Body-weight strength training in limited areas
FitnTrimSteve
Posts: 664 Member
One of the thing I want to do is build some lost strength. I have low ceilings, limited floor space, and no door frames that will support a pull-up bar but I want to find some decent exercises to build up functional strength. I'm not looking to build muscle (body building). When I say functional, I guess I mean real world stuff like bending, lifting somewhat heavy objects, climbing (stairs and hiking), carrying moderately heavy loads, etc.. The things a person might need to do on a day to day or emergency basis.
I haven't done anything since 2009 and I have asthma, though I'm not letting that stop me,so I thought the Nerd Fitness beginners workout would be a decent place to start. I know it's a beginner routine to basically get one moving again and not a long term thing but I like it because it covers a lot of bases and can be done with my space limitations.
What body-weight exercises would you recommend?
I haven't done anything since 2009 and I have asthma, though I'm not letting that stop me,so I thought the Nerd Fitness beginners workout would be a decent place to start. I know it's a beginner routine to basically get one moving again and not a long term thing but I like it because it covers a lot of bases and can be done with my space limitations.
What body-weight exercises would you recommend?
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Replies
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a lot of darabee workouts are body weight
there is also your body is a gym and convict conditioning or some forms of pilates and yoga1 -
a lot of darabee workouts are body weight
there is also your body is a gym and convict conditioning or some forms of pilates and yoga
Agree with this. ^ Also a pair of gymnastics rings is one the cheapest yet most versatile training tools you can purchase. Go outside and throw them over a tree branch.
Also, I've never tried any of their routines but I get a lot of advertisements for BodyRock and the exercises I see them do look great for someone with little room and very challenging.2 -
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mom23mangos wrote: »a lot of darabee workouts are body weight
there is also your body is a gym and convict conditioning or some forms of pilates and yoga
Agree with this. ^ Also a pair of gymnastics rings is one the cheapest yet most versatile training tools you can purchase. Go outside and throw them over a tree branch.
Also, I've never tried any of their routines but I get a lot of advertisements for BodyRock and the exercises I see them do look great for someone with little room and very challenging.
Thank you. I'll add BodyRock to my research list. What types of things do you do with the rings?0 -
Lift 41
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stevenringeling wrote: »mom23mangos wrote: »a lot of darabee workouts are body weight
there is also your body is a gym and convict conditioning or some forms of pilates and yoga
Agree with this. ^ Also a pair of gymnastics rings is one the cheapest yet most versatile training tools you can purchase. Go outside and throw them over a tree branch.
Also, I've never tried any of their routines but I get a lot of advertisements for BodyRock and the exercises I see them do look great for someone with little room and very challenging.
Thank you. I'll add BodyRock to my research list. What types of things do you do with the rings?
You can do all sorts of things. Pull-ups, dips, push-ups, skin-the-cat, hanging knee/leg raises, inversions, etc. Once your strength is more advanced there are all sorts of progressions.1 -
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Just to second what you already mentioned, the Nerd Fitness beginner program IS a great place to start!3
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mom23mangos wrote: »stevenringeling wrote: »mom23mangos wrote: »a lot of darabee workouts are body weight
there is also your body is a gym and convict conditioning or some forms of pilates and yoga
Agree with this. ^ Also a pair of gymnastics rings is one the cheapest yet most versatile training tools you can purchase. Go outside and throw them over a tree branch.
Also, I've never tried any of their routines but I get a lot of advertisements for BodyRock and the exercises I see them do look great for someone with little room and very challenging.
Thank you. I'll add BodyRock to my research list. What types of things do you do with the rings?
You can do all sorts of things. Pull-ups, dips, push-ups, skin-the-cat, hanging knee/leg raises, inversions, etc. Once your strength is more advanced there are all sorts of progressions.
I'm going to keep this idea in mind for when I get stronger. I wouldn't make good use of them at the moment I'm afraid.0 -
stevenringeling wrote: »
lift 4 is an 8 week lifting program through body on demand. I have asthma and joint pain too but...in three weeks my asthma lifted. I can breathe so much better and my aches and pains are gone. I feel great...I love this program,1 -
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stevenringeling wrote: »
lift 4 is an 8 week lifting program through body on demand. I have asthma and joint pain too but...in three weeks my asthma lifted. I can breathe so much better and my aches and pains are gone. I feel great...I love this program,
Wow. That's fantastic for you. I'm glad it gives you some relief. I'll do another search with the addition of body on demand.0 -
stevenringeling wrote: »
I did for a while, but not long enough to really judge results (I was gifted a set of second-hand dumbbells).
