Top Five Gifts For The Fitness Buff In Your Life
In my opinion, the best gifts are the ones you would not buy yourself. Generally speaking, that means items that aren’t strictly necessary. If it were necessary, your average adult would have already purchased them. The best gifts are extras, little things you didn’t even know you needed until you got them as a gift or high-quality items you usually wouldn’t spend the money on.
Even though the holidays are still a bit far off, here are the top gifts to get any fitness buff:
TRX Suspension Trainer
The TRX is the most versatile piece of fitness equipment on the market. It can be used to work any muscle in the body and is a home gym in itself. It can be used indoors or out. In addition, the TRX travels easily and is an excellent gift for the fitness buff in your life.
It can scale any exercise from easy to advanced and doesn’t break the bank. I’ve tried the TRX Pro, the TRX Home, and the TRX GO. They all work well for an individual’s needs.
However, I didn’t love the TRX GO model. Although it is about $90 less expensive, it feels much cheaper when using it. It doesn’t inspire as much confidence when your full weight is leaning against it as the TRX Home or TRX PRO but it still works great.
I use it with all my clients, and fortunately, TRX even gives all my clients 20% off. Use discount code TRX20XQTJ8Y for the deal.
Theraband
With the growing popularity of pickleball, golf, and tennis, physical therapists see more and more elbow issues. Golfers and tennis elbow are on the rise and could keep you out of the game for weeks. Stay ahead of tendinitis issues with the Theraband. It is the only fitness product I’ve seen that helps clients eliminate their elbow issues.
Remember, golfers and tennis elbow are predominantly overuse injuries. Therefore make sure you ease back into activities slowly if you take a lot of time off. Even though tennis, golf, and pickle don’t feel like high-impact exercises, they are much more intense than people realize.
Regular exercise is key to staying injury-free if you don’t play year-round. Zoom personal training may be a great option if you need help staying in shape during the off-season.
The Cross Rope
Let me start by saying any jump rope is an excellent gift for a fitness junky. Jump ropes are one of the most efficient forms of exercise and can be performed anywhere. In addition, jump ropes are easy to travel with, usually inexpensive, and an incredible cardiovascular workout.
The cross rope is essentially the Rolls Royce of jump ropes. It is a weighted jump rope system that costs around $200. It is something nice to have but definitely not needed for someone who likes to jump rope.
If you want something less expensive but still high-quality, I’d recommend this speed rope. However, the type of rope you buy will depend on the kind of jumping rope you’d like to do. Speed ropes are best for double-unders, freestyle ropes are best for doing tricks, and a weighted rope is best for a total body workout.
High-Quality Chalk or Chalk Bag
If your loved one is a powerlifter, rock climber, crossfitter, or calisthenics enthusiast, they use a lot of chalk. Chalk improves your grip, allowing you to hold the bar or barbell better and significantly decrease the risk of tearing your skin.
Most people probably don’t realize there is different quality chalk, and it comes at very different price points. I’ve tried almost all the chalks at this point, and unless you are a competitive rock climber or have a thing about texture. I wouldn’t spend too much money on the chalk.
The chalk bag, however, can vary in quality significantly. I like chalk bags with a phone holder or strap. When going to the gym, you want to carry as few things as possible. Phone, keys, headphones, water bottle, and chalk start to add up, and you only have two hands. I prefer to shove my phone, keys, and headphone case in my chalk bag and just carry that and my water bottle.
Massage Gun
Recently, massage guns have gained a lot of popularity. Every company and its mother are making a massage gun now, and you can spend anywhere from $80-$500 on one. The Hypervolt Massage gun is the original and a high-quality product.
I have friends who prefer the triangle grip models Theragun makes, but honestly, I didn’t think that grip makes much of a difference. Amazon sells several models in the $80 price point area, and they work. However, they feel much cheaper. According to the reviews, many people get models that don’t work.
I’ve tried this cheap massage gun, and it works well enough. It is undoubtedly flimsier and lower quality than the Hypervolt or Theragun, but it is also over $200 cheaper.
There are hundreds of products that any fitness lover will love. This list doesn’t even scratch the surface. Some other favorites of mine include a Fitbit, a Nutribullet, or even a nice water bottle.
A word of warning about gifting fitness-related products: only give these types of things to people who want them. This may sound obvious, but it is worth stating that you should not give an overweight person a scale for the holidays. Nor should you give someone who hates running a run tracker. The best gifts are the ones that people use and don’t imply “you should lose weight.”
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