Best Equipment for Your At-Home Workouts
With so many types of home gym setups and workout equipment on the market, it may be hard to decide what to get if you want to start working out at home. There may be times when you’d like to begin a routine but get overwhelmed on deciding what to buy (and how to buy it), and then feel overburdened by the price. Fear not! We have a list of cost-efficient and multipurpose exercise equipment that will help you feel at ease with what you spend while being able to use your tools for more than one routine.
Balance, Medicine, and Yoga Balls
There are a few types of exercise balls out there, and choosing what kind will work best for you is easy once you know what type of activities you want to do.
Balls come in all shapes, sizes, and weights. If you are looking to do more heavy lifting, go with solid medicine balls; you will be able to hold these in your hands while you do a myriad of arm, ab, and leg exercises. The great thing is that most medicine balls come in different weights so you can work your way up, and if you find a deal on a boxed set, you can get three or more settings to grow into your workouts.
Balance and yoga balls come in different shapes and sizes. If you feel like you are going to use the smaller balls more, then it would be a good idea to invest in those. If you want to start trying out pilates at home, a larger, balancing ball will work best for you.
Weights
Just like medicine balls, weights come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The best thing to do is to determine what kind of workouts you’d like to start, and pick your weight sizes accordingly. Hand weights start with one pound and go up to holy-heaviness-Batman-how-do-I-lift-this?! The key is not to start with anything too heavy. Start small, and work your way up.
The nice thing about weights is that you can find a slew of exercises out there to work your chest, back, arms, and abs – and the only equipment required are the weights.
If you don’t want to get an exercise bench (and this is great news), you don’t have to. You can bend over and stretch on your couch, wall, floor, tables, or anything else that is stable enough to hold you. If you’re going to lie down, avoid going on the bed; you’ll want something solid under your back to provide stability and support for heavier lifting.
An alternative to weights, if you really want to be cost-effective and kind to the environment, is to fill gallon jugs with water and use those instead. You can also use unopened soup cans if you want to lift something a little lighter.
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are great for so many different exercises. There are few parts of your body that you can’t work out with resistance bands. What is equally awesome is that they come in different resistance thicknesses to give you a chance to grow into your resistance training (much like weights and balls). They also come in packs so you can buy in bulk and save money.
Yoga Mats
Oddly enough, yoga mats aren’t just for yoga exercises – they provide stability and cushioning for any number of workout routines. The exercises that a mat can support include push-ups, sit-ups, pilates, weight ball training, balancing, aerobics, and many other cross fitness routines.
Recumbent Bikes
The recumbent bike is considered a large piece of equipment. Still, instead of only being able to do one form of cycling exercise (like spinning), you can do a bunch of different exercises on a recumbent bike, including distance or speed training. These can be a great investment.
Getting into a healthy exercise routine can be easy if you have the right type of equipment at your house. The best thing to do is to figure out what kind of cross fitness routines you’d like to try (and keep fresh) and pick from the recommended equipment that you can use for multiple purposes.
Reach out to Bee Healthy Clinics for help on your health journey if you’d like some support – we’re always here for you!