I enjoyed it though, it was easy to do in my apartment living room, and loved how you could make the moves easier or harder depending on your level. It was recommended to me by several friends who had done it and progressed nicely until they could commit to the gym or home weight lifting.2 -
stevenringeling wrote: »One of the thing I want to do is build some lost strength. I have low ceilings, limited floor space, and no door frames that will support a pull-up bar but I want to find some decent exercises to build up functional strength. I'm not looking to build muscle (body building). When I say functional, I guess I mean real world stuff like bending, lifting somewhat heavy objects, climbing (stairs and hiking), carrying moderately heavy loads, etc.. The things a person might need to do on a day to day or emergency basis.
I haven't done anything since 2009 and I have asthma, though I'm not letting that stop me,so I thought the Nerd Fitness beginners workout would be a decent place to start. I know it's a beginner routine to basically get one moving again and not a long term thing but I like it because it covers a lot of bases and can be done with my space limitations.
What body-weight exercises would you recommend?
Not bodyweight, but...
Your real-world examples are all pretty much deadlifts (or things aided by strong hamstrings which are worked by deadlifts)...so if you can, it's a pretty good thing to start with -whether barbell (which could be stored upright in a corner or under bed/couch)(not recommended to use much weight unless a sturdy floor), dumbbell(s), kettle bell(s), loaded bags,... Bent-over rows are a good pulling-type exercise, and I found it to work the core very well too.. and would be doable with the same weighted object(s) you could deadlift.
** These are the 2 movements that I credit for doing the most to improve my real-world functional strength in things I do regularly. Deadlifts improved my running and hiking immensely (my hamstrings used to fatigue much more quickly when running or hiking uphill) and I have an easier time lifting groceries from the supermarket floor (I use a massive newsboy bag and over-stuff it with a ridiculous quantity of food). The bent over rows strengthened my core so that I no longer got back pain when running/hiking/cycling uphill or bending over to wash my face at the bathtub faucet.1 -
TRX. You can find lots of tutorials on making a set for your self. In fact, I’m finishing up instructions on making a version that fits in a pencil case and costs less than US$10 to make.1
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Just crawling across the floor (opposite leg/arm stepping at the same time with your spine straight) is a surprisingly good workout for core, shoulders, legs, and stability. Go slow to make it harder. If you want to protect your lower back while lifting you'll want to strengthen your hips. Look up some pilates-oriented exercises for sure. That stuff kills! Good luck:)1
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stevenringeling wrote: »One of the thing I want to do is build some lost strength. I have low ceilings, limited floor space, and no door frames that will support a pull-up bar but I want to find some decent exercises to build up functional strength. I'm not looking to build muscle (body building). When I say functional, I guess I mean real world stuff like bending, lifting somewhat heavy objects, climbing (stairs and hiking), carrying moderately heavy loads, etc.. The things a person might need to do on a day to day or emergency basis.
I haven't done anything since 2009 and I have asthma, though I'm not letting that stop me,so I thought the Nerd Fitness beginners workout would be a decent place to start. I know it's a beginner routine to basically get one moving again and not a long term thing but I like it because it covers a lot of bases and can be done with my space limitations.
What body-weight exercises would you recommend?
Not bodyweight, but...
Your real-world examples are all pretty much deadlifts (or things aided by strong hamstrings which are worked by deadlifts)...so if you can, it's a pretty good thing to start with -whether barbell (which could be stored upright in a corner or under bed/couch)(not recommended to use much weight unless a sturdy floor), dumbbell(s), kettle bell(s), loaded bags,... Bent-over rows are a good pulling-type exercise, and I found it to work the core very well too.. and would be doable with the same weighted object(s) you could deadlift.
** These are the 2 movements that I credit for doing the most to improve my real-world functional strength in things I do regularly. Deadlifts improved my running and hiking immensely (my hamstrings used to fatigue much more quickly when running or hiking uphill) and I have an easier time lifting groceries from the supermarket floor (I use a massive newsboy bag and over-stuff it with a ridiculous quantity of food). The bent over rows strengthened my core so that I no longer got back pain when running/hiking/cycling uphill or bending over to wash my face at the bathtub faucet.
