strength training

Eafears

Hi I am looking for some advice on stregth training at home. I do not have access to a gym. I walk/jog and also do a variety of work out dvds, but I have never felt very successful with the strength training portion. I have been reading a lot here about lifting. I do have access to dumbells and i have a pull up bar, but I'm just not sure how to start. Plus I dont' know if just doing bodyweight exercises would be better. Any advice would be welcome.

oaker

I think lifting something is better than doing nothing and can be a good starting point until you get access to a gym. I would start with pullups, pushups, lunges, practice squats, split squats, planks, side lying tricep raise. Try to do as many as you can 3 days a week and keep track of your progress. You can always add some dumbell wts to the exercise once you feel they are too easy. Have you checked into getting access to a local high school wt room. If they have a football team, they should have a basic wt room. I am from a small town and have a key to use anytime I need to. It's free and very convenient.

GemskiB

Have you thought about resistance bands?

DeMarraDontStop

Bump. I'm new too, I kinda been looking up some you tube videos with dumbells and follow along. Just a thought...

mrsbastone

somebody here turned me onto the Nike App. It's awesome. if you have barbells you should be able to do just about all the exercises.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/nike-training-club/id301521403?mt=8

cdprouty

My wife and I (and other in our fitness circle of friends) have had tremendously great results from the Beachbody programs.

I've been doing P90X / Insanity / Tony Horton One on One for four years.

My gym experience drove me to working out at home...I hated the gym...get dressed, drive there, do a bunch of stuff for 20 minutes, drive home...took more than an hour. At home, I walk out to the garage, put on a video, get expert instruction and wrap it up in under an hour...all with better results.

You need the find the right program for you. What's great about P90X is you can modify to suit your desired outcome and current fitness level. I suggest it is worth a try.

Feel free to friend me for extra motivation or to bounce ideas around.

Chris

Spartan_Maker

It's my view that great benefits (functional strength and aesthetic) come from performing the major compound exercises with a weight that is challenging at 8 repetitions:

1. Deadlift
2. Squat
3. Bench Press
4. Military Press
5. Pull-ups (Assisted, Bodyweight, or added weight)

traci2612

I also suggest P90x. Sounds like you already have all the equipment you need. I have been completed twice. Had really good results. It's hard work, but it pays off in the end! Feel free to add me for motivation!

mariacolumbus

I have been doing the same thing as CDPROUTY....P90X / INSANITY HYBRID. LOVE IT. and another positive thing about beachbody products - they come with a money back guarentee... so you've really got nothing to lose!
good luck!

KyleB65

There are some good web sites & Youtube channels that have great home workout ideas. Checkout bodyrock.tv

Also, I bought a book that I have not yet got to reading that looks interesting. It's called, "You are your own Gym". I flipped through it and it has tons of great body weight exercises.

Thor2020

Push ups are highly underrated.

You can do them in a variety of ways:

hands angled in, out, or straight
elbows in or out
wide, normal, or narrow hand placement
feet elevated or on the ground
push ups back and forth
push ups to form a circle

For extra weight...I always got my kids and wife to sit on me.

Have good form and decent pace....you should see improvement in your upper body.

At least it worked for me....that's all I can say for certain.

wendymaci

Go to www.youtube.com and search dumbbell workouts. Lots come up some are only one excercise and some are as long as a 30 minute full workout. Or try sparkpeople videos. You can either sign up for free at www.sparkpeople.com or search sparkpeopleor dumbbell workouts on youtube. I used them when I was first starting out and found them really useful.

doonesbury

I am enjoying rocking results from Jillian Michaels DVDs.

Eafears

Wow! Thanks for all the great ideas. My brother is doing p90x now so I may be able to borrow it from him. He is really strong though so I thought it maybe a bit out of my league. I never even thought of looking on Youtube so I will def. be checking that out. I have been doing pushups and I see a difference from that, but the squats and lunges really hurt my knees.

KyleB65, thanks for the book mention, I have to go to the library later so i will see if they have it. Thank you all again, I feel like I have a good place to start from now.

