Strength training without the weights?

ajalcazar

I am looking for some strength training ideas but do not have access to a gym or weights. Does anyone have any good strength training exercises that can be done with household items?

Jameslemond

resistance bands can work
pushup or pull ups
you can use a table chair to do backwards tricep extentions
for pushup to vary the intensity and target different muscles put your feet in the chair and do pushups at an incline

huntindawg1962

resistance bands as the other poster said and/or a few simple dumbbells on hand can help.

But - "body weight" exercises can be very demanding too - look some up on youtube or other internet resources. You can do a lot with just what you already have on your body.

crazyate

You can use soup cans or water bottles for lighter weights. On the Revolution they were using empty laundry detergent bottles filled with rocks because they had handles and so you could manage the larger weight easier than using, say, an empty peanut butter jar filled with rocks. They also duct taped water bottles to an old broom handle to make a weighted bar.

ajalcazar

Thank you for the comments. Im sure I can put most, if not all, of that to use. My kids love hanging all over me so I think I may just incorporate them into my workout too so they can have some fun while I exercise.

twogirlsmama

I am in the same boat as you. I looked up body weight exercises online and found so man more than I thought there would be. Some of them are super fun for the kids to join in with, like the crab walk, the bear crawl, and ski jumps. I also use my youngest as an added weight for squats and it is teaching her to count. Good luck on your journey!

bcattoes

resistance bands as the other poster said and/or a few simple dumbbells on hand can help.

But - "body weight" exercises can be very demanding too - look some up on youtube or other internet resources. You can do a lot with just what you already have on your body.

Yes, this ^^ Ever see those Insanity infomercials? Insanity uses no weights other than body weights. But you don't have to spend money on the DVDs. You can find most of the same moves online.

pmdhardy

I use resistance bands even at work.. on my break i use them in my office. And they really tone your arms if you work at it.

premiumchilenita

My husband and I were laughing the other day, he told me he was benching 60kgs at the gym, I told him I was doing more than him since I was pushing up my body weight plus my toddler on my back. HAHA I win :laugh:

jj3120

I've been looking for body weight and resistant band exercises. I have found this website which seems a good starting point:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/tipsandtricks/a/basictraining.htm

Blessedmommy_2x

I agree with the other posters... Body Weight exercises are quite effective as well. I don't have a gym membership - never have, but I still am able to put together some great workouts at home. Also you don't always need actually weights there are many household items that you can workout with.. or even just doing some exercises with your kids.

There are SO MANY workouts out there that dont require equipment just search Youtube and google and you are sure to find some great options!

MMarvelous

I was about to say checkout Youtube. FREE is my FAVORITE WORD!

erickirb

push-ups (a lot of variation such as: standard, wide, military, incline, decline, etc) have your kids sit on your back
Pull-ups (just need something you can grab on to)
Squats and lunges (grab something heavy, put it on your shoulders and go to work)
chair dips (have your kids sit on your lap to add resistance.

booyatribe

you can find anything on youtube

iloveseattle

UrbanRunner81

Nerd Fitness!
http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

castadiva

Does anyone have any tips /suggestions for buying resistance bands? I just looked on Amazon (in the UK) and there seem to be a lot of variations on a theme. Do I just need a piece of stretchy rubber, or are handles/ankle straps, carabiners etc an added advantage??

original_cake_face

Thank you for the comments. Im sure I can put most, if not all, of that to use. My kids love hanging all over me so I think I may just incorporate them into my workout too so they can have some fun while I exercise.

My brother often benchpresses his four year-old

jonski1968

Orpheus... got these from Amazon..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Piece-Resistance-Bands-Set-Instruction/dp/B004G9TNCM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333460033&sr=8-2

And have 2 of these on order..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006VWDVQ6/ref=oh_o00_s00_i00_details

This company will give you postage discount if buying more than one of the same item...Just make sure you email them first..

jenlarz

I have been doing EA Active-on Wii, it uses resistance bands and lots of lunges. My legs and arms are getting firmer all the time! I can even do a "real" push up or two now

wlgreen379

Nerd Fitness!
http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

THIS!

there is also the Angry Bird Workout posted on Nerd Fitness. It is a full body killer. I did it yesterday and it hurts to type right now.

Do as many of the following as possible:

Body Weight Squats
Push Ups
Bent Over Rows (Use a milk jug, your child, whatever)
Plank as long as you can

I make this into a circuit, max out on my first rotation and then try to max out on my last two as well. You can't do this daily, but I bike on my off days and rest on Sunday.

erickirb

Thank you for the comments. Im sure I can put most, if not all, of that to use. My kids love hanging all over me so I think I may just incorporate them into my workout too so they can have some fun while I exercise.

My brother often benchpresses his four year-old

I bench-press or shoulder-press my son daily but he only weighs 25lbs. This weekend I shoulder-pressed my 6 year old niece. It is even harder then weights as the weight is not evenly distributed so your balancing muscles and core get much more of a workout.

ktrn0312

Bump

saraparris82

I just finished a 10-week bootcamp and we did this routine for a few days. It involves no weights and it will kill you.

Start with 3 sets of planks, hold for 20 seconds and increase by 10 seconds each week.

