Personally, I hate getting out of breath. Unless you unleash a hungry lion behind me, you’re highly unlikely to make me run.
Which makes the fact that resistance training is still the king of exercise a wonderful bonus for me.
I believe the times are starting to change for exercise. More and more people are starting to learn of the benefits of resistance training for all round health and fitness.
But this doesnt mean that you suddenly have the time, or inclination, to go to the gym, so if you want to give resistance training a go, how can you get a good resistance workout at home?
The first thing to say is that you absolutely do not *need* any equipment at all in order to burn fat and improve your body shape – especially if you’re just starting out – but I know having a bit of kit to play around with makes things more interesting.
If you’re going to have a play around with resistance training and you really don’t have any idea where to start, please get in touch – I’d be delighted to show the right exercises for you, how to do them without getting injured, and help you put the right workout together to get you the results you’re looking for.
Resistance band loop
These are just long rubber loops in various strengths which can be used for everything from mobility and corrective exercise to strength work. They allow you to do a huge variety of exercises and make a handy addition for working your core when you attach them to your bannister. Plus they’re easy to store away when you’re not using them.
Kettlebell
A kettlebell is a pretty versatile piece of equipment; if you choose the right weight, you’ll be able to use just one for both strength and aerobic exercises, and, like a suspension trainer, it’s able to help you work parts of your body which are difficult to work with just bodyweight.
You don’t need to do all the swinging around you’ve probably seen people do, especially not at the beginning, but you can use it just like a normal weight. It hides behind the sofa nicely when you’re not using it, and it allows you to move to more advanced exercises once you’ve mastered some basics.
Suspension Trainer
This is essentially a long piece of material with two handles on one end and an anchor on the other end. You close the anchor into the top of a door in your house, then use the straps to do various exercises. They’re a good option to use as a beginner, and also great to allow you to progress to more complex exercises when you’re ready.
Sliders
These probably aren’t a beginner option, but they make a fun way to progress simple exercises if you don’t have a variety of weights at your disposal. You can use them for leg exercises, core exercises and some pretty tricky upper body exercises too!