People ask me “What food scale should I buy?” or “Where can I find the cheapest weights?” or “Why don’t you quit your job and live on my yacht for a while?” and I usually just send them an Amazon link. Okay, I lied about the last one, but people often ask me where and what to buy when it comes to gear and Amazon is pretty much always the answer.
Then one of my clients brought it to my attention that if I’m going to be sending them so much business I should get a kickback. So since I’m sending people these links anyways, I joined the affiliate program to earn a small portion of each sale.
So not only are you supporting your health and fitness with these items, you’re helping me pay my web hosting fees in the process.
Thank you!
NOTE: I do not blindly support any product. I currently own or have previously owned every item here, with noted exceptions. These tools are selected with budget in mind.
Diet Tools
Etekcity Bathroom Scale
A clean and sleek scale. Nothing special, but it’s cheap and it works!
Uses AAA’s.
Price last time I checked: $15.89
Amazon Basics Digital Kitchen Scale with LCD Display
A simple, no-frills scale that reads up to eleven pounds. Made of plastic and stainless steel, it’s easy to use, displays weights in pounds, ounces, grams, fluid ounces, and milliliters, and even comes with batteries!
Uses AAA’s.
Price last time I checked: $10.07
IRON °FLASK Camping & Hiking Hydration Canteens
I didn’t know I’d ever fangirl so hard for a water bottle, but this thing is AWESOME. Sturdy as hell, comes in a buttload of colors and sizes, built-in straw, built-in handle (or mouth guard holder), and it’s insulated so well I’ve put ice cubes in and forgot about it for a whole weekend and they were still frozen.
Price last time I checked: $28.99 for the 32 oz.
Blender Bottle 28oz.
Perfect for mixing protein powders with milk or water. The bottom is small enough to fit in most cup holders and the little blender ball prevents that annoying clumping that happens with powders.
Price last time I checked: $10.99 for the 28oz.
Fitness Tools
Signature Fitness 1/4-Inch High Density Anti-Tear Exercise Yoga Mat with Carrying Strap
Personally, I like a thick mat. This also has texturing that makes it easier to stay put even when I’m sweaty.
Price last time I checked: $17.569
Fit Simplify Resistance Loop Exercise Bands with Instruction Guide and Carry Bag, Set of 5
A great set of smaller-sized bands for working the knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders. Light weight and compact, easy to bring on a plane or hide in your desk drawer at work.
Price last time I checked: $9.99
Wikday Thick Heavy Resistance Band Set with Door Anchor
A more robust version of the Fit Simply bands, significantly longer and a bit more versatile because of their size and the door anchor.
I did have one snap on me after extended use, but there was no damage to myself or anything else. Just a surprise during my workout. ALWAYS check your bands before use!
Update: Two have snapped now. I got a couple years out of them so for the price I’d still say they are worth it, but I’ll be trying a different brand soon to compare.
Price last time I checked: $29.99
Amazon Basics Neoprene Dumbells
You can’t really screw up a dumbbell, so pick whatever you want, but Amazon Basics are some of the cheapest you’ll find. These come in smaller sizes and are aesthetically different from the ones below. They still work 100% as well at the hex dumbbells though.
Price last time I checked: Varies By Size
Amazon Basics Rubber Coated Hex Dumbells
Again, you can’t really screw up a dumbbell so pick whatever you want, but Amazon Basics are some of the cheapest you’ll find. I prefer the rubber coated hex dumbells for a few reasons. If I drop one it’s less likely to cause damage, they don’t roll at all, and… well, they look cool.
Price last time I checked: Varies By Size
Micro Gainz 2.5lb Pair
Another item for more serious lifters, this allows you to add 2.5lbs – 5lbs to a single dumbbell to really dial in your progressive overload between workouts. Gives you a lot of additional versatility in the weight room.
Price last time I checked: 79.99
Yes4All Kettlebells
Full disclosure: I don’t own this specific brand, but Titan Fitness no longer sells kettlebells on Amazon so this is the next best thing. It’s hard to mess up a hunk of metal, but what I like about this style is the rougher matte finish. Some KBs have a slippery, glossy finish and I’m too sweaty for that, even with chalk.
