attached to a door knob, tied and placed around your ankles or thighs. There are attachments that allow you to attach them to a door frame. You can work your entire body with these in numerous ways.
2. Swiss or Stability Ball -- About $10-$15 each
I know that these take up some space, but they are one of my favorite pieces of equipment. Just sitting on one forces you to engage or core--otherwise you'd fall off! You can sit on them while you do resistance work (or even working or just watching TV), lay on them frontward, backward and sideways for great core work, stand against a wall with it behind you while doing squats and lunges ,or put them between your legs for inner thigh work--they are very versatile. Just make sure you buy the right size ball for you--they generally go by height, but also take the length of your legs into consideration. Your knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle while sitting on the ball--if it's more than that, the ball is too small, if it's less, the ball is too big.
3. Jump rope--weighted or a speed rope -- Anywhere from $1.00 (at dollar store) -- $10.00 for a more athletic or weighted rope
Another compact piece of equipment, a jump rope is great for interval cardio work. Jumping rope fast for just 60 secs can burn 20 calories--that's for just 1 minute! If you add in some strength training during your rest time and do 10 intervals--you can burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time. If you are jumping as fast as you can with a weighted rope--you could burn more. If you don't have a rope, you can pretend, but it's really not quite the same.
4. A Yoga Mat -- These can run anywhere from $7.00 up to $30.00 depending on what "brand" you get or how thick they are
This type of mat does not provide a lot of cushioning, but it's texture provides a sticky surface for you to do exercises that require balance and gripping of your feet. When doing Yoga or Pilates, you are generally bare foot. This allows you to use your feet/toes to grip and feel the ground as you do balance work and poses and other exercises like side planks. If placed on top of a carpeted area, it makes a comfortable spot to do supine (laying face up on your back) exercises and stretches.
5. Dumbbells -- One set light, one set heavy -- usually around $1.00 or $2.00 per pound
Another piece of resistance equipment, dumbbells are another favorite of mine. Again, they don't take up a lot of space and they can be used in so many ways. I recommend one set of lighter weights and one set of heavier because not all of the muscles in your body are created equal. When I say one light set and one heavy set--it varies from person to person. It may mean one set of 3 lbs. and one set of 8, or one set of 5 lbs and one set of 10--generally you want the heavier weights to be double the lighter ones. While doing squats or chest presses, you'll want to use the heavier set because these are bigger muscles. During tricep or upper back work, you'd want the lighter weights. Plus, it's important to train for strength and endurance. For strength training, the regime is heavier weights, less reps, for endurance training, it's lighter weights, more reps.
6. The right workout shoes -- Prices really vary here--go with the right shoe for the activity with the best fit for your foot.
I posted about this a couple of weeks ago. Please make sure you are using the right shoes for your workout. They should have the right support. Just because you are working out at home doesn't mean you are supposed to do your workout in your jammies and slippers!
7. Kettlebell -- $10.00 -- $30.00 all depends on the weight
I recently added one of these to my own home gym and I love it! The one I bought is 10 lbs. I got it at Menard's for $10.00. I'd like to get a 15 pounder, but this is good for now. I do have to say, if these are used incorrectly, you can have some issues--especially with your back. When you are doing swings, the move needs to come from your legs, glues and momentum same with the jerks and cleans--these are names of specific moves done with the kettlebell. Fitness Blender has a number of great kettlebell workouts on their website and YouTube channel. Watch the entire workout first before trying to attempt it.
The next 3 are absolutely free!
8. Your own bodyweight
This one should actually be higher on the list, but I wanted to put the free ones together. Using just your own bodyweight, you can work out your entire body. Squats, lunges, push ups, tricep dips, planks just to name a few are some of the simplest, more effective exercises you can do.
9. A staircase
If you live in a ranch, well, skip this one. Just like the jump rope, a set of stairs can be used during an interval training workout. Whether it's a set of 15 or just 1 step, going up and down as fast as you can for 30-60 secs will rev up your heart rate and help you burn a ton of calories. The lower stair can also be used to modify planks and push ups if doing them on the floor is too challenging (placing hands on stairs), on the other hand, you can make these moves more challenging by placing your feet on the bottom stair, adding an incline to the exercise.
10. A sturdy coffee table or chair
These can be used for all kinds of exercises including tricep dips, hip dips, modified push ups, and planks to name a few. You can also use the chair when doing balance training until you get strong enough to let go and balance on your own.
Well, there you have it, my top 10 pieces of home gym equipment for not a lot of $$$$ The best time to buy these? Around the holidays and right after--think New Year's resolutions--they are always on sale then.
This piece of equipment is in my future:
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