I don't want to turn my house into a gym..

i'd recommend the Insanity DVDs from Beachbody, because they require no equippment at all, and all you really need for space is about a body lenght in any direction.

^^ this

You may want to start with just p90 or p90x though if you aren't at a fairly advanced level of fitness. Insanity is REALLY intense.. so much so it may prove demoralizing (nothing like having the guy tell you to do 25 pull ups and you can't even do 1 :mad: ). Definitely look at he videos though, they will kick you *kitten* and are pretty much all body offset.

except they don't do pull ups in Insanity. I see what you mean though, I'm thinking a lot of people try it only to get quickly frustrated.

If your not in great shape, starting out with something less aggressive (such as p90 or even 10 minute trainer or hip hop abs) would be more positive psychologically and probably physically as well.

I could easily see people getting just as discouraged with p90x though, especially woman.

You can do some lifts with either a bag of sugar or flour, walk up and down the stairs and set yourself a goal ie 50 times in a day. Anything you do will help. Susan Powter used to use all sorts of stuff from round the house in her ealy fitness days. Good luck

A little $$$ but works well in tight spaces

http://www.amazon.com/Nautilus-YP117-CoreBody-Reformer/dp/B006MHIBA6

I don't have much space either but I have about a 3x2 foot nook to store my fitness things and in it I have a set of free weights, a step, a yoga mat, a medicine ball and a resistance band. I also have a few yoga and workout DVD's by the TV. I have a lightweight coffee table which I pull aside so I have enough room to workout in front of the TV. You also don't need much space to do body weight exercises. Squats have made a huge difference for me. Between all that and my runs, I don't need a gym. I'm actually going to cancel my membership when my year is up because I prefer working out in my living room!

Personally I don't find the need to have expensive machinery in the house. I used my Wii and the EA Sports Active Personal Trainer program. Once you learn the routines, you don't even need that. Stick with the DVDs and that should do it!

I have very little equipment (a few sets of dumbbells and a resistance band), and my muscles are WAY more developed and I am so much stronger than I ever was when I belonged to a state of the art gym. The big thing is doing exercises regularly. I have a few work out videos that I find make strength training more fun. There are 2 strength training videos as part of the Turbo Jam package that I really like.

I also do something every morning that I call the morning warm-up. Every morning (before the kids wake up) no mater what else I have planned for the day, I do the following:
150 crunches
1- 60-second plank
20 reps of shoulder presses with 7 lb dumbbells
20 reps of shoulder presses with 5 lb dumbbells

The thing that really amazes me is that at this time last year, my shoulders were burning with 3 lb dumbbells and now 5 lbs is starting to feel easy (which is why I moved one set up to 7). If you're just starting out, you can use a couple of water bottles as weights, and I could barely hold a plank for more than 20 seconds. It's really encouraging to be able to look back at progress like that. You also don't need any equipment to do squats or lunges.

So for cardio, when I'm not walking or jogging outside, I like to do zumba or cardio kickboxing. They are both great calorie burns and I don't need a machine or anything else that takes up space. I purchased a few DVDs, but you can also find some excellent workouts on youtube.

Good luck!

Dumbbells. You don't even need a bench really.

If you have access to On Demand programming from your cable provider, most of them have free exercise options. Time Warner has it under Sportskool, and there is a decent variety so you can see what sort of things you like before spending $ on dvds and equipment. Check your library, too.

I am in the process of building up my work out equipment in the home but it is so very confusing! A big factor for me is having virtually no space for anything big and bulky as much as I would adore a cross trainer of my own or something!

I have been considering getting an exercise bike, seems so convenient and you can even get ones that fold up smaller to save space! You can get pretty cheap ones on amazon but some of the reviews have left me skeptical.

Then you have all of the mad gimmicks out there! The shake weights and such rubbish! How are you really supposed to know what will work and what will be a total waste of money?

I already have a jump rope I love doing jump rope! I am investing in a hula hoop also as a cheap and fun way to exercise and to mix up my routine. I am also thinking of getting an Ab Wheel to improve my core strength as they are a simple and small piece of equipment.

If you don't already have dumb bells maybe think of getting a range of those in different weights so you can hold those whilst you do your home work outs just to create some more resistance.

I feel your pain though! It's difficult when you have to rely on home methods and with so many different types of equipment out there!

You don't need any equipment to do cardio, remember aerobics? There are good low impact ones, also tae bo and other kickboxing style workouts, no expensive bulky equipment needed.

I would LOVE to turn my apt into a gym :sad: But my daughter lives with me and she's not totally for it, but i'm still working on it

EDIT: I should add, I have a treadmill, dvd's, jump rope etc and still building my weight set...but I want MORE damnit!!

I have a treadmill that folds up- when folded, it only takes up 2feet by 2 feet or so... I have also tried Supreme 90 day- it's 10 workout DVDs for $20, and only requires a yoga ball and some weights. Similar to P90X, but WAY cheaper. I happen to be blessed with a spare room in my house, so I also have an elliptical. I love it, and it burns tons of calories. If you're sticking to DVDs, I recommend checking out www.collagevideo.com They have TONS of workout DVDs with reviews, you can watch clips, and even call for advice. Good luck!

I am in the process of building up my work out equipment in the home but it is so very confusing! A big factor for me is having virtually no space for anything big and bulky as much as I would adore a cross trainer of my own or something!

I have been considering getting an exercise bike, seems so convenient and you can even get ones that fold up smaller to save space! You can get pretty cheap ones on amazon but some of the reviews have left me skeptical.

Well, anything you get/do is better than nothing obviously, but really a bike is very targeted as to what muscles it works. As was suggested a rowing machine works more of your body (including your core which you mentioned was one of your target areas) and is likewise compact and cheap (as far as fitness gear is concerned).

Really though as has been suggested a few times, you are going to get a better burn / hour just doing some of the body off-set workouts available. Yoga, Insanity, P90/P90x and a wealth of others have very proven results.

Most important though is just finding something you enjoy because it makes it much easier to stick with it when it feels less of a chore!