Build Your Home Gym: Everything You Need to Have

If you’re one of those people who found the COVID-19 pandemic destroyed your workout habits because you could no longer go to the gym, then you’ve probably considered making your own gym at home. Having a home multi-gym can make working out more accessible and more efficient and help keep you on track for your fitness goals.

But what machines should you get for your new home gym? Let’s figure that out together.

Strength

If you want to train strength, you’ll want free weights. Getting a set of dumbbells or kettlebells can be an excellent foundation for strength training, and if weightlifting isn’t your thing, they’re basically all you need for basic strength training.

Woman is using home gym equipment

Cardio

For cardio, you’ll want a machine that appeals to the type of cardio you prefer doing. Obviously, the basic choice is the treadmill: you can walk and run and set inclines and all that other good stuff. Treadmills are versatile, they’re useful, and they tend to last a long time.

If you’re more of a cyclist, then check out an exercise bike. If you like biking, your knees are bad, or you just don’t like walking, then exercise bikes let you get your heart pumping without the downsides of the treadmill. 

Woman is doing exercise in bike

All-in-Ones

All-in-one home gyms allow you to train different muscles and do different movements all on one compound machine. You could get a home gym smith machine for squats and bench presses, especially if you don’t have a spotter at home. A multi-gym machine for home exercise can open up doors for specific exercises you otherwise wouldn’t be able to do.

Also, if you have any injuries you’re training around, then having some machines at home can be especially helpful. That’s what they were originally designed for, after all!

Accessories

The main accessories you’ll probably want are floor/yoga mats and swiss balls. These can be very useful for stretching and doing yoga.

Woman is doing exercise in yoga mat

They’re especially popular for core workouts, so if you’re looking to hit abs often, you’ll want one or both of these. Having a gym mat for home workouts allows you to do good recovery stretches, as well.

Hiking for Beginners: Simple Tips for Success

Hiking is an amazing hobby that allows you to see a side of the world you’d never be able to see otherwise, but your own safety always comes before finding a nice view. To ensure your hiking trip is a safe and enjoyable one, you need to be prepared. Here are a few key tips on what to prepare for, what to bring, and what precautions to take before setting out!

Packing Light, Packing Essentials

Whenever you’re buying your hiking equipment online, try to go for the lightest backpacking gear you can find. Any extra weight will make things more difficult the further along you get, so go for the best ultralight tents, backpacks,  sleeping bags, and pads that you can find, and try not to bring any more gear than you need. 

Man is packing bag for hiking

Non-Essentials

Of course, if you’re going for a more laid-back trip, there’s nothing wrong with cramming in a few non-essential outdoor recreation items to your pack as well. If you’re planning to set up camp for a while, it’s nice to have cooking equipment like a portable stove around, as it’ll allow you to have more substantial meals than you would otherwise. 

A lightweight sun shelter is also a solid decision, especially if you’re camping in a warmer area. If you’re in an area with basic amenities, you should also consider bringing a gym bag, as it’ll allow you to keep things like hygiene products, a towel, or a change of clothes in one place that you can get to easily.

traveling bag pack

While none of these items are an absolute necessity, we strongly recommend them if you don’t mind the extra weight!

Upgrading Equipment

Upgrading your equipment never hurts, but it’s especially important if you’re planning on going mountain biking. Some mountain trails can have particularly difficult terrain, so if your bike has old, worn-down parts or just isn’t up to the task, it may be time for a change. Be sure to look into which trails you want to bike beforehand and then buy your equipment accordingly. As long as you know what to expect, you’ll be able to have a blast and do it safely!

Mountain biking

Looking for more great advice and quality products to fuel your active lifestyle? Visit our site at NineFit today!

High-Tech Fitness Gadgets For Your Fitness Goals

Fitness is all about goal-setting, and with the right technology and gadgets for health, you can make it easier than ever to achieve those goals. Whether they make your exercise easier, more fun or more organized, high-tech fitness gadgets will keep your routine running smoothly, and give you a much easier time growing from it. 

So, what are the best health gadgets to help you reach your fitness goals? Let’s take a look.

Heart Rate Monitors

Did you know that there’s an ideal resting and active heart rate to aim for when getting in shape? While the ideal heart rate is different depending on your age, it’s worth finding out and keeping track of with a heart rate monitor.

Though it’s a relatively simple device with a relatively simple job, knowing your heart rate is an excellent way to tell how many calories you’re burning, making this one of the best weight loss gadgets on the market.

Man is calculating heart rate

Pedometers and Stopwatches

When you’re jogging, it’s always a good idea to keep track of your steps and time so you can see your improvement over time.  For this, you’ll need a pedometer and a stopwatch. Like the heart rate monitor, they’re both simple enough, but seeing how many steps you’ve taken and how much faster you’ve gotten may be just the encouragement you need to keep up your routine.