I have heard other people say deadlifts are probably one of the single best all round things a person can do for functional fitness. I do have a set of dumbbells laying around I could use. The NF beginners routine does have bent over rows included so I think I'll add the deadlifts to that. I sit at a desk all day long and get back pain because of it. If these exercises can help with that, it'll be worth it.
Thank you for the suggestions.0 -
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Just crawling across the floor (opposite leg/arm stepping at the same time with your spine straight) is a surprisingly good workout for core, shoulders, legs, and stability. Go slow to make it harder. If you want to protect your lower back while lifting you'll want to strengthen your hips. Look up some pilates-oriented exercises for sure. That stuff kills! Good luck:)
Thanks for the suggestion. It sounds like you are describing something different from an Army crawl. Are you saying to be on hands and knees while doing this or belly to the ground crawling?0 -
You might want to consider getting a Personal Trainer, maybe once a week. It can get costly however he/she will teach you to lift correctly. Injury prevention is a must. A good trainer will assess your fitness level, help you establish goals, motivate you, design a program, and evaluate your progress. Even if you are very knowledgable a Personal Trainer can provide so much more. Check with your local community college or University. They will have Health/Physical Science students that may help you for free. Some professors may help you free of charge. Google "Exercise Is Medicine"(EIM)www.exerciseismedicine.org. If you are over 55 years you can get free help, depending on where you live.1
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You might want to consider getting a Personal Trainer, maybe once a week. It can get costly however he/she will teach you to lift correctly. Injury prevention is a must. A good trainer will assess your fitness level, help you establish goals, motivate you, design a program, and evaluate your progress. Even if you are very knowledgable a Personal Trainer can provide so much more. Check with your local community college or University. They will have Health/Physical Science students that may help you for free. Some professors may help you free of charge. Google "Exercise Is Medicine"(EIM)www.exerciseismedicine.org. If you are over 55 years you can get free help, depending on where you live.
Thank you. I'm not yet 55 though some days I feel like 95.0 -
Functional? To me the primary exercises for function are Pushups, Pull ups, Squat, Dead lift, Rows and Over head press or hand stand pushups. You can add things like step ups, planks, 1 arm 1 leg variants, use elevation or rings. But ultimately those are the primary motions you want to train. You probably won't be able to do all of those. That's why some of the progressive BW programs already listed are good to start with so that can progressively train yourself to do those movements. The one difference being deadlift, there is no other way to train yourself to pick things up than dead lifts, I no of no better way to do this other simply doing deadlifts. You can do back extension or glute ham raise, but those are actually more difficult than simply lifting weights at first. Same goes for overhead press, you are probably going to be able to lift light dumbbells but not do a hand stand pushup. And really any of motions can be done with light weights to get yourself to be able to lift your body weight.1
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mutantspicy wrote: »Functional? To me the primary exercises for function are Pushups, Pull ups, Squat, Dead lift, Rows and Over head press or hand stand pushups. You can add things like step ups, planks, 1 arm 1 leg variants, use elevation or rings. But ultimately those are the primary motions you want to train. You probably won't be able to do all of those. That's why some of the progressive BW programs already listed are good to start with so that can progressively train yourself to do those movements. The one difference being deadlift, there is no other way to train yourself to pick things up than dead lifts, I no of no better way to do this other simply doing deadlifts. You can do back extension or glute ham raise, but those are actually more difficult than simply lifting weights at first. Same goes for overhead press, you are probably going to be able to lift light dumbbells but not do a hand stand pushup. And really any of motions can be done with light weights to get yourself to be able to lift your body weight.
Thanks for your response. You're right, there is no way I could even begin to do a hand stand pushup at the moment. Your list of functional exercises makes a lot of sense. Those do seem like the majority of functional movement I would tend to do. The only thing I can't do is the pull ups. I don't have any place for a pull up bar in the house.
