Since I was given the amazing gift of a personal trainer, I have been working out at home 3 days a week. It has surprised me how much we have had found to do with the little things that I have at home.

My trainer, Addie from Urban Fitness Twin Cities, is always coming up with something new and since I’m only blessed with her presence for two more months, I’m so grateful she’s giving me things that I can do on my own in my own home.

Here is a list of 7 must-haves for us. They are things anyone can find and use in their home and they don’t take up a lot of space like some big fancy machine would.

7 Simple Supplies for a Great Home Workout

Dumbells

Easy and basic. They don’t take up a ton of space And there is so much you can do with them!

I currently have a set of 5lb. We have used an 8lb set and a single 20lb dumbbell in our workouts. I would like to get a set of 10lb in the future.

Water Bottle

Ok… It’s not a major piece of equipment, but it is a must!

I’m in love with my CamelBak bottles and I take them with me everywhere! I’ve noticed a big difference between the workouts from busy days where I don’t have time to get much water in, and days when I get a chance to hydrate before my workout. Huge change!

Table/Fireplace/Bench

This is an easy one. If you have a coffee table, fireplace, or a bench you can switch up your workouts to incorporate an incline or a decline. At home I use our fireplace, and when I am at the cabin I have a bench in my room that works just as well.

I had no idea there was so much variation you could add with an incline or a decline. We do decline planks with a knee drive, Burpees with an incline push-up, hip lift with feet up in the step. You can take the same exercises and change the difficulty or the muscles you target by changing your incline/decline with something you have right in your house.

Timer

I love timed exercises, especially if they are a bit complex and I know I’ll mess up my count. A timer allows you to focus on your form and what you are doing and keep going until the signal. No worrying about whether you counted correctly.

Ok, ok. You can use the one on your phone… but I seem to end up switching screens and heading back to find it. It is so much simpler and just as easy to set yourself up with an adorable, old-school timer.

Kettlebells

So versatile! I suppose you could do most of the same things with a heavy dumbbell, but I love them. They are easy to grip and and there are so many things you can do with them.

I got my set of three – 5lb, 10lb, and 15lb – from Aldi for $19. I got them this time last year and they are back again, so if you’re looking to get some now is the time! If only I could find some good heavy weights for that price…

Sliders

These are great! They take up almost no space and they allow you to do so much with your own body weight. We’ve used them in a few of our workouts lately.

I have yet to buy any. Addie brought a set over for our first workout with sliders and when she forgot them for our second workout my husband grabbed some from his work truck. The great thing is you don’t have to look all over for fitness sliders – you can get furniture sliders anywhere! They are the same and sometimes there are some really great deals.

Stairs

Another very simple tool you can use inside your home. Stairs can be a super-easy way to get in some cardio, a warm-up, or just bump up your heart-rate during your workout.

Addie had me do a 5-minute workout going up and down the stairs and it was no joke! We’ve also worked on going down the steps quickly and coming back up two at a time to work the legs in some different places.

Very simple – anyone can do that!

Those are my current must-haves during my workouts with Addie – what are your must-haves for a great home workout???