How To Find Exercise Equipment TODAY - And The 11 Things You Should Buy
And just like that all of the workout equipment in the world was SOLD OUT.
It turns out that when every gym in the United States is closed, people want to continue exercising and making their health a priority. That’s the amazing news!
The challenge is that the equipment manufacturers base their current and future production numbers on historical sales data.
With everyone scrambling to keep active, companies like Rogue Fitness, CAP Fitness, Precor, Concept 2, Life Fitness, and Bowflex were faced with unprecedented demand overnight. Sporting retailers like Dick's Sporting Goods, Academy, Sports Authority were wiped out in a matter of days. The online retailers followed suit quickly and as far as I can tell you cannot purchase a single barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell on Amazon right now. It may take months if not years for production to meet demand.
So what the heck should you do? I mean, we aren’t going to stop training!
Here’s our opinion on the right strategy to take to both acquire some equipment TODAY and in the near future as production starts to meet demand. We’re going to lay this out in a way that we think makes the most sense as far as “bang for your buck” and what you’re most likely to be able to realistically obtain.
At the time I’m writing this, the products in all of the links provided are in stock, although they will not be for long.
Here we go.
Bands
1. Bands - First, get some latex or non-latex exercise bands like THESE. You should have these anyway! They are great for travel and have a million different uses. Shoulder presses, lateral raises, curls, band pull apart, tricep kickbacks, resistance pushups… The list goes on.
Anchors
2. Anchors - You’re going to want to be able to attach your bands to the wall at various heights and to the ceiling. Grab some anchors like THESE. This will allow you to do face pulls, tricep pushdowns, chest push downs, chest flys, standing or seated rows, single arm lat pull downs and straight arm pull downs.
Hip Circle
3. Hip Circle - One of the most challenging thing about working out with minimal equipment is that it’s tough to load your legs enough to really challenge them. Pick up a resistance band that you can put around your thighs. We like the Hip Circle. There are knockoffs on Amazon also. With one of these you can really challenge your glutes with banded side steps, banded glute bridges, banded air squats, clamshells, frog pumps, quadruped hip extensions and many more. Trust us on this one, you can get an amazing quad, glute and hamstring workout with just this.
Pull Up Bar
4. Pull Up Bar - Next on the “bang for the buck” scale would be something that you can do pull-ups on. There are still a few options on Amazon like THIS. Chinups and Pullups are still the king for keeping your back strong without weights or cable machines. Not bad for the ol’ biceps too! You can also use these to drape your bands over for face pulls and push downs.
Box or Step
Getting back to the legs, if you can scare up something safe to step up on that would be great. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just sturdy. If you want to go all out you can order a multi-sided box like THIS. Having something around 12-24 inches tall will meet most people’s needs. With a box you can do step ups, lateral step ups, box jumps, dips, scaled pushups and a bunch of other fun stuff. You can even train your dog to jump on it.
Rings
Ok, I thought a lot about this one, and I’m going to throw it in because the price point is low and it gives you a way to do several exercises you couldn’t do without it. Rings, like THESE. You can hang them from a tree, your pull-up bar or from the same type of rings you use to attach your bands to the walls if you anchor them into studs. Rings allow you to really challenge your back and biceps with rows from different angles. The more horizontal you make your body, the tougher it is. You can also really work your biceps by using an underhand grip. It’s tough to work your biceps without weights otherwise. Rings and ring rows are also great if you aren’t strong enough yet to do pull-ups with your own bodyweight yet. Rings are also great for dips that work your chest, shoulders and triceps. Just hang them from something sturdy! Last but not least, if you drop the rings down close the floor you can do ab exercises like body saws and tuck ups.
You can get a full body workout with just the things we’ve gone through so far. As of today (4/8/2020) these things are still available. Let’s keep going and talk about some things to keep your eye out for as equipment becomes more and more available.
Adjustable Dumbbells
It’s hard to beat a set of adjustable dumbbells as far as flexibility and practicality. As far as I can tell they are completely sold out right now, but if you’re looking to get the most for your dollar and floor space, adjustable is the way to go. You can get fancy ones from companies like Bowflex and Powerblock that have little selector switches to adjust the weight, or you can go the cheaper route and get individual handles that you load iron plates onto. With dumbbells you’ll be able to do goblet squats, dumbbell deadlifts, dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, weighted lunges, weighted step ups, weighted glute bridges, floor press, bicep curls, dumbbell rows, over presses, tricep kickbacks, dumbbell snatches and cleans and a million other things. No wonder they sold out so fast!
Barbell & Weights
These next two also seem to be 100% sold out right now and they are pretty much worthless without each other anyway. Barbells and Weights. Standard barbells weigh 45lbs and most weight plates range from 2.5 to 45lbs each. If you can score a barbell and a pair of 5lb, 10lb, 25lb and 45lb weights you are well on your way. I would skip the 35lb weights if you have a choice. Don’t forget a pair of clips too. You don’t want those weights sliding off in your new living room gym and busting your flatscreen. You can essentially do all the same exercises with a barbell that you can do with the dumbbells except that you can load them heavier.
Squat Rack
If you are able to find a barbell, the next thing I would look for is a squat rack. If you’re planning on getting back to your old gym once things settle down I wouldn’t rank this as a high priority unless you’re serious about making strength gains in the meantime. The rack will essentially let you squat more than you can safely lift over your head, will let you do bench presses (if you purchase a bench), and will let you overhead press more than you can power clean.
Bench
Back to the bench... No need to purchase a bench unless you buy a squat rack. You can substitute floor press for dumbbell and regular bench press without one. To be honest with you, unless you are trying to set up a permanent garage gym I wouldn’t spend money on a bench. A standard $10 2x12 from Home Depot is about the same width as a padded bench and will serve you well with just a few screws and a saw to cut it to length and height (47”L x 18”H)
Ok, I’m going to call that done as far as the equipment list itself is concerned in order of purchase priority / availability.
Now I’m going to tell you 2 ways to get all or some of this equipment that you might not have thought about.
The first one is pretty obvious but I don’t think many people are doing it. Put a call out on social media to your own circle of friends and family. It’s not uncommon to have have big intentions of starting to exercise. We run out and buy “all the stuff”, forgetting that having a plan and some coaching might make it more productive. Often times this equipment is sitting around collecting dust. Who knows, maybe they really could use the money right now.
The second idea was inspired by the generous actions of so many of our friends in the gym business. Since gyms are forced to be closed right now, they are losing money on two fronts. One in the form of no new member signups, and also they’re losing long term money because people are dropping their memberships. All of those dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells are sitting there unused and not helping pay the rent and employees. Go to the kitchen cabinet and pull out your yellow pages and turn to “G” for Gym. Kidding, search online for the smaller gyms in your city and surrounding cities. Small commercial gyms, CrossFit gyms, functional fitness gyms, power lifting gyms. Call them or send them an email and ask if you can lease some equipment by the week or month right now. Offer to give them a deposit to sweeten the deal. Offer to join their gym when it reopens or make a donation to a cause they support. Get creative. Small business owners want their communities to thrive and you just might be surprised how they are willing to help you stay on track with your fitness.
We all have the same goal. To make the best of this crazy COVID 19 social distancing time. Don’t use this crisis as a reason to give up on yourself. Look for positivity each day. Take care of your body. Take care of your family and friends. We WILL emerge from this cloud, and we can be stronger on the other side.
All our best,
Jonathan & Blakley
P.S. If you already have equipment at home, but don’t have a workout program, let us know HERE. We have options for you to keep moving. We’re also sending out free at-home, no equipment workouts every day right now HERE.