I do have a set of resistance bands I could put over a door to pull down but that doesn't quite imitate the pull up very well I think. I also have a set of dumbbells that I can adjust the weight of I can use for the over head press and deadlift.0 -
Most people can't do pull ups at first. Pulling on resistance bands, they make really thick ones that will challenge you more, is good start. But you can do horizontal pull ups and pull ups from a seated position. Put a bar like shovel handle or broom handle across two tables or chairs, lay on the ground, grab the bar and pull your torso up. Change the difficulty by pulling more of your torso off the ground, so eventually you can pivot from your heels with straight legs. You can start with keeping your butt on the ground, then go to bent knee, then to heels, etc. This simulates rows. Once you get that, try to find a way to raise the bar higher, and pull from a seated position, like a pull up, except its only the top half of your body, and heels are still on the ground, you can start with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground to give a little boost, until you are strong enough to rock on your heels. Pull ups to me are one of most challenging and most important of all lifts when it comes to functional movements. Being able to pull your body weight is a very important measure of functional strength, and once you master it you can keep progressing by adding weight to your body with belts and vests, etc. Go thru a day and keep track of how many times you have to do a pulling motion and that includes bending over and picking things up, a big part of deadlifts is pulling with your back.1
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mutantspicy wrote: »Most people can't do pull ups at first. Pulling on resistance bands, they make really thick ones that will challenge you more, is good start. But you can do horizontal pull ups and pull ups from a seated position. Put a bar like shovel handle or broom handle across two tables or chairs, lay on the ground, grab the bar and pull your torso up. Change the difficulty by pulling more of your torso off the ground, so eventually you can pivot from your heels with straight legs. You can start with keeping your butt on the ground, then go to bent knee, then to heels, etc. This simulates rows. Once you get that, try to find a way to raise the bar higher, and pull from a seated position, like a pull up, except its only the top half of your body, and heels are still on the ground, you can start with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground to give a little boost, until you are strong enough to rock on your heels. Pull ups to me are one of most challenging and most important of all lifts when it comes to functional movements. Being able to pull your body weight is a very important measure of functional strength, and once you master it you can keep progressing by adding weight to your body with belts and vests, etc. Go thru a day and keep track of how many times you have to do a pulling motion and that includes bending over and picking things up, a big part of deadlifts is pulling with your back.
yeah. Seems like almost everything is bending over and picking stuff up. Laundry, kids toys, house cleaning, groceries, and removing/storing air conditioners (this time of year for me), all seem to need some form of bending/lifting.
So, if I were to make a program of push ups, dead lifts, squats, overhead press, horizontal pull ups, and bent over rows, what would be a good routine? A 3x circuit of AMAP, certain number of reps, something else?0 -
stevenringeling wrote: »mutantspicy wrote: »Most people can't do pull ups at first. Pulling on resistance bands, they make really thick ones that will challenge you more, is good start. But you can do horizontal pull ups and pull ups from a seated position. Put a bar like shovel handle or broom handle across two tables or chairs, lay on the ground, grab the bar and pull your torso up. Change the difficulty by pulling more of your torso off the ground, so eventually you can pivot from your heels with straight legs. You can start with keeping your butt on the ground, then go to bent knee, then to heels, etc. This simulates rows. Once you get that, try to find a way to raise the bar higher, and pull from a seated position, like a pull up, except its only the top half of your body, and heels are still on the ground, you can start with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground to give a little boost, until you are strong enough to rock on your heels. Pull ups to me are one of most challenging and most important of all lifts when it comes to functional movements. Being able to pull your body weight is a very important measure of functional strength, and once you master it you can keep progressing by adding weight to your body with belts and vests, etc. Go thru a day and keep track of how many times you have to do a pulling motion and that includes bending over and picking things up, a big part of deadlifts is pulling with your back.
yeah. Seems like almost everything is bending over and picking stuff up. Laundry, kids toys, house cleaning, groceries, and removing/storing air conditioners (this time of year for me), all seem to need some form of bending/lifting.
So, if I were to make a program of push ups, dead lifts, squats, overhead press, horizontal pull ups, and bent over rows, what would be a good routine? A 3x circuit of AMAP, certain number of reps, something else?
One of my favorite simple plans has for each session: 1 leg + 1 pull + 1 push, alternating A & B sessions, 3 sets of each exercise...(ETA: with at least 1 rest day between sessions)..
