EXPERTS WEIGH IN ON THEIR FAVORITE HOME TRAINING EQUIPMENT
Best case scenario is you get your workout while you hit the trail, slopes, or rock. But life isn’t always about the best case scenario. Sometimes, you can’t make it to the trail. Sometimes, you can’t even make it to the gym. So, we talked to a handful of athletes and trainers in the Southeast about their favorite pieces of training equipment to use at-home and on the road. Follow their advice here, and you can build a killer home gym.
Zwift Smart Trainer
These new smart trainers are absolutely revolutionizing cycling. Basically, you hookup your rear wheel and put it on a direct drive trainer that wirelessly connects to your laptop, and you can ride your bike inside the virtual Zwift world. You can ride up Alp Duez virtually. You can change the load, do training plans, workouts…and there are races every 15 minutes with other cyclists from around the world. The Wahoo Kickr starts at $1,199; Zwift.com
—Hunter Allen, cycling coach and founder of Peaks Coaching Group
Jump Rope
It’s simple, but effective for burning calories without having to run or ride anywhere. All the old equipment is useful again. Rogue SR-1 Speed Rope, $20; roguefitness.com
—Donivan Ciolsi
Spud Inc. Magic Carpet Sled
This small sled is a really good tool. You load it with weight and then pull it to build lower body strength and endurance. It’s relatively cheap, and it actually travels well too. You can use it on carpet, hardwoods, concrete or grass. $109; spud-inc-straps.com
—Donivan Ciolsi, owner of Summit Crossfit in Asheville
Metolius Rock Rings
These give you the same kind of workout as a hangboard, but they’re more mobile. You can hang them over a tree limb and get a good upper body workout when you’re on the road. $30; metoliusclimbing.com
—Stuart Cowles, climbing guide and owner of Climbmax and Smoky Mountain Adventure Center in Asheville
Metolius Project Hangboard
You can mount this in a doorway and use it to work on contact strength and finger exercises, which are key if you’re a climber. You can also grab hold of the jugs and knock out sets of pullups which is an incredible upper body exercise. $55; metoliusclimbing.com
—STUART COWLES
Resistance bands
You can use them to build strength, or work on your core, and you can get them for under $30. You can do so much with them. The Bodylastics Stackable Tubes can be “stacked” to increase weight. From $30; bodylastics.com
—KEN PELUSO, owner of the Endurance Factory, Savage, Md.
Balance Board
You can use it for foot-based movements like squats, but you can also do all sorts of pushups and planks, or combine it with the TRX. Or you can just stand on it while you’re on a phone call that has gone on too long. $159; indoboard.com
—Collin Izzard, premier coach for Carmichael Training Systems, Brevard, N.C.
Kettlebells
If you locked me in a room and I needed to get a workout in, I’d choose a heavy kettlebell and a light one. They’re so versatile, and the kettlebell swing is one of the best full body workouts you can get. Get a heavy kettlebell that’s a third of your bodyweight, and work on getting 300 swings in under 5 minutes. Then get a light kettlebell (20 pounds for men, 14 for women) and practice the Turkish getup.
—KEN PELUSO, owner of the Endurance Factory in Savage, Maryland
Rogue MK D-Balls
These are medicine balls filled with sand that you can pick up and throw into the air, throw against a wall, or slam it into the ground. It’s a great full-body calorie blaster that also builds strength. Combine this with the balance boards and you have a great set of tools. $72; roguefitness.com
—Colin IzzarD
TRX Home2
The TRX is like a gym in a bag. Hang these suspension straps from a door, a tree limb, a playground swing and you can knock out hundreds of different exercises. It’s super flexible and varied on the movements you can do, and it’s portable for when you go on a six-week van life trip. $140; Trxtraining.com
—Colin Izzard
