When I started my pre-training to become a runner I did not really enjoy going to gym. The equipment and machines there would confuse me and the people seemed intimidating. I also felt I was wasting precious time going to the gym and then back home. I thought I would be better off working out in my living room while playing music I love. So, I did some research to see what would be the most useful training tools for runners and ended up building a portable gym that I am now using with my clients too. Here is a list of the 5 pieces of equipment I use the most when training at home or in the park. If you know of good stores and brands for these training tools, feel free to share them in the comments sections.
One of the most versatile and cheapest piece of equipment I own. The basic bands as seen below can be used for resistance training of both the upper body and lower body, balance-challenging exercises, isometric training, explosive training and even stretching! Tie the ends together and you have circular resistance band, wrap it around a pole and you can do rowing exercises, stand on it and you can work on your arms.
1. Resistance bands
One of the most versatile and cheapest piece of equipment I own. The basic bands as seen below can be used for resistance training of both the upper body and lower body, balance-challenging exercises, isometric training, explosive training and even stretching! Tie the ends together and you have circular resistance band, wrap it around a pole and you can do rowing exercises, stand on it and you can work on your arms.
I later also purchased an elastic band with handles for extra comfort when doing upper-body exercises.
2. Dumbbells
Free weights are another very versatile piece of equipment. The only issue is that, as you get stronger, you would need to switch to heavier dumbbells to keep the level of effort the same. Because of that, if you can afford it, I would recommend the purchase of adjustable dumbbells for your home gym. I myself started with two pair of dumbbells: one pair for arm strengthening, balance training and circuit training and another pair to train my back, shoulders and legs. Dumbbells are also a great tool to make core workouts more challenging.
3. Medicine balls
The medicine ball can be a runner's best friend for both core workouts and explosive strength exercises. The main benefit of that piece of equipment is that you can throw it or stand on it with your hands or feet. I have both a hard and a softer medicine ball, but if you would have to buy only one, I would recommend getting a softer one.
4. A Swiss Ball also known as the Balance Ball
That piece of equipment takes a little bit of space, but it can also be used as a chair and as a workout bench. Doing exercises you would normally do on a workout bench, chair or even step on a Swiss Ball turns them into challenging core strength and balance exercises. The Swiss Ball is also my favourite tool to workout my hamstrings when out the gym:
5. A heart rate monitor watch
Since I have switched to sprinting, I do not use the heart rate monitor when running any more, but I still use it to help optimize my recovery between sets and exercises as taking recovery breaks based on time alone does not take into account different levels of cardio fitness and doing it based on feeling alone often leads to breaks longer than necessary. I also use the timer on my watch for my circuit workouts or to time some of my exercises (2-minute planks, 1 minute of running arm sprints, 30 seconds of high knees pushing against the wall, etc.).