A: quad dominant leg, horizontal push, horizontal pull → squats, push-ups, rows
B: hip/ham dominant leg (deadlifts), vertical pull, vertical push → deadlifts, pull-ups, overhead press
Typical reps range from 5-10 in most programs (with selecting a weight that is hard to do that number of reps in)-- with limited weight options, you'll have to play with the reps more.1 -
I like to do progressing intervals when doing BW exercises. Pick 4 moves, Push up, Squat, Row / Horizontal pullups, core work for instance. 40secs on / 20sec active rest(like jogging in place). 6 rounds that ends up being 24 mins. Round 1 is like doing pushups off a bench not the floor round 2 would be planks or something, instead of squats do wall sits, Instead of horizontal pulls do light DB rows, for core do crunch, build it up so that by the time you get to round 6 you are doing full push ups, Full squats as you better pistol squats, horizontal rows, boats. Each round you just make it a little tougher until you get to the final movement. Do something like this 3 times a week 4 different moves each time, each week try to make your final movement a little more advanced.1
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stevenringeling wrote: »mutantspicy wrote: »Most people can't do pull ups at first. Pulling on resistance bands, they make really thick ones that will challenge you more, is good start. But you can do horizontal pull ups and pull ups from a seated position. Put a bar like shovel handle or broom handle across two tables or chairs, lay on the ground, grab the bar and pull your torso up. Change the difficulty by pulling more of your torso off the ground, so eventually you can pivot from your heels with straight legs. You can start with keeping your butt on the ground, then go to bent knee, then to heels, etc. This simulates rows. Once you get that, try to find a way to raise the bar higher, and pull from a seated position, like a pull up, except its only the top half of your body, and heels are still on the ground, you can start with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground to give a little boost, until you are strong enough to rock on your heels. Pull ups to me are one of most challenging and most important of all lifts when it comes to functional movements. Being able to pull your body weight is a very important measure of functional strength, and once you master it you can keep progressing by adding weight to your body with belts and vests, etc. Go thru a day and keep track of how many times you have to do a pulling motion and that includes bending over and picking things up, a big part of deadlifts is pulling with your back.
yeah. Seems like almost everything is bending over and picking stuff up. Laundry, kids toys, house cleaning, groceries, and removing/storing air conditioners (this time of year for me), all seem to need some form of bending/lifting.
So, if I were to make a program of push ups, dead lifts, squats, overhead press, horizontal pull ups, and bent over rows, what would be a good routine? A 3x circuit of AMAP, certain number of reps, something else?
One of my favorite simple plans has for each session: 1 leg + 1 pull + 1 push, alternating A & B sessions, 3 sets of each exercise...(ETA: with at least 1 rest day between sessions)..
A: quad dominant leg, horizontal push, horizontal pull → squats, push-ups, rows
B: hip/ham dominant leg (deadlifts), vertical pull, vertical push → deadlifts, pull-ups, overhead press
Typical reps range from 5-10 in most programs (with selecting a weight that is hard to do that number of reps in)-- with limited weight options, you'll have to play with the reps more.
I like this. Thank you. It's simple in the exercise selection, manageable in limited space, and yet flexible enough to add a lot of variations to each exercise as I improve. I may not increase the reps but add sets to make up for the lack of adding weights. But, there's a lot of ways to modify to make the most use of it so it'll take some experimenting.0 -
mutantspicy wrote: »I like to do progressing intervals when doing BW exercises. Pick 4 moves, Push up, Squat, Row / Horizontal pullups, core work for instance. 40secs on / 20sec active rest(like jogging in place). 6 rounds that ends up being 24 mins. Round 1 is like doing pushups off a bench not the floor round 2 would be planks or something, instead of squats do wall sits, Instead of horizontal pulls do light DB rows, for core do crunch, build it up so that by the time you get to round 6 you are doing full push ups, Full squats as you better pistol squats, horizontal rows, boats. Each round you just make it a little tougher until you get to the final movement. Do something like this 3 times a week 4 different moves each time, each week try to make your final movement a little more advanced.
That's a nice progression from easy to hard. Seems like a good way to warm up muscles in preparation for a full exercise rep by increasing the difficulty each set.0 -
You have lots of great suggestions here. I also urge you to begin walking since you haven't done much for 9 years. Start with 10-15 minutes, then work up to about an hour and hills. You can walk on alternating days with strength workouts, and eventually daily. In all activities, pace yourself slow and steady. Don't try to make up for 9 years in 9 days. You sound like you want to take a reasonable approach and that's terrific!1
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