Equipment for Hammer and Chisel

Hi there! My name is Christy Kilgore. Personal Trainer, ACE certified Group Fitness Instructor and an online fitness Coach. I just completed 8 weeks of Hammer and Chisel and wanted to share with you some of the  equipment needs you will want to have on hand to be successful completing this program

To feel better prepared to start the Hammer and Chisel program right when it arrives to your front door, it's a good idea to know what kinds of equipment pieces you will need to jump right into it. That way if you needed to go out and purchase additional pieces, you can do that before your package arrives. Right away, I make sure I am ready to journal the whole process. It doesn't have to be an expensive, leather bond journal, just something that will allow you to track your weights and your experiences as you go. It also allows me to write a little testimony each work out about how I felt during the work out and afterwards. At the end of the 8 weeks, I can look back at how I felt in the beginning to how I felt near the end. It's cool to see that progression that maybe you don't see WHILE you're doing it. So your first equipment need would be a journal.

You will be doing LOTS of pull ups. If you don't already have a pull up bar installed in your home gym, or have a door jam pull up bar, you can get by with resistance bands. I got mine at Target. It came with 3 different resistances: light, medium and heavy. As you progress through the series, you may find you want to increase your intensity, so going up on your resistance would be a great option. These are the ones I used for the full 8 weeks. Make sure you have a secure spot to use your resistance bands. If you don't, than consider the bands with door attachment. You want to make sure you're safe and that the bands will not snap and break. My husband attached our bands to our garage door track. He first used duct tape to protect the bands and then secured them on top.
I also used my TRX suspension trainers too, when I could.  There are various ways to effectively complete the pull up movements, even if you do not have the actual pull up bar. Do what works for you and challenges you that is also within your budget. Message me if you need modifications to make your work out work for you.

If you don't already own a bench, you can do some of the movements on a stability ball. Pay close attention to the size of your ball and how that fits your height. You want to ensure you are fitted correctly. Instructions are usually included on the packaging. You will find that using the ball over the bench will actually be a little more challenging in some cases, which is potentially a good thing! You're using more core and stabilizers to hold your position versus a static bench. However, if you don't have the bench, you would just simply do a variation of the movement on the floor instead, for some of the cardio segments that use the bench. Still a great modification.

You will be doing some core work on the floor, so if you don't already down a mat or have a carpeted surface you can work from (and use a towel for), you will want to invest in a mat .

In terms of weights, it's important that you go light when instructed, and go heavy when instructed. That will be relative to your fitness. The smaller weights are for smaller muscle groups: tricepts, shoulders, etc and the heavier weights are for larger muscle groups: chest, legs, etc.  So, have a few options at home you can work with...and remember you may need to up your weights over time, as you start to build up muscle strength and endurance. NOT A BAD THING! I was able to find a set of Select Techs off craigslist which worked great for me, but you can also find random sets of weights on there too, or any of the local sports and fitness stores, like Dick's, Academy, Sports Authority, Target, Walmart, etc

I want you to feel prepared so hopefully this will be helpful to you. As you work through the 8 weeks of this program, you may find you need additional equipment. Do what works for you. If you have any questions, you can always personally contact me, I am more than happy to help!

----->>> Christy Kilgore Personal Trainer

GET HAMMERED!