Add variety to your home workout with some simple pieces of equipment, and get inspired by the latest home kit.
One of the great things about home exercise is the huge range of affordable equipment available. Gone are the days of masculine home gyms, and in their place is a host of female-friendly equipment. You don’t need to spend a fortune, just a few key pieces can help boost your workout results. Here’s how to use the essentials.
Dumbbells
Using dumbbells is the perfect way to sculpt your body. Unlike using weights at a gym, where your body is static (sitting on a bench with your back supported, for example), using dumbbells for resistance work means you engage your stabilising muscles to keep upright.
If your budget can stretch to it, select two different weights, so you can gradually progress and challenge different muscles. Alternatively, buy a stack of weights, ranging from 3–12kg, for a complete home gym that takes up the same space as two shoeboxes.
You’ll know you’re using the correct weight when you have exhausted the working muscle in the last repetition of a set of exercises. As a general guide for upper-body exercises, start with 3-5kg. To add resistance to lower-body moves, such as squats, try 8–10kg. Remember, muscle burns more calories than fat, so pick up those weights!
Mat
A decent mat is your first investment, as it will cushion your spine when doing exercises that involve lying on the floor. It will also provide a non-slip surface for yoga and Pilates, and protect your carpet from all that sweat you’ll be producing!
Kettlebells
Looking like small balls with a handle attached, these weights originate from Russia, first appearing in a Russian dictionary in 1704. Some kettlebells may look a little masculine and scary, but these weights give an incredible workout. Many of the exercises are based on a swinging movement, which makes you engage your core stabilising muscles to help control the momentum. You’ll quickly feel your heart rate pick up, so it’s a great form of cardiovascular training as well. On rainy days, you could do a kettlebell circuit instead of a run and boost your strength, too.
Before using kettlebells at home, it’s worth attending a class to learn good technique to avoid injury and muscle soreness. Start with a 6–8kg kettlebell.
Resistance Band
This is perhaps the simplest piece of resistance kit there is! The stretchy band, made of elastic rubber or latex, weighs virtually nothing and can fold up in the palm of your hand – perfect if you live in a small flat or travel frequently.
The band can be used in place of weights to perform regular exercises, such as biceps curls and triceps extensions, as well as the moves shown in this special section.
Using a band builds muscle tone and strength and, because of its elasticity, your muscles will be challenged as they contract and lengthen. The closer you hold it to your moving limb, the stronger the resistance.
When holding the band, make a fist and keep your hands in line with your arms, not letting your wrists flex or bend. Always keep your shoulders away from your ears.
A medium-strength band is a good starting point, or you can use an exercise tube with handles if you prefer.
Medicine ball
A medicine ball is the size of a basketball, but usually weighs between 3–9kg. It can be used for traditional weightlifting exercises, or you can use it explosively to create speed and power. For example, perform a sit-up with a partner and, as you lift your head and shoulders, explosively throw the ball from your chest to your partner. Your partner throws it back and you catch it as you lower your shoulders back to the floor with control.
Cardio
Technogym Run (£10,340, technogym.com)
Designed for high-intensity interval training, this ‘HIIT treadmill’ has a shock-absorbing belt and uses inertia to mimic a 55kg sled – just hold the handles and push!
Zwift Ride with Kickr Core (£1,199.99; uk.zwift.com)
This bike comes with a Kickr Core Trainer and Zwift-ready frame, plus gradient changes, navigation buttons and a place for your phone (or tablet holder for £39.99).
Mirafit 3in1 Wooden Plyo Jump (From £59.95, mirafit.co.uk)
For the stylish home gym, this wooden plyo box helps build speed, endurance and explosive strength. Choose from various sizes, including this 16/20/24” option.
Core sliders (£9.99, amazon.co.uk)
Add some space-saving sliders to your workout routine and turn simple bodyweight moves, such as reverse lunges, pikes and knee tucks, into lung-busting cardio exercises.
Strength
Vuori x Bala Bangles (£60, vuoriclothing.co.uk)
Up the ante of your home workout by attaching these bands to wrists or ankles. They’ll add resistance to bodyweight moves such as donkey kicks and leg lifts. It’s just an added bonus that they look so stylish strewn across your couch.
Technogym Bench (From £1,450; technogym.com)
We love Technogym’s bench, and this option is one of 40 crafted by designers and artists. On September 24, 15 will be auctioned in collaboration with Sotheby’s at Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan, the further 25 will be sold online for £7,000.
Mirafit Climbing Peg Board (£69.95, mirafit.com)
Build lat, biceps and grip strength with a wall-mounted pegboard that’s great for climbers and obstacle-course racers alike. Try dead hangs or pull-ups. This good-looking option can be mounted vertically or horizontally, and comes with two pegs.
Recovery
Power Plate DualSphere (£99.95, fitness-superstore.co.uk)
Why head to the sports masseuse when you can knead out knots at home? This contour-shaped tool provides a targeted massage that can pummel those hard-to-reach areas.
Sweaty Betty Flow Yoga Mat (£45, sweatybetty.com)
Stretch, do yoga or try core moves on this latex-free, consciously made mat. There’s a different pattern on each side for different levels of grip. Clever.
Onyx Yoga Set (£125.96, onyx-fitness.com)
Elevate your interiors with this stylish yoga set. Including a non-slip mat, two yoga blocks, set of ankle weights and yoga ball, it’s perfect for balancing the body.
Domyos Pilates Elastic Resistance Band (£4.99, decathlon.co.uk)
Great for workouts as well as post-workout rehab, this stretchy band can add length to hamstring, upper-back, inner-thigh and even quad stretches.
