Portable Exercise Equipment that’s easy to own and use:

A personal trainer's portable exercise equipment list...

Some time ago I met a local journalist who seemed very intent on finding out what other personal trainers' most revered exercise item was, in terms of producing the most effective and fastest results for their clients.

The question was not limited to portable exercise equipment, but the intention was to determine what item or exercise if any, was capable of consistently producing outstanding results.

It's an admirable quest, but I somehow doubt he was able to arrive at an evident consensus for the simple reason that any exercise and its apparatus can be 'best' in specific instances and completely inappropriate in other instances.

That, coupled with the fact that the choice of any exercise or equipment is highly dependent on individual goals renders the attempt almost futile.

After all, how can anyone say free-weights are better than a treadmill if your goal is to improve your aerobic capacity or VO2Max. Or that a treadmill is better-- if you're a cyclist?

But I understand the gist of it.

...And in the spirit of this endeavour, let me present the 'one' single item I would choose for best overall results.

Stranded on a Desert Island...

If I were stranded on a desert island and could only have one piece of equipment with me, it would definitely be my set of dumbbells.

Dumbbells are portable, extremely versatile, and can provide sufficient stimulus for most people.

Although you won't find me arguing with those who say you can't go as heavy as with typical barbells, most people will still benefit from the loads used with dumbbells. Try doing a bench press with 130 lb dumbbells in each hand.

Even though mathematically this is an equivalent load, performing a barbell bench press with 260 lbs will not replicate the exact stimulus of 130 lb dumbbells in each hand because leverage is not identical when the limbs are performing independently of each other.

Dumbbells of course, provide the almost unique advantage of performing unilateral work, i.e., concentrating work on one arm, one leg, or one side of the body.

This is especially beneficial in rehabilitation or post-rehabilitation settings when isolated work is required to strengthen an injured body part or in instances of muscular imbalances.

If I could have two items, I would add a stability ball.

This too, is a portable and highly versatile piece of equipment. Any regular exercise once performed on the ball adds a proprioceptive element to your effort as additional stabilizer muscles are recruited to balance your body during movement.

Not only that, but for anyone training from home with limited equipment and no 'bench', this ball can literally replace the bench and allow you to perform almost every exercise that normally requires the use of a bench.

Of course, you can't go as heavy-- but sometimes 'heavy' isn't always the appropriate goal.

Between these two items alone, I can literally design an infinite amount of workouts and keep my body happy, healthy, and growing.

Before spending thousands of dollars on expensive items, consider investing in easy to own, easy to use, portable exercise equipment that takes up very little space, requires very little maintenance, provides sufficient overload, adds variety to your workout, and is ideally suited for home use.

Because I train my private clients from the convenience of their home, I have absolutely no control over the equipment they may or may not have.

To help them train more effectively, I carry some of my own portable exercise equipment which I tend to recommend often when asked.

Here then, is my list of portable exercise equipment which I think is ideally suited for most people...

Portable Exercise Equipment List:

--Selectorized Dumbbells

--Stability Ball (fitness ball, exercise ball, gym ball, swiss ball, physio ball)

--Aerobic Step (also called club step platform, or exercise stepper)

--Medicine Ball

--Foam Rollers

Accessories:

--Exercise or floor mat

--heart rate monitor

--stop watch

--pedometer

This may seem like a small list to you, but I guarantee you will be able to perform hundreds of exercises with just this equipment alone.

It all fits in the back of my car, so for those of you who have very limited space, this portable exercise equipment will store easily in the space you have.

With these five items, you can cover your cardiovascular training, core and balance training, resistance training, and flexibility training needs.

If I had to add one or two more items, I would choose a pull up bar.

This bar braces in a doorway and allows you to perform chin-ups or pull-ups, which is an excellent exercise to train your upper back.

Not only can you develop your Lats, but it also works a smaller muscle called the Teres Major, as well as the highly coveted Biceps.

The pull-up is one of the most underrated and often overlooked exercise.

Believe me, when you can lift your own body weight even 10 times in a row, you'll be much stronger than most guys at the gym who spend their time lifting mindless weights in non-functional exercises.

The other item I would add is exercise bands, also called elastic tubing or resistance bands.

I'm not a big fan of resistance bands. They have a completely different biomechanical resistance profile because most of the effort occurs at the end range of motion when the elastic is fully stretched.

However, they pack easily into a suit case and are very practical when traveling. They can provide a fairly effective total body workout from your hotel room when very little else is available.

Finally, I should mention something about my dumbbells.

I use selectorized dumbbells. These are different from the adjustable kind where you load and unload weight plates that are held in place by collars.

They're also different from fixed dumbbells that require an enormous amount of space to store because you have to buy several pairs.

Even if you buy dumbbells at 5 pound increments, you'll need a lot of space to store 5 to 50 pounds, even up to 75 or 100 pounds.

Because I can't carry a bunch of different sized dumbbells to my clients' homes, I use selectorized dumbbells. It's a snap to change to the weight you need for each exercise.

They store very neatly in a compact space and because there's only one pair, they're convenient to transport when I travel to different homes.

Depending on the set you choose, you can have a pair from 5 to 50 pounds, or 10 to 90 pounds. If you actually need more, there is a company that provides up to 130 pounds.

Selectorized Dumbbell Set- 5 to 52.5 lbs ea.

You don't really need any fancy fitness equipment to enjoy a great workout from home. However, a few simple items can add a great deal of variety to your training and ensure you provide your body with the stimulus it needs to continue realizing the improvements you seek.

I happen to like portable exercise equipment. I like the simplicity, practicality and convenience it affords. But what I prefer best about the portable exercise equipment I listed, is its high 'usability' factor.

This is the type of equipment I know I will continue to use over and over again, and that won't end up collecting dust or doubling as a clothes rack.

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