With the social distancing measures for Covid-19 likely to last for over 12-weeks and possibly up to 6 months many people have been looking to replace their gym routines with working out from home. And for those that don’t do much fitness, you probably should be considering it, it will fend off mental health issues and help you fight off infection if you do get Covid-19.
I am fortunate enough to have a house big enough and, due to no kids, enough money to afford a treadmill and a turbo trainer for my bike, but many people don’t have the space or money for hundreds if not thousands of pounds worth of gym equipment.
Unfortunately, the huge growth in demand has led to many items being out of stock and many companies are exploiting this by jacking up their prices, in some cases the price rise is rediculous.
So finding affordable items that are in stock is practically impossible, in most cases, you are probably going to have to wait at least a month for delivery.
Currently, there are a lot of YouTubers creating fitness content that requires no special equipment, so this is a superb starting place before you commit to spending money, or while waiting for delivery.
However, adding some basic items will be able to give you a more rounded routine that will challenge you more as your fitness improves.
I started this post hoping I would find at least a few decent options, at the moment, there are very slim pickings, but I will update the options as and when I see more choices. For the time being, I would recommend looking into Calisthenics for weight training and HIIT/Insanity for general cardio fitness, there are plenty of free YouTube videos for both.
Resistance Bands
Probably the most affordable solution to help with stretching and increase the effort on home-based workout.
- Gratin Resistance Bands – £11.99
- Price rise from £8.99
- Delivery 5th of May (over a month)
- Insonder Resistance Bands Set – £10
- Price rise from £5.99
- 27th of April (just under a month)
- Letsfit Resistance Loop Bands – £7.59
- No price rise
- 27th of April (just under a month)
Dumbells & Weights
Dumbbells or other forms of weight will significantly help with strength exercises and help vary the intensity.
I am struggling to find any Amazon seller that has anything available to buy that is charging a moderately reasonable price
Instead, I will list how badly these companies are exploiting the demand
- York Fitness Unisex Rubber Hex Dumbbells ( Pair), Black, 1.25Kg
- Was £10
- Now £35
- Anchor 20kg Adjustable Dumbbells Weights (no stock anymore)
- Was £21
- Last price £32.99
- TnP Accessories. Tri-Grip Dumbbell Weights Set 30KG set
- Was £37.99
- Now £94.99 + £3.99 Shipping
- Sportstech 2in1 innovative dumbbell set £69.95 + £19.90 delivery
- I previously slated Sportstech for the price hikes on spin bikes, but this product is the same price, though 2-month delivery time, and it wasn’t that cheap in the first place.
TRX / Suspension
A similar issue with TRX / suspension equipment. I wouldn’t recommend buying from any seller that has significantly increased the price.
- Oyria Sling Set – £25.99
- No price increase
- Delivery 6 May – Sat, 16 May (6-weeks)
- Fitness Training Pro Suspension System Training Kit
- Was £32.99
- Now £75
Skipping Ropes
A skipping rope could be one of the most affordable options to add an intense cardio workout. Just be careful with your form. Immediate availability is still an issue but prices are not too bad.
- We R Sports Plastic Skipping Rope – £4.99
- In Stock
- Was £2.49
- Likely poor quality, but it is cheap and in stock.
- Beast Gear – Beast Rope Elite – £25.97
- No price rise
- 27th of April (1-month delivery)
- Sportout Skipping Rope for Fitness – £12.99
- Was £7.99
- 27th of April (1-month delivery)
- multifun Skipping Rope – £18.99
- Was £13.99
- 27th of April (1-month delivery)
- GA230 Large Jumping Rope 5 meter £16.05 +£9.99 Delivery
- Was £6.85
- 20th of April (less than 1 month)
