Tuesday, December 10, 2013

The perfect Home Gym!

As a trainer to hundreds, the thing I see the most from my 'at home' clients is not having the right equipment to give them the results they are looking for. 

Here are the basics needed at home that will allow you to accomplish your fitness goals to sculpt your body perfectly. 

1. A high quality cardio piece of equipment.  ProForm www.proform.com or www.hsn.com (click on the video to see more) makes affordable yet high quality products that fold up and roll away saving space in your home easy.  It doesn't necessarily have to be a treadmill....an Elliptical, a bike, or a jump rope, are all great options to burn fat and get you in the best shape of your life. 

2. Balance Ball. Use either the curved or flat side of this multifunctional core training device to integrate balance into every aspect of fitness, sports performance, or rehabilitation, This is a great way to add versatility and challenge to an incredible range of activities: cardio, strength training, athletic and sport conditioning, core training, and mind/body workouts.  Variety is the spice of fitness and combined it with other equipment, this adds new, exciting elements to existing training regimens. 

3. Kettlebells. "Twice the workout in half the time". Who wouldn't want that! :) Kettlebells offer a wide range of full body exercises to help blast calories and get you in great shape from head to toe. Read more about the awesomeness of kettlebells here http://www.weiderfitness.com/wcsstore/Weider/Attachment/Kettlebells012010.pdf

4. WEIGHTS!!!! I can't stress enough the importance of strength training! If we want a fit looking, tight body, we MUST hit the weights.  I promise you will not get big or bulky.  The results of lifting weights is that of a beautiful, sexy, lean, toned, body. Focus on lifting heavy to add shape and keeps your reps at 10-15 reps per exercise.  You can find great strength training programs for women at www.thebellyfitclub.com.  This set is the bomb! The 50 lb. SpeedWeight Dumbbell Set is the ultimate in weight training convenience! You'll never have to buy another set of weights again! With a fast and easy adjustment, you can quickly select the perfect weight for each exercise.  Look at the space you'll save as well.  Everything is perfectly placed and fits great in a small space. 

5. A good Mat. Developed by yogis, Hugger Mugger offers a wide range of great yoga mats to fit any body. It's important to stretch after each workout to help prenvent injury and to increase flexibilty and range of motion.  When we are flexibile we are able to preform better and therefore we will see better results with other activities enhancing our performance daily. 

6. Workout Bands. Bands are great to take with you when traveling or on the go.  With this new innovative band called The Xfinity Band, now all you need is one great band offering you different resistant levels for strength training, yoga, and can also give you a great cardiovascular workout. 

7. A Stability Ball. Stability balls come in different sizes and you will want to purchase the best fit for your body height. 
4'11" to 5'4" height: 55 cm ball
5'4" to 5'11" height: 65 cm ball
5'11" to 6' 7" height: 75 cm ball

Core strength is the most important thing we need to develop before moving on to other phases of training. 
This exercise ball is great to replace a bench to strengthen your core, tone your upper and lower body, and improve your performance.

And there you have it! 7 of my favorites to have at home to train properly.  

by Kristie Belliston
NASM CPT 
WFS by NASM


www.thebellyfitclub.com