Stuck on Strength Traning!

Monze1

Okay. So I exercise at home. I use a stationary exercise bike for an hour most days, so that's my cardio covered at this stage. What I'm stuck on is strength training. I don't have a gym where I am, and the only weights I have are 5kg ( I think that's 11 lbs...) dumbbells, and I don't really have the finances to go out and buy such things.
I was wondering if anyone out there has suggestions on what I could do, or use, so I can be doing some strength training.
I'm also a very new with this stuff, so nothing too complected for me! haha

Many thanks in advanced!

Lyadeia

Google bodyweight exercises. :flowerforyou:

Push-ups, squats, lunges, pull-ups, chair dips...there's much more out there if you search for different ones.

xraychick77

oh wow..

well strength training to gain strength requires heavy lifting with few reps. at least that is the general consensus.

xraychick77

oh wow..

well strength training to gain strength requires heavy lifting with few reps. at least that is the general consensus.

TheGeezNeez

Push ups, sit ups, squats, lunges are all really good strength training moves that don't require any equipment. You can always modify the push ups to your level. I hate push ups....but they get the job done!

I hope this helps!

ladyhawk00

Here's a great list of things to do with body weights and/or resistance bands (fairly cheap) (first post on page 8). You can at least get started with this. You don't NEED a gym or weights to get in some strength training. Also, you can check youtube for some good instructional videos on how to do various exercises.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/12250-1000-calorie-deficit-not-for-people-with-healthy-bmi?page=8

papastu

I purchased a strong band from amazon, very worth while, give them a look
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sniper-Ripcord-Extreme-Tension-Resistance/dp/B002T6EQJ4/ref=sr_1_7?s=sports&ie=UTF8&qid=1313216848&sr=1-7

Elleinnz

Get yourself some resistance bands - you can do a great workout at home with them - I use mine when I am travelling and I cant get to the gym..... look on youtube - you will find routines that use them.....

A friend of mine just bought some - I think they only cost $12 or something like that....

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/311826-resistance-bands

ruststar

The military manages to get people strong without lifting a single barbell. Pushups, lunges, squats, and dips will all work, as will hefting bags of flour in a pastic bag (homemade kettle bells!). For minimal cost a fitness ball or a DVD could also get you started - less than $20.

mowu

I have the same issue (although my single dumbbell is somewhat heavier).

I've done what was suggested above and found exercises that can be done with a single dumbbell and/or my own body-weight. I've only just started so I can't give you a realistic progress report yet - but I can tell you that I have sore muscles.

What I've done is to work the exercises into a circuit rotation so I can get a decent workout in about 35 minutes doing 30 seconds worth of one exercise and then 15 second break/shift to other exercise. I get 3 rounds total (3 hits from each exercise), but as I go from one muscle group to another I can keep going at relatively high intensity all the time. My programme looks like this:

Biceps curl - right (dumbbell)
Biceps curl - left (dumbbell)
Biceps curl - two handed (dumbbell)
Lunges - right leg in front
Lunges - left leg in front
Triceps pullover (dumbbell)
Rows - right arm (dumbbell)
Rows - left arm (dumbbell)
Squats
Back
Chin lift (dumbbell)
Military press (dumbbell)
Step-ups – right leg
Step-ups – left leg
Sit-ups

Of course some exercises would be more efficient with a long weight bar or other equipment, but it's better than doing nothing at all and after all I'm not trying to build muscle (like so many here I'm trying to lose weight so I'm on a calorie restricted diet), I'm just trying to recruit the dormant muscle I have.

Monze1

Thanks everyone!
Have taken all of your suggestions on board

portexploit

Here's a great list of things to do with body weights and/or resistance bands (fairly cheap) (first post on page 8). You can at least get started with this. You don't NEED a gym or weights to get in some strength training. Also, you can check youtube for some good instructional videos on how to do various exercises.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/12250-1000-calorie-deficit-not-for-people-with-healthy-bmi?page=8

That page is incomplete. Reps/ sets, body splits if any???... I don't think the chair dips work the lats. Think of "push and pull" where are your arms when you do a lat pull down, they are high and pulling downwards. Where are they when you do a chair dip? they are in the complete opposite position. and they're "pushing" not pulling..

Lyadeia

Interesting, so that page said chair dips work the lats? It's clearly a tricep exercise that uses the lats and delts as support, but it mainly works the back of the arm. Still a great exercise, though!

portexploit

The key is "intensity" if it's 1 rep or 100 reps. Think of a maraton runner, and a medium distance runner. The middle distance runner pushes hard within a certain amount of time compared to the marathon runner. Imagine this marathon runner running 10miles at a comfortable pace. He's breathng comfortably and completes the 10miles, his legs feel "fresh." Imagine if he ran 15miles does it for a longer amount of time, but goes at a faster pace. He can feel the same intensity in his legs as the middle distance runner.

As you go higher in your reps, your energy system will change. You can take things from a military stand point, do pushups, and pullups (get one of those bars that mount on the door frame) they're cheap.Squats, you can work up to 1 arm pull ups, 1 arm pushups, 1 leg squats. I key is your mind really. It's about "focus" on your muscle contraction that builds the intensity. Make sure you do the rep kind of slow, 1 second up 2 seconds down(contraction).

bhagavatilad1

If you want to do strength training you can use anything similar size to dumbells like a can of soup or anything that works to do interval repetitions by doing these your increasing muscle mass. The other exercises I do is if your're an early bird and wake-up early you can follow any cardio or yoga routine on TV. Gardening cycling and swimming are other activities you could do aswell.

crisanderson27

oh wow..

well strength training to gain strength requires heavy lifting with few reps. at least that is the general consensus.

