Exercise help direly needed.

macenro

I've only been on MFP for a few weeks and so far I've only been doing aerobic things (C25K, brisk walking, etc). I figure I should get some anaerobic things going with my other workout...possibly on my off days. I was hoping people might have some advice or even more helpful some programs that I could follow to help me. Here are some things that limit what I can do:

1) I have no weights and won't be able to buy any (unless you count random heavy objects around the house)
2) I have no gym membership and won't be able to afford one

So basically I am looking for programs or workout plans that would be based around push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, and that sort of things. Things that will help develop muscle in places other than my legs from all my running.

HoopFire5602

If you can buy one book, buy You are your own gym. it shows you how to get workouts out of stuff around your house. They work, cause I am sore as hell afterwards.

mckshowie

bodyrock.tv

NuttyBrewnette

I came across this....

http://ezinearticles.com/?Strength-Training-Without-Weights---Home-Workout-No-Equipment-Needed&id=4914307

Think crunches, push ups, squats, lunges, plank, plank jacks, abs...

You can use household items for weights too, soup, milk containers, filled with water, etc.

You could probably google or youtube some videos with ideas...and maybe your library has work out dvd's for check out? It's worth a shot.

Dawny75

Those guys had some great ideas... the only thing I would add is instead of buying the book, spend $13-15 for a membership at your library... and borrow it. This way, you get access to thousands of books and articles...... I would check out ''Body for Life'' also. Great, and inspirational.

skinnyinnotime

You can find loads of workouts on youtube, when you get an idea of what they're like you can make your own ones up.

creickson

Bodyweightculture.com it's free.

heathersmilez

A cheap investment would be $10 for 30 Day Shred and some weights from a garage sale or Craig's List.

macenro

Thanks everyone so far. I live in the middle of nowhere so I doubt the local library will have any exercise books. But I'll try to find somewhere to get one. Some books are probably free e-books somewhere.

Can anyone share with me what they would do as a workout? I mean I know a bunch of different exercises but I don't know what is effective/enough. Do you do lots of short 20 rep sets or longer ones or what?

BJPCraig

I mentioned this elsewhere on the board, but an article I once read by someone billed as "the world's fittest man" said that the best simple "no equipment" workout is to just cycle through push-ups, squats/deep-knee bends, and crunches until you can't do any more! Another exercise you can do would be tricep dips (hands on the seat of a kitchen chair, legs in front of you). Lunges are good, as are calf raises.

Here are some push-up variations to try:
1) Salutation push ups: Stand straight. Raise your hands over your head. As you sweep them down, bend at the waist until your hands touch the floor. Then kick your legs back into position, do a push-up, jump your legs forward, stand up again, and repeat.
2) Side-to-Side: Do a standard push-up. Then reach one arm off to the side and do a wide-armed push-up. Move the second arm over (so that you've "side-stepped" with your hands), and do a standard push-up. Then repeat, going to the opposite side.
3) Wide-Tri-Die (From Power 90): Do 7-10 wide armed push-ups. Then put your hands right under your shoulders and do 7-10 tricep push-ups. Then do as many standard push-ups as you can.

You also might want to check out: http://hundredpushups.com/

I also recently tried a workout with 4 "animal" moves that are kind of killer:
1) The Bear - Standing erect, bend at the waist until your hands touch the floor. Keeping your elbows & knees straight, move around the room for 1 min, moving the limbs on one side of the body at a time (i.e., right arm & leg, then left arm & leg).
2) The Crab - Sit on the floor, with your feet on the floor and your hands on the floor behind you. Raise your butt off the floor as high as you can. Then crab-walk backward (just like in back in school) for 1 min.
3) The Creepy Crawler (aka The Spiderman) - Starting in like a push-up position, with your chest and pelvis as close to the floor as possible, crawl around the room for 1 min, stretching one side of the body (i.e., the right elbow and knee should be toward the center of your body while the left arm and leg are extended).
4) The Duck - Squat down, thighs wide. Keeping as low as possible, duck walk around the room for a minute.
Cycle through this 3 or 4 times.

macenro

http://hundredpushups.com/ was really helpful.

Anyone know a similar website that would have the same kind of schedule laid out for crunches or other exercises?

BeetleChe13

Hundredpushups.com should have links on the site to their other sites, which are for crunches, lunges, squats, etc.

Nomomush

Calisthenics are awesome. Using your own body is a great way to tone. You can do maximum number of the exercise (push up pull up) till failure.

BJPCraig

http://hundredpushups.com/ was really helpful.

Anyone know a similar website that would have the same kind of schedule laid out for crunches or other exercises?

Like BeetleChe said, if you look to the bottom of the menu bar on the left of the 100 pushups site, you'll find links to 200 situps, 200 squats, 150 dips, 25 pullups, & 50 pullups. I'm pretty sure they all have SmartPhone apps, as well as the computer/online programs, if that helps you.