It’s always hard to figure out the perfect gift for a loved one for the holidays. Well, if that loved one happens to be into fitness, this is the perfect list for you. This list of our favorite gifts goes over home gym and equipment, fitness trackers, nutrition, and recovery. And, remember, there’s no shame in buying one of these gifts for yourself.
The Best Holiday Fitness Gift Ideas
Home Gym Gift Ideas
Anything to add value to a home gym (or to create one) is the golden goose of fitness presents, and this is a great present to get the entire household or as a personal investment. Click here to read our blog on our favorite home gym essentials.
PRX
Our favorite home gym system is a PRX home gym. It folds tightly against any wall to save room wherever you put it. PRX even designs a gym for low ceilings.
Squat Racks
You can’t find a really bad squat rack, anything that seems up to par will do. This is a great gift idea to look for second hand.
Barbell & Plates
You can get these from any company. You can’t go wrong if the person you’re buying for is into powerlifting.
Powerblock
The best quality adjustable dumbbells out there. Rep fitness also came out with adjustable dumbbells, which will run a little cheaper because the brand caters to home gyms.
Dip Bars
Parallettes is what you’re looking for. with these two bars, you can do regular dips, Incline pushups, tricep dips, inverted rows, etc. They run cheap and are also a great second hand gift idea.
TRX
TRX offers a variety of fitness bands that you can hook anywhere and can do just about anything with. These fitness bands work great for someone that wants to do more than just body weight exercises at home.
Gift Ideas For Fitness Tracking
Wearable technology keeps getting better. Depending on where you are on your fitness journey, this technology can provide data that you can use to fine tune your workouts, recovery, even your sleep. Click here to read our blog on our reviews of wearable technology.
Whoop
The Whoop strap is super popular because it measures Heart Rate Variability, which is an indicator of how recovered you are. Whoop creates a recovery score each day as a percentage and a color: either green, yellow, or red. Whoop also gives you a target strain score to achieve for the day to optimally perform. However, if you get a low recovery score, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t train. You can actually build to an overreaching stage of your training, which can be beneficial for whatever adaptation you’re trying to achieve. However, you should prioritize your recovery after you’re doing this.
The Whoop strap also tracks respiratory rate during your workout and throughout the day, and it keeps tabs and metrics on your resting heart rate over time. During the height of the COVID pandemic, scientists used the metrics (willingly) gathered from Whoop wearers to write peer reviewed articles on COVID-19. The articles they wrote were based on how heart rate can help monitor infection and predict the risk of COVID infection.
Whoop also gives metrics on sleep, calories burned in the day and provides a thorough monthly report on what it tracks. You can also fill out a journal everyday, which improves its accuracy. Whoop also has an alarm that can vibrate. One drawback to Whoop is it doesn’t track your steps.
Apple Watch
The apple watch is probably the most common fitness tracker, most likely for its ability to be much more than a fitness tracker. In terms of fitness tracking, however, the Apple Watch tracks your steps, blood oxygen levels, heart rate, can perform an electrocardiogram (which can detect an irregular heart rate), sleep tracking, mindfulness and stress monitoring, and women’s health tracking.
The aging population is starting to buy the Apple Watch for its electrocardiogram capabilities and ability to detect a fall and make an emergency call with your exact coordinates if you are unresponsive. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, one of the best features it has is an SOS system that can call for help with your exact coordinates if you get lost on a hike or backcountry trip., which is definitely lifesaving.
Gift Ideas For Health & Wellness
Nutribullet or other Blender
We are always trying to get our clients to eat more protein, and mixing protein powder is sometimes the easiest way to do it. Nutribullets make blending protein in any way very convenient because you can take the blending cup to go.
Egg Bite Maker
You can cook egg bites, hard boiled eggs, and poached eggs in minutes. This is another great way to get your protein in for meals or snacks.
Water Bottle
Everyone loves a water bottle, especially one that will keep your water cold for hours upon hours. We like Yeti but also enjoy Hydrofit, and all other water bottles that keep drinks icy cold (and coffee hot!)
Creatine & Protein Powder
Creatine monohydrate is inexpensive and is the most effective and researched supplements on the market. Protein powder is also a great way to get in your additional protein needs (but as we always say, stick to whole foods first and use protein powder as a supplement!) We personally use Thorne Creatine which is NSF certified for sport and we prefer a few protein brands such as Legion Whey Protein Powder (grass fed, lactose and sugar free), Equip Prime Protein (grass fed beef isolate powder – the peanut butter one tastes good in greek yogurt, don’t love it as a drink), and Organifi for a vegan plant based protein powder option.
Supplements
Our personal favorite supplements are NED hemp oil supplements, which are organically grown on a local farm in Colorado. NED has a bunch of different formulas depending on what vibe you’re trying to go for. This is a great gift for anyone looking for natural help with sleep, cramps, mood, and more. And you can use code STRONGER to get a discount on Ned products. (We really like the Shuteye Chai!)
Natural Perfume
Natural perfumes are often more suitable for people with sensitive skin or allergies to synthetic fragrances. Since they are made from natural ingredients, they are less likely to contain irritants that can cause skin reactions or sensitivities. Natural perfumes typically have a lower environmental impact than synthetic fragrances and you’re typically able to find more complex, multi-dimensional scents when buying a natural perfume.
Gift Ideas For The Gym
Bike Trainer
If you have someone in mind who is a cyclist, getting an indoor trainer can not only help to keep in peak shape in the off season, but can be used under a standing desk to keep moving during the work day – an all around win! Our favorite combo is the Saris bike trainer and this adjustable fitness desk which can also be used as a standing desk.
Smart Jump Rope
One of the handles tracks your jumping data. Some even integrate with an app on your phone like this RENPHO rope.
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are a cheap and easy gift that go a long way for home workouts. Resistance bands with handles are a little more versatile. If the person you’re shopping for is just beginning to build their home gym, or is traveling and trying to keep in shape, resistance bands are a must-have. They are portable and inexpensive.
Lifting Straps
This is a great gift for the serious lifter in your life. Versa grips are our personal favorite for lower body lifts, as they work incredibly well to take the grip out of the equation, so you can focus on power moves.
Gift Ideas For Recovery
Massage Guns
The Theragun is the most popular massage gun, with lots of styles to choose from. A massage gun is the perfect remedy for a sore body.
Massage Gift Card
There are a ton of benefits to massage. From sports massage to Swedish massage and active release technique (ART), you can find something for everyone if you’re looking to gift relaxation during the holidays.
Acupressure Mat
A great gift for anyone as well, especially someone who could used a little more relaxation.
Epsom Salts
This is perfect for the fitness lover who also loves baths. Epsom salts carry magnesium into the body through the skin, which relaxes muscles and joints, which and makes you sleepy and relaxed too. It’s a perfect nightcap.
Ice Barrel
If you or the person you’re buying for is into the ice bath cold shower thing, this gift will keep on giving for a very long time. We love our ice barrel and use it for cold plunges in summer and winter.
Underwater Headphones
A great gift for the swimmer in your life, underwater headphones help keep swimming interesting and motivating. If you know a swimmer who could use a little extra fun in their training, this is a great gift.
Want to learn more about our favorite gift ideas? Listen to the Stronger Than Your Boyfriend Podcast, Episode 144: Holiday Fitness Gift Ideas