Yep...which you CAN do with bodyweight, to a relatively useful extent.

Here is the program I used, with NO cardio, to lose almost 37lbs, in what amounted to less than 3mos:

Another Bodyweight Culture article, this one courtesy Cheesedog at:

http://www.bodyweightculture.com/forum/showthread.php?11058-Bodyweight-Strength-Training

Bodyweight Strength Training

People are always asking about strength training using only bodyweight. This is nothing new or revolutionary. I am borrowing HEAVILY from Rippatoe, Bill Starr, and lots of other great authors and trainers. This is your basic 5 x 5 template. (To clarify, 5x5 is 5 reps x 5 sets. The idea is to work at a difficulty level where you could only do maybe 7-8 reps on the first set, and are struggling to finish 5 reps on the last set). You would do strength training 3 times a week, say Monday-Wednesday-Friday with the weekends off. These are done "lazy circuits" style, with about 1 minute rest between each set.

Workout A
1A. Knee dominant - 5 x 5
1B. Horizontal push - 5 x 5
1C. Horizontal pull - 5 x 5
2A. Ab - flexion - 3 x 5
2B. Ab - static 3 x 30 seconds

Workout B
1A. Knee dominant - 5 x 5
1B. Vertical push - 5 x 5
1C. Hip dominant - 5 x 5
1D. Vertical pull - 5 x 5
2A. Ab - rotation - 3 x 5
2B. Grip and neck training - 3 x varies

Exercise Progressions - with regular weight training you can just add weight to the bar. With bodyweight progression is mostly about changing your leverage. These are just a few examples, I'm sure we could come up with dozens more if needed. You can always add resistance in the form of a weighted vest or backpack or resistance bands.

1. Knee Dominant -- squats, lunges, step-ups, bulgarian split squats, unilateral bent leg deadlift, partial one leg squat, one leg squat, box or stair pistols, full pistols.
2. Horizontal Push -- pushups, decline pushups, resistance pushups, side to side pushups, stair one arm pushups, negative one arm pushups, full one arm pushups.
3. Horizontal Pull -- body row, resistance body row, negative one hand row, incline one hand row, full one hand row.
4. Ab - flexion -- crunches, situps, resistance or incline situps, reverse situp, resistance or incline reverse situps, hanging knee or leg raise, hanging pikes, rollout from knees, rollout from feet, dragon flag. Also included are oblique moves like side lying crunches with or without resistance and side lying two leg raise.
5. Abs- static -- 4 point prone bridge, 3 point prone bridge, 2 point prone bridge, 4 point supine bridge, 3 point supine bridge.
6. Vertical Push -- pike pushup, hindu pushup, divebomber pushup, decline pike pushup, decline hindu pushup, decline divebomber pushup, one arm pike pushup, negative handstand pushup, handstand pushup with head touching floor, full handstand pushup.
7. Hip Dominant -- supine hip extension, good morning, one leg stiff leg deadlift, split one leg good morning, one leg supine hip extension, hyperextension, one leg hyperextension, natural glute-ham raise.
8. Vertical Pull -- jumping or assisted pullups, pullups, resistance pullups, side to side pullups, negative one hand pullups, one hand pullups. All these can refer to chinups or neutral grip pullups as well.
9. Ab - rotation -- twist crunches or situps, resistance or incline twist crunches or situps, russian twists, lying windshield wipers, standing rope rotations, hanging windshield wipers.
10. Grip and Neck Training -- for grip you can use handgrippers, deadhangs from a pullup bar (especially a fatbar or gripping a towel). For neck nothing beats wrestlers bridges. If you are involved in a striking martial art or sport, finger and fist pushups are very important also.

None of these lists have to end here. If you get strong enough you can always add resistance to your full range of motion one limb exercise. Or if you can do more than 5 one hand pushups do decline one hand pushups, or start working on one hand hindu and then eventually one hand dive bombers, and so on.

The nice thing about this routine is it scales dramatically depending on your fitness level. If you can't do even ONE regular pull up, you can scale it down and do assisted pull ups (legs on a chair), or ballistic pullups (where you jump to provide the initial momentum). It's actually easier to do properly when you're very unfit...because once you're healthy and strong...you're going to be searching for challenging enough exercises to only allow you 5 reps max by the finish of the 5 sets.

There are before and after pictures in my gallery.

It works.

Erica_theRedhead

I do a lot of plank exercises for strength, which are great for your whole body.

1. To start with a stretch, begin in plank and push back to downward dog yoga pose. Lift one leg straight up to the air, then switch to the other leg. Go back to plank and hold for a few seconds. Repeat 3-5 times.

2. My trainer just got me into doing planks with a row added. Get in a plank/push up position with one hand around a barbell. Do a row with one arm, put the bar back on the ground, and use the other arm to do a row and keep alternating.

3. Start in plank and switch to a one arm side plank by rotating your body to one side and pivoting your feet to the side. Hold for 10-15 seconds then go back to regular position. Repeat on the alternate side.

4. Start with in a plank with your elbows on the ground. Use one arm to push up to your hands to a regular plank. Lower down back to your elbows and hold for 5 seconds or so. Then lift up again using the other arm.

I don't think that these should all be done together. But it's great to throw into the middle of your normal routine. Just holding a plank in between exercises is great. It's great active recovery exercise. Hope this helps!