In home trainer with equipment problem!!

by bre
(MA)

I recently started my own personal training company for in- home or on location training. I have a few clients already and things are looking good. My only problem right now is the transportation of all my equipment. I am lugging around dumbbells, medicine balls, and even steps! Luckily, I am currently only training women, so the weights I typically carry in only go up to 12 lbs. Combined with the 10s, 8s, 5, 3, and med balls, i find myself really struggling to even lift my bags!

Does anyone have some advice on good ways to transport equipment? Maybe some of you trainers our there have come up with a brilliant way to make life easier!?!

thanks so much for any help!!!

Portable gear
by: Lou Drakulich

I really like elastic bands and find Bodylastics are a great value. They have internal nylon cables which almost completely eliminate the danger of breaking and snapping back. I have no relationship with this company.
Another excellent and portable system are suspension trainers. TRX is the the most famous but I find WOSS makes a more reasonably priced product that is just as good. The WOSS Titan is my personal favorite.
Throw in a few different sized medicine balls and you should be able to fulfill the needs of a variety of clients. I like the medicine balls with handles over kettle bells because they don't break stuff or injure clients when dropped or misused.

Basics for In-home training

by Kathy
(Dallas, TX)

I have tried working at a couple of chain gyms. Not good experiences so for - I will blame it on poor management. I have gotten my confidence up already. I have NFPT, NASM and kettlebell certs. I want to start doing in-home training. If someone doesn't have a home gym what basic portables do you use? There is so much you can do with stability balls, bands, and body weight exercises etc. I have some adjustable dumbells as well as some smaller kettlebells.

Bosu ball are crazy expensive so I am looking at wobble boards for stability exercises. Any other recommendations?

Helpful resource
by: Anonymous

You really don't need as much as you think, when it comes to equipment. My business has always been "on-site" training, so these days, I'm completely lost in the gym environment.

During the summer months, I take it outdoors as much as possible. It's amazing what the outdoor environment provides in terms of workout "equipment". For example: a park playground with swings, monkey bars, balance beams, etc., can provide an entire circuit training course. Bodyweight and balance exercises provide hours of wonderful "equipment-less" training! Fitness games, such a knee tag and stability ball soccer are among my client's favorites. Not only does this type of "play" provide a great aerobic/anaerobic workout, it makes adults laugh like children...priceless!

A great resource for starting a mobile training business is: http://mobilefitnessprofessional.blogspot.com/

Good luck. I guarantee you'll soon look back at those gym training days and laugh!

Cheers,
L.A. Bailey
Fit*Chix Mobile Fitness

The key to being a successful in home mobile fitness trainer
by: Machelle Lee - The Invisible Gym Mobile Personal Fitness Training

Hi Kathy,

The key to being a successful mobile trainer is to practice working with clients in all different locations and to create exercises in multiple training scenarios and environments. Although lugging a lot of equipment with you is always an option, it is cumbersome. Our advice is to learn how to be creative and utilize the environment all around you. This is one of the reasons we named our business “The Invisible Gym” – everything in your environment can be used for your fitness routine. One person might just see a chair,….but to the “trained eye,” that chair is also a squat machine, a push-up bar and good for a variety of other exercises.

Listed below are some examples of things you can use to help you create exercises for your mobile training clients.

Indoor examples: couches, chairs, countertops, walls, stairs, step-ladders and tables.

Outdoor examples: benches, poles, sidewalks, playground equipment, grassy areas, beaches and parks.

*Also: Many in home clients already have exercise equipment at home. You will be amazed what comes out of closets, garages, spare rooms and underneath someone's bed. If you insist that your clients have certain pieces of equipment, you can also accompany them to the equipment store and help them pick out appropriate items.

How Can I Get Better at Creating Exercises in Different Environments?

A great way to practice creating your own “invisible gym” is to take a few minutes whenever you enter a new space and take a look around and think about how that environment could be used for an exercise session. After awhile you will start to create exercises and workout programs automatically everywhere you go. This is one of the greatest things about being a mobile trainer - it enhances your creativity and ultimately makes you a phenomenal personal trainer that is able to create a workout anywhere.

Equipment That We Recommend

Although we can justify any piece of equipment, below is a list of our “core” pieces of equipment that we use on a regular basis.

Rubber Tubing – We use Stroops tubes for outdoors. ( www.stroops.com) We do not have any affiliation with Stroops, but have learned that their bands last a long time and are covered with a cloth material guaranteeing safety if the band does happen to break.

Balance Apparatus- (any type) stability balls, bosu, ballast ball, balance boards, wobble boards, etc.

Adjustable Free Weights (we have one set that goes from 2.5 lbs to 50 lbs)

Mini yoga balls (filled with sand) various sizes and weights

Medicine ball(s) – various sizes and weights

Exercise Mat

In home trainer with equipment problem!!

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Basics for In-home training

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