Determinednoob

If you really want results you need the right tools for the job. If you can't get to a gym I recommend getting a power rack with pull up bar and preferably also dip station attachment, adjustable bench, olympic barbell, weight plates and following a proper beginner lifting routine. Here is everything you need to know http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=146519303

waldo56

There are 4 primary movements that the human body was designed to do. Jump, run, push, and pull. Add in core support and core movement and you have the broad classification for every movement the body is capable of. Every strength training exercise fits within these classifications, and any strength training program will work to enhance all of them.

Knee soreness when doing squats/lunges comes from poor form, lack of mobility, and/or mucular imbalances. Full depth perfect form squats are as good of an exercise for correcting knee soreness as there is. Lunges aren't nearly as important of an exercise as squats.

Pushups, pullups, squats is as basic and fundamental of a full body workout as you can get (assuming that you also do some form of cardio thus work your running muscles to a degree).

You can get extremely strong with just your bodyweight, a pullup bar, and some small dumbbells. Unlike with weights, where you add plates and reps, you have to keep progressing to harder and harder exercises. There is no one stop shop for how to get strong with bodyweight exercises (calisthenics), this is something that you'll have to put in the time researching.

kd_mazur

I incorporated some circut training. Here is one of the circuts I used to train for warrior dash and tough mudder.

The tough mudder workout:
Exercise 1 - Running Man
To get yourself in peak cardio condition, you can either:
1) Get on a treadmill. Start jogging at a slow comfortable pace for the first 5 minutes, then increase the speed to a full sprint for a full minute before reducing the speed back down to a jog for a minute or two. Alternate between jogging and sprinting for 35 minutes. Build up to 1 hr.
2) Free run. As you head outside for a jog, choose a point or landmark in the distance that’s reasonably far and sprint to it. Do this 10 or so times throughout the course of your run, paying attention to mixing in jogging and sprinting equally. Again, build up to running 3-4 times a week and increasing your distance gradually until you can comfortably run 5+ miles.
Related Obstacle: The Braveheart Charge (& all of Tough Mudder)

Exercise 2 - TM PUSH-UP
Start out in a regular pushup position with two dumb bells in each hand. As you push your body upwards, rotate your torso at peak height and bring your right hand up behind you so that your hands are in a vertical line. Lower the weight so that you are once again in push up position. Do a push up, repeating with your left hand.
Related Obstacle: Boa Constrictor

Exercise 3 - THE FIST AND THE FURY
Grab a dumbbell, kettle bell, or anything heavy with a handle, in one hand and let it hang in front of you. Lower the weight below your hips and let it swing between your knees and legs. Try to keep your core sturdy and straight, explode
upwards and swing the weight up to about eye level in a fully upright position. With control, do this as many times as you can, spending about 45 seconds on each arm.
Related Obstacle: Berlin Walls

Exercise 4 - SCISSOR KICK
From a regular standing position, take one big step forward and lower yourself into a forward stepping lunge. This is the start position. From there, explode off the ground, getting enough air under you to scissor kick your legs and land with your opposite leg forward and ready to crouch down to the lunge position. Keep doing this, alternating your legs on each jump/repetition for 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Fire Walker

Exercise 5 - BACK ROW
Grab a pair of dumbbells or kettle bells and bend over, holding them in each hand, making sure your back is parallel to the ground. Keep your core steady and pull the weights in a controlled manner up to your chest, hold at the top for the rep, pause, and repeat.
Related Obstacle: Hold Your Wood
Exercise 6 - DUMBBELL SIDE LUNGE

Grab your dumbbells and let them hang by your sides. Take a lateral step with your right leg, completely straightening your left leg. From there, bend forward at your hips, and touch the dumbbells to the floor by your right foot. Push off your right leg and make the same lateral lunge on your left leg. That's one rep.
Related Obstacle: Swamp Stomp
Exercise 7 - PUSH UP plus ROW

Grab two dumbbells and assume a pushup position, with your arms straight. Perform a regular pushup, but as you fully extend your arms at the height of the push up, take one dumbbell and bring it all the way to the side of your chest. Lower your arm and descend back ot the start position. Repeat with the other arm. That’s one rep.
Related Obstacle: Devil’s Beard
Exercise 8 - LUNGE & TWIST

