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Everything you need for an at-home gym that doesn't take up much space

A handful of small items are all you need to give your workout a bit of a boost.
February 2, 2021 3:15 p.m. EST
February 2, 2021 3:15 p.m. EST
Sportswoman exercising with resistance band. Female with working out with elastic band on pink background. Sportswoman exercising with resistance band. Female with working out with elastic band on pink background.

Setting up a small home gym doesn't need to take up a lot of space or cost a lot of money. Fitness expert Samantha Montpetite-hunh shares her tips for getting in amazing shape without any complicated equipment. Here are her essentials for at-home workouts that target the entire body: 

Yoga Mat

Now that many are working out from home, you need a good foundation. Having a good yoga mat has many benefits. Look for one with a good grip to avoid slipping during yoga. A proper yoga mat helps with balance and stability while also providing support for joints. 

Ab Wheel

It may look gimmicky, but it's actually a great way to add some spice and up your ab routine. Dual handles help with stability and allows you to work through different ranges of motion. The fluid plank motion targets all three layers of the abdominal wall which gives you an incredible core workout. And as an added bonus, the movement helps to strengthen arms and shoulders too! 

Pushup bars

These are a great alternative to traditional pushups for people with weak wrists. It brings the floor up to you and the grips help to support your wrists which can alleviate pressure because you're not hyper-extended. Plus it's small and light weight for easy storage no matter how much or how little space you have. 

Ankle weights

Here's a super easy way to add weight to your lower body routine. If you’re recovering from injury or haven’t started a workout program yet, just strap these out and make your walk a strength walk. They are a simple and safe way to add onto your body weight exercises such as leg lifts, walking lunges etc.

Booty Bands

A great way to work those glutes! Easy and simple way to add more load to the working muscles. Just wrap around your legs, just above the knees, for squats and leg lifts, and wrap around your ankles for standing leg lift

Resistance tubing

A simple tool that can give you a full body workout. These ones have handles for easy grip and comes in different levels of resistance. You can hold both handles and do bicep curls, wrap it around your feet and do a back row, and wrap it around a bannister and do chest press, and so much more. 

Therabands

These are typically used in therapy or rehab but can be sued for exercise as well. A big part of physiotherapy is providing “mini” workouts or therapeutic exercises to help build strength post injury. Therabands come in varying lengths and thickness – which provided varying resistance.You can tie them to focus on a specific muscle or keep them long and use them like resistance tubing.

Back pack

A simple and safe way to add loads to your workout is by wearing a backpack. Wear it on the back to mimic a "back squat" or if you suffer from back pain/stiffness, wear it around on the front for a "front squat". Depending on where you wear it, it recruits the muscles in the legs and core to stabilize you.

Broom stick

Feeling stiff in the upper body from too much sitting hunched over the computer? Try using a broom stick to improve your mobility in the shoulder joint. Use within your own range of motion and slowly build from there.

Soup can 

Don't have any dumbbells? No problem! Grab a couple of soup cans instead. This is an easy way to add a bit of weight to a body weight workout or to replicate a low weight/high rep upper body workout. Soup cans are also the perfect weight for smaller movements like wrist curls with can really improve stretch for tight, weak wrists.

All items featured on the show are available at Winners

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