Getting into shape and maintaining your fitness can be hard work, but the right gear can make the job easier and more fun. Add the following fitness gear to your arsenal to crush your next workout.
A Speed Jump Rope: Take Skipping to Next Level
Jumping rope isn’t just for grade-schoolers, and a new craze called speed jump rope is taking the fitness world by storm. There’s no need to be intimidated. Ross Enamit, a professional fitness trainer, told Livestrong.com that jumping with a basic speed jump rope is ideal for beginners.
A speed jump rope improves cardio health, agility, and endurance, just like a regular jump rope. But this special rope, which has ball bearings in the handles to increase its potential speed, better develops coordination and conditioning. While beginners can easily use one, they’re also popular with elite athletes. Once you’ve mastered the basics, progress to more advanced exercises like double-unders to really test yourself.
Quality Fitness Apps: Let Technology Guide Your Workouts
Some people say you really need a personal trainer to achieve your fitness goals. They probably haven’t discovered how good modern fitness apps are. When you have a device loaded with fitness apps, it’s like you have a personal trainer in your pocket. There are apps featuring structured workouts and apps to record your heart rate, activity, and other progress statistics. Many apps are free or inexpensive, so if you feel your workout is in a rut you can simply download another to shake things up. Look for apps with high user ratings for the best results.
While there are apps for all types of mobile devices, they work best on modern smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S7. This phone features the latest Android operating system and fastest processor, which provide the smoothest, most seamless app experience. Click here to learn more about the Galaxy’s features.
Moisture-Wicking Gym Clothes: Ideal Workout Gear for Sweaty Sessions
Special gym clothes might seem like a waste of money for any man used to exercising in a regular T-shirt and shorts. However, there are some compelling reasons why it’s worth investing in moisture-wicking gym gear.
These clothes are made from fabric which wicks moisture (sweat) away from your body during your workout, making you more comfortable. It also lowers your chance of developing rashes and chafing and your risk of overheating, so you can work out longer without compromising your health. Moisture-wicking materials also dry faster than others, so they’re less likely to mildew in your gym bag.
Fitness retailers have a range of moisture-wicking gym clothes to appeal to men of all tastes and budgets.
A Weight Vest: Increase Your Workout Intensity
Wearing a weight vest is an easy way to raise the intensity of any workout. The weights added to these vests increase resistance during cardio work, muscle-building drills, and body weight exercises, so you expend more energy and burn more calories during your workout session. The extra weight will also help you become stronger and improve your endurance. Since the vest adds more weight around your upper body, wearing one really works your abdominal muscles and strengthens your core. Wearing a weight vest is also a surprising way to increase your speed.
“When exercising with a weight vest, the body’s muscle memory is triggered to adapt to the added weight. Both body and mind believe extra weight has been gained when, in fact, it has not,” Ian Cohen explained in Muscle & Fitness. “The result is muscle memory that will react with the extra weight in mind. This fitness phenomenon produces significant gains in speed and quickness that would not be obtained without the extra baggage applied.”
Look for a vest which allows you to add more weight so you can continue to challenge yourself as your fitness improves. Just don’t get too eager too soon. Experts recommend starting light, then gradually adding more weight over a period of several months. If you put more weight than you can handle onto your body you’ll put undue stress on your joints and increase your risk of injury.
Investing in quality fitness gear like this can give you the edge you need to crush your next workout.