From turbo trainers to running buggies: the fitness gear that made you fitter

If you’re anything like me, your social media feed will be awash with targeted ads for spurious fitness gizmos, questionable “supplements” and get-ripped-quick gadgets in January. “Get a rippling six-pack while you continue to rot on the sofa eating melted camembert,” they may as well say. Unfortunately, this is seldom the case.

The harsh reality is that there’s no shortcut to getting fit. But certain tools can help you get there … or at least make the process slightly less harrowing. With that in mind, we asked ordinary people who got themselves in shape about the kit they couldn’t have done without.

The top-rated fitness gear for 2025

Pull-up bar

Everlast pull-up bar

_{£10 at Studio
£10 at Sports Direct}

I think I paid £12 for my pull-up bar during the pandemic, and it’s the best money I’ve ever spent. I hung it on my home-office door frame and made myself do one pull-up every time I went in or out of the room. One pull-up turned into two, then three and so on. Now I practise calisthenics (body weight exercises) almost daily and recently mastered my first muscle-up. It’s essentially a pull-up where you then push yourself up and over the bar, something I could only have dreamed of being able to do a few years ago. Tim, Leeds

For more ways to keep fit at home, read our PT-recommended guide to the best home exercise kit

Turbo trainer

Wahoo Kickr Snap turbo trainer

_{£249.99 at Cycle Revolution
£149.99 at Amazon}

Covid was a transformative time for me. I weighed 21 stone in April 2020 and managed to get myself down to 15 by 2022 through cycling. I was keen not to lose my progress during the winter, so I bought a turbo trainer. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a device that connects your bike and your laptop, tablet or smartphone via an app (the one I use is called Zwift) so that you can ride indoors in a virtual world. There’s interactive training sessions, workouts and even races. You can ride with your friends, too, so it’s a good way to stay connected. Matt, North Tyneside

Running buggy

Terrain buggy

_{£649.99 at Mountain Buggy
£649.95 at Natural Baby Shower}

I ran competitively before having a baby. When he arrived, training went out of the window. Eventually, I bit the bullet and bought a bells-and-whistles running buggy. It was expensive, but it really helped build my fitness back up. It gives me the freedom to get out on my own terms again, and he often naps in there, which is handy too. I’m not back to where I was pre-pregnancy just yet, but being able to participate in parkrun with the little one in tow is great. Hannah, Northumberland

Sports bra

Nike Swoosh Flyknit sports bra

_{£79.99 at Nike
£65 at JD Sports}

I’ve always played sports, but it was only when I started running regularly that I realised my bras weren’t up to scratch. I came across some research by Joanna Wakefield-Scurr, a professor of biomechanics, that showed that a good sports bra is just as important as a proper pair of running shoes. Nike’s Swoosh Flyknit bras have been a gamechanger. My form has improved, and I no longer have soreness after a high-intensity workout. Expensive, but worth it. Merida, Amsterdam

Running shoes

Karrimor Duma 6 men’s running shoes

_{£24.99 at Sports Direct}

Hoka Clifton 9 men’s running shoes

_{£130 at Hoka}

My first proper pair of running trainers changed everything. I remember hating running at school. I would just get any pair of trainers for PE – whatever was in fashion. Often that meant a court-style shoe, so running just … hurt. When I started running regularly as an adult, I bought a pair of Karrimor Duma running shoes for £25. It made such a difference. I upgraded to a pair of Hoka Cliftons when I ran the Great North Run last year. I don’t have the luxury of a shoe “rotation” like some runners, but I find a solid all-rounder like the Clifton is really all I need. Harley, Newcastle

Read our guide for more of the best men’s and women’s running shoes

TRX kit

Suspension trainer kit

_{From £127.46 at TRX}
All-in-one suspension training system

_{£118.46 at Amazon}

I work away at sea, often for months at a time. The TRX (total resistance exercise) system is basically a portable gym I can pack in my bag and set up anywhere. I’ve recently been using it for rehabilitation. I had a knee issue, and the physio recommended using it to strengthen my legs, which worked great. I found it equally useful for strength training without the need for endless dumbbells. It’s all about angles and body weight. Adjusting the way you position yourself relative to the anchor point changes the difficulty. This makes it easy to ramp up the intensity as you progress with your training. Josh, Glasgow

Winter overshoes

Spatz Pro Stealth overshoe system

_{£104.99 at SpatzWear
£93.60 at Sigma Sports}

I’m a keen cyclist, but my fitness suffers in the winter. This is mostly because I struggle to keep my feet warm on longer rides. Overshoes are like little neoprene booties that go over your shoes. In the past, I’ve found them to be inadequate for keeping the chill off, but that changed when I bought my first pair of Spatz. They’re much thicker than regular overshoes, and they extend all the way up the shin with a thermal lining. I’ve since managed a couple of 100-mile rides in the winter, which I could never have done before. Lisa, Cheshire

Weighted vest

Bulldog Gear 20kg adjustable weight vest

_{£119.95 at Bulldog Gear
£119.95 at Amazon}

Body weight exercises just weren’t cutting it during the pandemic, so I bought an adjustable 20kg vest that helped me to increase muscle and sweat buckets. It took dips, pull-ups, lunges and sprints to a whole new level. It also increased my core strength and improved my posture, something I needed drastically with the shift to working from home (I was hunched over daily like a king prawn). Jamie, Whitehaven

Walking boots

Terra GTX WMN

_{£195 at Scarpa
£195 at Cotswold Outdoor}

I used to spend my leisure time on the sofa, but I was overweight and not particularly happy. I started making a concerted effort to spend time outdoors whenever I could. Living in the Peak District means I have lots of lovely walks on my doorstep, so I began getting out regularly, increasing the distance as my fitness improved. The more miles I walked, the more I realised my trainers weren’t providing the support I needed, so I invested in some leather walking boots. They have enabled me to tackle more remote routes, and I have even completed a 26-mile charity hike in the Lake District. Sue, Derbyshire

Read our guide to the best men’s hiking boots

Heart rate monitor

Coospo heart rate monitor chest strap

_{£49.99 at Amazon}
Garmin Dual heart rate monitor

_{£49 at Boots}

I was riding my bike a lot, but I wasn’t getting any fitter. I decided to start paying attention to my heart rate, so I bought an inexpensive heart-rate monitor online. Turns out, cruising along flat paths by the sea isn’t enough to get your pulse racing. After arbitrarily choosing a highish heart rate and trying to ride at it for a week or so, I became noticeably fitter very quickly. Riding at a high heart rate means that I can go out two or three times a week for as little as an hour and still have a productive workout. As a result of this revelation, I’m now fitter than I’ve been in over a decade. Petor, Margate

Paddy Maddison is a freelance consumer journalist, outerwear enthusiast and exercise addict. If he’s not hiking in the hills, he’s grinding up them on his bike, hurtling down them on his snowboard, or lacing up his running shoes and hitting the pavements. As a result, he gets plenty of time to put all the latest gear through the wringer for the Filter