Basic Home Workout Kit ... A Shopping List

You really DON'T need a gym!

I just got done writing a workout for an old friend who is coming over tomorrow to be trained on a trial-basis by yours truly... it was a challenge for me because I am used to using all of the equipment I have at home-- barbells, dumbbells, and now my brand-new BOSU ball being three big ones that I had to leave out for this workout. For good reason. I am so excited to have this challenge ahead of me. My client has considerable budget constraints that only permit her to work out with me 1-2x per month. Challenge #1. Challenge #2 was that my client only owned a yoga mat and a pull-up bar and again, due to monetary constraints could only invest a minimal amount of money on at-home fitness equipment. 

Kiss heavy things good-bye! I had to really get creative!!

After I customized her workout, I wrote down all of the equipment I used and calculated the total price of investing in all of the items on the list. It came out to about $54, not including tax!! Here is the list...

Basic Home Workout Shopping List

Sports Authority:

·      Lifeline brand resistance bands (2-3 different levels, test out) ($17 for two levels)

·      One set of handles (unless you want two for convenience) ($8 for one set)

Walmart:

·      1 stability ball  (pay attention to size according to your height) ($9 for one basic ball)

·      1 set of flat Pilates bands ($10 for one set)

·      1 set of Waxman sliding discs (NOT in fitness section… they are sold in a pack of four for moving furniture. Check hardware dept.)  ($10 for one set of 4 discs (sell the others... you only need two!))

Total = $54 + tax... so for the same price as your average gym membership, you can get an amazing workout with just a few pieces of equipment and your own unique body!

Now... I don't recommend just buying all this stuff, then coming home and expecting to work out and work out effectively with it. You MAY need to hire a trainer, or do some extensive research to figure out just what to do with this equipment... how many sets, reps, proper form, etc.

But it's worth it! Working with a trainer is often dubbed as over-rated; folks often adopt a "just do it yourself" attitude... which I can totally understand given the aptitude of the standard "I-studied-online-and-took-an open-book-online-test" cookie-cutter trainer. But if you hire a properly educated, passionate one, you can (literally) put money on your guaranteed success...  not to mention save lots of tedious research time and have lots of fun along the way! Don't get me wrong, though, effective workouts include lots of WORK and if done correctly, lots of BURN... in time, the burn will feel good, though, and you'll feel cheated when you don't get it!

The bonus of having minimal equipment in addition to saving money is this: CHALLENGE and FUN! Lifting heavy things and putting them down can get boring, for one, plus your body becomes accustomed to working only major muscle groups unless you really get creative with those "heavy things" ... consequently the smaller muscle groups, which are your assisting muscles and stabilizers, are often left out of the picture. Incorporating bands, stability balls, discs, etc. into your workouts challenges your body like NO OTHER and due to the added instability, small movements feel like big ones (especially when using items like the sliding discs and the s-ball). Simple moves like the lunge take on a completely different identity!

So... what are you waiting for??  Get out there and get fit!

Feature! Our [Current] Favorite Workout DVD

I'm sure that as time goes on, this will change, but since we purchased it, this is one workout that Ben and I revisit over and over again. We purchased it for $20 (which is a LOT considering all of Jillian Michaels' DVDs cost $10 or less...) this DVD offers so much variety, you could do it every day and achieve a different purpose!

There are four different focus areas:

• Legs
• Sculpting
• Boxing
• Cardio 

Each area contains four different segments, two of which are featured in the two "main" workouts. The DVD is part of the 30 Minutes to Fitness series, and there are about 20 premixes that allow you to focus on two or more of the areas listed above -- some examples include Cardio and Boxing, Boxing and Legs, or  Sculpting, Cardio AND Boxing... the list is pretty much endless. There is also a killer 6-minute abs section that can easily be tacked on to the tail-end of any of the mixes. You can do any of the 30 minute premixes OR, do every single exercise on the DVD for the ultimate one-hour burn. It is an incredible workout that we have used again and again. Kelly's accent is kind of funny, and we love the boxing segments!

 This DVD is an easy way to get in a full-body workout in just 30 minutes. And it's like having 20 workouts in one! You can buy it HERE. And GOOD NEWS -- the price has gone down to $13.49 since we purchased it! What an incredible deal!

Often while working out, we turn to face each other in the living room to encourage each other with how hard the other is working. This is especially helpful with hard cardio moves, like squat jumps and fast feet. Working out is one of our favorite things to do together--it is so good to know that my soulmate cares about his health as much as I do! And it's a lot easier to get out of bed and work out in the morning when you've always got a workout buddy!