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Home Workout Equipment Recommendations

Aug 9, 2016

Home Work Out Equipment Recommendations
As mobile personal trainers we require equipment that we bring around to not take up a lot of space, be easily portable, and be able to be used in a versatile way. We wanted to dedicate this month’s blog post to our top recommendations for home work out equipment. So if you’ve been thinking about some items for your own home this list is a great place to start!
If you’ve been following our YouTube videos then you will already have a good idea of what items we use on a regular basis, but there will be a couple new items too!
1) A Sturdy Chair and/or A Kitchen Counter

Great news! Th

e first item is something you more than likely already own! A sturdy chair can be great to perform seated exercises on. There are a wide variety of exercises that can be done from the seated position. Additionally, if you struggle with balance having something sturdy to hold on to while performing your exercises can make exercising in your home safer!
2) A Yoga or Exercise Mat

Depending on the type of floor you have it can get slippery if you start to let sweat get on the floor. Not to mention hard surface flooring is not the most comfortable surface to lie or be on your hands and knees on. If you have carpet, rug burns may occur while doing a plank, or you may just not like the idea of letting sweat get rubbed into your carpeting on a regular basis. Either way a yoga or exercise mat is definitely one of the staples that we recommend everyone having as a part of their home exercise equipment supplies!
3) A Pair of Small – Medium size Dumbbells

Dumbbells are so versatile and having weights that allow you to work each side of your body individually are wonderful for preventing muscular imbalances. If you have limited space and choose to just get one pair of dumbbells try to choose a weight that you can lift in all different directions. It’s better to be able to perform all the exercises (even if the weight is light for some of them) than to not be able to work on your weaknesses because the weight is too much! Typically a set starting between 3-6 pounds each can be a great place to start!
4) Resistance Bands

We love resistance bands! They take up virtually no space and can be used for such a huge variety of exercises. If choosing just one style the long band offers the most options for use, but we love having both! Resistance bands come in a variety of lengths, amount of resistance (typically each brand has a colour-coding system that signifies which is easiest-hardest), and styles (some have handles while others are just the plain band). We would consider these a ‘high priority’ item to get if you are trying to decide which items to start with!
5) A Stability Ball

This is the last item on our list and a bit of a *bonus* item. We recognize that storing this may not be possible for everyone but it’s a great tool to have, if you have the room. Stability balls, as the name indicates are great for helping to build balance and stability. We definitely recommend getting a hand if you’ve never used one before though, ensure you feel 100% safe and confident using it before exercising alone with it!
We hope that you enjoy our advice and please let us know if you have any questions about this or other equipment!

Meg Stickl

Owner and Personal Trainer, AIM Fitness

Meg Stickl is an Older Adult Fitness Expert and the Founder of AIM Fitness- a local Ottawa Mobile Fitness Company specializing in Adults 50+.

Meg and her team love seeing their one-on-one Personal Training Clients gain strength and energy. Meg is passionate about sharing her knowledge about aging and fitness in the community, and she loves to travel to New York City and Jamaica!