9 Home Fitness Props – No Machines Required

Here at Fit2B we provide subscription access to 200 video routines that people use to supplement their home fitness workouts. When we first launched in 2010, it was initially very important to me to avoid using any props people would have to leave their homes to buy.

I want to keep things as simple as possible for you, because fitness shouldn’t have to be inaccessible or expensive. In fact we pride ourselves in radically unique routines that no one else has which suit this very purpose like “Bag a Better Back” and “Bag a Better Booty” in which you learn how to use a grocery sack and canned goods for toning.

However, as we grew, we reached more people who wondered how to safely use modern fitness tools they already had like foam rollers, weighted balls, aerobic steps, kettle bells, yoga blocks, stretchy bands, and more for exercising while dealing with diastasis recti, hernia, prolapse, incontinence, surgery scars, etc. The sad fact is that these items often come with a list of exercises that aren’t suitable for those with abdominal trauma.

But that’s our speciality here at Fit2B Studio: “TummySafe Fitness” that makes movement possible again for people who are scared to reinjure themselves. We teach the alignment and breathing needed to make each exercise safe, and we avoid the few moves that make it worse: Crunches, situps, unmodified planks. Because there are so many other {better} ways to train your core. So. Many. Ways.

Anyway, while most of our routines use body resistance or basic dumbbells to get you a great home workout, we do have several routines that are geared toward the following 9 home fitness props. These affiliate links take you to the items that are most similar to what I use in the Fit2B videos, and your purchases help to further support Fit2B.

1. Foam Roller {click}
   • You need a round foam roller that is 6″ wide by 36″ long. It doesn’t need to be fancy or have nubs on it, but some people like extra grippies. If you worry about the balance issue, try a half-roller instead.
   • We use a foam roll in our eCourse entitled “14 Days to a Better Neck” and also in several foam rolling routines such as “TummySafe Foam Rolling” and “FoamUNrolling” and “Foam Rollaxing” … relaxing + rolling = rollaxing! Like I said, we’re different here at Fit2B 😉
2. Weighted Workout Balls {click}
   • These are full of iron sand and easier to grip for people with wrist issues. The diverse things you can do with them – like catching and passing – make them a more fun home fitness prop than dumbbells
   • We use a weighted ball in our Tabata Ball Workout and a couple others.
   • Sidenote: doing a random google search for “weighted balls” can be… uh, interesting. Since it also pulls up vaginal weights. You do not need to insert things to strengthen your pelvic floor. We have a tasteful routine called “Pelvic Floor Connections” you can use for that, no weights required.
3. Foam or Cork Blocks {click}
   • Blocks are used in a few of our yoga routines, but we also have a “Blissful Blocks” routine on Fit2B that uses non-yoga terminology for those who are uncomfortable with yoga.
   • They need to be 4″ x 6″ x 9″ and you can select color and material: cork or foam or wood. Some members have made their own.
   • You can find blocks at big store chains like Target, not just online. They are a common prop in mainstream yoga studio classes, but they aren’t just for Yoga. They are very useful for modifying many Pilates and body resistance movements.
4. Firm Rectangular Bolster {click}
   • It needs to be at least 24″ long x 12″ wide x 6″ tall in order to support your torso and head during most of the positions for which it’s used.
   • We use a bolster during “Restorative Poses” and “Balanced Inversions” and a few others on Fit2B make it an option as well.
   • If you want to make your own, this is a great tutorial that we enjoy referencing.
5. Aerobic Step {click}
   • We have several step routines on Fit2B and plan to add more as we keep growing our library of family-friendly fitness. Find them in our cardio section here.
   • If you aren’t ready for a step but want to do a step routine, lay a bathmat on the floor and step on and off that. Some members have also used scotch tape to draw a square on their floor to step in and out of. Their kids have fun with this as well.
   • Not kidding: I got my step that I use in the Fit2B videos at a yard sale for $1.50 USD. I paid in quarters LOL!
6. Dumbbells {click}
   • While a lot of people might have these kicking around or picking up dust in their home already, some people don’t have them yet.
   • We use dumbbells in a LOT of our home fitness workouts such as “Ultimate Upper Body” and “Weighted Warriors.”
   • You can always substitute two equally weighted food items, water bottles, toy trucks, milk jugs, the options are endless!
7. KettleBell {click}
   • While most kettle bell moves push for speed and hip snapping, we slow things down a bit on Fit2B to teach proper form and maintain safety for those who are recovering from diastasis recti, hernia, prolapse, leaking issues, etc. Once you get the hang of it, you can go faster if your body says it’s okay.
   • Kettlebells are hard to duplicate with something else. They are one of the most ancient types of weights and they allow for a comfortable grip and swinging motions that other items just can’t replicate.
   • We have a couple of basic Kettle Bell routines here on Fit2B for those who want to explore kettlebells while maintaining core integrity. They are also useful for experienced kettlebellers who need to back off while they’re healing from an injury.
8. Big Stability Exercise Ball {click}
   • Another popular tool for home workouts, big exercise balls typically get used by children for acrobatics or by adults for sitting in place of chairs.
   • Situps and crunches on big balls are less safe than those same moves on the floor. When diastasis recti is present, the spinal hyperextension that balls encourage should be avoided.
   • Our “Transitions” and  “Functional Workout” shows lots of great tummysafe fitness moves, so you can adapt the program that comes with your ball.
9. TheraBand Exercise Stretch Bands – Latex & Powder Free {click}
   • My favorite workout tool because they’re so light and easy to pack with me on trips. They take up zero space and are very versatile!
   • We use stretchy bands during the “Little {Big} Band Routine” and “Great Glutes” and “Bands & Balance” plus a few others.

Must you buy all those things up there to use Fit2B? No way! Like I already said, the majority of our routines encourage you to use what you already have (your body weight, canned goods, cooperative kids)  often in ways you never thought! Even in the routines that do call for certain props, we give you alternatives, like showing you how to make your own bolster, or how you can use a pillow instead of a block for certain moves.

Click here to learn about membership access to Fit2B today!

Do you have to buy new? No way! Honestly, I get a lot of my home fitness props and equipment at thrift stores, garage sales or local chains. I’m always giving away my props, and it’s pain to buy new ones all the time. Just the other day, my mom asked if I had any 1-pound dumbbells she could borrow for her shoulder rehab. “Yep, I sure do. Just keep ’em okay, Mom?” She was delighted, and I had an excuse to head to my fave thrift shop to replace them 😉