I’m gonna steal a theme from Oprah this week and share my favorite things when it comes to the fitness industry.
Today I’m gonna start us out by revealing:
a.) my favorite fitness equipment
b.) where’s the best place to get it
c.) who are the best people to learn from to use these tools safely and effectively
Every training tool has it’s own set of pros and cons, so here it goes:
#1- Resistance Bands
Pros:
- Portable, affordable and versatile
- Space-efficient
- Provides the missing upper body pulling component
- Great for cardio/locomotion and speed training
- Great for flexibility work
- Ideal for partner training
- Easy sell to campers as an affiliate for home/travel workouts
Cons:
- Wear and tear from poor quality bands and improper use
- Lack of “dead weight” training
Recommendations:
I go with Dave “The Band Man” Schmitz. He’s hands down the best in the biz when it comes to safely and effectively using resistance bands for a wide variety of applications.
He also has his very own line of bands which I have personally found to be of great quality.
I started purchasing bands from Dave about 3-4 years ago and they continue to hold up very well. I can honestly say that we’ve never had a band snap on us… knock on wood 
In fact, I love bands so much that we collaborated with the band man to make some custom Workout Muse interval training workout music soundtracks using bands called RESISTANCE BAND TRAINING SOUNDTRACKS (click the image below for more info):
On a side note, Dave is an outstanding coach, a great family man, and one of my best friends on Earth. You can’t go wrong when it comes to the band man and I mean that from the bottom of my heart!
For more info about Dave, his bands, and his many resistance band training info products and certification, please visit:
#2- Kettlebells
Pros:
- A gym in your hand
- Hardcore tool that builds and attracts fitness fanatics
- Perfect tool for total body exercises and metabolic conditioning
- Great for kettlebell-specific profit centers
- Ideal tool for power training and posterior chain development
Cons:
- High up-front cost
- Heavy and not as portable
Recommendations:
When it comes to education, I go with Pamela MacElree and Jason C. Brown of KettlebellAthletics.com.
They are both awesome people and I just can’t say enough about their teaching methods.
Since going through their Level I Kettlebell Athletics Certifcation in September of 2009, I have become absolutely obsessed with kettlebell training and we even developed a Workout Muse product featuring custom kettlebell interval workout music soundtracks called KETTLEBELL KAOS (click the image below for more info):
I use all of the KK tracks in my very own Kettlebell Kaos group ex class and my clients absolutely love them.
I also purchase my kettlebells from Perform Better (see more info below).
#3- Suspension Trainers
Pros:
- Portable and versatile
- The most seamless way to regress and progress bodyweight exercises
- Provides the missing upper body pulling component
- Ideal for core training and the general population loves to work their abs
- Perfect for TRX-specific profit centers
- Great for flexibility and mobility work
- Promote as an affiliate for home/travel workouts
Cons:
- High up-front cost
- Attachment limitations
Recommendations:
I go with TRX Suspension Trainers from Fitness Anywhere. The straps are high quality and my campers love them. Plus, Fitness Anywhere provides an incredible educational component for how to best use their suspension trainers and to me, education is what it’s all about.
For more info about TRX Suspension Trainers and their various fitness products and resources, please visit:
#4- Everything Else: PERFORM BETTER
When it comes to all of my other favorite training tools like battle/training ropes, dumbbells, valslides, stability discs/balls, etc., we go with Perform Better.
Perform Better is not only the leading fitness equipment vendor by they are also the top continuing education service for fitness professionals all over the world.
I am honored to be a Perform Better presenter for my expertise in fitness bootcamp program design and marketing systems and I am also well known for being a preferred customer as I always leave every seminar I attend with a trunk load of cool new training tools, ha ha!
For more info about Perform Better and their complete catalog of fitness products and equipment, please click the link or image below:
Crank it!
BJ
