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You may have seen some of those, primarily yellow, straps with which people hang on and do all sorts of exercises, indoor and outdoor. In the ’90s, a former Navy SEAL, Randy Hetrick, and his buddies were frustrated not being able to work out while deployed abroad. For machines like them, high-performance athletes in uniform, living without a gym was torture.
Randy found a Jiu-Jitsu belt in his combat luggage and put a knot into one end. He then threw it over a door and closed it, leaving him with a rope to hang on to and experiment with different exercises. The phenomenal success of this piece of equipment is based on its easy-to-use and fundamental but exciting exercise variety. I also use them regularly in my personal-training sessions, because they offer challenging and effective exercises.
Get one of these if you want to use your body weight to work out every muscle. I found that this is one of the few tools we can use to train our back muscles at home. They are the most neglected and often weaker body muscles, which results in bad posture and head, neck, and back pain. Make sure you get one that has a strap for the door and one to fix it to a bar or tree.
Dumbbells
One of the absolute oldest pieces of workout equipment is dumbbells. The ancient Greeks used an early version of them around 500 BC. You should get either adjustable dumbbells or several pairs of fixed weights. 2kg to 10kg is enough in most cases. There are already dumbbells with simple clip mechanisms to switch weights.
If you can only get 2kg, 4kg, etc., consider getting a pair of wrist weights, which let you increase the weight by one kg. Make sure you choose dumbbells with a rubber surface not to destroy your floor on the first day. Get higher quality ones because they don't have the rubber smell. If you choose adjustable dumbbells, make sure weights can easily be changed without needing other tools.
Yoga Mat
If you have ever trained at home, you will likely possess a yoga mat. The mat should not be too thin because you will need to have your body weight supported by your knees on the mat. Only a relatively thick mat will provide enough cushion to protect your knees.
1cm to 1.5cm thickness should be enough. A mat of about 50cm to 60cm in width is sufficient. If you want to carry it around, you will need a strap or a bag, which sometimes comes with the mat. Choose a mat that can easily be swiped, as you may need to clean it after outdoor workouts.
Elastic Ring Bands
To work your glutes, you need these elastic bands. Not only can you easily adjust the resistance, but they are also convenient to use in various exercises. All three glute muscles benefit from using bands in your workouts as they put tension on your muscles over a good range of motion.
I suggest you get different strengths, 5kg to 15kg for beginners and 15kg to 30kg for those more advanced. There are rubber bands and bands made of cotton and nylon, which I prefer because they are easier to put on and don’t break as easily.
Yoga Ball
Most likely, you want to train your core muscles and overall coordination. The yoga ball offers lots of flexibility in terms of core training exercises. It is, therefore, more suited for the slightly advanced trainee who can already do a regular plank on the floor.
The yoga ball can be used for leg exercises, core training, and even back exercises to improve posture. If you have space at home, you better get one.
These are my five picks of home workout equipment for women. If you have more suggestions or questions or want to train online or offline with me, feel free to contact me.
Wishing you a strong start into the year!
Coach Constantin
Personal Trainer in Beijing, Personal Training Peking, Fitness Trainer Peking, Fitness Training Peking
