Context

Back in college, I learned of the freedom and strength that comes from progressive calisthenics and over a decade later I’ve never looked back at working out in a gym. Now granted I was a personal trainer in a gym and worked out there between clients but let’s not talk about that. 

Working out at home is very convenient as long as there’s discipline. You get to save time, money, and a possible headache. I say possible because some gyms have a clientele about them that can be very welcoming and act as a secondary family. I was fortunate(in some ways) with the gym I worked at where somebody could forget about their tablet and leave it in the cardio section but it would still be there the next day because no one took it. I know right?!?!? Give me hope too. 

One will not be limited when it comes to working out at home even if they are short on tools. A lack of tools fosters creativity. But, there is no harm in expanding one’s workout arsenal. 

It might help you gain new levels of strength and muscle. 

The List 

Doorway Pull-Up Bar

The PB&J of home-workout equipment. 

I first got my hands on one when I was in middle school as a present from my parents. Most out there don’t cost that much so if one is limited in what they can spend a doorway pull-up bar is a must. A pull-up is one of the best exercises you can do for your back, biceps, and forearms. Even if you can do 20 strict pull-ups there are a myriad of ways you can make the simple pull-up more difficult. There are ways to train your pulling muscles without a pull-up bar but if you can buy one or use one, do it. Being in the military most of my adult life pull-up bars were always around. Being a civilian now this is one of the things I miss as calisthenics parks are few and far in between. If I had a park near me I’d probably still have a doorway pull-up bar for backup on days when the weather is nuts. 

Modifications: From time to time I like wrapping towels around the bar to make the grip more challenging. 

Rope

A recent addition to the equipment family. 

The chances that one will be in a life-or-death situation where a rope needs to be climbed are very rare. But rope training is still beneficial. Pull-ups will train your grip to an extent but working the rope will truly train your body in a way where your grip will be under as much intense stress as your bicep and back. In addition to this, if you stick your legs out during a rope climb you get to not only train your pulling muscles but your core to a great extent as well. 

But even if you’re not up to full rope climbs there are still other ways to utilize a rope. 

Here I wrapped it around an object at a decent height in order to perform one-arm rope rows. One can also perform a modified rope climb starting from the ground and pulling themselves up(While keeping the body somewhat straight) until one is standing upright. 

Gymnastics Rings 

Easy to carry anywhere and hook up to almost anything. They can be used for other purposes as well like overcoming isometrics 

Gymnastics rings can increase the difficulty of any exercise even push-ups as they add a significant stabilization challenge to your movements. As there are no good dip bars around me I’ll use these to perform dips and if you want to get into gymnastics-like feats of strength these will be the perfect addition to your toolbox. 

I also use these rings for when I perform overcoming isometrics as their shape and the adjustability of the straps allow me to perform multiple pressing postures. 

Weight Vest 

Had this vest since 2008 and it’s lasted me a long time. Starting to fall apart though…

I mainly use this weight vest when I’m running or doing hill sprints. This one when fully loaded out is 20 pounds and most of the ones in the exercise section at the store are of similar weight. With all the fat-burning benefits of walking, it will probably be beneficial to add this to your daily walks to add the difficulty but if you don’t wanna look like you’re walking around with a bomb vest no worries.

I’ve never been one to get into weighted calisthenics but adding a weight vest to your push-ups, bodyweight squats, or rows could assist you in your goals. 

Perfect Push-up

Weird but very effective  

Got these in high school and they make your average push-up more difficult. Not only due to the increased range of motion but also due to the rotation your arms undergo during the movement. But if you’re good with push-ups, or even pike push-ups for that matter maybe add them to your handstand push-ups…

I only use these occasionally but if you want to add some spice to your pushing movements give these a try. 

Strap 

Crucial for overcoming isometrics

A regular strap like the one I have here or one of those yoga straps in the athletic section of a store will suffice. The purpose of the strap is to keep the fabric in place as you press into it. At one point I had a belt that was not long enough so what I did is I performed push-up overcoming isometrics and the pressure of my hands kept the ends of the fabric in place. Not ideal and I should have switched to using a better tool for isometrics sooner. I’ll try to mark mine at different lengths with a marker for a position that will have my muscle at a short length, medium, length, and long length for pistol squats. Over time, despite it being marked for my squats I know where to place it so if I’m doing push-ups at a middle position I wouldn’t have to fiddle around as much getting the right length. 

Vibrams 

I’ve had these since College and they a great for building the musculature below your knees. The first time I went running in these my calves were sore for days. The rationale behind these is that modern footwear de-trains the muscles below your knee meaning that they are more atrophied than they should be. These are a little expensive and I bought them at a time when I had money to waste.

But I assume any type of minimalist footwear performs a similar function. I mainly use these for walking or for hill sprints.

But I have to provide a word of caution. If you’re using these and just starting out stay away from any long-distance running as not only do your muscles and joints need to adapt but so do your bones. The longest I went in these was in college and it was for 16 miles. The next week I went running and got a stress fracture at the 10 mile mark…

Wrap Up

Most of these have greatly benefited me in my fitness journey. If you add some creativity to your fitness, items you bought for your home workouts can be used in ways that weren’t intended. I might buy some more stuff in the future like an ab wheel or parallettes but for now, I’m content. 

Thank you for making it to the end. If you have any questions send them my way. Until next time…

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