Our gym is on the ground floor of the house where it stays a little cooler. We have cable TV so we can watch movies, TV shows (e.g. NCIS) or fitness on-demand programs. Ideally I'd like a larger room however this is more than sufficient to start with.
The mirror is for checking technique, mirrored walls would be better however it works well enough. You can see the recumbent bike and elliptical trainer to the left. The Stamina ab bench in the middle and the dumb bells to the right.
Hula Hoops
The hula hoops are not in the above pictue however as you can see we've collected a few.
- small green/blue hoops to the left are Arm Hoops. Useful for working the arms and shoulders although my co-ordination isn't good enough to use both at the same time irrespective of whether I'm spinning them in the same or opposite direction. The hoop on my left arm seems to have a habit of launching into space without warning to those around me!
- The next hoop is a light weight hoop we bought at Sports Authority or Toys r' Us quite a while ago. It is very light. I found it is too small for me to hoop with although my wife has no problems with it.
- The next hoop is smaller the smallest of the body hoops. Once again bought at Sports Authority or Toys r' Us. It does have some weight, maybe 0.5 to 1lbs. It is too small for me again.
- The larger yellow and blue hoop is called a Trip Hoop. It weighs in at 3.6 lbs and is large - around 40.5" diameter. This is the hoop I am using to learn with. In hindsight I perhaps should have gone for a hoop that was 2lbs in weight as I was struggling to hoop, however looks like I'm now progressing so perhaps I made the right choice.
- The last hoop (pink/red/purple) is the Power Hoop. This comes in at a heavy 5lbs (2.2kg) and has a wavy/rippled interior. It is for advanced users. My wife has no problems using it, however I'm not yet ready for it.
So why hula hoops? Aren't they a little 'girly'... Well the reviews on these are very good and they seem to work on toning the abdomen and building core strength. They are quiet, cheap and simple to use (once you've learnt how to hoop). I also admit to enjoying watching my wife hula hoop while I gym.. but enough on that!
On a purchasing note. I usually buy from Amazon as the prices are competitive and the products are reviewed by many people. For the hoops, while Amazon does sell them, I purchase them from Sports-Hoop. No real reason, hopefully the purchase will help keep the smaller stores and retailers in business and the prices were about the same.
Other Equipment
Balance Board - Useful for building core and leg/ankle strength. Once you find it easy to use ont he carpet, put it on a hard floor (e.g. wood/tile) and it becomes more interesting!
Foam roller - great for stretching calf muscles and also for some deep tissue massage therapy for those hard to reach muscles. Highly recommended!
Not sure what to call these other than 'hand squeezers!'. I used to have plastic ones with foam covering however the foam disintegrated. These ones are wooden, much harder on the hands however better durability.
Wrist and ankle weights (wrist weights shown below). Useful to wear for some exercises. e.g. if hula hooping can wear the wrist weights to also exercise the arms and shoulders.
The last piece of equipment are the Perfect Pushup V2 . I bought mine in Sports Authority however they're available from numerous places on-line. In my late teens I could give 100 push ups without too much trouble, nowadays I'm lucky to be able to give 5.... I bought the Perfect Pushup V2 to help incentivise myself to exercise with pushups and also I've found they really work the body that bit more.
Not showing in the photos are jump ropes/skipping ropes. I have a couple of these and while not being used much at the moment, they are going to form part of my exercise routine.
So that's our home gym.
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