Training

12 Really Cool Gift Ideas for Fitness Junkies

 

If you’re looking for some fitness-related gifts for your favorite people this holiday season, I’ve got you covered.

Below are 12 of my favorite fitness items ever, perfect for anyone wanting to ditch their gym membership or just be able to work out at home whenever they want. Every single item listed below (in no particular order) is something I personally use and love. And they’re also all an awesome value for the cost!

Note: Many of the links below are affiliate links, which means I make a very small commission if you decide to buy from them. 12 Minute Athlete is reader supported, so thank you!

Here are 12 awesome gift ideas for fitness junkies this holiday season:

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Bridges: The Best Back Exercise You’re Not Currently Doing

 

Even just a few years ago, if you’d asked me about the bridge exercise, I would have told you it was some lame exercise reserved mainly for beginners, the injured, or people suffering from lower back pain.

And although as a personal trainer I would include a form of bridging in many of my clients’ programs, it was something I only rarely did myself, and when I did do a bridge or two, it was more as a remembrance of when I did gymnastics as a kid than for any other reason.

I never thought of it as a “serious” exercise and never deliberately included it as a main part of my own or my clients’ training.

But boy, was I wrong. As I’ve gotten more and more into bodyweight and calisthenics training over the years, I’ve realized what an incredible exercise bridges really are.

Common misconceptions about bridges

When most people think of bridges, they think of a short bridge, which is the most common form of the bridge and the one that you’ll most likely see at any basic gym.

But while this form of the bridge is great for those with a weak or injured lower back, it’s fairly non-taxing for anyone who has been working out intensely for a while, so they quickly skip over any other forms of the exercise, thinking it’s too easy for them.

But here’s the thing: half bridges are by no means the most difficult form of the exercise. And if almost anyone, including those who consider themselves to be pretty strong, did try the ultimate bridge—the stand to stand bridge—they’d almost be guaranteed to fall due to lack of strength of flexibility.

It’s time for people to realize that bridges rock. Here’s why:

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Wall Balls Suck (But Here’s Why You Should Do Them Anyway)

 

I’m not sure if I’ve ever told anyone this before, but wall balls are my least favorite exercise ever.

Some people hate burpees. Some people hate double unders. I hate wall balls.

Every time I go to create a new workout and see my giant red medicine ball sitting in the corner, I cringe. “Ugh, when was the last time I did wall balls,” I think to myself? “Do I really want to torture myself (and my readers) with those today?”

Too often, I end up avoiding them and choosing another exercise, for one main reason: wall balls suck.

They’re so hard because they not only work your lower body (during the squat), they work your upper body (during the push press) and make you gasp for air the entire time. But, as you might imagine, those same reasons are exactly why wall balls are so awesome and you should do them anyway.

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Why You Should Celebrate Your Achievements

I’m the first to admit that nothing I do is ever good enough for myself.

I constantly have goals, meet them, and immediately move on to the next thing without taking even a moment to acknowledge my success.

For example, for a long time while practicing double unders, I could only do 15 in a row. There was something about that number that no matter how hard I tried, I just could never get past it. This went on for a couple of years.

So when one day I finally got 28 double unders in a row, I should have been ecstatic. Instead, the first thought that went through my head wasn’t one of happiness—it was of disappointment.

I didn’t congratulate myself. I didn’t even take a second to allow myself to break into a smile. Instead, I told myself I wouldn’t really be good at double unders until I could do 50 in a row—an arbitrary number mentioned once to me by my boxing coach a couple of years ago.

So despite making a major achievement that day, rather than ending my workout feeling happy, I felt depressed.

28 wasn’t good enough. I had to get to 50.

Was this mindset helpful? No. But it’s one that I’ve dealt with my entire life, that feeling of being a failure not because I am one, but because I never take a moment to celebrate all that I’ve accomplished.

But it’s time for both of us to change that.

Take a moment to celebrate

If you never take a moment to celebrate what you’ve accomplished, you will never, ever feel good enough. Instead, you’ll feel like a failure—for life.

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7 Tips For Better Burpees

There’s no question that burpees are one of the best exercises of all time.

Not only do burpees work pretty much every muscle in your body, they’re also an incredible conditioning exercise, and will get you functionally fit like no other exercise can.

But whether you only recently started doing them or if you could do 100 burpees in your sleep, there’s always room for improvement—whether it’s in your form, your speed, or just your overall level of efficiency while busting out burpee after burpee.

