Exercise Equipment for Beginners – At Home or the Gym

What falls under the category of necessary exercise equipment for beginners? In all honesty, you don’t really need anything. You just need your body and a commitment to do this thing called exercise in order to reap the benefits.

However, most women I know don’t like calluses, so items like lifting gloves might be nice. I will offer items from my own gym bag of exercise equipment for you to consider.

Keep in mind that there isn’t really a category of exercise equipment for beginners. It’s the same equipment for everyone. Whether or not you choose to use them is up to you.

Gloves: As I said before, most women don’t like calluses so, I put gloves at the top of the list. Most weightlifting gloves on the market are fingerless and padded. You’ll want to make sure that they’re padded enough. I’ve been through my fair share of gloves that offered little to no protection. Lately, I’ve settled on gloves by Fit Active Sports. The padding is good enough to prevent calluses and the straps that go around your wrists offer support.

I know…they’re not cute, pink gloves. That’s because I couldn’t find any pretty colors that offered enough protection. End of story.

Ankle strap: This little cuff is for getting your legs and glutes workouts on and cracking. This one is for the gym, or if you have a resistance band door set. You clip yourself to the cable, set the desired weight and lift away. Talk about toning the lower half!

No, this one’s not pink either. It’s comfy though and doesn’t chafe. It also washes better than the foam padded ones, which tend to really stink after a while, not to mention fall apart after so many washings.

Resistance band set: I used a set of these almost exclusively in the beginning while I was working out at home. I still use it when I travel. They were also a lifesaver during the COVID19 pandemic. Just about any exercise you do with weights can be duplicated using bands. I have both the regular set and the door set, by Body by Jake. Links for both are located in the side bar of this page.

Pull-up bar: I know, I know…pull-ups seem totally intimidating and you’re thinking a pull-up bear is not exercise equipment for beginners. But hear me out. You might not be able to do them right now, but you can modify a pull-up and increase your strength gradually until you can pull it off. There are a few different ways to modify pull-ups, which are covered under Exercises.

The bar that I used was multi-purpose. Off the door frame and on the floor, it became a bar you could use for dips and also push-ups (modify!). Keep in mind that upper body strength will greatly reduce risk of that curved, hunched back from osteoporosis.

Pull-up assist bands: This nifty item works to take up some of your body weight so that you can do a pull-up. This particular model has five bands, which you can adjust as you get stronger. When you’ve managed pull-ups at five attachments, remove one. When you’ve managed at four, remove another one, and so on.

Don’t say you can’t! Modify until you can.

Braces: Let’s face it. We’re not old, but we’re not spring chickens anymore either. Our joints have been through some stuff. If you need braces, use them! I use a knee brace when it’s leg/glute day. Form and posture are crucial. Exercises done correctly prevents injury. But if your joints are already iffy, then a little support from a brace is helpful. You can find a variety of braces at your local CVS, Walgreens, etc.

Weightlifting belt: This item is for when you’re working legs/glutes. It’s one I put off for a while and I shouldn’t have. I figured that in the beginning, I wasn’t lifting heavy enough to warrant a belt. The truth is, the belt helps you maintain good posture regardless of how heavy you’re lifting. With some exercises, you’re bending over at the waist to lift. Remember how everyone says lift with your legs and not your back? With some exercises, if not done properly, you risk tweaking your back.

The belt not only keeps you in proper form, it helps you to remember what you’re doing and focus on proper form at all times while you’re lifting. There are brands that are more flexible, but I prefer the stiff leather, not only for durability, but for protecting your back. More flexibility means more back movement, which means more risk of injury.

Weight set: When I started off at home, I invested in a set similar to the one shown above. It was an adjustable dumbbell and barbell set. That along with the resistance bands meant I had everything I needed to get a decent workout at home.

As I mentioned before, nearly every exercise can be done with resistance bands, but some are just easier with actual weights. You don’t NEED them, but it is easier.

The equipment you should pass on includes most (if not all) of the “as seen on TV” gadgets. Seriously, most of them are ineffective and not reliable at all. Most of what I bought from a TV commercial broke within a year. Don’t waste your money!

That’s the basic list of exercise equipment for beginners (and everyone else). The items that travel back and forth in my gym bag are gloves, belt, knee brace, ankle strap, and of course, a towel, water bottle, and my music. The other items remain at home for the occasions that I just can’t get to the gym…or when there’s a pandemic and gyms across the country shutter their doors. Seriously.