Minimal Equipment for Shelter at Home

Here we are at day 2 of our mandated Shelter in Place for California and many other areas of the US and around the world. These are going to be some interesting times ahead of us, but there is no need to miss out on keeping yourself healthy while you are stuck at home.

Since the shutdown happened I've had the opportunity to start doing more online type training. This has included creating home programs for people to do on their own, hosting Zoom classes, and doing one on one training through Google Hangouts and FaceTime. All my people are doing a great job keeping up an active and healthy lifestyle which is what is needed more now than ever. If we want to get through this together we all need to keep our bodies healthy and our immune systems strong, and that is done through consistent exercise.

Some people are wondering what equipment they need to be able to do workouts at home. I'm going to share with you some ideas of simple to more integrated gym style equipment you can have to keep you moving and healthy.

First off you don't need much to get a good workout in. Many exercises can be done with just using your own body weight, AND you don't even need a yoga mat. All you need is a nice large beach towel for things you do on the ground. Sometimes when I'm outside on the cement I'll layer 2 beach towels on top of one another to give me a little more squish underneath me.

The basic equipment that is cheap and doesn't take up much space for your home gym are...

Starting with Bands:

Mini Bands - Perform Better brand is the one I use as they are just the right size. There are many other brands that make "mini" bands, but most of them have created a very long one and they won't work for many exercises. These mini bands come in 4 colors depending on the amount of resistance they provide. Yellow is light, Green is medium, Blue is heavy and Black is extra heavy. I would suggest getting one of each color to get you started.

All Purpose Exercise Bands with handles - also from Perform Better and stick with the regular size. I use both the regular and travel size and have found that the travel size though a bit shorter and less bulky to pack, does not create the same amount of resistance. In fact the resistance is much higher than their regular sized bands. The best use you will get is out of their level 4 and level 2 bands. For anyone who has shoulder issues a level 1 will be very handy as well. And for anyone who wants more resistance or are just a bit stronger than most the level 6 or 8 bands are a great addition to your home gym.

Super Bands -  Just when you thought you had enough bands, there's one more. The Super Band. This extra long band is great for a wide variety of exercises including squats, and overhead pressing. I have no preference on brand for these as most of the companies make them about the same length. The difference with these is how they create the resistance. With these bands it is based on both the width and the thickness. The narrower and thinner the band the lighter it is and vice versa. If you go with the Perform Better brand I would suggest starting with the 1/2 inch, and if you want more resistance also get the 1 inch.

That's about it for the bands that I would recommend for your own home gym. In total if you were to buy all 4 mini bands, 2 of the All Purpose bands, and 1 of the Super bands your total expense would be approximately $72 plus shipping. With that you can do many total body workouts without the big expense of machines, kettle bells or other weight equipment.

If dumbells are kettlebells are something you want, go with the hex shaped dumbbells (less chance of them rolling away when you set them down), and you can do exercises that require you to put your weight on them easier than the round ones. Keep in mind these have been out of stock and then back in stock due to so many people setting up their home gyms, you will have to check the sites often to see when things are in stock. I'd go with Perform Better kettlebells, or Power Systems kettlebells as they seem to be in stock more often than the other brands. If you have the ability to get dumbbells I'd start with 5#, 10# and 15# getting them in pairs, and then for the kettlebells I would suggest a 20#, a 30# and a 40# just singles to get you started.

Another type of equipment I regularly recommend for home gym use us a weighted non bouncing ball. These can be used in place of dumbbells and kettlebells for certain movements, and you can use them for dynamic and functional movements too. These come in many different types of materials (rubber, leather, blends) and weights. Some brands make the ball smaller for light weights and larger for heavier weights, other brands do not. I would suggest if you are like me and have small hands it is better to use a brand that has smaller balls options. That's just my preference though.

Now these are not a requirement by any means, but do add a bit of variety to your home workouts without taking up too much space. These do however cost significantly more that the bands I mentioned earlier. These medballs can run anywhere from $25 to over $100 a piece.

