I’m a Fitness Editor—Here Are My Favorite Labor Day Deals on Training Gear

This weighted vest has really helped me elevate my bodyweight workouts. I’ve had this piece for years, and it gets used no matter the season. This vest is much more comfortable than other options than I’ve tried in the past.

During the winter, bundled up and wearing my Wolf Tactical, I can make a lot out of a little amount of time. The open-side design helps me stay cool during the summer months, too.

Sometimes simpler is better, and it doesn’t get much better than this compact set of hex dumbbells from CAP Barbell. These dumbbells have all the features that I look for: knurled handles for grip, rubber ends so that you can place them on the ground without damaging your floor, and a hex design so they don’t roll away when you do.

Being a Fitness and Commerce Editor at Men’s Health, it should come as no surprise that I’ve had a lot of pairs of dumbbells over the years. I especially like these, and bonus points for the convenient little rack they come with to keep them organized.

There’s nothing I like better than working out outdoors, getting some endorphins and a little natural vitamin D. That includes running and bicycling on the road for hours, even if it’s a bit crisp outside.

No matter whether you live in the city or in the suburbs, it’s dangerous to be on the street with noise canceling headphones stunting your awareness. I like these Shokz OpenRun Pro 2s because I can keep listening to my training playlist while hitting the pavement.

This is a great bench to pair with the CAP dumbbells, or whatever weights you have at home. It’s a solid piece of gear to really increase the amount of exercises you can do.

There are a lot of weight benches that out there, but many of them are pretty flimsy. Not the case with this Flybird bench, which is also pretty comfortable for those long training sessions when you’re hitting chest.

There are a lot of reasons I like this beautiful rower from Ergatta, which was a Men’s Health Fitness Award winner pretty recently. The first thing I like about this piece of equipment is how good it looks: in the garage, in the basement, or even in the living room.

Even though it appears to be a vintage piece, the cherry wood is actually quite durable. The water resistance provides one of the smoothest and most authentic rowing experiences available. The fact that you can save around $600 dollars on a model right now doesn’t hurt either.

There is also a great gamified digital experience available should you want it, making this a rowing machine you can look forward to using in the winter months.

I have been running on NordicTrack’s new T Series treadmills since they replaced the old EXP models. Sure, the brand has more premium models available, like the Commercial Series, but unless you have a good chunk of real estate for it and a few thousand dollars to burn, you may be looking for other options.

These T Series treadmills are a solid option. I particularly like the T10, which has a good-sized running belt for most runners, as does the T5 version. The screen is small, but big enough for me to enjoy some sports or a series I’ve been watching.

EZ bars are a great way to mix up your arm workouts. I have this one at home, which I picked up off of Amazon years ago and it still gets the job done. Sure, there are more expensive bars out there that are a little more refined, but for me this one all I need.

The benefits to having an EZ bar? Getting to change up the grips on your curls, getting a more full workout of the bicep. I wrote about the benefits to your wrists in this story that I did about Hugh Jackman’s training routine for Deadpool 3. Yes, that’s right, Wolverine uses an EZ bar too.

I’ve never liked too much on my wrists, so in the past I haven’t had much success sticking with a fitness tracker. I would wear a heart rate strap on more intense cardio sessions but that’s about it. That changed when Oura Ring hit the scene, which I wrote about here.

I like keeping track of my biomarkers, and being able to switch fingers keeps me from feeling too constrained. The data I collect from their app helps inform the training decisions I make throughout the week.

The new Oura Ring 4 is great, but the software is just as good with this Oura Gen3, and you also get to snag the Heritage style. This particularly cool design was my favorite, but was moved away from with this latest release.

These days, I’ve transitioned from longer runs and marathon training into a more regular and shorter running practice. Because of this I’ve moved away from the overly-cushioned super shoes, and into these still-super-comfortable daily trainers.

These shoes were made to run in every day, and I do. The Ghost 16s have popped in our “best shoes” guides quite a few times, as I’m not the only editor who is a fan. This colorway is great too, bringing a little pop into the equation.

If you have room for it, having a rack in your home gym is a huge upgrade. It helps you perform those fundamental lifts like squats and presses. This one from Sportsroyals is solid and is impressively multi-functional.

Not only does this rack support your fundamental lifts, but it also allows you do add cable training and bodyweight exercises like dips or pull-ups your routine.

I was on a cycling cardio kick until recently, when we were lucky enough to welcome our daughter Rose into the family. She recently turned a year old, and was cleared by our doctor to join me on a run in a jogging stroller.

Now there is nothing I look forward to more than buckling her up in the Thule and going for a jog on the track or on some local trails. The Urban Glide lives up to its name, keeping the ride smooth no matter what terrain we are on.

I drink a lot, a lot, of water throughout the day. But when you are having the summer that we are having right now, and you like to train outdoors, it’s never enough.

In an effort to clean up my diet and reset my digestive system, I was vegan for about a year. During that time, I learned great sources of protein that were plant-based, but the products from Orgain is what helped me hit my quotas.

I believe this to be one of the cleanest, and the best tasting, protein powders on the market. If you’re like me, you don’t mind filling a closet full of protein, because it’ll always be needed. Why not save while you stock up?