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The ideal home workout pack

Updated: Dec 2, 2020

At home or on the go, find inspiration for what to include in your ultimate portable workout collection.

Home workout equipment is evolving at an incredible pace and ever since the start of the first lockdown in early 2020, demand is on the rise too.


More and more people are valuing exercise above and beyond their usual commitments. Non traditional exercisers have started walking, sports enthusiasts have found more time to develop their abilities and even hard-core gym regulars and professional athletes have evolved to include more home conditioning within their programmes.


There is much to consider when building a home workout pack. For this article, we will assume the option for a full home fitness suite is not available (or affordable) and as such will consider some key simple needs for home gym equipment.


The ideal home workout equipment pack should be:

  • Space saving

  • Easily accessible

  • Versatile and multi-use or whole body effective

  • Portable

  • Safe and reliable

When you consider the list of kit needs to optimise your workout options, there are some great pieces of traditional equipment that may not be suitable or attainable. Large and very expensive pieces of cardio equipment, fixed resistance machines and weight racks are all permanent fixtures and require more than just a purchase of some kit that can be stored away when not in use. However, it is unwise to just buy small pieces of kit that may not deliver much effect for your workout efforts - being able to scale up your exercises and take your training into new and challenging realms is essential to see consistent results.


Equipment choices I would recommend include:


  • TRX or suspension training straps

  • Small collection of fixed weight dumbbells and/or kettlebells

  • A plyometric box step

  • Exercise mat

  • Variable and inter-changeable weight studio barbell and dumbbell set

  • Quality pair of training shoes

  • Skipping rope

  • Power flex band


TRX

Bodyweight training is great and can more than meet most needs for conditioning the whole body, however being able to manipulate the effect of gravity on your body angles takes this to another level.


With suspension training exercises, you can invert the body, incline and decline your actions, take partial weight bearing loads only and tease range of motion into new lengths. When you mix these exercise options together, effectively you have a very comprehensive ability to regress and progress all of your moves to meet your intensity needs and personal abilities whilst being able to really target the muscles and movement patterns you want to work on. A one-stop shop in exercise equipment and my number one choice for taking on the road or on holiday due to how lightweight and small it is.



DB's and KB's

You can't beat the versatility of loaded hand weights. With both dumbbells and kettlebells, the range of exercises that are available is vast, and as such these pieces of kit form a staple for the majority of exercise programmes (both home and gym-based).


The issue with hand weights however, is that in order to get the right intensity for your current needs and abilities, you may need a wide range of weight options. Freeweights are not cheap and as you would expect, they scale up in price as much as they do weight, so the heavier options begin to become quite expensive.


If price is a priority consideration, I would recommend buying single weights rather than pairs. It is simple enough to programme in alternate hand exercises and actually this can often increase the metabolic and endurance elements of your training. You will not be able to test your muscles with a load you do not have, so by only having a small weight selection available you may be limiting your potential for further progression.



Plyo step box

A 3-in-1 or multi-height step box is brilliant for providing a range of large joint movement approaches and will really enhance the options of both a TRX and dumbbell set further still.


High step ups are fantastic for the glutes, seated and bridge supported lifting patterns can really challenge the core and increasing your incline and decline options for all exercises really keeps your whole body integrated effect working hard.



Quality exercise mat

A mat is a mat at the end of the day, however ensuring you have something that provides an element of both cushionng and anti-slip functions is not to be underestimated. A decent non-slip mat gives you grounding in your exercises and gives you more comfort and confidence in performing certain floor-based movements and poses. My recommendatino would not be to spend excessively here, but do not avoid using a mat and make sure you are comfortable on the one you choose.



Home barbell and dumbbell set with inter-changeable weight plates

Range of equipment and accessibility for progression without spending a fortune and occupying lots of space is key for home training equipment. This is where the 'reps sets' or 'studio pump sets' come in and they are a fantastic piece of kit that I recommend to many of my clients.


When choosing a home barbell set, unless you plan to buy a rack, cage or bench set up, you do not need to pay for a full olympic or power lifting barbell and bumper plate set. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of high quality S&C competition grade plates and olympic bars, but these are far more specialist (and as such far too expensive) for what most people need at home. Instead, I recommend opting for a 30mm barbell and dumbbell set, where you can change the weights freely from as little as 2.5kg up to a maximum load of 100kg.


Man y home barbell sets come with bars that can only cater for 20kg maximum load capacity and also arrive with low quality collars and cheap plates. Whilst you do not need to spend excessively, I strongly advise that you ensure your bar will safely hold a decent weight capacity (I suggest 100kg load capability). Also have dumbbell handles that can work seamlessly with your same weight plates is a great combination as together your barbell, dumbbell handles and collection of weight plates will pretty much cover every exercise need you can think of whilst also giving you plenty of room for progression in weight/load over time. You need only buy the amount of weight you require to start your programme and then over time add to your collection as you develop in strength and as such spread the cost of your investment over time as well.



Training shoes

If you are purchasing new training equipment by means of conditioning and resistance kit, try not to overlook and forget the essentials such as footwear. Your feet are your grounding point and they hold your entire bodyweight during most exercise movements.


If you are starting a new running regime, invest in at least one new pair of shoes that match the shape of your feet (or go minimal/barefoot styled footwear if you are willing to work on technique accordingly too). You might even want to buy more than one pair and alternate between them to keep your feet looked after as you pound them during your training step by step. If you are cycling, I do recommend purchasing a pair of clipless pedals and shoes - if you haven't tried a pair before, you really don't know what you're missing and I promise you will never want to go back once you try them. Even for your weights and bodyweight conditioning, either barefoot on your mat or with a pair of minimally soled shoes will be a great need to allow your feet to move freely, connect with the ground and open up the nerve pathways between your toes and the rest of your body.


Skipping rope

Skipping is considered one of the most metabolic activities you can perform, especially for immediate effect anyway. Just 10 minutes of skipping can burn between 100-150 calories. A jump rope is also highly portable and very simple to bring into a training regime with some short, sharp intervals that can be performed almost anywhere (almost, not in low ceiling rooms). When choosing a skipping rope, select a speed rope rather than a weighted rope as this activity is a cardio dominant exercise and technique is key to your performance.



Power bands

Flexi bands and power bands are great lightweight and portable pieces of kit that can tease extra tension needs out of muscles during movements you may already be included within workouts. Perhaps raw weights and heavy loads are not to your favoured style of exercising and so being able to still add increased resistance loads via elastic resistance is a great option.


Together with a skipping rope and a TRX suspension trainer, flexi power bands form the perfect workout kit to take with you when you are travelling for your anywhere wellness needs.




After your kit choices have been chosen, the next step is to ensure they are working best for you.

Home fitness and wellness kit isn't limited to only workout tools, there are many other considerations and good investment choices that will add great value to your health, fitness and overall wellness lifestyle.


One of the simplest and yet most effcetive ways to ensure you achieve the results you desire, is to have an effective means of measuring your progress along your journey. Tracking and measurement devices are invaluable for an effective training programme and should be just as much a part of your home fitness kit plans as the workout gear itself.


Tracking equipment to support your wellness efforts should include:

  • Smart body scales

  • Activated phone health app or smart watch/device

  • Food scales

  • Measuring tape

  • Heart rate monitor

  • True wireless headphones

  • Fitness waist strap pocket


Find out more about the benefits and value of these wellness tracking devices and how to maximise self evaluation methods in my blog post: 'Measurements of success', coming soon.



 
 
 

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