The spare room gym

The spare room gym, for when the subscription lapsed. Five things that fit in a cupboard and add up to most of what the membership was paying for.

A 20 kg dumbbell set is two handles, a bar and plates that move between them, which is most of a weights room in one box. The plates are vinyl, so the floor below survives. More dumbbells.

A 12 kg kettlebell is one weight and a hundred exercises. Swings, presses, carries: the handle is the point, and this one is cast in a piece rather than bolted on. More kettlebells.

A set of resistance bands weighs nothing and goes in a hand luggage. Three strengths, one bag, and no excuse in a hotel room. More resistance bands.

A folding yoga mat is thick where the knees land, and it folds rather than rolls, so it lives on a shelf instead of in a corner. Small thing; the corner was the reason the mat stayed rolled. More yoga mats.

And a speed rope. Ten minutes of this is a run you did not have to leave the house for, and the neighbours downstairs will let you know if the ceiling is too thin. More skipping ropes.

A dumbbell set with its own rack keeps the weights standing up instead of rolling under the bed. The rack is the reason they get used, and that is the whole argument for it. More dumbbell sets.

A long resistance band is for assisted pull-ups and for stretching. One band, and a door frame becomes a machine. More resistance bands.

And a cast-iron dumbbell set, ten kilos with screw collars, for the one who wants the version that lasts longer than the room. More dumbbells.