Fitness Friday #53: Favorite Fitness Equipment

I’ve made a conscious decision to teach group fitness classes that require very little to no equipment. I love the foundations of bodyweight exercise (but equally love my weightlifting routine) for group fitness classes. To me, they seem more accessible to participants, and can serve as a great first step toward fitness and wellness for my clients.

That being said, I have a few tools that have become essential to my practice. I love having the option to enhance a workout by using a few different fitness equipment items. Some of these items are used during the workout, and some of them are used in the recovery phase.

Here’s my list of 5 Favorite Pieces of Fitness Equipment:

1. Yoga Blocks. These probably wouldn’t have been included on my ‘must have fitness equipment’ list a few years ago. When I first started my yoga practice, I was determined to do all the moves alone – without the necessary assistance of amazing items like yoga blocks. Yoga Blocks have helped me learn how to achieve the rounded back necessary for many of the postures in my current practice, and they’ve given me the confidence needed to fly in postures like crow. 
2. Foam Roller. I really think any person who does any type of fitness activity should have access to a foam roller. This thing is a GODSEND. I’m not even joking. At first, the moves feel awkward, and okay, they might hurt a little. But foam rollers speed up recovery time, which makes teaching 10+ classes a week doable. Want to see my 5 favorite moves? Check it out. 
3. Tennis Ball. Similar to the foam roller, my feet and I couldn’t live without tennis balls. Standing, I’ll lightly press the bottoms of my feet onto the tennis ball, spending extra time pressing on the spots that hurt the most. It’s the best worst thing. 
4. Yoga Strap. I originally purchased a yoga strap to aid in postures like king dancer. However, I find that I use it more for strength and balance challenges to exercises, like this one:  
5. TRX straps. This is a newer one for me. I started venturing into suspension training last year, because I thought it looked like fun! These are intense and add a great layer to my workouts. One of my favorite moves by far? Pikes: 

What pieces of fitness equipment do you love to use? I’m always on the lookout for new things to try!