Price last time I checked: Varies By Size
Friction Labs Premium Sports Chalk
If you’re doing any serious lifting, or if you’re part slug like me, you’ll probably want to invest in some chalk. I like this one because I can hang the little bag on my pullup bar and forget about it.
Price last time I checked: $9.99
Sportsroyals Power Tower
You can do pull ups, push ups, dips, hanging leg raises, and more on this single piece of equipment. It’s fairly stable, but I put sandbags on mine to be safe. I also attach my bands to it for an even wider range of exercises.
Price last time I checked: $159.99
Flybird Weight Bench
A simple weight bench. Not a lot of flash here but it gets the job done without breaking the bank. I like how easy it is to adjust and that fact that it goes from 90° to -30°.
Price last time I checked: $152.99
Recovery / Injury Prevention Tools
4Kor Fireball Set of 3
These are excellent at finding and crushing self-myofascial release points (muscle knots). The little grooves on the two larger balls allow you to find a target area and hold easily without the ball rolling away from you.
Price last time I checked: $42.95
Roygra Grip Strengthener, Finger Exerciser, Multiple Resistance Levels Kit
These little guys helped me battle my carpal tunnel once upon a time. I don’t use them often, but they come in handy.
Price last time I checked: $9.99
Amazon Basics High Density Foam Roller 24″
I like a firm foam roller and generally prefer them on the longer side, but get a size that fits your needs.
Price last time I checked: $13.99 for the 24″
RumbleRoller – Extra Firm Textured Muscle Foam Roller
This may be overkill for most people, but I like to dig for gold when I foam roll. Consider the softer version above, and upgrade to this if you’re made of solid stone like me.
Price last time I checked: $59.95
LiBa Therapy Cane
I use this to find and eradicate pesky knots in my shoulders and along my spine. It’s a pretty specific tool, but boy is it great when you need it.
Price last time I checked: $19.95
TOLOCO Massage Gun
The model I have isn’t on Amazon anymore, but this has over 50,000 reviews so I think it’s safe. I pretty much only use the foam ball head, but it’s nice that it comes with other connectors if you want them.
Price last time I checked: $39.99
Diagnostic Tools
Zacurate Pro Series 500DL Fingertip Pulse Oximeter Blood Oxygen Saturation Monitor
Almost everyone has a smart watch that can take this data these days, but I keep this around just in case.
Price last time I checked: $22.95
iHealth Track Smart Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor
If you have high blood pressure it’s important to keep an eye on it. It’s also fun to see your numbers go down as your fitness improves.
Price last time I checked: $35.99
Jiu-Jitsu Gear
Sanabul Essentials BJJ Gi
I have yet to find a better bang for your buck than this gi. It’s cheap, tough, soft, and the fit is nice. I’m 6’1” and 180lbs and the A3 fits perfect on me. I own 3 of them.
Price last time I checked: $69.99
Sanabul Essentials BJJ Belt
You’ll probably only ever have to buy a white belt, assuming you’re brand new, but I thought I’d drop a link just in case.
Price last time I checked: $9.99
Shock Doctor Gel Max Mouthguard
The best boil-and-bite mouthguard I’ve found. I had mine for almost ten years before I had my dentist make me a new one.
Price last time I checked: $11.58
NEENCA Professional Knee Brace
A comfortable knee brace that got me through a competition injury. Sizing is accurate. I’ve purchased two now because the knee cup on my first one fell out but they have since fixed that in the “upgraded version”.
Price last time I checked: $44.98
Luta Gear Grip Tapp (Ring & Middle)
When I broke my ring finger these helped me stay on the mats without incident. Works just like buddy taping, but without all the hassle. Double check the sizing chart so you don’t have to mess with returns.
Also comes in three fingered, pinky & ring, single, and quad if you need them.
Price last time I checked: $24.95
Misc. Gym Gear
Ultimate Gym Bag 2.0
Perfect size for my jiu-jitsu gis, though the water bottle pockets are too small for my 32oz. Iron Flask. Has a waterproof section for swim gear or you can put your real clothes in it so they don’t get stinky from the sweat dripping off the rest of your gear.
Price last time I checked: $29.99
As I discover and experiment with new equipment I will attempt to keep this page updated, so check back every once and a while!