Grab a heavy object and clutch it tight to the middle of your chest as you stand with feet shoulder length apart. Take a step forward as you would with a normal lunge, but as you lower your body with the weight, twist your torso to the right, pause, and return to a full upright position. Do the same with the opposite leg. That’s one rep.
Related Obstacle: Sweati Yeti
Exercise 9 - SHOULDER PRESS

Grab some dumbbells or small kettle bells in each hand and spread your feet shoulder length apart as you would for a squat. Bring the dumbbells up to your shoulders as if you were doing a shoulder press. Lower yourself as you keep the
weights cocked at the shoulder, as you explode upward from the squat position, push the weights up and above your head.
Related Obstacle: Cliffhanger
Exercise 10 - DECLINE PUSH UP

Simple, quick, and easy. Get into a normal pushup position, but put your feet on top of an elevated park bench or box, arms extended out in front of you so that your body is perfectly parallel to the floor above the ground. Begin to do as many pushups as you can in the next 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Kiss of Mud

Exercise 11 - Quick Feet
Staying in the pushup position, rapidly bring each knee towards your chest, as if you were sprinting in place or pedaling a ridiculously small bike.
Related Obstacle: The *kitten*

Exercise 12 - Tough Chin Up
Just like your old man used to do, hang from a bar with either an overhand or underhand grip and pull yourself up – be sure to try and touch your chest to the bar, or get as close as you can. This will get progressively harder as the set wears on. Remember to do as many as you can for the full 60 seconds. Even if you have to take a slight break, be sure to finish the set.
Related Obstacle: Underwater Tunnels

Exercise 13 - Superman Plank
Get back into the pushup position you’ve grown accustomed to, placing your forearms on the ground and keeping your core – abs and hips – tight as possible. Hold this position for a full 60 seconds.
Related Obstacle: Greased Lightning

Exercise 14 - Drunk Superman Side Planks
Get on your side and hold yourself up by left forearm, creating a half triangle between your lats, forearm, and ground. Like a regular plank, keep your core tight – flex if you have to – and hold the
Related Obstacle – Walk the Plank

Exercise 15 - Angelina Jolie
Get in between two chairs, bars, or if at a gym, a dip machine. Grab each bar or handle with each arm and lower yourself slowly and with control, as you push up with your arms try to explode up, lifting yourself completely off. Be sure to start out slowly until you get used to jumping off and regaining control of the bars.
Related Obstacle: Ball Shrinker

Exercise 16 - THE TOUGH SQUAT
Take a dumbbell, kettle bell, or large stone, anything you can find, and hold it in front of your chest. Stick your hips out behind you, bend your knees, and lower yourself until you’re in a full squat position. Pause for a second for the burn to really set in and then push back to the start position.
Related Obstacle: Death March

This is not my original workout plan. It was found on toughmudder.com

Goal_Line

It's my view that great benefits (functional strength and aesthetic) come from performing the major compound exercises with a weight that is challenging at 8 repetitions:

1. Deadlift
2. Squat
3. Bench Press
4. Military Press
5. Pull-ups (Assisted, Bodyweight, or added weight)

Excellent list. I'd add:

Lunges
Bugarian Split Squat
Planks
Crunches

jacque930

Bump for this website - Read later - looks like links to great information.

If you really want results you need the right tools for the job. If you can't get to a gym I recommend getting a power rack with pull up bar and preferably also dip station attachment, adjustable bench, olympic barbell, weight plates and following a proper beginner lifting routine. Here is everything you need to know http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=146519303

waldo56

Here is a list of low-no equipment exercises that I put together (google should explain any of them):

Upper Body Horizontal Push:

Easy/Remedial: Wall Pushup, Knee Pushup, Incline Pushups, Pushups

Moderate: Decline Pushups, Diamond Pushups, Divebomber Pushups, Uneven Pushups, Typerwriter Pushups, Incline One Arm Pushups, Clap Pushups, Planche Lean, Tuck Back Lever

Difficult: One Arm Pushups, Decline One Arm Pushups, Pseudo Planche Pushups, Pseudo Maltese Pushups, One Leg Back Lever, Straddle Back Lever, Back Lever, Tuck Planche Hold/Pushups, Straddle Planche Hold/Pushups, Full Planche Hold/Pushups

