You might be a regular at your local gym, but purchasing equipment to use at home too is a solid investment. Everyone has days in which they’re pushed for time; maybe inclement weather or traffic means you’re unable to get to the gym. Perhaps you had to work late at work or leave early in the morning. While you might not have the time to drive to and use a public gym, when you have equipment at home you never have to miss a workout.
Even a quick twenty minutes is better than nothing, and when you don’t have to physically travel anywhere to do so, it’s a great option when you’re pressed for time. No need to ruin your workout plans! Another great thing about working out at home is you could go for equipment that’s either not in your local gym, or you wouldn’t ordinarily use; this helps add variety to your workouts. Here are a few things you could purchase.
Kangoo Jumps
These low-impact rebound shoes allow you to bounce for a heart-pumping cardio workout. They were originally developed for joggers, runners, and athletes, to help reduce the impact associated with vigorous athletic activity. But as well as just running they also provide a fun plyometric exercise. If you’re looking to try something new, this could be it!
Trampette
Another fun way to bounce your way to fitness is with trampette. As well as being a nod to childhood days, it offers an amazing cardio workout. It has also been shown to be good for the lymphatic system, help with back pain, improve balance and even reduce your chances of being injured jogging or running. This is because impact injuries are avoidable in 80% of cases, and using a trampette can help to prevent this. There are routines you can follow on Youtube which are suitable for even the super fit.
Xbox Kinect
The Kinect is more than just a device for entertainment, brands such as Nike have released various exercise activities you can do on them. Even if you just use it for a warm up or warm down, it’s a fun and slightly different way to get your body moving than what you would usually opt for at the gym. You’ll probably already have a TV in your home gym, so it’s just a case of plugging in a console, and it takes up no space at all.
Grappling Dummy
Grappling is a great workout, but you can still reap the rewards of this exercise even if you don’t have another person to practice with. A grappling dummy can help you to perfect your moves and technique, and will also improve your strength as well as fitness. Grappling sports such as judo and jiu-jitsu have been shown to have plenty of psychological benefits; studies have even shown them to aid in sleep and improve depression. Providing you have the floor space, it’s an excellent addition to your home gym.
Battling Ropes
The aim is to undulate these thick, heavy ropes up and down or side to side quickly. Your arms wave the ropes which offer a killer upper body workout, but you’ll often squat with your legs and generate power from your core too, meaning it’s a great full body workout. These have grown in popularity over the last few years, but if your local gym doesn’t have them, they’re perfect to use at home.
Weighted Vest
If you’re already incredibly fit and it takes a lot to physically tire you out, you can amp up your home workouts with the use of a weighted vest. You can adjust the weights depending on your current level, slowly making it heavier as you continue to improve. It takes up hardly any space and isn’t expensive. It allows you to do basic bodyweight exercises again which you might not get much benefit from normally, as your fitness level is too high. Weighted vests also helps to switch things up and make exercises challenging, while keeping your hands free.
Multi Gym
Finally, a multi gym is always a good addition since it allows you to do a range of different exercises in one spot. You can get budget models without spending much, or even check out a local classified site to see if anyone is selling cheap or giving one away. They range all the way up in price to thousands, so there’s something for every budget.
I completely agree that grappling is great exercise. I just started at a MMA gym and grappling really zaps the energy out of you!