There's no shortage of voices online telling us about the newest and coolest fitness gear we absolutely must have to get fit or recover from exercise. But what's essential, and what works? No one would know better than a licensed doctor of physical therapy.

We spoke with Dr. Corbin Hedt, a physical therapist specializing in orthopedics and sports medicine at Houston Methodist, about fitness gear he recommends that can help you get moving or recover well.

"My focus has always been to get a broad range of people more active," Dr. Hedt says. "That's why my recommendations tend to be cost-efficient and something that's doable. Those usually make for the best carryover if I actually want somebody to do something at home. If I tell everyone, 'Buy a stationary bike for your house,' only about 1% of the people are going to be able to do that. We always want to meet people where they are."

Adjustable ankle and wrist weights

Price range: $15-$150

New to resistance training? Adjustable weights that can be used on the wrists or ankles can be a great way to get started.

"Wrist and ankle weights seem pretty benign, but you can do a lot with like a decent set of ankle weights," Dr. Hedt says. "And I think what's cool now is they have the ones that are adjustable. You don't have to buy a set of one, two, three, four, five pound weights, you can get one where you can go from one pound to 10 pounds. Put them on your ankles, put them on your wrists, and you can get a pretty good workout doing simple moves on the floor."

Compression clothing, such as tights/pants, shirts, sleeves, etc.

Price range $30-$200

Compression clothing has become popular as a way to stylishly recover from workout and injury. Whether it's compression socks, sleeves or tights, manufacturers claim the clothing can help with everything from circulation, reduce soreness after activity or can help support the body during movement.

"There are so many different types of products out there, some good, some not," Dr. Hedt says. "A lot of that's going to boil down to the quality. What I think a lot of people get caught up into is the different marketing approaches, because there are so many different claims as far as to what this really expensive clothing can do for you."

Dr. Hedt says he recommends some of the recovery tights and leggings for runners or weightlifters after intense activity, such as a long-distance run or a really heavy lift.

"That constant compression you get from wearing them all day long really helps with the circulation and mitigating some of that post-exercise soreness and the mild amount of swelling that you can get."

You can find compression clothing on the market infused with metals that claim to aid in joint pain relief, performance and recovery. Dr. Hedt cautions potential buyers.

"There's literally no evidence of any infused clothing actually doing what it says it does," Dr. Hedt says. "There's some evidence on the compression and the circulatory system working better, but you don't need metals infused to accomplish that."

While not necessarily exercise-related, Dr. Hedt recommends posture shirts, especially for those of us who sit for extended periods of time in front of computers.

"These compression undershirts are designed in such a way that they give your shoulder blades a little cueing back there so that throughout the day you don't really have to think about it, but it always gives you that good posture feel," Dr. Hedt says. "So for those who struggle with nagging shoulder pain or neck pain, a lot of people benefit from a posture shirt simply just to give them that reminder. It's not going to help you strengthen those muscles, but it at least gives you the reminder to keep them in a good place."

Exercise mats

Price range: $20-$200

Whether at home or a yoga studio, exercise mats help provide stability and lower the risk of impact injuries and joint strain. Dr. Hedt suggests considering how and what you'll be primarily using the mat for before clicking "buy now." Is the mat going to be a constant companion, traveling with you to yoga studios, parks and beyond? Or will you be working out at home, doing high-impact moves such as jumping jacks or burpees?

"It's going to depend on where you're doing these activities," Dr. Hedt says. "If it's in your house on a tiled or hardwood floor or something like that, you probably want something with a little bit more cushion. If you're doing it on a carpet, you may not need that much cushion."

You may want to consider the material type for the mat — many yoga mats are made of neoprene, a synthetic rubber. But a wide variety of options exist, including foam, vinyl and even cork. Thicker materials may help your body with shock absorption of high-intensity exercise, which may be good for a home gym or setting up in your living room, but may be less convenient for those who view the outdoors as their gym.

"The thicker and heavier it is may play a role in how much you want to travel with it and lug a big heavy mat around," Dr. Hedt says. "So maybe you opt for something thinner if you're going to take it from your house to a studio or something like that. If it's for home, base it on the surface that you're working on and go from there."

You may prefer to do your retail therapy online, but Dr. Hedt says there's no substitute for inspecting mats before purchase.

