I decided to start a new segment on the blog called “Friday Faves” where I share some of my favorite things with y’all! This week I’m focusing on my favorite home workout equipment.
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I haven’t had a gym membership for almost two years, and that’s not only saved me a beaucoup of money, but I actually enjoy my home workouts better than I ever enjoyed working out in a gym. When I went to college, I would run/walk or drive to the Rec on campus, because I paid for it in my tuition and fees and it was convenient. They had plenty of toning and cardio machines to choose from (my favorite was the elliptical), free weights galore and an area upstairs where I liked to do my toning circuits. However, when I moved home with my family for my senior year, I was too far away to workout at the Rec on campus and too cheap to buy a membership at a gym in my hometown. So I spent some of my birthday and spending money on a pair of free weights and a workout mat, and have slowly grown my home workout equipment since then.
I know I’m never going back to paying for a gym membership. There are so many videos out there for workouts you can do at home, and with the small gym here at my apartment (with ellipticals, stationary bikes and a treadmill), I’m set!
So here are some of the workout equipment I use on a very regular basis. I would love to someday have a room in my apartment or house dedicated to a home gym, but for right now it’s all in a corner in my living room. But with these essentials, you can do almost any workout and save hundreds of dollars a year by getting your sweat on at home. It takes some investment at the beginning, but it’s so so worth it in the long run!
Dumbbells
These are absolutely essential for almost any workout! I use 5 lb and 8 lb dumbbells, and they work great. Someday I’d love to have a whole set of them, but for now these two weights are all that I need.
Workout Mat
I love this workout mat, because it’s so squishy. Most mats I’ve come across are thin and just serve as a barrier between you and the ground, but this one is thicker and softer, which I love for workout moves that require you to lay on your back. Call me the Princess and the Pea if you want, but your back will thank you later.
Kettlebells
I love kettlebells! They are so fun, and they make it easy to incorporate some cardio in with your toning workouts. Just be careful about dropping them… You just might make your husband jump off the couch and scare your dog. Not that that’s happened to me before!
Resistance Bands
These bad boys are perfect for traveling or adding an extra dimension to your workout. They are lightweight and easily stuffed into a bag (hence why they are great for going on trips), and they can be used with almost any workout move to add some extra toning in. Bonus: they are cheap and don’t take up much space at all.
Mini Bands
If you are looking for something to help with fine toning, these mini bands will do the job, especially if you are wanting to target our glutes and hamstrings. They are also very lightweight and small, which make them perfect for traveling and storage.
Exercise Ball
This ball is great for adding a level of fun to a workout. You can do so many different toning moves with it that you can’t do with anything else and you can look like an idiot trying to balance on it while flailing around like a crazy person, wondering how the girl on the video can look so poised. But really though, this ball is great for ab and booty workouts and I personally like that it’s squishy and bouncy.
Bonus: Workout Videos
I mentioned above that I use workout videos when I get my sweat on! Over the years I’ve tried out many different things, like Pinterest workout circuits, random Youtube videos and so on, but my favorites are the videos from toneitup.com and BeachBody.
I love Tone It Up, because Karena and Katrina are so fun, bubbly, pretty and make me wish I was on the beach with them. Their videos are high quality, they use different moves all the time (so you don’t get bored), and they post a weekly workout schedule on their website every Sunday that I follow. It makes working out fun and easy! Most of their videos are free (score!), but they also have DVDs and exclusive videos for sale. They are worth the investment, I promise.
BeachBody is the company behind P90X, Insanity, 21 Day Fix, 22 Minute Hard Corps and about 20 other programs. I have done the 21 Day Fix and 22 Minute Hard Corps programs and their videos are short (30 minutes and 22 minutes respectively), tough and effective. These videos are different from the ones from toneitup.com, because they are in a more traditional workout video format (in a gym, with a trainer and people working out) and well… they yell at you (I’m such a baby). I prefer the Tone it Up videos, but these are great if I’m wanting to mix things up a bit.
What is your favorite workout equipment? And which do you prefer… working out at home or in a gym?
I love and use all of these! I agree, I would never pay for a gym membership with all the great workouts I can do at home. However, I do love classes and get excited from working out with a group. The energy from group classes really pushes me to the next level. :) Great post!
I agree!! I love going to classes to mix my workouts up and it’s a great way to spend time with friends sweating it out. But just paying to use weight and cardio machines at a gym isn’t my cup of tea… I would do the same things there that I do at home!
Thanks for stopping by Jessica!
I’ve been wanting to get those tone it up mini bands! They look like they would give a great workout!
Oh yes!! They are killer. I’m so glad I finally got them! Thanks for stopping by Kairin!
I have a home workout area and I’ve got all this equipment but I need to get some new resistance bands because mine are getting too old and I’m afraid they will break! And the mini bands look great for doing squats and other exercises for my hamstrings.
Oh I’d be scared too! Good thing is they are pretty inexpensive to buy. And YES! The mini bands are perfect for squats and leg abductions.
I dropped my gym membership at least a year or so ago, and you’re right, once you acquire a few of the essentials you really don’t miss it! I’ve done really well with just a mat, hand weights and medicine ball. :)
That’s awesome Allie! I don’t regret it a bit. Thanks for stopping by!
I love my gym membership because it has been so convenient and sometimes I’m able to fit a workout in after work, but before picking the kids up from their activities. I do also love having some of the equipment to workout at home when I can’t make it to the gym or when I want to do a little extra while watching TV. I have everything you’ve listed except for the kettlebells. I’ll have to try those out. My goal is also to eventually have a separate workout room instead of having my equipment piled in the corner :)
That’s great that you’re able to squeeze some workouts in at your gym! There are none close to my home or where I work, so it’d just be an extra out of the way drive to go anywhere! And get them!! I love my kettlebells. :)
I love working out in studios but it gets so expensive. For home workouts, I love doing the ones from Beachbody or Popsugar fitness. I keep adding to my growing collection of workout stuff and a few of the items on your list are on mine to buy – such as the kettlebells and stability ball. I’ve got most of the other items already!
That’s awesome, Pam!! I need to checkout Popsugar. I’ve seen a lot of people who do their workouts. And you won’t regret the kettlebells… They’re great!
I love this post…I am now looking at working out on my own too instead of signing up for a gym/exercise package… I used to go to a women’gym last time but under utilized my package so its such a waste of money…Thanks for the post!
I’m glad you liked it! I think that working out at home has been a great decision, because I don’t throw money down the drain and I’m more likely to get it done when I don’t have to go anywhere to workout haha. Thanks for stopping by!
Great choices. I love my dumbbells and resistance bands. I do love going to the gym, though. I love being in an exercise class, rather than just doing the DVD. I love my instructors.
I agree, Shann! I love going to exercise classes, and that’s the only thing I liked about having a gym membership. Luckily, though, there are so many boutique studios popping up now so I can still sweat it out with real live people and have fun!