But a gym or fancy home gym equipment isn’t always essential to get in a great workout. With just a few simple pieces of equipment, you can target every muscle group and get your heart pumping – all in the comfort of your own home or office.
Best of all, these items are easy to store and transport, so you can take your workout with you wherever you go. Whether that’s on work trips, staying in hotel or if you fancy a workout in the local park.
Ready to sweat? Let’s get started.
Resistance Bands
These versatile bands come in a variety of resistance levels, making them perfect for both beginners and experienced exercisers alike. Use them for everything from upper body exercises like bicep curls and shoulder presses to lower body moves like squats and lunges.
Resistance bands come in range of sizes and level of resistance. It’s important to choose the right band for your level of fitness and the right length for the appropriate exercise.
Example Exercises
a) Resistance band bicep curls – stand on the band with feet shoulder-width apart and hold one end of the band in each hand. Keep your elbows close to your body and curl the band up towards your shoulders.
b) Resistance band squats – step on the band with both feet, holding the other end with both hands. Lower into a squat position while keeping the band taut, then stand back up.
Our Recommended Resistance Bands:
Full Body Workout: Kobra Tech
Shorter bands for leg workout: Hybrid Bands
Jump Rope
Don’t let its simplicity fool you – jumping rope is an excellent cardio workout that will get your heart pumping in no time. It’s also great for toning your legs, arms, and shoulders. If you’ve never jumped rope before, start with a basic skipping motion and build up to more advanced moves like double unders and crossovers as you get more comfortable.
Example Exercises
a) Basic jump – start with your feet shoulder-width apart and jump over the rope with both feet at the same time. Land softly on the balls of your feet.
b) Alternate foot jump – jump over the rope with one foot at a time, alternating between the left and right foot.
Our Recommended Jump Ropes:
Lightweight jump rope: Beast Gear Jump Rope
Weighted Vest
Adding weight to your body during workouts helps to increase the intensity and burn more calories. A weighted vest is a great way to do this without having to lug around heavy dumbbells or plates. You can wear it while doing bodyweight exercises like pushups and squats, or even while walking or running outdoors. Start with a vest that’s 10% of your body weight and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger.
Example Exercises
a) Weighted push-ups – wear the vest and perform push-ups as usual. The added weight will make the exercise more challenging.
b) Weighted squats – wear the vest and perform squats as usual. The added weight will increase resistance and activate more muscles.
Our Recommended Weighted Vests:
Adjustable weighted vest: Bulldog Gear Tactical Adjustable Weighted Vest
Budget weighted vest: Reebok Unisex Weight Vest, 3KG
Ab Rollers
These handy little devices are great for targeting your abs, obliques, and lower back muscles. To use them, simply kneel on the floor and roll the ab roller forward until your arms are fully extended. Then slowly roll it back to the starting position. As you get stronger, you can add additional reps or sets, or try using one arm at a time for an extra challenge.
Example Exercises
a) Straight-arm rollout – kneel on the floor with the ab roller in front of you. Grab the handles and roll forward until your arms are fully extended. Roll back to the starting position.
b) Oblique rollout – start in a push-up position with one hand on the ab roller and the other on the floor. Roll the ab roller to the side while keeping your arm straight. Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
Our Recommended Ab Rollers:
Wide ab roller: ISOGYM Pro
Budget ab roller: Adidas Ab Roller
Foam Roller
A foam roller is essential for any at-home workout routine. Not only does it help to improve flexibility and range of motion, but it also aids in recovery after tough workouts by breaking up knots and trigger points in your muscles. Use it before exercising to warm up your muscles, or after working out to help relieve soreness. When rolling, focus on areas that feel especially tight or painful – you’ll be surprised how good it feels once the knots have been worked out!
Example Exercises
a) Quadriceps Roll: Sit on the foam roller with your legs extended in front of you. Place your hands behind you for support, and roll the foam roller up and down the front of your thighs.
b) Glute Roll: Sit on the foam roller with your legs bent and your feet on the ground. Cross one ankle over the opposite knee, and roll the foam roller over the glute of the crossed leg.
Our Recommended Foam Rollers:
Trigger Point Foam Rollers: Core Balance Deep Tissue Foam Roller
Hard Foam Roller: Beenax Foam Roller
Soft Foam Rollers: VLfit Foam Roller
Time Management Tips for Busy People
Sometimes your schedule just gets busy. It can be work, family or social commitments that can eat into your free time that you would otherwise be able to workout. The key is learning how to manage your time effectively. Make sure that you set aside specific times during the week when you can work out and stick to it! You should also be realistic about how much time you have available and not overcommit yourself so that you still have time for other activities. If going to the gym isn’t feasible for you due to lack of time or access then consider working out at home or even at work during lunch breaks or after hours. Routine and habit forming is a powerful way to keep you exercising consistently.
Using Apps For Effective Home or Office Workouts
There are plenty of apps and online tools available that make exercising easier than ever before. Using these apps can help structure your workouts so that they are more effective and efficient. There are apps specifically designed for home workouts as well as more general fitness tracking apps which allow you to track progress over time. These apps also give access to videos with detailed instructions on how to do exercises correctly as well as motivational messages throughout the day which help keep you on track with your goals!
Check out some of our app reviews:
Tune In To Your Favourite Youtube Channel
Instructor led workouts on Youtube can help you exercise anytime and anywhere. They provide videos with detailed instructions on how to properly perform various exercises. You’ll find videos of strength training, yoga, Pilates, HIIT, stretching, and more. With instructor-led workouts, you can customise your routine to suit your individual needs and goals. Plus, with the instructor’s guidance, you can be sure that you are doing the exercises correctly and getting the most out of your workout.
Here’s a few channels to check out for all levels of fitness, but also have a few workouts you can incorporate the equipment we have highlighted above:
- Fitness Blender: This channel offers a variety of beginner-friendly workouts, including bodyweight exercises, low-impact cardio, and stretching routines.
- HASfit: HASfit offers easy-to-follow workouts that are suitable for beginners. They offer a variety of workouts, including cardio, strength training, and yoga.
- POPSUGAR Fitness: POPSUGAR Fitness offers a range of workouts that are suitable for those who exercise casually or infrequently. The workouts include dance cardio, HIIT, and yoga.
- Tone It Up: Tone It Up offers fun and engaging workouts that are perfect for those who exercise casually. The workouts include strength training, cardio, and yoga.
- Athlean-X: Athlean-X offers intense workouts that are designed for advanced and regular exercisers. The workouts include strength training, cardio, and conditioning.
Workout Anywhere and At Anytime
With just a few key pieces of equipment, you can get in a great workout at home – no gym required! Resistance bands, jump ropes, weighted vests, ab rollers, and foam rollers are all affordable options that will help you target every muscle group while staying fit on the go.
Also, working out doesn’t always mean having a membership at an expensive gym; it’s possible to get fit anytime and anywhere using just a few helpful tips and resources along with some dedication towards achieving one’s fitness goals! By understanding that any space can become their own personal workout studio, busy people will find ways managing their limited free time better while utilising helpful apps and online resources in order to structure their workouts properly.
All this combined allows anyone interested in getting fit anytime and anywhere achieve their desired results without having to worry about getting to a gym or using expensive equipment.
