Recently, we published a series of articles about exercises that can be done at home for free and that will produce results. Thanks to the assistance of many knowledgeable fitness experts we were able to provide how-to information for upper body, lower body, and abdominal exercises.  What makes these exercises even better is that none of them require the use of equipment.

However, at some point you might desire a little change to your at-home workout regimen.  Maybe you want to challenge yourself more or just want to add some variety.  When that time comes, you could invest in a piece or two of home exercise equipment.  There are many pieces of equipment that you can purchase that guarantee results. . .but that cost hundreds, or thousands, of dollars.  Rather than spending lots of money on equipment, we have some great, reasonably priced options from Shaun Zetlin, a New York metro area master trainer.

1. Stability ball– Probably one of the most popular pieces of equipment at any gym, but this ball is a very affordable 25 dollars. The stability ball can be utilized not only to work the core effectively, but performing any exercise with the ball will result in more calories being burned due to the instability it provides. Depending on your fitness levels, the ball can be used for everything from performing a basic crunch to an advanced push-up. Furthermore, other exercises can be done with the ball, including hamstring curls, jackknifes, leg extensions and ball bridges. The stability ball is an excellent way to track your progress and provides limitless exercises to prevent boredom.
2. Dumbbells – The staple of any home gym, dumbbells provide a multitude of exercises that a barbell cannot do. In addition, the resistance, range of motion and increased muscle fiber recruitment make the dumbbells the obvious choice over a barbell. Also, dumbbells can stack nicely in any corner where a bar obviously would take up much more space. Depending on the weight of the dumbbells, a set could cost you anywhere from 16 to 60 dollars. Efficient exercises that can be performed with dumbbells are presses, rows, laterals and curls. You even could hold them to provide more resistance when doing a squat or lunge. For the more advanced individual, apply the use of dumbbells with the stability ball for a total body workout.
3. Resistance bands – These bands will cost between 10 and 20 dollars but allow for a change of intensity and speed that resistance dumbbell training cannot always provide. Exercises that can be done when using these bands include flies, military presses, tricep extensions and bicep curls.
4. Foam rollers – Many of us do not have time to stretch or even neglect a stretching routine, but it is extremely important to have flexibility in your muscles. The foam roller is used to create a deep, intense stretch similar to a massage. The foam’s hard stable surface helps aid in muscle recovery by creating a powerful release in the stress of your muscular fibers. In other words, it helps improve flexibility by just laying on the area you want to stretch for 30 seconds. The foam roller will cost you 25 dollars but can be well worth it since it helps maintain a consistent stretching routine for those overactive tight muscles. You can stretch your hamstrings, calves, quadriceps, hip flexors and different areas of your back.