The fitness kit our experts love – and the impulse buys gathering dust

We've probably all still got one: an impulse or guilt-fuelled exercise purchase, bought with the best of intentions but now gathering dust in a cupboard or mouldering in a shed. 

If you're thinking of splashing out on new exercise kit post Christmas, we can help save you from wasting your money. Our experts reveal the items they’re still getting maximum use out of – and those doomed to act as an overpriced clothes horses or end their lives at a car boot sale. 

Exercise equipment getting our thumbs up

The cardio-made-easy rope

'I've got a busy schedule and sometimes struggle to fit in workouts, but with a skipping rope it couldn't be easier. Skipping for just 10 minutes (or three to four songs) a few times a week has really improved my cardio fitness and strengthened my arms and legs. 

'I use a slightly weighted one (1/4lb), which adds a bit more resistance and increases the intensity, encouraging your muscles to work harder. Plus, you can feel the weight of it going around – which is helpful as a beginner. 

'Previously I've found some skipping ropes a bit flimsy, but my Dope Rope is really well made, comfortable to hold and it's easy to transport so I can take it away on holiday with me. Plus, the handles come with a lifetime guarantee – which is reassuring as I broke the handles on my last skipping rope.'

Alison Potter, senior editor

You can buy a Dope Rope from the company's online store

The six-pack in six months solution

'My husband (pictured above) bought an Amonax ab roller wheel for less than £15 (though it's gone up in price by a few pounds since then) at the start of last summer, and has managed to achieve a six-pack. He's also been watching his diet, but does this machine five days a week, I think 100 times a day. 

'The machine that I deemed as utter rubbish has had a remarkable impact, and I am now eating my words!' 

Sarah Joan Ross, food and health editor

The way to get your steps in whatever the weather

'I have a similar version of the TODO walking pad we've reviewed in our best walking pads and under desk treadmills. It's a pretty basic model. It only goes up to 6kph, which for me is a slow jog. 

'I find it really useful as I have a very desk-based job and don't really do any other exercise. It was especially helpful over the summer as I'm a hayfever sufferer. In winter, it’s too cold, rainy and dark to exercise outside for my liking.

'I try to use it two to three times a week, generally for 30 minutes at a fast walk. But, as I've seen improvements in my fitness, I've started doing a 20-minute fast walk incorporating a couple of jogging bursts. I also add in some light weights to give my arms something to do while I'm walking.'

Steph Kipling, science team manager

'I have this hand exerciser, bought for just £3 from Flying Tiger. I got it because I had De Quervain's tenosynovitis. That's a condition in which the sheath around your thumb tendons swells, making it painful and difficult to use your thumb and your wrist. 

'Exercising my hand has basically kicked it into touch for me. 

'It cost just a few pounds, and I can sit using it while I watch TV.'

Martha Roberts, senior researcher and writer

You can buy the hand grip from the Flying Tiger online store

Best gym and running headphones

The pull-up bar that won’t destroy your decor

'My Gravity Fitness pull-up bar can be broken down into seven pieces, and it takes me about five minutes tops to put it together, which prevents me from utilising the "it's too much of a chore to set up" excuse. Convenience is a huge driver for me when it comes to exercise, so a quick and painless setup is a big plus. 

'The design is pretty useful if you rent and don't want to risk damaging the property. While the door frame style of bars are generally fine, there's always a risk that they could damage the frame or leave marks. Having a freestanding bar that I can use indoors and outdoors removes that issue entirely.' 

James Aitchison, senior researcher and writer

The holds helping me get a grip

'I've recently started indoor climbing and bought a pair of climbing holds that I've attached to the beam across my living room. 

'The ones I used are called system holds, and each one has four finger pockets plus a "jug" at the top. You buy them as a pair, one for each hand. 

'I've mostly used the jug holds as they're the easiest and feel most secure when my feet are off the ground. My son likes to use them to practise pull-ups on, too.

'I've also used them for practising getting closer to the wall, which is good climbing technique. Before I started using these, I couldn't do a full pull-up or even start one. Now, probably through a mix of using these and regular climbing, I still can't do a full one but can get halfway.' 

Sarah Wisson, senior garden researcher

You can buy climbing holds from £25 at holdz.co.uk or from £26.26 at bananafingers.co.uk or from £50 for larger sets at coreclimbing.co.uk. 

The child-friendly exercise solution

'I bought a pair of these Neoprene-coated 3kg dumbbells when I was expecting my first child as I knew I wouldn't be able to get to the gym as often. That was 14 years and four babies ago, and I still use them every week. They've paid for themselves 10 times over.

'I use them during home workouts, both for specific arm and tricep strength training, and during HIIT workouts. During lockdown, they also came in handy for Joe Wicks' workouts online.'

Natalie Brown, researcher/writer

The roller that keeps my back on track

'Foam rollers are essentially a self-massage tool, and can help relieve tight muscles and reduce soreness. They work by breaking up knots in the muscle fascia, increasing blood flow. There's even some evidence that they can work well before exercise as well as afterwards, by improving flexibility.  

'I tend to use mine, the type with ridges that really get into your sore muscles, after work alongside some other stretching and yoga.  Typically I use it around four times per week, and mainly just to roll my back, and at times my glutes, hamstrings, and calves.' 

Ben Stevenson, consumer research executive

The best massage guns for easing aching muscles

The 'use anywhere' bands

'I swear by my Good Nite cloth resistance bands. They're the perfect alternative and addition to hand weights for me, plus they're small and lightweight. I find them especially useful for squats, when you wear them around your thighs. 

'They're also super convenient to bring on holidays, being so portable, or even just to mix up your normal gym routine.' 

Hanna Pham, senior content producer

What’s gathering dust

As well as consulting our experts, we asked Which? readers which of their fitness purchases they regret. One thing soon became clear: two of the most often purchased, but least used items, by Which? experts and readers alike, were exercise bikes and rowing machines. 

Alongside big bulky machines, other regretted purchases included TRX machines (a portable device with adjustable straps and handles that uses your own body weight and gravity to provide resistance).

Then there were the stories of kettlebells functioning only as doorstops, and quite a few miniature 'rebounder' trampolines rusting in sheds.

If there's one conclusion to the tales of good and bad buys heard while researching this story, it's don't buy things on a whim. And make sure your products really are up to scratch by reading our thorough and expertly tested reviews of everything from the best exercise bikes to the most accurate fitness trackers.