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Full Fitness

Working out indoors: exercise equipment anywhere

In vegan leather, marble, cast iron: ideal for biceps, they also look good in a designer living room or on an office desk.

by Divya Bala

Pesi Ubarre in acciaio, EQUIPT (153 € l’uno). A destra manubri da 1 kg in roccia calcarea, travertino e marmo verde, ADDITION STUDIO (106 € l’uno).

3' min read

Translated by AI

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english@ilsole24ore.com

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

For feedback, please contact
english@ilsole24ore.com

Versione italiana

For too long, the unspoken rule of home training was clear: hide the evidence. Basic dumbbells, dull-coloured yoga mats and tangles of elastic bands were relegated to the corners of the room, retrieved only for those fleeting moments of motivation. But what if the road to fitness was paved with marble, oak or vegan leather?

Shane Reilly was inspired to found her brand of decorative weights, Obshay, after stumbling upon her accumulated tools by her desk while running to a Zoom video call. "I thought they should look like sculptures to keep on your desk," she explains of her silicone, marbled-effect weights. So she went from decorating penthouses in New York and San Francisco to winning Best Multipurpose Weight at the Women's Health Fitness Awards. The two-year development process involved the use of 3D printers, numerous tests and consultation with medical professionals on ergonomic comfort, resulting in the creation of metal-free dumbbells as an alternative to traditional ones.

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Corda per saltare con impugnatura in legno Sienna Premium, PENT. (242,95 €).

Similarly, Subtle Impacts' powder-coated cast-iron sculptures are good for training biceps, for displaying among antique ceramics or for use as bookends to support volumes in the bookcase. They are available in smooth or textured finishes for a firm grip, suitable for heavier weights.

One wonders if the new range of equipment is not only beautiful, but also practical. Forzini, a Malaga-based company, carves dumbbells (1-3 kilos) and kettlebells (3-8 kilos) from South Asian marble. Shape and weight are designed to be non-slip, but CEO Nina Donskova admits that 'they are not designed for ten-hour training sessions'; for an hour, however, they are great.

Sofa Gym in tessuto, DIENNE SALOTTI (prezzo su richiesta).

California-based Equipt, founded by former actress Kodi Kitchen Berg, has designed Ubarre, a sculptural steel weight with an ergonomic shape 'designed for comfort and convenience', while the brand's wrist weights use metal balls instead of sand for 'a higher level of safety'. The vegan leather components of the latter are made from recycled water bottles, and Berg will soon launch a wrist weight that is comfortable to carry on the go and attach to your bag. "I attached it to my vintage Louis Vuitton and it matched perfectly," he assures.

Pesi in silicone Swirl, OBSHAY (da 84,95 €).

"Quality design is almost invisible, but good design you don't even notice," says interior designer Vicky Charles, who recently placed a TechnoGym bench, including weights and elastic hooks, in the suites of the newly opened Hotel Ancora in the Dolomites. Also noteworthy is the Sofa Gym by design company Dienne Salotti, a sofa inspired by the shape of lava stones that becomes a workout station with a wooden floor, storage space for weights and a pull-out treadmill. It was such an eagerly awaited product that orders started arriving before its presentation at the Salone del Mobile.

Panca Home Gym, TECHNOGYM (1.450 €).

For training at home, Charles recommends equipment from Poland's Pent., which supplies kettlebells and jump ropes with walnut handles to locations such as Doha's Rosewood and the Kasper 7 superyacht, as well as boasting a partnership with Swarovski. Clients increasingly want their gyms to be "as beautiful as the rest of the house," says Charles, "and they want to incorporate designer equipment into their space.

Kettlebell Lova in acciaio e noce, PENT. x SWAROVSKI (585 €).

Jessica Thompson, global brand president at sportswear brand Halara, works out up to six days a week - half the time at home. "I work out in my walk-in wardrobe, so I want everything to be neat and matching," she says. Matched with her vintage Jil Sander, Dries Van Noten and Prada. Disappointed with the yoga mats on the market - 'many are horrible colours' - she opted for an ivory-coloured padded mat from Oceanfoam that doubles as a mat. She uses ankle and wrist weights from Bala, and marble weights from Lifted Movement are on her wish list. "I like Bala because it has a rubberized texture," Thompson says. "In contrast, marble weights can chip, so you have to be much more careful."

Set di manubri in marmo Apollo, FORZINI (da 160 €).

Of course, there are also those who refuse to have ad hoc tools in the house. "I use the furniture for stretching," explains Clotilde Chaumet, a wellness instructor working in Paris: she practices yoga on the living room carpet and does lunges to stretch her back using the sculpted curves of her emerald green Etcetera chair. The truth is that we exercise more and more where we live. Why not use equipment that fits perfectly into the folds of our lives?

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