Assistance: DB Flys, Crow/Frog Stand, Straight Arm Frog Stand, German Hang

Upper Body Vertical Push:

Easy/Remedial: PB Support

Moderate: DB OHP, Handstand, Dip, Weighted Dips, Bar Dip, Pike Pushup, Headstand Pushup, Headstand Press

Difficult: L-Sit, Freestanding Handstand, Handstand Pushup, Handstand Press, Human Flag Tuck/Full

Assistance: Headstand

Upper Body Multiplane Push:

Difficult: L-Sit to Handstand Press, 90 Degree Pushups

Upper Body Horizontal Pull:

Easy/Remedial: DB Rows, Inverted Rows

Moderate: Tuck Front Lever

Difficult: Tuck Front Lever Rows, One Leg Front Lever Hold/Rows, Straddle Front Lever Hold/Rows, Front Lever Hold/Rows, Victorian

Upper Body Vertical Pull:

Easy: Chair Assist Pullup/Chinup, Negative Pullup/Chinup

Moderate: Chinup, Pullup, Towel Pullups, Leg Assist Rope Climb, Rock Climbing

Difficult: Uneven Chinups, One Arm Chinup Negatives, One Arm Chinup, BW Curl, Arm Only Rope Climb

Assistance: Dead Hang, Inverted Hang, DB Curl

Upper Body Multiplane Pull:

Easy: Skin the Cat

Moderate: Bent Leg Middle Split Hold

Difficult: V-Sit, Middle Split Hold, Manna, Front Lever Pulls, Crank

Combined Upper Body:

Difficult: Muscle-Up, Elevator

Legs Vertical Force (Jump):

Easy/Remedial: Wall Sit, BW Squat, BW Lunge, DB Squat

Moderate: Jump Squat, Pistol Squat, Falling Tower, Weighted Lunges, DB Split Squat

Difficult: Shrimp Squat, DB Pistol Squat, Jumping Pistol Squat, Jumping Shrimp Squat, BW Leg Extensions

Assistance Exercises: DB Extension/Stall

Legs Horizontal Force (Run):

Easy/Remedial - BW Straight Leg Deadlift, Bridge, Straight Bridge, Bounding, Side Leg Lift

Moderate - BW One Leg Straight Leg Deadlift, DB One Leg Straight Leg Deadlift, One Leg Bridge, One Leg Straight Bridge, DB Hip Thrust, DB One Leg Hip Thrust, Assisted Glute-Ham Raise/Stall, BW Good Morning

Difficult - Glute-Ham Raise

All (difficulty scales) - Sprints, Hill Sprints, Stair Runs, Weighted Sprints, Sled/Car Pull/Push

Core Ab Dominant:

Easy - Crunch, Situp, Plank, Knee Lift

Moderate - Hanging Knee Lift, Incline Situp, Hollow Hold, Boat, Touch the Sky, Hanging Leg Lift, Bicycle Crunch, Bent Leg Straddle L, Tuck Dragon Flag, Floor Wipers

Difficult -L-sit, V-sit, Straddle L, Dragon Flag, Body Lever, Hanging Situp, Front Lever var.

Core Back Dominant:

Easy - Bridge, Straight Bridge (Reverse Plank)

Moderate - Superman Hold, Full Bridge, Elbow Lever

Hard - One Arm Elbow Lever, Stand to Stand Bridge, Bridge to Handstand, Back Lever var.

Core Oblique Dominant:

Easy - Side Bends, Twisting Yoga Poses (many)

Moderate - Floor Wipers, Side Plank

Hard - Human Flag Tuck/Full, Side Lever Pulls

..................................................................................
I'm sure I'm leaving off a lot of stuff, especially the easy and obscenely hard, but that is a pretty good overview of what is possible. Most people will never run out of resistance. Though heavy back squats and deadlifts and a nice addition.

splashangel

If you really want results you need the right tools for the job. If you can't get to a gym I recommend getting a power rack with pull up bar and preferably also dip station attachment, adjustable bench, olympic barbell, weight plates and following a proper beginner lifting routine. Here is everything you need to know http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=146519303

Added all these links to favorites and will start reading. THANKS!

mariacolumbus

I was scared of P90X too before I did it....I am 54...non athletic...and the nice thing about P90X is there are modifications in the video so you go at your own speed and improve at your own rate

Wow! Thanks for all the great ideas. My brother is doing p90x now so I may be able to borrow it from him. He is really strong though so I thought it maybe a bit out of my league. I never even thought of looking on Youtube so I will def. be checking that out. I have been doing pushups and I see a difference from that, but the squats and lunges really hurt my knees.

