Exercise Equipment

Exercise equipment ranges in price from a few dollars to thousands. The equipment that you will need to complete most of my workouts is inexpensive and easy to get. In fact, most of the workouts can be done with no equipment besides your own body and perhaps a skipping rope or step.

So that is where we will begin. First purchase a good quality skipping rope. Dont go for a weighted one at first or you will get no where, but make sure you purchase something better than a toy shop model.

Secondly you will need a step. You can use the back step or a set of stairs at first. But if this is not available you an buy or make one. This will probably be the most expensive piece of equipment you will purchase unless you can make it yourself. I had a box made up especially for myself and my clients to use. It is simply made of plywood with pine supports and is sturdy enough for two clients to use together. About 12 inches or 30 cm (or a bit more) is about the height you will need. Make sure that the box/step is sturdy enough to stand heavily on and that it does not tip or wobble at all. It will have to be wide enough to stand on comfortably. Eventually you will be jumping on and off the box too, so it would be better to have it made sturdy enough for this in the first place.

The third piece of exercise equipment you will need sooner or later issome kind of weights. Believe me, if you are working out properly and regularly, it will be much sooner than later. I use adjustable dumbbells that I purchased from a sports store. You buy the 2 handpieces and purchase the weight plates seperatley. These type of weights will grow with you forever and are a lot easier to store than lots of different weight dumbbells. You will not be needing a barbell if you have adjustable dumbbells.


I also like to use a weighted medicine ball on some exercises, but this is optional. You can hold one or two dumbbells instead for most options in my workouts, but sometimes I like the feel of the ball for a change. The ball is easier to pass from hand to hand also. Medicine balls vary greatly in price, some have handles and some dont. Some even bounce. I have one with handles and one bouncy one. Each weighs from 4kgs to 8kgs and I use them both a lot when I workout and also with clients. They are great to throw to each other.

Stretch cords or bands are great and very easy to take with you if going away. The ones that you get for free with certain exercise videos are not much good. They dont provide enough resistance and tend to break quickly. Purchase good brand bands or cords from a sports store and you will get heaps of use from them.

An exercise mat is a useful piece of exercise equipment also. Especially if you are working out outside, your knees and elbows can often take a bashing. It is also nice to lay on for abdominal work if the ground is wet or very hard. Again, not a necessity, but very useful.

Cardio equipment such as treadmills, indoor bikes, cross trainers etc are not necessary for general fitness. You can skip, run, jump, crawl, lunge, hop, sprint, step up etc etc for great cardio. This is great, because it is cardio equipment that can cost the most. Also, a lot of the cheaper equipment is just that and will not get you very far once you have improved your fitness.

Kettlebells are a great item to have if you can afford them. You can do heaps of different strength exercises as well as high intensity cardio training with them. The way that the weight is placed is different to any other piece of equipment and they are great fun to use. I do lots and lots of training with kettlebells and highly recommend them once you have developed some base fitness.

For a great example of an exercise equipment free workout check this out, but remember, I will also provide plenty of free workouts for you on this website. Having said that, this is a great program if you wish to give it a try.

Free workouts from FitterFaster