Dave Gleason CSCS

If you think you need to spend thousands of dollars on gym equipment in order to get an effective workout from home - guess again. 

For right around $100 the professional staff at Perform Better will provide you with all the essentials for a tremendous in home workout.  As a full time in home personal trainer there are 4 pieces of equipment I rely on each and every day.

1. Exercise Tubing  All of my clients will attest to the fact there probably is not a single session that goes by without utilizing exercise tubing at least once.  Pulling, pushing twisting and squatting are done with this simple tool.  They range is resistance from 5 -- to over 100 pounds of resistance depending.  Exercise tubing is easy on the joints while still packing quite a punch of muscle fatigue. 

Not all exercise tubing is created equal -- The unique style and design of the LifeLine brand from Perform Better is Reliable with a capital R!  The manufacturing process is dipped (like a candle) not extruded (like making spaghetti).  This means if by chance there is a small tear or snag in the tubing it will not snap!  This tubing lasts for years and I use mine with 8 to 9 clients per day…5 days per week!

If you buy nothing else for your home gym…Get Tubing!

2. Stability Balls -- a 55 cm Stabililty Ball will really charge up your workout routines.  Not just for rehab or crunches any more.  There are literally 100's of variations of exercises to be done with a stability ball.  The good news is that every exercise your perform with a stability ball with activate muscles in the core.

Before you ask…yes your are correct -- not all stability balls are created equal either.  Most of my clients have kids or use their ball enough to put some mileage on it so I recommend a Gymnic Stability Ball Plus.  These balls can take an absolute beating and will last years compared to the cheaper versions you can find in discount stores.  These balls are also Burst Resistant which means if there is a small hole in it or if the ball becomes punctured while you are on it…it will deflate instead of exploding underneath you.

3. Medicine Balls  Another favorite of mine.  A 2 kg (4.4 pounds) or 3 kg (6.6 pounds) medicine ball is a very versatile piece of equipment to say the least.  It offers a way to move freely in all planes of direction (forward, backward, side to side, up and down, bending and twisting) while increasing or decreasing or increasing speed.  Sounds a lot like life doesn't it?  Exactly!  This ball bounces as well so if you exercise in your basement…there is an entirely new world of exercise and fun just waiting for you.

4. Body Weight -- Your body is an incredible and miraculous machine…PERIOD!  It automatically adjusts to speed, resistance, angles, base of support and any other factor you can throw at it.  It travels with you, you never have to "fold it up and put it under your bed or in the closet and it is always available.  There are hundreds and hundreds of body weight exercises that can be done by young and old, beginner to advanced and weight loss to weight gain!

Never under estimate the wonderful attribute of your body to get you in the best shape of your life!

These are without a doubt the 4 most crucial tools for any person who works out from home.  As a professional trainer these are the tools I use with my personal training clients every single day!