Here are some of the pieces recommended to have for in home training. To purchase these items click on their corresponding photos to connect to our affiliate site.
If you are unsure of what to purchase please contact us at stacy@stacyyoshioka.com for a home visit and personalized recommendations tailored to your needs.
Let’s start with the basics...
KETTLEBELLS
If I were to recommend just one piece of equipment it would be a kettlebell. This multi-functional implement comes in many different weights and is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment on the market. It can be used as a basic weight, a medicine ball and the “U” shaped handle creates a fluctuating lever arm to make all of your exercises more challenging for better, faster results. If you are set to only buy one item to begin training this is it! They also make great door stoppers.
HEART RATE MONITORS
Personal training will help strengthen all of the muscles in your body and that includes your heart! Many of you do cardiovascular exercise but don’t really how intensely you are working or at what intensity you should be working. Every client will receive cardiovascular “homework” to help you achieve your results and a heart rate monitor can help. Some will merely show you what intensity you are working out at and some will record your workouts, store them and can even be uploaded to your computer or an online site. If you are looking for a fool proof way to monitor your progress invest in a heart rate monitor and put all the guess work behind you.
YOGA MAT
Most sessions will end with ab work and a short stretch. While an exercise mat is useful for both of these tasks, a yoga mat is thinner, takes up less space and can be stored easily in a closet. Also remember that all new clients get a free consultation with our sister company YoshiYoga! If you are a yoga client click the photo to the left for a full range of yoga accessories!
THE STICK
After a good workout you are bound to have some tightness of the muscle groups worked and what feels better than a great massage on sore tired muscles? Take some down time and roll over those muscles with “The Stick - Self Roller Massager”. Taking up less space than a foam roller you can roll “The Stick” up in your yoga mat to store out of site between sessions. I keep mine under the couch to roll out sore muscles while winding down with a good movie, my husband and my dogs.
IF YOU HAVE A LITTLE MORE SPACE.......
DUMBBELLS
If you decided against a couple of kettlebells or you need something weighting less than 4kgs (approx 8lbs) a set of light dumbbells can be your solution. Ranging in weight from 1lb pairs to 15lbs pairs, these can be purchased in neoprene black or brightly colored and vinyl and can be easily stored in a closet. These make pretty good door stoppers too but the kettlebells are still better.
JUMP ROPES
Most people forget the value of the things we did as kids and jumping rope is a great cardiovascular form of exercise! Go ahead, try to jump rope for 5 minutes straight. It’s harder than you remember isn’t it? Best of all, they are easily stored in a drawer or hung in a closet.
DISC PILLOWS
Once you build your base of strength with your training, it’s time to turn it up a notch and challenge your stability! Disc Pillows can be used to give you an unstable base of support for seemingly simple exercises when you want to make them more difficult. They can also be used to allow for a fuller range of motion during spinal extension during abdominal exercises.
FOAM ROLLERS
Similar to “The Stick” a foam roller will assist you with massaging out all of your tight sore muscles by increasing blood flow to the affected area. Foam rollers can also be used to add an element of instability to torso exercises and are an effective tool to assist with stretching. I recommend the 3’ long, 6” round roller. Word of advice? Take it on your weekend ski trips and roll out after your first day on the slopes. You’ll be happy you did when you hit the slopes on day 2!
STABILITY BALLS
If you have the space to store it (or you want to get rid of that home office chair and invest in a chair that will help you work on your posture as you sit at your desk) you might want to invest in a stability ball. These can be used for abdominal work, stability work and flexibility work. They come in various sizes for use with people of all sizes. Plus, they are really fun to roll around on!
BANDS
Bands are a good compact substitute when you are lacking a fancy cable column at your overpriced gym. While the resistance curve is different than that of dumbbells, cables or kettlebells, they are a good tool to have around when you need to change up your routine and challenge the body in a different way. They can be held by a partner or secured to a door frame. For a single band with the ability to change to 3 different resistances click the picture to the right.
