From Part 1 of “My Favorite (Gym) Things”, my list included free-standing punching bags with gloves, PowerBlocks and kettlebells, a Gymboss interval timer, the heavy rope, and the old school Schwinn Air Dyne bicycle. These are all things I could not live without at my small personal training gym. Here are a few more items . . .
Hoist Double Cable Column
This double cable column is fairly new at the gym. With the addition of this pulley system, we can do a wider variety of pulls, including assisted chin-ups, core work, and much more. The best part about it is that for certain exercises two clients can be working at the same time. As pictured, it is set up for assisted chin-ups.
iPod Nano
This is sort of a no-brainer, but music is important. From time to time, I take requests and upload new music and make client-specific playlists. I have a wide variety of music on this thing. . . from hip hop to country to 80′s metal. . . there is definitely something for everyone on that little iPod!
Workout Schedule
Women are schedule-driven, organized (usually) and live their lives by their date book – especially if they have kids, spouses, and other activities going on. Having a centralized calendar is so important for everyone. . . I plan each month in advance so everyone knows when their appointments are scheduled. And, as any busy woman knows, schedules change, kids get sick, and “life happens”. . . having the schedule up makes it easy for everyone to plan ahead and reschedule appointments ahead of time.
Favorite Gym Gadgets
Starting at the top. . . the 2 small plates are often used under the heels for those who struggle to keep good form on squats. I can’t squat right without them . . . dowels are used for stretching . . . we use cones for jumping, various drills, and shuttle runs . . . the blue pad is used for a lot of kneeling and 1/2 kneeling exercises including medicine ball throws . . . everyone starts her workout with the foam roll . . . mini-bands are used for a lot of different things including some warm-up drills, squats and other things . . . the jump rope is often used in conditioning . . . and the large plate is perfect for the plate circuit.
Medicine Balls
Finally, medicine balls are always a work in progress. I never realized how hard it can be to teach someone the proper way to throw. But, even though it is difficult to sometimes teach Med Ball Throws, this is a great way to do some conditioning work. We often use the med balls as part of our warm-up to work on explosiveness.
I’m sure I could add a lot more things to my list, but just walking through my gym, these are the things we use most often. Of course, we also use the benches, bar & squat rack, mats, and physioballs on a daily basis, too.
What are the things you couldn’t live without at your gym?
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Posted by Barb Macy 
