The Only Piece of Exercise Equipment You Really Need at Home

Working out at home can solve many a problem—you can save money by not spending on a gym membership, you can work out on your free time without having to actually go anywhere, you can work out while you watch your favorite shows, and you don’t have to step foot in a locker room.

But, when you live in a super small space, exercising at home can feel impossible—where do you put all of the equipment you’ll inevitably need? The answer: you don’t actually need all the things you think you might need—resistance bands may just solve that problem for you.

Unlike other typical fitness equipment like weights and exercise balls, resistance bands are super lightweight and take up minimal space—making them perfect for a tiny apartment. Rather than taking up floor space or shelf space, they can easily be hung from a hook behind your door or on a hanger in your closet, so they’re out of the way when you don’t need them, but easy to grab when you’re ready to exercise.

Bonus perks: the fact that resistance bands are small and lightweight also means you can easily take them anywhere, so if you want to use them for an outdoor workout, it won’t be a struggle at all. Plus, they’re inexpensive—you can get them for as little as $5 on Amazon.

Resistance bands are basically just a simple tool that help you add some extra oomph—AKA resistance and tension—to workouts that would otherwise only use your body weight (as opposed to using free weights or using weight machines like you might at the gym). They’re not as harsh on your body—they’re often used by physical therapists to help with rehabilitation after injuries, for example, but they’re also great at helping you build strength and tone your entire body since they can be used in so many versatile ways. You can also buy bands in different levels of tension and shapes and sizes to fit your needs, which means you can use them to create a totally personalized workout.

If you’re new to using resistance bands, here are some great workout plans to get you started on your fitness mission:

• For a workout that only takes about 30 minutes but will tone your entire body, try this one from Prevention: 10 Moves To Sculpt Your Body With An Exercise Band
• For a seemingly endless supply of moves—organized by sections of the body—try these exercises from Greatist: 33 Resistance Band Exercises You Can Do Literally Anywhere
• For a few different workouts you can do when you’re low on time, try this roundup of video routines from SELF: 3 Resistance Band Workouts To Do In 15 Minutes Or Less
• For another fairly short but still full-body workout, try this routine from Shape Magazine: Total-Body Sculpting: The Resistance Band Workout
• If you’re a runner, resistance bands can help you train—try these exercises from Runner’s World: Resistance Band Routines to Strengthen Connective Tissue

Re-edited from a post originally published 5.3.2017 – TW