"Sometimes you may need one with a little bit more grip on it, so simply just feeling it and rolling it between your fingers helps," Dr. Hedt says. "You can get a good sense of how grippy it is, especially if you're going to be doing certain yoga poses where things slipping could pose a problem."

Exercise machines

Dr. Hedt also has suggestions if you're looking to incorporate movement into your life and want the ease of doing so at home.

Indoor stationary bike

Price range: $250-$2,000

"An at-home upright bike or even like a spin bike, those are cool because you can get pretty impactful exercise with little impact on your joints," Dr. Hedt says.

Already have an outdoor bike? There are devices called bike trainers that allow you to ride your road or mountain bike in a stationary fashion indoors. Bike trainers can cost anywhere from $50 to $350.

Treadmill

Price range: $350-$5,000

"Treadmills are great for people who like treadmills," Dr. Hedt says. "I hate running on treadmills. I cannot stand it; I have to be outside. But if that's for you, and if you've got the footprint for it in your home or your garage, it's a great tool."

Rowers or ergometers

Price range: $175-$3,500

"Rowers, or ergometers, are becoming more and more popular, and they are a great mode of aerobic and strengthening exercise — especially as they go the smart-tech route and have more variations and workouts and online programs you can follow," Dr Hedt says. "You just have to make sure you're doing it right to protect your hips and back."

Foam rollers

Price range: $20-$200

Foam rollers are another great tool for recovery, Dr. Hedt says. Using a foam roller helps someone perform a self-massage to help relieve muscle tightness, improve flexibility and promote blood and lymphatic circulation through self-myofascial release. Some brands now offer smart foam rollers that include vibration and can connect to your phone.

"It's a really good tool for those dealing with soft tissue knots and soreness and things like that," Dr. Hedt says. "The drawback for foam rollers is that they can be bulky and big enough that they're tough to hide them in a corner, but it's a good tool to use for your thighs, your quads, your hamstrings. I use it sometimes with patients who are dealing with a really stiff back, and they can extend over it."

While some folks feel using a foam roller is a great way to recover after activity, others see them as medieval torture devices.

"It can be rather intense, so some folks aren't big fans of it," Dr. Hedt says. "And that's where the massage gun may fit in. But foam rollers are a lot cheaper, so there's also that caveat."

Related: Foam Rolling 101: Who Should Do It, When to Do It & How to Do It

Half-ball balance trainer

Price range: $75-$300

This piece of gear, which many associate with a brand name that stands for "both sides up," is a half exercise ball, round and squishy on one side, flat on the other. It can be used to work on stabilizing muscles and exploring the planes of motion, the ways our bodies move in relation to anatomical directions. For example, think of forward and backward movements, side-to-side movements and rotations.

"You can either set the flat part or the squishy part down," Dr. Hedt says. "People will do a variation of many dozens of different exercises on it, from standing on it to stepping over it. Using it more as like a cushion for your back if you're trying to do like some ab workouts or something like that. Or you can flip it over, so the squishy part is down, and the flat side is up, and that's a little better for doing standing exercises, just holding a balance or squatting on it and things like that."

Despite the word "balance" in the name, this type of tool may be too much for those just starting to work on balance. Dr. Hedt says that these trainers are generally for folks who are training at a more advanced level, who already have good balance.

"To work on balance, we train this internal sensation that we have called proprioception, your body's awareness of where it is in space," Dr. Hedy says. "And it was always generally thought that if you add a more unstable, dynamic surface like a cushion or half-ball trainer or rocker board, logic would tell us that would be better for training those systems. But what we've seen in research, the best training for those systems, going back to the resistance side of things, is actually loading your body."

Dr. Hedt says that resistance training helps your body relay critical information to the brain about its positioning in space without relying on visual input alone. The peripheral mechanoreceptors — sensory nerve receptors that are in our skin, joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons — are turned on more when you're under load during resistance or strength training. That helps them send more information to the brain to aid in balance.

"So, honestly, for people with really poor balance, we don't throw them on a thing that's going to make them more out of balance," Dr. Hedt says. "We have them do partial range of motion squats and leg presses and movements like that. Get their muscles working and firing, and then when they stand up, or finish that exercise, you relook at their balance. They feel a lot more stable because they have more stuff engaged for them."

