Hi guys, Kris from Custom Fitness here, your personal trainer in Amarillo. Have you ever thought you want to workout, but the equipment options are overwhelming? Where do you even begin? I’m here today to talk you though my top 3 favorite piece of equipment. If you have any questions about these products or would like recommendations to help you achieve your goals, please give us a call at 806-322-3188 and our trainers would be happy to lend their expertise.
So you’ve started on your journey to self improvement; what got you here? Is it fat you’d like to lose or muscle you’d like to gain or perhaps health you’d like to maintain or improve? If you’re like the majority of humans, there’s something you’d like to achieve.
Having goals are a great thing as they can drive you forward. Having the mind to start is even better because without starting there will be no change. But knowing what to do, which equipment to use, and how to go about it all can seem daunting. No joke! When late night commercials tout their “revolutionary new product” with “guaranteed results”, but another commercial offers something similar…what do you do? With the slew of amazing resources at your fingertips these days, which direction do you go and what kind of equipment will you need to accompany this path?
Your goals will, certainly, be the focus when selecting equipment, but if it’s one of the goals listed above, you can at least start with some very basic ideas. During my time as a personal trainer in amarillo I have seen the fitness equipment industry across the nation become a place where people spend millions of hard earned dollars to have fancy clothes hangers called treadmills, the latest gizmo that’s yet to be proven and really just wasting space in our already crowded homes. Honestly, if you want to lose fat and gain muscle, increase your energy and enhance your health…it doesn’t take much. Here are our top 3 “pieces” that many clients are getting successful results from:
1. Your body!
Your body can do amazing things and if you just think outside the box a bit your body can be your number one piece of training equipment. How fantastic to not have the excuse of “I don’t have room for that”, or “I don’t have one of those”. Rather it’s with you every where which means that no matter where you are, you COULD be getting a super workout! I can hear the collective groan from here, but hear me out: The park, the office, that hotel you’re staying at, your backyard, they’re all opportunities to raise your heart rate and burn some calories while building some muscle. Using your own body weight to perform things like planks, squats, and burpees can make you stronger and help you break a sweat; anywhere, anytime.
2. Resistance bands
These are probably my next favorite due to their versatility, portability and ease of use. Take them anywhere. They’re light (a hefty third of a pound), they take up very little room and you have the option to use them attached or not attached to an external source. The workout you can get with bands is just as intense as with weights but provides less strain on the joints. Workout with these at home, outside, at the office, etc. and you’re sure to get a sweat on. The best part is that these bands offer so much versatility for which muscles you want to work: arms, legs, torso? Want to make the resistance stronger? They can do that too.
3. Hand weights
The most common option for the majority of people. Let’s address this one by gender:
Women– The sad thing is that most women seem to believe that they will bulk up if they lift weights. More often than not, when I ask a client what sizes they already own (because we believe in utilizing what a client already has), the women respond with “1’s, 3’s, and 5’s”. Ladies, first you WILL NOT bulk up like a man, we just aren’t built like that. Second, those weights aren’t gonna cut it unless you are doing some physical therapy type exercises. If you want true changes in your body and health, we have to up the ante a bit. Think 8’s and 10’s to start. (5’s are great to start if you’ve been inactive for a while but you’ll quickly plateau with them).
Men– when asked what is in their “equipment vault”, most men tell us they have “20’s, 25’s”, and sometimes even more. That’s great if you’ve been exercising but most of the time people keep/get these weight because either they “used to be able to” or they think they “should be able to” use that size. Truth is that anyone who is deconditioned (has not exercised recently) should choose a weight range that more accurately meets their current physical abilities whether their ego agrees or not.
Having 2-3 sets of dumbbells with different weights (or an adjustable set that ranges in size like those pictured above), should be plenty to start seeing some real results quickly.
There you have it, my top 3. Sure, there are plenty of “extras” that you could throw in to spice things up a bit, push through a plateau or just to add some fun to your routine but when we are taking about essentials. Having one or more of these top 3 pieces will easily take you to where you want to go. Pair them with an effective/efficient program and you’ll have results in no time. Need help figuring out how to use these equipment pieces or want us to design an exercise program that will get you results?please contact us at: info@customfitness.biz or 806-322-3188. We also offer nutrition counseling, and group classes and programs, to keep things interesting for you. If you have any other questions or would like more information please give us a call. At Custom Fitness we are YOUR personal trainers in Amarillo, Texas and we’re standing by ready to help. Have a great day everybody.