And now, here are 7 tips for better burpees:

1. Keep your core tight

Whether it’s due to fatigue or just poor form, many people forget to keep their abs tight while doing burpees—a big mistake.

You should actively be tightening your core (and butt!) during the entire active phase of the burpee, since doing so will not only make the exercise more effective and work your core (meaning you’ll have to do less sit ups later), it’ll improve the overall strengthening benefits you get from burpees as well as maximizing calorie burn.

What’s more, keeping your core tight during burpees will also help reduce the stress that’s placed on your spinal column and prevent lower back pain.

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Mastering Double Unders: Your Complete Guide

 

So you’ve been jump roping for a while now, doing single jumps and high knees with a jump rope, and you’re wondering how to take your jump roping to the next level.

It’s time you start to master the ultimate jump rope exercise: double unders.

Double unders have long been a drill embraced by boxers, since they’re incredible for overall conditioning, coordination and building endurance. And if you’ve ever done CrossFit, you’ve probably encountered them there too.

If you don’t know what they are, let me tell you, there’s no doubt about it: double unders are tough. While the concept is simple—get the rope under your feet twice in a single jump—they require an incredible amount of speed, strength, and coordination to actually execute. 

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Reasons to do adult gymnastics

8 Reasons Why You Should Do Gymnastics As An Adult

Reasons to do adult gymnastics

When was the last time you did a cartwheel? Swung upside down on the rings? Or jumped on a trampoline?

If your answer is not since you were six years old, I can relate.

I did gymnastics up until I was probably in first grade, at which point I decided they were too “girly” and promptly stopped going (it probably didn’t help that even back then, it was obvious that I didn’t have a gymnast’s build). But until that time when I decided I was too cool for it (a decision I very much regret), I thought gymnastics were awesome.

All that flipping, and being upside down, and the jumping around, and the foam pit—what could be more fun than that?

Fast forward to a few months ago, and I decided it was time to try it all over again.

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Pistols: The Ultimate Guide to Mastering the Ultimate Leg Exercise

 

Want to get legs of steel—without using any weights at all? Then it’s time you make it your goal to master pistols.

One of the very best bodyweight leg exercises out there, pistols require incredible leg strength, flexibility, and balance. And if you’ve never tried them before, I’ll warn you: pistols are tough.

In fact, I’ve been working on pistols for a little while now, but I’m nowhere near where I want to be with them. Watch me as I struggle through just three:

But here’s the thing: if you think you can never do a pistol, think again. Because if you follow the progression of exercises below, you’ll build the necessary strength to master the ultimate leg exercise before you know it.

Start wherever is most appropriate for your current strength and flexibility level—i.e. there’s no need to start at the beginning if you can easily do a one legged bench squat already (although working on this will still help you build up strength). Then make sure to include these exercises in your workout routine two to four times a week for the fastest possible results.

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Why You’re Not Getting Results

There’s no question about it: most people just aren’t motivated to exercise. I’ll even go as far as to say that most people hate to exercise.

In fact, if there really was a magic pill that would instantly make you lose weight, get stronger and get in incredible shape with no effort at all, the majority of people would take it, and be ecstatic at the thought of never having to exercise again (I hope this isn’t you).

That’s why people buy things like the Shake Weight, the Thigh Master, and the ‘Ace Power,’ a horseback riding-inspired tool (yes, this really exists)—because they’re marketed as an effortless way to exercise. But they’re effortless because they don’t actually work.

And I’m going to tell you a secret, one I’ve learned by personal experience over my years as an athlete, personal trainer, student and fitness blogger: there is no real shortcut to getting results.

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Sweaty Workout Photo Contest Results

 

First off, thanks to everyone who participated in the 12 Minute Athlete sweaty workout photo contest.

I got so many great responses from you guys, and it was way too much fun going through all the photos you sent. Seriously, you guys are awesome and obviously listen to me when I tell you to work hard!

🙂

I plan on doing more contests and fun stuff like this in the future because I think it’s a really cool way for you guys to get motivated as well as connect with some of the other athletes who read the site.

My only regret of this contest is that I had to pick one winner… trust me, it wasn’t easy. I tried to be as unbiased as possible, basing the results purely on how sweaty and exhausted the contestant looked post-workout vs. pre-workout.

With that said, I’m extremely happy to announce that the winner of the 12 Minute Athlete photo contest and t-shirt giveaway is…

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