For those getting started with exercise or those with specific goals such as balance training, this might not be the tool for you. But if you're already exercising at an advanced level and are looking to up your game, it can be a way to challenge yourself.

"Depending on what you really want to do with it, it can be a decent tool," Dr. Hedt says. "It's not the greatest if you don't have good balance. It's a decent tool, but I think there's probably better options out there as a whole."

Massage guns

Price range: $30-$600

At-home percussion therapy with a massage gun has gained popularity in recent years. The percussive nature of the massage helps to relax knotted muscles, ease tension and improve blood flow.

"They can be particularly useful for athletes or individuals with tight muscles or chronic pain," Dr. Hedt says. "Massage guns are great because they're versatile, and you can get focal with them. If you've got one really bad trigger point area or knot in your muscle, you can hit it closely and really effectively in a short period of time."

Dr. Hedt says that research shows that percussive therapy using a massage gun can provide the same benefit as a 15-minute massage with as little as two minutes of use. That effectiveness can come with a steep price tag, however. But Dr. Hedt says that a pricier massage gun may not necessarily yield better results for you.

Related: Are Massage Guns Worth It? (& 4 More Questions About Percussive Therapy, Answered)

Resistance bands

Price range: $10-$150

Dr. Hedt says resistance bands are one of his favorite tools, and that he often uses them with patients in his clinic daily.

"Resistance bands are awesome because they're versatile," Dr. Hedt says. "You can do a lot of different movements and exercises with the bands to add the resistance in there. We've discovered over the last couple of decades that resistance training truly is the most important part of exercise.

"We know aerobic activity is good for you, but if you're missing resistance training, your muscles don't really get a chance to grow and be strong. Your bones don't really get a chance to adapt and be strong. So it's that resistance component that's super vital. And bands are a great way to do that."

Dr. Hedt emphasizes that resistance bands can be a great way to graduate from body weight exercise to using resistance, or as a way to safely rehabilitate after an injury. And because they're cost-effective and have a small footprint, they can be a way to get a workout on the road.

"They're relatively cheap, and you can take them just about anywhere," Dr. Hedt says. "Oftentimes, if I have patients who are traveling, I tell them to take bands with them because you don't want to lug around dumbbells."

The versatility of resistance bands allows those using them to scale down and up, just as you would advance from, say, an 8-lb dumbbell to a 10-lb dumbbell. And much like scaling up with dumbbells, Dr. Hedt says you want to be mindful of the amount of resistance you use.

"We want to make sure that the resistance is appropriate. You can get really, really light with them and really, really heavy with them," Dr. Hedt says. "There are loop bands, which are really cool because you can put them around your ankles, and you can walk with them, and you can use them for your arms. Obviously, it depends on what you're trying to do, but bands are one of my favorite tools for that reason."

Slant boards

Price range: $30-$150

"A lot of people have really tight calves and hamstrings, and they're constantly looking for ways to stretch," Dr. Hedt says. "There are these things called slant boards out there where it's literally just a couple pieces of wood screwed together at a 30°-40° angle. You set that up against the wall, and you get a calf stretch that feels amazing. It's really good for improving your flexibility back there."

Weightlifting straps

Price range: $10-$80

Dr. Hedt says that weightlifting straps are a tool that is most often associated with professional weightlifters or bodybuilders. But as weightlifting gains popularity recreationally as a way to stay healthy, the straps can be used to achieve higher amounts of weight by reinforcing one's grip on the bar or dumbbell.

"I think they're best for those who are trying to achieve a relatively high weight lift with either a deadlift or a clean or a movement like that, where the person is using them as a tool to essentially be protective as it gives them a better grip on a bar," Dr. Hedt says. "It's more of a tool rather than a crutch. It's not going to be something that people should use with every single lift or exercise."

Using weightlifting straps with smaller amounts of weight or for all exercises may inhibit your wrist muscles and hands from working and becoming stronger, which can hinder your long-term strength, according to Dr. Hedt. If you're concerned about your wrist strength and feel you need wrist support for all exercise, consider talking with your doctor or a physical therapist.

"They are a tool to bridge the gap in the highest intensity moves that they would do again to give them that little bit of grip and a little bit of extra support," Dr. Hedt says.