KyleB65, thanks for the book mention, I have to go to the library later so i will see if they have it. Thank you all again, I feel like I have a good place to start from now.

Determinednoob

It's my view that great benefits (functional strength and aesthetic) come from performing the major compound exercises with a weight that is challenging at 8 repetitions:

1. Deadlift
2. Squat
3. Bench Press
4. Military Press
5. Pull-ups (Assisted, Bodyweight, or added weight)

Excellent list. I'd add:

Lunges
Bugarian Split Squat
Planks
Crunches

and rows\cleans

allirep

i have a $30 pull up bar. you can make significant progress just with body weight exercises. get the basics down (someone already recommended push ups) - before you go spending money on weight sets. even little ones.

search for body weight exercises. you can get good strength training from push ups and squats without added weight. Can't do a push up? Modify until you can. here is one that is very easy to squeeze in to a busy day and doesn't require equipment
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/03/10/angry-birds-workout-plan/

and if you want some fresh air - try this one
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/04/12/playground-workout/

Eafears

Lots of great stuff here! I'm bookmarking to come back too. Love the work out sets people posted. Thanks!:flowerforyou:

willowdancer

Four weeks ago I started lifting weights at home using the exercises from articles on muscleandstrength.com. This is the workout I just finished doing for 4 weeks http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/kristen-adamson-body-transformation.html I lost 10 pounds in those 4 weeks by keeping track of my calories and doing this workout in combination with 30 minutes of cardio (my favorite is hoop dancing, but you can do whatever you think is fun!) A lot of the transformation stories on that website have a detailed layout of the workouts the transformed people do, as well as what their eating plans are. I would like to be able to get a weight machine so I can have more of the gym experience at home, but for now I only have some dumbbells, a barbell and some plate weights, a pull up bar, balance ball, yoga mats and a treadmill.

Good luck to you!

FitCrissy

It's my view that great benefits (functional strength and aesthetic) come from performing the major compound exercises with a weight that is challenging at 8 repetitions:

1. Deadlift
2. Squat
3. Bench Press
4. Military Press
5. Pull-ups (Assisted, Bodyweight, or added weight)

Excellent list. I'd add:

Lunges
Bugarian Split Squat
Planks
Crunches

Liz! Lots of great stuff above!!! And you can do any of these with dumbells! Check out http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html to see how to perform any of the above. Or to find anything new.
One thing that I do have to suggest is to keep with a push/pull routine. Like, if you are doing push ups, combine it with pull ups. Planks are great and you can do a whole assortment of them.

Jynus

There are 4 primary movements that the human body was designed to do. Jump, run, push, and pull. Add in core support and core movement and you have the broad classification for every movement the body is capable of. Every strength training exercise fits within these classifications, and any strength training program will work to enhance all of them.

Knee soreness when doing squats/lunges comes from poor form, lack of mobility, and/or mucular imbalances. Full depth perfect form squats are as good of an exercise for correcting knee soreness as there is. Lunges aren't nearly as important of an exercise as squats.

Pushups, pullups, squats is as basic and fundamental of a full body workout as you can get (assuming that you also do some form of cardio thus work your running muscles to a degree).

You can get extremely strong with just your bodyweight, a pullup bar, and some small dumbbells. Unlike with weights, where you add plates and reps, you have to keep progressing to harder and harder exercises. There is no one stop shop for how to get strong with bodyweight exercises (calisthenics), this is something that you'll have to put in the time researching.

Um no, there are 7 primal movement patterns... Push, pull, twist, bend, squat, lunge and gait. otherwise, rest of what you said is pretty sound.