With the outbreak of COVID-19, almost all gyms were closed. Switching to a home workout routine isn’t easy, especially for those used to the gym’s motivating environment. So for those gym-rats (like myself), people who have exercise habits or who don’t want to be out of shape due to the gym closing, we’re all looking for our best at-home “partners”. The TRX band, the jump rope, and the Nike Training Club are three helpful pieces of home fitness equipment that I have used during home quarantine life since March 2020.

The most efficient equipment in my point of view is the TRX band. This bright yellow and black band can easily be hooked on doors, and all training content only needs a small corner close to the door. The band’s core working principle is using body weight and gravity to achieve suspension training.¹ This activity can exercise the contraction of muscles to the greatest extent and stimulate the human body’s core strength. The TRX band is super user-friendly for people of all ages and fitness levels. Efficiently controlling the training difficulty is another advantage of this band; simply adjust its length. According to a peer-reviewed study conducted by Dr. Christian Thompson at the University of San Francisco, “TRX Suspension Training can help with even the most mobility-limited older clients.”

Many people might overlook jumping rope when they are considering what to use for home fitness, but through my own experience of losing 60 lbs, jumping rope is more effective than running. While reducing fat through cardio, jumping rope can also improve our lower body strength, which is difficult to achieve by running. Compared to running side by side silently with friends or family, jumping rope somewhere you can chat face to face might be more fun. Although jumping rope has many benefits, it is not very friendly for extremely overweight individuals Because it can hurt our knees. “Jumping rope forces you to coordinate your upper and lower body movements so you are more agile and your body awareness is improved tremendously,” celebrity trainer Jillian Michaels explains, “This makes you less injury-prone.”²

My final recommendation is not a real device, but an app: Nike Training Club. It’s free on both Android and iOS, and the training content is acceptable for all fitness level groups. Because of the pandemic, all members can use the premium version for free. After I tried it and compared it with another popular fitness app (Keep), I think NTC’s training content can effectively protect the body’s vulnerable joints. I feel that NTC’s training content is more scientific, which can be seen from how it combines a set of training and also provides nutrient & wellness guidance. For people like me who live in an apartment, another heart-warming detail is the choice of a “low-volume” module. This module is also useful for those who like to get up early to exercise or are “night owls”, and there are still many different intensities of training content to choose from in this mode. The NTC’s reward page is also an auxiliary function that can motivate people to exercise; we can see how many digital awards we earned for completing workouts. Although we can’t exchange these awards for anything, they are still worth cheering for. 

While the gym environment can be motivating, home fitness can be time-saving and efficient, not to mention safe during the pandemic. Mobilize a little greater motivation, pick up these pieces of equipment to stay physically and emotionally healthy during the pandemic. If you want to learn how to use the TRX Band, jump rope, and the Nike Training Club app, check out these videos: 

Set up: https://youtu.be/JKQcQO7fKV4

Training content: https://youtu.be/xo4W8OibE8U

Advanced content: https://youtu.be/Nxv0n0FWE2g

1. “TRX Suspension Training makes gravity your resistance, so adjusting the level of difficulty is as easy as moving your hands or feet, and progression is limitless.” https://www.trxtraining.com/trx-suspension
2. https://www.insider.com/benefits-of-jumping-rope