Stop exercising, start training. You can view Nike’s advert here. It seems to be that regular everyday exercising simply isn’t enough anymore. I’m not saying this is a bad thing, who am I to say you can’t view yourself as an athlete? In fact, I think I probably encourage it and I most defiantly treat my clients as athletes. Just because you’re not at an elite level, does not mean you can’t focus on performance. With this post in danger of turning into a rant, I’ll try to reel myself in and get back on track. With specific training and performance now on the radar, these are my suggestions on equipment every amateur athlete should own.
Mini/Resistance Bands
Possibly the most versatile and transportable piece of training equipment. As a Personal Trainer in Richmond, London, mini bands and resistance bands are the first thing into my bag. If you’re looking to add external resistance, across multiple ranges of movement they are invaluable. I typically use Perform Better or Rogue Fitness bands.
Skipping Rope
Simple, easy, effective and portable. Skipping can be used in a warm up, main session or cool down. Uses and benefits include; co-ordination, rhythm, cardio, ankle stiffness, muscular endurance and more! You may also want to use your rope as a replacement for a bar. An example of this may be an overhead squat. Check out SGF Speed Ropes.
Fitness Tracker with Heart Rate Monitor
If you’re serious about improving your performance, you need to be measure more than how much you can bench. Even a brief knowledge of your the effects of exercise on your HR can tell you if you’re improving or not. Understanding that you only sleep for 4 hours on week days may have a huge effect on your training. If you’re looking to lose weight, an activity tracker can show you where and when you fall down.
You don’t have to go all out to the nth degree. Visual recognition can often be enough to keep you on track. Fitbit, Garmin and Apple are your top end, however a Jawbone Fitness Tracker can work just as well.
Mobility Ball
In my opinion, foam rolling is good, but a trigger point ball can really get into those sore spots. Plus, they’re a lot more versatile and portable. Don’t bother paying out loads, they’re basically just lacrosse balls! You can’t go wrong for £7 here. For information on how to use them, take a look at Kelly Starret of Supple Leopard.
Every single on of these items travel with me day in day out. They are so easy to use and can have such a good effect on your performance.
