Strength Training at Home

lorjill

Good Morning MFPer's,

I would love some ideas on strength training at home, and what are your must haves for equipment. I have resistance bands, and 3lbs weights. I have the cardio part down... but I need to start the strength part.

Thank You!!

laz22girl

I suggest getting some videos. It's the easiest way to get a routine without hurting yourself. There are plenty of 20-40 min videos out there. I have a ton of Jillian Michael's videos.

laz22girl

I suggest getting some videos. It's the easiest way to get a routine without hurting yourself. There are plenty of 20-40 min videos out there. I have a ton of Jillian Michael's videos.

pattiann603

push ups! it works your arms, shoulders, chest, and core. try the on hundred pushup program. it breaks down a 6 week progression for you, and what that's done, they also have programs for squats, crunches, dips, and pull ups.

melissabee31

If you're willing to spend a little money, what really works for me at home is Jillian Michaels DVDs. I have the 30 day shred, which is great for a standalone workout even if you never want to commit to the 30 day program. Her DVDs titled "No More Trouble Zones" and "Yoga Meltdown" are also my faves. I find it a lot easier to actually do strength training at home when someone is instructing me to do so. If I try to do it on my own, it sometimes takes me twice a long.

But, if you do like to do strength on your own sans Jillian yelling at you, I recommend Self or Fitness magazine strength routines. Each magazine usually has two strength workouts. After collecting a lot of the magazines, I went through them all and ripped out the routines. I have them in a binder that's easy to flip through so I can pick my own exercises at any time. That's been really helpful and motivational.

As far as equipment, I would say invest in at least a pair of 5 lb. weights, and 8 if you're able to lift that much. Upping your weight will not make you bulk up, but help you boost your metabolism. I also have a big exercise ball that I do some yoga stuff and crunches on.

Hope this helped!

lorjill

on dvd?

lorjill

yes, thank you

H_Factor

get yourself a stability ball. there are a bunch of great exercises you can do on a stability ball and cost is minimal.

also, there are a TON of bodyweight exercises that you can do in the comfort of your own home. here are some ways to find them....go to youtube and type in "bodyweight exercise"....go to bodyrock.tv (notably, most of the newer workouts use a couple of pieces of equipment you might want to invest in...but you can modify a lot of those exercises to do without the equipment).....look up Craig Ballantyne and Turbulence Training as he has a great bodyweight exercise manual.

ruststar

Pushups and planks, Jillian Michael's DVDs (cheap and effective - I like the 6-week six pack as a good overall circuit-training workout), and stability ball exercises.

chridow

i can vouch for jillian michael's 30DS, No More Trouble Zones & Yoga Meltdown. You may want to increase the weight of your handweights though, unless your band has a lot of resistance. I've found that for certain exercises I can handle a lot more weight. A 3, 5, 8 lb set is good to start with.

Women's Fitness magazine also has good routines. Happy training!

UrbanRunner81

I have a stability ball and I bought Reebok speedpac last year. It is 5 lbs to 25 lbs adjustable dumbbells. I love them! They are much cheaper than the bowflex ones. They may not be as fancy but they get the job done. These are my most haves.

bmqbonnie

I have the book The Abs Diet (there is also one that focuses even more on exercise) that has a ton of exercises you can do at home.