Sports and gym

Buying guide

What sports kit should you buy first?

Buy the thing that touches your body and takes the impact: shoes, gloves, a helmet. Get those wrong and you stop training, or you get hurt. Watches, launch monitors and gadgets can wait until the habit sticks.

The table is the short version. Each pick is the top-ranked or best-value option on its list, and the budget band is a guide, because UK prices on this kit move daily.

Which running shoes and headphones suit a new runner?

For couch to 5k, a cheap shoe that sells well is enough. The adidas Galaxy 8 is the biggest seller on our men’s list and the Under Armour Charged Surge 4 leads sales on the women’s, both under £40. Neither listing says much about the midsole foam, so move up once your runs pass 5k.

For regular miles, spend £100 to £130 on a proper daily trainer: the ASICS Novablast 6 for men, the Brooks Ghost 17 for women. Both lists have a softer shoe for long slow runs, the HOKA Clifton 11 and the ASICS Gel-Nimbus 28. Last season’s models, like the Gel-Nimbus 27 or Novablast 5, are worth checking against the current one on price.

On the road, you need to hear the traffic. Our running headphones list puts the Shokz OpenRun first because the bone conduction pads sit in front of your ears and the IP67 rating covers rain. Sealed, noise-cancelling earbuds such as the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 belong on the treadmill or the trail.

What walking and hiking boots handle UK weather?

Waterproofing is the deciding feature in Britain, and you pay for it. The Merrell Moab 3 Mid GTX tops both the men’s and women’s hiking boots lists because its Gore-Tex membrane copes with wet bogs. Occasional walkers can spend around £40 on the Karrimor Bodmin Mid 6 or Mountain Warehouse Adventurer and accept a more basic sole and footbed.

For pavements and park loops, a mesh walking shoe beats a boot for comfort. The Skechers Go Walk Max and Go Walk Joy lead the men’s and women’s walking shoes lists and go in the washing machine. They are not waterproof, so wet grass soaks through; the Karrimor Bodmin IV and Mountain Warehouse Path are the cheap waterproof alternatives.

When is a fitness watch worth it?

A GPS watch is worth it once you run or ride outdoors and want pace and distance without your phone. Below that, a band does the job. That is the whole decision, and most people overspend on it.

Two things to check. Several Garmins on our lists are renewed listings, which is why they undercut new ones, so read the condition before you buy. And if your training runs on heart rate zones, a chest strap reads the heart’s electrical signal rather than light through the skin. The Polar H10 leads our heart rate monitors list, with the CooSpo H6 as the budget strap for Zwift or Peloton.

A ring is the quiet option for sleep tracking. On smart rings, the RingConn Gen 2 ranks first because it needs no subscription, while the Oura Ring 5 includes only the first month of membership. Golfers can skip all of this: on golf watches, the Garmin Approach S12 gives front, middle and back yardages for £100 to £130.

What does a beginner golfer need?

A boxed set, a soft ball and nothing else for the first season. The Callaway Strata 12-piece leads beginner golf sets with a titanium driver, a hybrid instead of hard long irons, and a stand bag. It has no sand wedge, so budget for one. The Skymax Precise M5 is the cheaper complete set at £150 to £200.

Lose balls cheaply. The Callaway Supersoft is the best seller on golf balls, and the Srixon Soft Feel suits anyone who slices. Leave the Titleist Pro V1 until you stop finding the trees.

A home simulator is a later project. On golf simulators, the Shot Scope LM1 is the entry launch monitor at around £200 but lists no spin data, while the Rapsodo MLM2PRO measures spin. A net and impact screen then needs 10 by 8 feet plus room to swing.

Which football boots suit your pitch and your feet?

Match the soleplate to the surface first. FG/MG boots like the adidas Copa Pure IV Club, top of football boots, cover grass and most 3G, and the Predator League MG is the safer pick if you play mostly on 3G. Old sand-based astro needs a flat turf sole such as the PUMA Future 9 Play TT, which grips poorly on wet grass.

If boots pinch, go to football boots for wide feet. Copa, Nike Tiempo and Mizuno Morelia are the roomier ranges, and leather gives more than synthetic. The Mercurial is cut narrow.

Keepers need finger spines, young ones most of all. The Westwood Fox leads goalkeeper gloves with spines in sizes 5 to 10 for under £15, and the Reusch Attrakt Infinity is the junior glove with Finger Support. Soft latex wears fast on 3G, so keep a cheaper training pair.

What about padel, badminton and darts?

Start forgiving and cheap. The HEAD Evo Speed tops padel rackets for learners with a fibreglass face, low balance and large sweet spot. Diamond shapes like the Babolat Technical Veron punish anyone still finding their timing.

The Yonex Nanoray Light 18i leads badminton rackets at around £30: light, head light and quick at the net. The Redfield set is for the garden, not the club.

For darts, the Winmau Blade 6 is the board on dartboards. It comes bare, so add a surround on a painted wall, or buy the Winmau Diamond Plus set, which includes a surround and two sets of darts.

How do you build a home gym starter kit?

Four items cover most beginners: adjustable dumbbells, a thick mat, a pull-up bar and a weighted vest. Use them for a couple of months before buying anything with a motor.

• Weights. The Yaheetech 20kg set on dumbbell sets gives 10kg a side on spinlock bars. It is slow to change; the BRAINGAIN twist-handle pair saves space for a lot more money.
• Mat. A 15mm NBR mat like the Kingdom Fitness set on exercise mats cushions floor work. For yoga, the firmer 6mm Yogii on yoga mats is steadier for balance poses.
• Pull-ups. The Sportneer doorway bar leads pull up bars and fits frames from 75 to 94cm. Narrow rental doorways need the RHINOSPORT, and heavier users who kip are safer on a free-standing power tower.
• Load. The Sportneer vest on weighted vests builds up in small packs to 8kg, which suits walking.

Cardio machines need more thought about floor space and the neighbours below. The Superun on walking pads tops out at a brisk walk; to jog, go to folding treadmills, where the JLL is built for running. A stepper or vibration plate fits a small flat, and plate listings’ weight-loss claims are marketing.

For bag work at home, buy 12 to 16oz gloves, and 16oz for sparring. The RENPHO Reach Mini tops massage guns because its extension handle reaches your own back. For barbell work, the grip pads on gym gloves protect your palms without the bulk of a glove.

How do you get the size right?

Measure before you order, because a return wipes out the saving. The ABUS helmet listing is a size L shell, and the budget Favoto only fits heads of 59 to 61cm. Taller golfers can get the Wilson Stretch set an inch longer.

For wide feet, our lists carry the New Balance 1080 v14 for women’s running, the New Balance 608 v5 for men’s walking and the Columbia Transverse Hike for men’s hiking. Rings, chest straps and weighted vests come in fixed sizes too, so use the sizing kit or the listed chest measurement.

How we pick

We rank from retailer listings, published specifications, UK sales and review research, not hands-on testing, and each list says when a listing is thin on detail. The full method is on our methodology page. Buying for someone else? The hobby lists on our gifts page and gifts for him cover runners, golfers, cyclists and gym-goers.