Fitness Trackers

Combining a number of features from other useful pieces of tech, an all-purpose fitness tracker is an excellent investment and the perfect solution for all your fitness needs. With a fitness tracker, you can keep tabs on your reps, your lap time, and your pulse, or with something higher-end like a Fitbit, all three at once!

It’s easily one of the most useful pieces of technology in fitness, so we strongly recommend picking one up for yourself.

Woman is using High-Tech Fitness Gadgets

Fitness Technology

Of course, there are plenty of fitness technology tools aside from trackers. One of our favorite tools to use is target exercise equipment like a target foam roller. These pieces of equipment are designed to help you reach your ideal workout intensity so you can get the most out of your exercise routine. Used in conjunction with a fitness tracker, you can not only get a more thorough workout but see your progress step by step as well, giving you the ultimate workout experience.

For more great fitness products, visit our site at NineFit!

5 Tips to Choose an Outfit for the Gym

Looking to hit the gym? First, you need a solid Gym outfit. The physical activity presents unique needs and challenges for clothing, so it’s important that you have an outfit that’ll work just as hard as you. So, how do you find the best activewear for women? Whenever you’re shopping, keep these five things in mind.

1. Choose Something Flexible

If you’re going to be moving around a lot, you want to have a high range of motion. High-quality women’s activewear accounts for this by being extra flexible and breathable, allowing you to move freely throughout your exercise routine. This is especially important for pieces of clothing like women’s gym bottoms which will need to stretch in almost every type of exercise.

Women's gym outfit

2. Go for Cooling Tech

The feeling of exercising and getting in shape is great, but after a while, you’ll start to feel hot and sweaty. To keep this from happening, look for clothing made of breathable materials. The best activewear leggings brands often feature moisture-wicking technology, allowing your skin to breathe and drying sweat out quickly to keep you from overheating or getting that gross, sticky feeling all over your body.

3. Pick the Right Size

This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s surprisingly easy to pick a gym outfit that’s uncomfortable or doesn’t fit without even realizing it. People tend to buy clothing that either doesn’t fit quite right or doesn’t provide the support they need, and this leads to more uncomfortable, less enjoyable workouts. Whenever you’re shopping for a gym outfit, be sure to take the time to pick something that fits you well!

Man is choosing the gym wear

4. Get Proper Support

One of the most important aspects of women’s activewear is choosing clothing with proper cup support. Without this, you’re much more prone to muscle strain, accidents, and injuries, so whenever you’re shopping for a sports bra, keep track of your measurements and figure out which style is best at supporting your specific cup size, especially when you’re looking for women’s sportswear online and can’t try before you buy. 

5. Buy for What You’re Doing

Whenever you buy women’s sportswear, be sure you’re buying the right outfit for the right workout. Though most gym outfits have a lot in common, different types of workouts need different outfits. For example, if you’re going to be doing a lot of cardio, wear something especially stretchy and cool. Essentially, just keep in mind what your workout entails, and buy whatever works best for that.

gym outfit

Looking for more great products to fit your active lifestyle? Visit our shop at NineFit!

The Best Home Gym Equipment for Home Workouts

Everyone should work out. Whether walking, running, or lifting weights, everyone should get some daily exercise to keep themselves healthy. But gyms can be far away, expensive, or just scary to go to, and home workouts can be helpful, effective, and efficient while avoiding any pressures or embarrassments!

If you’re looking to start a home workout program, you’re probably wondering what gym equipment set for home workouts works best. As with many things, that boils down to what you actually want to train at home, but we’ve put together a guide of some standard home gym equipment and what workouts work best with them.

Dumbbells and Kettlebells

Dumbbells and kettlebells are the bread and butter of any at-home strength training program, and for good reason: these things are unbelievably versatile. Whether you’re doing dumbbell abs exercises or kettlebell shoulder and leg routines, these weights can be used to train basically every muscle in your body.

Home workout using Home Gym Equipment

Ankle Weights

Another excellent option for strength training is ankle weights. By attaching the extra weight to your ankles, you can amplify the difficulty of leg exercises by increasing resistance and thus increasing your calories burned and muscles built. Ankle weights should never be too heavy as you want to use them over the course of an entire workout to build a leg burn.

Ankle weights can also be used during cardio routines, such as walking and cycling, to add extra resistance, burn extra calories, and help with strength training.

Exercise Bikes

Exercise bikes are one of the best choices for at-home cardio workouts. They can be as intense or as relaxing as you want them to be so that you can train at any level. Get yourself an exercise cycle; for home gyms, there are a few better options.

Exercise bike: Home wo

Machines and Accessories

Home gym machines and accessories are great options for keeping everything you need to train in one place and making your workouts with or without equipment even better, respectively. 

Machines allow you to train specific muscle groups and really target certain strengths or weaknesses you may have. They’re also excellent for training with injuries. You can even get bigger gym equipment, like a gym rod and plates.

Machines and accessories for home workout

Accessories, on the other hand, help you to train harder and better with existing equipment. Common gym accessories are lifting belts, resistance bands, and gloves, but can include many other options.