If you had no equipment and £100 to spend...

summer8it

I'm amazed that no one has mentioned a yoga mat. To me, it's an absolute must-have basic. I use mine for yoga, but also for basic warm-up/cool-down stretches, pilates, crunches, and floor work of all types. I even like to use it for push-ups because then I don't have to worry about my hands and feet slipping on the rug or floor.

jothekid

push-up handles
pull-up bar
dumbell of your choice

myofibril

I would buy this book:

http://www.rosstraining.com/nevergymless.html

I would spend the rest of the money on beer.

And possibly strippers.

jimmmer

If you can pick up a secondhand olympic barbell/weights/bench, chin-up bar and a decent sized kettlebell - you would be set for life.

Things like elliptical machines are a waste of time - you can torch far more calories in a shorter time doing kettlebells, barbell complexes, dumbell exercises and pulls/chins. Why go through the motions strapped into a piece of equipment when you can be alive with the sweat and the pain of doing it right? Blowing the budget on something like an elliptical will just be a waste IMHO. Smart second-hand shopping instead could get you some key pieces of equipment

skinnyforhi

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for a bit of advice, if you had £100 to spend and no equipment at all what would you buy. It's needs to give me a good overall workout and something I would use often at home. What's your reccomdations? I know it's not a lot of money but its all Santa has in the budget for me

A set of handweights (often you can find a kit with 3 different weights); a Bosu ball or stability ball; a yoga matt (for planks, abs...or yoga!); and I would look for free workouts online or check something out of your local library prior to investing in DVDs (though I keep hearing about this Jillian Michaels lady so I may be slow on the uptake). My television also has fitness channels with free workouts so you can sample different things. Good luck!

Ah and should have added one more thing that's a real cheapie. If you get a plain old rubber ball, you can do abwork and place the ball between your thighs and combine crunches with squeezing on the ball to get extra legwork in when you do your abs. I do this. It can also help to keep your legs the same distance apart so you have stability and aren't squirming. Perhaps google this for some ideas and techniques.

repmlrs

jump rope and dumbbells. thats all u need

breezedaze

Heavy weights(dumbells and barbells) bench, pull up bar and the New Rules of Lifting for Women. That is all.

thebigcb

Exercise mat and a set of dumbbells

bluefox9er

jump rope and dumbbells. thats all u need

for what you want to achieve..^^ this ^^

sunshine_gem

Most things you need can be found in the house. You can make your own dumbbells by getting empty water bottles and filling them with sand or even just water, or by getting something heavy that you can grip well and lift that (tins of food or anything else in your cupboards). There's also loads of bodyweight exercises you can do. I use this site www.blogilates.com which has tons of free workout videos that are really, really hard (you will sweat but it's still fun) and mostly require nothing more than bodyweight. The most you'll need is dumbbells which can be homemade as aforementioned and a yoga strap and she offers alternatives that can substitute like a belt or a t shirt. As some other posters have mentioned I would suggest a mat for floor work and a balance ball. Oh and invest in a good sprts bra if you haven't already. I use a shock absorber to hold the ladies in (F cup) and it works brilliantly. Just make sure you enjoy whatever you do decide on. Good luck!

donna_do_good

Thank you all so much. I still haven't decided 100% what way to go- full weights or cardio kettlebell combo. But you've all helped push me towards weights xx

Bob314159

A pull-up bar definitely. A starter weight kettlebell and one a bit heavier for when you get stronger and a copy of "You are your own gym" - packed full of bodyweight exercises.

This will raise a laugh and some eyebrows among the "heavy lifters" on the forum but that's what I opted for and I am LOVING it!

This .... and a very good pair of outdoor walking shoes or if you have a good place to go-hiking boots

EmilyOfTheSun

Adjustable weights!

bakenatj

Buy a good pair of running shoes. Running for cardio and do body weight training for your strength training. That is all you need to get results.

MKolek00

A good pair of running shoes. I've lost 58 pounds so far only spending $12 on a arm band for my iPhone and just recently (last week) bought a nice pair of running shoes. I run 10-15 miles a week

skinnyforhi

Buy a good pair of running shoes. Running for cardio and do body weight training for your strength training. That is all you need to get results.

This is probably true...my somewhat long equipment list was based on the fact that I have a bad back and hips and really can't do heavy lifting or any running (I used to run nearly every day and I like to blame my back for my weight gain but now that I focus on what I can do at the gym I see that's just an excuse). I've had great results with lighter weights and core exercises.

witchy_wife

Well, I spent £300 on a second hand quality treadmill that barely fits in my kitchen.

Then I went on Freegle and asked for weights and was given a set of dumbells (York ones with changable weights) for free and I bought a few Jillian Michael DVD's from Amazon.

And now it is super RARE that I go on the treadmill! So the free weights and DVDs get much more use. So that was about £20 vs £300.....