I am not fan of gimmicks—especially when it comes to fitness. I like to stick to the basics and use the time spent exercising effectively. (Opportunity costs!) There are some great tools out there, too, that are useful, but only to a limited extent. Anyone is welcome to use this as my Christmas “wish list” (**wink**), but, honestly, I have my home gym pretty well equipped for my personal use. So, some of the nifty tools I might recommend if you were wanting to surprise the fitness enthusiasts on your list are:
Bulgarian bag. I already own one (technically, more than one—one 17 kg for myself, an 8 kg for my wife and son, several DIYs I made years ago, and a couple “knock offs” I tried). The Bulgarian bag is one of the most versatile tools in my gym. It is the basis for my core training and much of my high-intensity interval resistance training (HIIRT). I wouldn’t recommend gifting a DIY bag, though for the gifter on a budget, it can be a nice gesture. Avoid the “knock offs”. The authentic Bulgarian bag (https://suples.com/bulgarian-bag/genuine.php) is designed perfectly for it’s intended purpose. (Choose the canvas option, if price is a concern. By the way, Suples is offering free shipping through the month of December, which is a savings of at least $20-30!)
Suples® Ball. Once you are hooked on the Bulgarian bag for your conditioning workouts, you will undoubtedly start eyeing the Suples® Ball. It looks like a medicine ball with strap handles, but it is so much more than a medicine ball. It takes the Bulgarian bag workouts to the next level, and it a superior tool for athletes. If you think swinging a sledge hammer on a tire is great, you’ll find the Suples® Ball much more effect—for endurance, speed, strength, and power. Medicine balls and slam balls are released when they are thrown and, thus, need to be retrieved before they can be thrown again. The Suples® Ball can be thrown repeatedly in a variety of useful acceleration/deceleration movement patterns to maximize agility training.
Slosh ball. These are essentially just water-filled physioballs. They can be purchased or DIY. I have an extra ball that I recently filled with water. (It has the large ball. In hindsight, I would go with the smallest ball. The weight is great, but there is too much air in what I made—too much slosh.) Like a sandbag, the weight shifts (quite a bit more when water is used) adding a component of difficulty to the movement. I’ll be working this into my HIIRT workout.
Landmine. The landmine is just a means of fixing one end of an Olympic ball for a variety of dynamic exercises. Adding from the variety of handles that can be purchased for the lifting end, the tool can be used for endurance, strength, and explosive movements. An advantage that this to has over the Bulgarian bag, Suples® Ball, and slosh ball is that the weight can be progressively overloaded and adjusted specific to the movement. Hence, the exercise weight can range from the bar weight to hundreds of pounds. There are a variety of manufacturers and there are some DIY options (though manufactured is probably the way to go). There is none that I would recommend over another. Buy according to budget and quality. It is a great tool for people of all ages. I find them especially beneficial for athletes—e.g., offensive linemen, in particular.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!