40 squats
20 pushups
30 burpees
20 lunges on each side
20 leg raises

Do that 3 times and time yourself (goal is under 30 minutes). The next week increase the pushups, burpees, and leg raises by 10 and try to beat your time. It looks harmless on the page but I assure you, it's very difficult.

castadiva

Thanks jonski!

Bigdcub1975

Hope this helps you out bud, I usually do about 100 pushups everyday.


Lower body
Jump squats with a pause in the squat position - 3 sets of 8 reps
To perform this exercise, move down into a full squat position and then explode off the floor, jumping as high as possible. Upon landing, move back down into the squat position, stopping halfway down to pause for a count of 5 seconds before finishing the squat and rebounding off the ground again.

Step-ups - 3 sets of 20 reps with a 2:0:2 tempo
While step-ups are traditionally done with a barbell across the back, if you use a step that’s high enough and take the rep range higher while slowing down the tempo, you’re really going to feel this exercise.

Half-to-full stationary lunge - 2 sets of 15 reps with a 2:1:3:1 tempo
Get into the position you would use to do a single stationary lunge and then begin the movement until you are halfway through the typical lunge movement. Reverse the direction back to the starting position again, and then proceed to complete the full lunge motion to complete one set.

Single-leg rising deadlift - 2 sets of 15 reps with a 3:1:3 tempo
Begin in an upright standing position and then simultaneously begin to lift one leg off the floor behind you while bending over with the body until your leg and body are perpendicular with the standing leg (both legs remain straight). Hold for a single count before returning to the starting position and switch legs after all reps are completed.


Upper body
Alternating push-up to side plank - 3 sets of 15 reps with a 2:1:4 tempo
Begin by performing a standard push-up, taking two seconds to lower and one to rise back up. Once you’re at the top of the movement again, you are to flip onto your side and perform a side plank, holding that for a count of 4 seconds, moving back into the push-up position before you complete the next rep.

Pull-up with pike - 3 sets of 15 reps with a 2:2:2:1 tempo
Start by performing the traditional pull-up movement, but once you reach the bottom of the movement, move into a pike trying to get your legs up to at least waist level. After the pike is completed, continue on with your next pull-up.

Single-leg tricep dips - 2 sets of 15 reps with a 2:0:2 tempo
Get into a standard dip position, with your legs up on a bench or box. Once you're balanced, lift one leg off that box and perform the tricep dips from there. This will call your core into play to a much larger extent due to the fact you have a reduced base of support. Remember to do equal sets on each leg.

Inverted row - 2 sets of 15 reps with a 2:1:2 tempo
Begin by lying on the floor with a broomstick or pole across two level surfaces. From there, grasp the bar as you would if you were doing a bent-over row (upside down) and pull the body up to meet the bar. Make sure your pole is well supported and not at an angle.

H_Factor

bodyweight exercises are a tremendous, and often overlooked, form of resistance training. In the last year, by doing searches on youtube and the web in general, I have learned quite a few bodyweight exercises that I incorporate into my workouts. One great source is bodyrock.tv. Although they use some equipment in many of the routines, they often show you variations at the end that do not involve equipment. I'm pasting a link to an absolutely amazing workout on bodyrock.tv that would challenge nearly anyone of any fitness level. Only one of the exercises in the video (jump squats) uses weight...and I recommend doing the jump squats without weights anyway as you will be doing a lot of jumping in this work out. As you will see, each round consists of 10 exercises, 10 reps per exercise and your goal is to do 10 rounds (so 1,000 reps of pure hell).

http://www.bodyrock.tv/2011/11/28/it-will-rain-sweat-1000-rep-workout/

H_Factor

some fun exercises:

the kong: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tdwoctl_U84

the ape step: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mJNJKwcgbI

tabata-type routine. 24, 30 second intervals. Each interval is made up of a 20 second and a 10 second period.

First 8 intervals: 20 seconds of bodyweight squats (I alternate shoulder width stance and sumo squats)...and 10 seconds of holding the squat in the down position

Next 4 intervals: 20 seconds of push-ups followed by 10 seconds of holding push-up in the up position

Next 8 intervals: 20 seconds of full plank followed by 10 seconds of side plank, alternating sides each interval

Final 4 intervals: 20 seconds of lunges followed by 10 seconds of T push-ups. (last time I did this workout, I did full burpees for 20 seconds and rested for 10 seconds instead of this).

I usually "finish" the tabata routine by doing 20-50 med ball slams....one of my favorite full body exercises, but it does require a slam ball. you could also finish any routine by going outside and doing 5 10-20 second all out, pushing from your *kitten*, sprints.

H_Factor

another short, but "fun" workout that you can do anywhere: 15 intervals of push-ups and jumping jacks as follows: 15 push-ups, 60 seconds of jumping jacks, 14 push-ups, 60 seconds of jumping jacks, 13 push-ups, 60 seconds of jumping jacks....all the way down to 1 push-up and 60 seconds of jumping jacks. Feel free to mix and match different types of push-ups each routine. The first time I did this, I did not have a timer so I did 30 jumping jacks each round...and that was effective enough.

erickirb

Also check out M100's combines body weight strength training with cardio.

BamaBreezeNSaltAire

My husband and I were laughing the other day, he told me he was benching 60kgs at the gym, I told him I was doing more than him since I was pushing up my body weight plus my toddler on my back. HAHA I win :laugh:

Love this!!!