Posted on October 02, 2015 by Kate Halsall

Whether you want to admit it or, we’ve all at least thought about exercising in our own homes. Whether it’s an “innovative NEW piece of fitness equipment” that you bought from a shopping channel, the latest celebrity exercise DVD, or a saved scrap of paper containing an “at home” workout from a fitness magazine, we’ve all done it. Here at motive8 North, we also train personal training clients in their home and we also encourage everyone to workout at home if they can’t get to the gym or outside for a session. And whilst everyone has different goals here are our top 5 pieces of home exercise equipment.

Dumbbells or Kettlebells

We recommend a good range of dumbbells and kettlebells for a good workout, we’re not talking about having zillions of the things strewn all over the house but pick 2-3 dumbbells of varying ranges such as 8kg, 10kg, 16kg and this should do the job. Remember it is up to the professionals to structure your programme so we can still challenge your muscles regardless of what weights you have.

In reality we often find that people own one or two pairs and usually these range from 1kg to 4kg! Dumbbells don’t have to be expensive, there are sets which come with multiple plates so that you can add or take off accordingly especially if you need a wide range of weights.

Swiss Ball

The majority of us have one of these at home as we saw them on sale once and thought that it would come in handy! Unfortunately they probably never got blown up and now they’re gathering dust! They are great for core exercises, leg exercises and with some clients I use them as a bench replacement for chest presses and flyes.

Yoga Mat

If you have one of these, unless you’re a regular “yogi”, it’s probably in the same box gathering dust as the swiss ball! It wasn’t purchased to do yoga with, but with the inclination to do an abs workout at home! The key is that if you have space at home to roll out a yoga mat – you DO have space for a workout!

Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are cheap and cheerful and can be used for so much more than stretching! They are also portable so there are no excuses not to use them anywhere you go…..on holiday, in the park, working away, etc! Also, they all have different levels of resistance so you can vary the workout.

Skipping Rope

This is one of the best pieces of cardio kit there is. Not only does it make you relive your youth (I defy you not to skip like an 8 year old!), but its great for a quick hit of cardio and portable too! Combine this with a resistance band and mat and you can put a great home workout together.

Hopefully this has given you some ideas to help you workout at home.