A few examples of medicine balls I have used.

No Bounce ball with a 9 inch diameter and rubber material.

No Bounce Ball with 10 inch diameter and leather like feel.

No Bounce 14 inch diameter leather like feel.

As I mentioned earlier you do not need to get this specific brand as they are a bit on the expensive side. However I have used them for years and do love their quality and longevity, not to mention the grip.

I do not get any kick back from this company so rest assured I am suggesting you these pieces of equipment because I use them and I trust their quality. If you have any questions about how you can make your simple home gym better please feel free to reach out. We love hearing from our readers.

USA Triathlon Coaching Certification

WOW, two in one week! I'm actually just making up for missing the last two months. As many of you know I took a few seminars in January. One of which was the FRC seminar that I just wrote about, but if you missed it you can read about it here. The other course I took was the USA Triathlon Level 1 Coaching Certification.

Okay okay I know many of you might not be into triathlons. That's okay. I'm not either. I prefer Duathlons (Run-Bike-Run). Unless it doesn't involve a swim with sharks, murky cold waters or rippling currents. Right that is possible just not that often here in California. I digress.

How did I get into triathlons you're probably wondering. It all started in 2011. My dad passed away suddenly. I then stopped racing bicycles and I was starting to lose my love of endurance sports. At that time I was coaching cycling both individuals and at Santa Clara University. I had a client who wanted to do a triathlon, and she asked me if I would do it with her. I thought this sounded like a great way for me to get back into something more regular, so I agreed. Little did I know she signed me up for an Ironman distance event. WHAT???? I had never even done a triathlon let alone have to do one that will require me to swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and then run a full marathon, all in one day. Oh right and I also didn't know how to swim at that time.

To not let me client down I learned how to swim (actually taught myself), I started riding LONG distances, and got back into running. Before I got to doing the Ironman event, I thought it would be fun to participate in one of each of the other distances that are offered in triathlons. That year, 2012, I participated in my first triathlon or each distance, and even won one of them.  The big event was in July and my Aunt from New York came out to support me. My client started the event but wasn't able to finish. I was able to not only finish the race but do it standing up but also in day light. Through all the training and racing I did that year, I met lots of amazing people. I met people who inspired me by their athleticism, dedication, and some who were 80+ years old and still competing.

Since that time I have loved being part of the triathlon/duathlon community for all the amazing people I have met, and for all the fun places it has allowed me to go. Through my adventures I have awakened my travel bug and now been to a few new places here in the US, and I even competed in the World Championships in Odense, Denmark in 2018 representing Team USA.

What I love on a more personal side is the time I get to spend trying to get faster as and "older" athlete. I love challenging myself to see how much I can still improve and compete against the younger crowd. In getting myself to those levels I really enjoy the time to myself when I am out there doing my long rides and runs. It becomes MY time. My time to be alone, escape from my pets, and also disconnect from all electronic devices and reconnect with myself. Through this time of reconnecting I have not only become more healthy due to my time spent training, but also grown in so many more ways. 

Because of my immense love of triathlon and the world of multisport, I really wanted to do something to give back to the community that helped me become who I am today. Coaching is something I have enjoyed in the past and look forward to enjoying it once again. 

In addition to now being a certified USA Triathlon coach, I can now not only prepare you for your next endurance event, but I can also help you do it and stay injury free with the added new mobility knowledge through my recent FRC training.

So to get the ball rolling I am offering a special 4 month training program FREE. This program will be specific to whatever sporting event you want to train for. It includes the specific training toward your sport with programs delivered through Training Peaks, and is valued at $600-800.

This program is for anyone from the serious multi-sport racer to the person who just wants to finish their first 5k or marathon without getting injured. To enter the drawing, all I need is a summary of the event you want to train for, and why you should be picked to receive the free program. Please keep it to 1000 words or less. 

If this sounds like something you or a friend might be interested in please send me your application summary no later than March 20th to velofit@gmail.com. Thank you for reading, and don't forget to send me your summary.