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6 Things That Will Make Training From Home Better

Cut up your gym card, immediately

Headshot of Nick PopeBy Nick Pope
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Can you really be bothered with the gym tonight?

Wouldn't you rather head off home and workout there? Away from the preening crowds, sweat-soaked weights and house music mega-mixes?

Well, why not save yourself a life-time's worth of unused membership fees and transform your humble digs into a fully-fledged personal gym? It's easier (and cheaper) than it sounds.

Here are just some of the best ways you can pack on the muscle at home…

Transportable Pull-up bar

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Trains: Back, shoulders, chest and arms

Price: £15.99

Ahh, the humble pull-up. So simple, and yet so, so effective when it comes to recruiting a whole bunch of muscle groups at once.

Lodge one of these lightweight bars above any doorway you can find and get to work. Grip it overhand with your palms shoulder-width apart for a standard pull-up, or clutch it underhand for a bicep-focused workout.

Sure, your housemates will hate the fact that they can no longer enter a room without ducking under your danglies, but are they really going to call you up on that? Not with those fledging sleeve-stretchers, they aren't.

SIXPAD Unisex Ems Abdominal Trainer

SIXPAD Unisex Ems Abdominal Trainer

SIXPAD Unisex Ems Abdominal Trainer

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Credit: Amazon

Trains: Abs

Price: £371.30

Remember those ads where a guy would be, say, doing the ironing while wearing a special electrical belt that – the ads implied but never actually said – would you give you a six-pack without any exercise? Well, spoiler alert – they don't work. At least, they don't work like that.The Sixpad, which was designed in part by noted six-pack-haver Cristiano Ronaldo, stimulates your abs with a series of electrical pulses that make them contract, as if you were doing a bunch of sit-ups. Now, you can take the lazy route and sit around the house wearing it, which will not give you a six-pack unless you're also eating nothing but broccoli and doing a lot of cardio.Or, you can use it to make your current workouts more intense. Wear the Sixpad while, say, squatting, or planking, and you'll hammer your core muscles harder, which means quicker results. Nothing worth having ever came easy, but you can at least take a shortcut with some clever tech.

Resistance Band

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Trains: Full body

Price: £17.95

Invest some dollar in a set of good quality resistance bands, and you've got a bonafide multi-gym on your hands.

While they only weight a few ounces, they manage to create constant tension through movement, accelerating growth by recruiting muscles fibres.

Stand on it and use it for bicep curls. Trap it under one foot, lunge and stand for a squat workout. Push-press it above your head to take aim at your back muscles. It's not only one of the most versatile home fitness options, but also one of the most targeted and effective.

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Skipping rope

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Trains: Full body

Price: £7.95

There are three ways to have a 'Rocky Balboa' morning:

  • Wake up at the crack of dawn, slip on a hoody and go for a lung-busting run.
  • Glug down a glass of raw egg.
  • Have a nice little skip in your boxers.

You might piss off your downstairs neighbor, but we still think the third option's the most appealing. Not only that – its also the most effective.

Jumping improves bone-mineral density and body power. It involves nearly ever muscle, resulting in fat loss and improved coordination. Try to complete 30 reps swinging the rope forward, before resting, and then trying 30 reps backwards. Complete 5 more sets, and you'll feel fitter than ever before.

Kettlebell

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Train: Full body

Price: Around £16

Sure, cast iron kettle bells will make you look like a mustachioed 1900s strong man, but they'll also deliver full-body conditioning and big results.

One of the best exercises you can complete is 'The Swing': bend your knees and, with both hands on the handle, swing it forward to shoulder height, extending your legs along the way. It'll take some practice, and it's best not to do with someone else in from of a TV/elderly relative, but it'll work wonders for your cardiovascular conditioning and fat loss.

Space-saving Weights

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Trains: Arms, chest

Price: £122.45

Every man needs a set of weights at home, but no man wants to turn their bedroom into an toe-smashing obstacle course.

That's why it's worth investing in a space-saving set. This cheaper offering from Olympic is good starter option, but the Powerblock adjustable dumbbell series is a marvel for anyone who appreciates an easy clear up.

All of your weights exist in one unit. Not only that, but there's also no un-pinning necessary, unlike with other adjustable weights.

Instead, an easy-to-remove bar is used to separate the divisions. It may look like weird hand prison, but it'll free up your entire room.

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