I recently shared Equipment Ideas For The Home Or Office Gym with a new husband/wife client team and followed with suggestions of which pieces of equipment I’d recommend getting first as they build their home gym. I’m a big believer in purchasing home gym equipment gradually and only as needed. My clients were probably relieved that I didn’t recommend several thousand dollars worth of equipment before they even break out into their first sweat. 

My new clients already have a few 3 to 12-pound dumbbells and I recommended they hold off on purchasing heavier ones ones until they decide if they really need them. With a little imagination a workout can be completed using only body weight for resistance, but to make things a little easier and to allow for more variety in their workouts, I recommended the following pieces of equipment. 

 

 

  • TRX Suspension Trainer:
  • Uses body weight as resistance
  • Provides excellent core workout
  • Provides total body workout with one piece of equipment

  

When I set up their workouts I’ll plan the majority of their upper body exercises using the TRX and for their lower body exercises I’ll combine lunges and squats with the Swiss ball and TRX. We’ll work their core while doing many of the upper and lower body exercises and I’ll be sure to have them do a few minutes of planking for good measure. This girl loves counting off thirty second intervals while having her clients do a variety of planks. 🙂

If you wonder how they’ll warm up without having any cardio equipment, don’t worry; I have plenty of little tricks up my sleeve that will leave them breathing harder than a ten-minute run on the treadmill!

 

  • Questions:
  • Do you workout at home or at a gym?
  • What’s your favorite piece of equipment – either at home  or at your gym?
  • How often do you strength train?