The gift of exercise: Goodies for the fitness fanatic on your list - Off Duty, Military Health and Fitness - Air Force Times

The gift of exercise: Goodies for the fitness fanatic on your list

Stuff the sweaters this gift-giving season. We’ve rounded up some new and essential workout gear that’ll keep the people you love feeling warm all year long.

Gym-in-a-box

Bundle these home workout essentials into a single gift or wrap them individually. The stability ball and medicine ball are must-haves for Military Muscle columnist Bob Thomas’ biweekly workouts. Resistance bands plus a durable 9-foot jump rope are complete strength and cardio trainers that will pack up small for your road warrior.

Hot gifts

TRX FORCE Kit: Tactical and TRX Rip Trainer Basic Kit

Released on Veterans Day, the new military-grade TRX FORCE Kit comes with an updated Tactical Suspension Trainer along with a brand-new, 12-week Tactical Conditioning Program with two DVDs, a backpack-style carrying bag, and the TRX door anchor and extender strap. The updated kit is $249.95. Aside from the price, we never heard any complaints about the original FORCE Kit, which was marked down to the closeout price of $174.95 as of press time. If you already have an original TRX, check out the company’s new Rip Trainer, $189.95. Service members and veterans can apply for a $30 discount on the TRX website.

The Grid

The SEAL Team 6 of foam rollers, The Grid makes even the toughest, densest traditional roller feel like being massaged by butterflies. Trigger Point Performance Therapy designed this roller with “distrodensity zones and matrix technology,” which in English means the monster-truck-tirelike treads will knead into your large muscle groups so hard they’ll make you cry for your mommy. The Grid obliterates knots and soreness and also can be used in core exercises. Both the original and the new, longer Grid 2.0 come with a one-year warranty, but this could be the last foam roller you ever buy. Its rigid core keeps it from compressing in the middle, a flaw common to rollers made entirely of foam; $39.99 (original) and $64.99 (Grid 2.0). Click here for more information.

Timex GPS watches

Loaded with features and spotted on sale as low as $155, the multisport Timex Ironman Global Trainer With GPS has triathletes wondering why they should pay twice as much — or settle for less functionality — buying a Garmin. Users initially complained about clunky firmware and long satellite signal acquisition times, but updates have garnered many fans (list price: $300). For runners looking for less bulk, Timex just released the Ironman Run Trainer (above, list price: $189.95).

Perfect Pushup V2

What first looked like another fad gained huge popularity almost instantly, taking the wrist pain out of old-school push-ups and allowing users to go deeper with every rep. The new V2 has 30 percent more ball bearings than the original for smoother rotation, a 200-pound load limit per handle, padded and slightly grooved grips, and a new, burly tread for no-slip workouts; $39.99. Click here to learn more.

Stick-e Wrist Saver blocks

Take the wrist-relieving benefits of the Perfect Pushup and apply them to a yoga block, and you get the Stick-e Wrist Saver. The stackable blocks are standard, lightweight foam yoga blocks with the addition of an internal handle to ease wrist discomfort and achieve a greater range of motion; $19.95. Click here for more details.

Fat Gripz

A bigger weight bar is harder to hold, engaging more muscles. These 5-inch-long grips clamp around almost any bar for a no-slip fit, taking a standard 1-inch-diameter bar up to 2¼ inches; $39. Click here to learn more.

Stocking stuffers

QuickSeries ‘Performance Nutrition for Military Personnel’:

QuickSeries Publishing jams a ton of information into pocket-size laminated flip books on health, fitness, mental health and more. Help your hardworking war fighter get a healthy and high-energy start to 2012 with this inexpensive primer. The full commercial price is $7.66. Troops who call 800-361-4653 and ask for the customer service representative assigned to a particular military service can receive a discounted rate of $3.83. Click here for more information.

FitDeck

Great for fitness buffs on the go, you just shuffle and deal to work a large variety of body-weight exercises into your workout. Group PT leaders can use the cards for challenges such as the Monster Mash, in which everyone tries to complete all 52 workout cards in one session; $9.95 to $19.95 per deck, $54.95 for the five-deck Military Madness Bundle, 10 percent military discount when you use the coupon code: offduty. Click here to learn more.

Performance socks

Skip the seasonal prints in favor of something warm that’ll last a long time. FITS Socks sent us a pair of their soft but super-high-tech Performance Trails (58 percent wool, 32 percent nylon, 7 percent polyester, 3 percent Lycra). Keep checking our GearScout blog for the results of our wear test. If there’s ever a time to spend $17.99 on socks, it’s Christmas, right? Click here for more information.

Kids’ gear

14-foot jump ropes

Remember when you didn’t realize you were working out? Buy two 14-footer jump ropes, practice in your basement this winter, and make your child the neighborhood’s double Dutch champ come spring; $7.50 each on Amazon. Click here to learn more.

EA Sports Active 2

Get your kids moving this winter with their own personal trainer on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Wii. Now that it’s been out a while, this kit is a steal. It comes with two motion-sensing controllers, a heart-rate monitor and resistance band. The list price is down to $39.99 for Wii and PS3, $49.99 for Xbox 360, with the Wii and PS3 versions on sale as low as $20-$25 as of press time. Click here for more details.

Canyon Hoops has turned this classic toy into no-kidding workout gear that’s even got grown-ups hooping again. The hoops are made from 200-psi polyethylene tubing in splashy colors and patterns, in sizes ranging from child (32 inches) to regular adult (42 inches); $20-$35, depending on size and finish. Click here to learn more.

Story written by OFFduty editor Amanda Miller, Military Times fitness writer Allison Pattillo and design editor Sara Davidson.