3 Pieces of Equipment I Recommend To Get Bang For Your Buck Out Of Your At Home Workouts.

In our busy lives achieving consistency in the gym is not always easy, therefore at times circumstances require us to get our sweat on at home. I was asked by one of my girlfriends a few weeks ago what are the top 3 pieces of equipment she should buy, to utilise at home?  She's a mum of 3 young boys, has a husband that leaves super early for work and also works part time herself.  The little time she does have left over, she quickly runs out to my park sessions. However this isn't always possible for her and I totally get it.  Sometimes you just need to be able to work out properly in your own home.  So it had me thinking, what would I recommend for her? I wanted to it to be cost effective, so not necessarily the cheapest but best bang for her buck and it needs to store away easily and safely. 

So here's what I came up with:

1. Resistance Band.

This piece of equipment is so versatile, inexpensive and a great alternative to weights, not to mention they work your body in a completely different way too..  Resistance bands work similar to cable machines in that the resistance or tension on the muscle is constant, people often steer away from resistance bands because they can't completely tell how much weight they are lifting, you can only feel how much you are lifting.  However the same principles apply, if it starts to feel easy, then either  reduce the length of the band to increase the tension or move to a stronger band.  Another reason this piece of equipment is so versatile, is that unlike weights you can use from almost all directions, pull down, pull up, rotate, overhead, sideways. It also travels well so i you are inclined to want to work out on holiday.. pack the resistance band - it stows away easily, weighs next to nothing and you can do an all over body work out.

2. Y Bell

This piece of equipment is fairly new, and as far as I'm aware can only be purchased at Rebel Sport. However what's great about it again is the versatility.  You can potentially use this in place of dumbbells, a medicine ball, for some kettle bell moves, and of course as a Y Bell, which has a unique set of moves on it's own.  You can opt to use just one, for things like goblet squats, swings, any uni lateral move (single leg dead lifts, single bicep curls) or you can use two together to increase weight and increase the functionality, (dead lifts, shoulder presses, squat and press, front and lateral raises). The design makes it stable on the ground, therefore being able to use it for push up's also. This piece of equipment is a little pricier (starting at around $50 for an XS) However it's versatility for the range of exercises you can do with it, means you can essentially buy one bit of equipment instead of 4. Has it in my top 3 and makes for a great investment for your home collection.

3. Slam Ball

Last but not least and one of my favourite pieces of equipment, so probably why I have it in my top 3 when others wouldn't, is the slam ball. It's a little bit gritty, and not your traditional equipment but you can unleash your aggression and as mother, I love that!!  Slam balls unlike medicine balls are usually made out of leather and are squishy, so they slam in place, when you release them (no broken flat screens or pot plants).  You can choose a variety of weight's and some places will do a deal where you can purchase 2 or 3 different weighted slam balls for a package deal.  I love this bit of equipment to up the cardio component of any dynamic exercises. For example the obvious ball slam, adds that bit extra to a traditional squat or a hammer blow.  The ball slam works your shoulders, triceps, abdominals, quads, glutes, calves and back. Repeating the exercise will increase your heart rate and burn more calories. Or get more bang for your buck out of the traditional sit up by throwing the ball against the wall while you are on your way up. There are probably more versatile pieces out there, but for me, being able to get your aggression out with a ball slam while burning calories make's this a fun purchase.

So that's it, my 3 pieces I recommend if you want to up your at-home work outs if you're tight on space, short on time  & a mumma. They all store fairly easily, all are versatile, some pieces are more expensive than others, but all in all you can get a full body strength and cardio workout and won't be restricted to the same exercises over and over again.

Happy working out. 

AM x