Active Ant - Movement and Exercise Pillar

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An exercise mat is the first essential item you should buy for home training. A mat is affordable, easy to store, and comes in handy for various exercises.  For example, you can lay the mat on the floor and perform movements like crunches, leg raises, sit-ups, and planks. You can also perform a range of yoga poses, sit down to meditate, and more.  Exercise mats are excellent because they provide comfort and reduce the risk of slipping, which can result in an injury.  

 Resistance bands are long pieces of rubber that come in two primary configurations:   Looped (like rubber bands)

Open-ended 

 All resistance bands come in various styles, depending on what type of training you wish to do. For example, open-ended bands can come with handles attached to both ends, allowing you to perform gym movements like bicep curls, tricep extensions, and chest flyes.   Looped bands also come in various sizes and thickness levels. Some, like booty bands, are smaller and designed to wrap around your thighs, knees, or ankles while performing movements. Other looped bands are larger and work great for warming up, mobility work, and as assistance for bodyweight exercises.  

Adjustable dumbbells tend to be more expensive, but they are cheaper than an entire set. Plus, adjustable dumbbells take up much less space, and you can easily store them in some corner of your living room.   Investing in dumbbells is excellent because you can use them for numerous exercises and for various training styles depending on how you prefer to train. Adjustable dumbbells are also fantastic because you can increase or decrease the load on different movements to fit your needs. 

Ankle weights are small items you wrap above your feet for additional resistance. Using ankle weights is beneficial because they increase the difficulty of many exercises, making them more effective. For example, if lying leg raises feel too easy, you can attach a pair of ankle weights to make each repetition more challenging and beneficial.  Using ankle weights is also beneficial for more dynamic movements like jumping jacks, high knees, mountain climbers, etc. As such, these movements burn extra calories and improve your cardiovascular fitness more effectively.  

Yes, we know: a pull-up bar probably feels intimidating, especially if you’re new to fitness. But, here is the thing:  Pull-up bars are incredibly versatile, and investing in one now means you can use it for many years down the road. Plus, you can attach it to your doorway and use it for great workouts without it getting in the way during your day.  The most notable use of a pull-up bar is to do pull-ups and chin-ups, but you can also perform L-sits, hanging knee or leg raises, and more.  These movements are challenging and take time to master, but there is no hurry. You can combine some work on the bar with easier activities to improve your athleticism over the upcoming months.

Skipping Ropes are affordable, light weight and versatile, they can be easily bought with you and used indoors as well as outdoors. Jumping rope will keep you more alert and improve responsiveness. This simple piece of equipment is actually one of the best-kept secrets of the fitness world.  It requires one to coordinate arms and feet, and you’ll gain more speed and coordination by jumping fast. This why jumping rope is very important in boxing and other sports which require speed.  With a little knowledge, anyone can benefit from this underrated workout.