Which home fitness equipment is the most practical and best?

To be honest, from the perspective of the universality of the vast majority of ordinary bodybuilders, adjustable dumbbells are currently the most practical option. But when it comes to practicality, this conclusion is simply untenable for many people.

When I rented a 12-square-meter apartment in Beidiao two years ago, I stepped through the equipment pit that could go around the rental house three times. I first followed suit and bought an elliptical machine that was half a person tall, which took up one-third of the aisle. I had to turn sideways every time I passed by. In the end, I hung clothes until they were gathering dust, and no one wanted to hang salted fish for 50% off. Later, I changed to a pair of adjustable dumbbells with a total weight of 24kg. They can be stuffed under the desk and take up no space at all. If you want to train your chest, you can do floor chest presses. If you want to train your back, you can bend over and row. If you want to train your legs, you can do lunges. Even when my mother came to live, she used the light-weight version to do aerobics. I calculated that it was used at least 4 times a week, and it has not broken after three years of use.

But last time I posted this in a fitness group, I almost got kicked out of the group by my friends. Many people think that the most practical thing is the thickened yoga mat that can be bought for more than ten yuan. After all, no matter what equipment you use, you have to settle on the mat in the end. Even if you don’t have any equipment, you can do push-ups, planks, burpees, and even stretching and foam rollers with a mat. There is no threshold at all. Novices can get started after using it for half a month, and there is no possibility of being wasted. This is actually true. I was trapped in my hometown during the lockdown last year. I didn’t bring any equipment and relied on an old yoga mat to maintain my training volume for two months.

Oh, by the way, if you have poor joints and can't do weight-bearing training at all, then the above two things will be useless to you. My former colleague had an old knee injury and couldn't even run or jump with weights. She put a folding stepper at home that could be stuffed under the sofa, and she stepped on it for 40 minutes every day while watching TV shows. She lost 3 points of body fat in the past six months, and her knees never hurt. To her, this stepper is the best home fitness equipment in the world.

In fact, to put it bluntly, there is no universal "best". Before you choose, don't read what bloggers are boasting about. First, calculate how much time you can spare every week to practice, how much space you can spare at home, and whether the ultimate goal is to gain muscle, lose fat, or just move around without gaining weight. If you choose according to this standard, it will be the most practical and good thing to put in your home.