No gym access...how do I do strength training at home?

cupajoe
cupajoe Posts: 155
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
I have tried a gym membership once and I was able to go about 4 times and had to pay for 11mos. I live too far from town and I have 4 kids-the gym just doesn't work for me. I know I need to do more strength training, but how do I go about doing this at home? I also have a tiny house and no room for much equiptment. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • xraychick77
    xraychick77 Posts: 1,775 Member
    body weight exercises..google them..there are tons of different kinds
  • Do Pilates! If you search on youtube 'POP Pilates' then a bunch of videos should come up. The girl that does them is Cassey. I would also just find a bunch of dumbbell and resistance band exercises to do.
  • picturesing
    picturesing Posts: 228
    I started my journey with this site. So many classes to choose from. Good Luck!

    http://www.demandfitness.com/
  • Sanya77
    Sanya77 Posts: 172 Member
    Try resistance bands.There are many exercise on youtube.
  • BUMP
  • McBody
    McBody Posts: 1,703 Member
    I train in a teeny-tiny space- lots of push=ups, crunches, planks (and side planks), yoga, sit-ups, burpees, mountain climbers, lunges (and jumping lunges), side step ups (onto a kitchen chair), etc... and if you can get your hands on a kettlebell or some dumbbells then you can do snatch, curls (bicep and tricep), shoulder press- and those small weights don't take up much space!

    Good luck!
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    Resistance bands work pretty well. They come in different strengths, and don't take up much space. They travel well too.
  • elliecolorado
    elliecolorado Posts: 1,040
    Youtube has tons of workout videos! If you have weights you can use those or any workouts that require them you can replace the weights with water bottles or even milk jugs filled with water if you want something heavier. Of course you can always do push-ups and other body weight exercises. Also get some Pilates or Yoga DVD's or get them at the library and change up what you do every week.
  • maryloo2011
    maryloo2011 Posts: 446
    Do you have Netflix? There are a lot of Yoga and Pilates videos on-demand there.

    Also have heard the book, "The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess" is a great read. Can you get some dumbells and do some basic exercises at home?

    YouTube is definitely your friend as well as Google:
    http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+strength+train+at+home
  • irishgal44
    irishgal44 Posts: 1,141 Member
    Bump
  • Several years ago I lived in a small condo (only 550 sq ft), and I managed to do "power 90" (a 90-day home fitness program) every morning in our tinny livingroom, all I used are two set of dumbells. You really don't need big space or a lot of equipments to do strength training at home.
  • dragonbug300
    dragonbug300 Posts: 760 Member
    My workout bible in website form:
    bodyrock.tv
    It took me a while to get over Zuzana's skimpy attire, but the workouts are solid, challenging, and fast (usually 15-30 minutes tops).
  • BunnybeeJG
    BunnybeeJG Posts: 344 Member
    When I do some of my strength training at home, I use a pilates band, resistance bands, weights, and I have one of those big exercise balls I LOVE those... I highly reccommend you get a big exercise ball if you can. I use 5lb weights tho and then also do manual stuff, side bends and pushups.... dance to music sometimes too helps ... unless like me you rarely get privacy.
  • JenniB619
    JenniB619 Posts: 85 Member
    You can try P90 or P90x... the program is a little pricey, but you def. get results. You also dont need much room. and then only equipment I have are a set of dumbbells. You need about a space as big as 7x7, if that, at most. If you're not interested in getting this there are plenty of workouts on the internet. OR.. I'm not sure if you have cable (or what kind if you do) but Verizon Fios has a BUNCH of free workouts on demand.. they are free and theres probly 100s to choose from, it was great when I wasnt doing P90X.. Hope this helps
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    Check out bodyrock.tv Zuzana uploads new workouts or exercise challenges almost daily. She mostly does bodyweight exercises, if she uses a sandbag you can just do the move without. They are super challenging workouts, so don't hesitate to modify them to suit your fitness levels.
  • CatseyeHardcast
    CatseyeHardcast Posts: 224 Member
    bump
  • rayfromtx
    rayfromtx Posts: 111
    I highly recommend scoobysworkshop.com
  • The list is all about how creative you can be. Get some resistance bands for starters. You can do push-ups (wide, close, V, claps, one-arm), planks, side-planks, sit-ups, bicycles, leg-lifts, dips on chair or using the side of your bathtub, jumping jacks, sprints in place, and when all else fails...

    Get you a Wii (Wii fit, Dance, or Michael Jackson Experience). That MJ is nothing to play with!!

    Good luck!!

    Z
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    Dips, Squats, Lunges, Calf Raises, push-ups, crunches, etc. Plenty of body weight exercise that strength train.
  • charli21
    charli21 Posts: 13
    the latest "prevention" magazine has 4 weeks of exercises you can do at home. its a 4 week weight loss plan...alternating cardio, rest, strength training for all 7 days of a week. im finishing week 1 and i really like it. look for the may 2011 edition. you might also be able to find it online. they suggest consuming 1600 calories a day while you're doing their exercise plan. check it out!
  • dustyhockeymom
    dustyhockeymom Posts: 537 Member
    I bought a resistance band kit which contains several different sizes of reistance bands. I really like them. They came with workout cards in the kit with suggestions.
  • cupajoe
    cupajoe Posts: 155
    Thanks for all the great idea and websites...I'll check them out. I do have some resistance bands-my 4yr old is always inventing exercises with them-lol. I'm a little nervous about yoga because the yoga dvd I have...I tend to hyper-extend my knee when I do it and then I can't walk for a week. My right knee gives me trouble anyway and that is always the one I manage to hurt. I'll try them again and see if I can be more careful.
  • mare91467
    mare91467 Posts: 91 Member
    Ugh. She really creeps me out! Her skimpy attire, her orgasm like moaning and grunting during her workouts...... I agree that she has some really great workouts but I can't get past the sexxing up of her routines. Although, I have caught dh watching them...... (eyeroll)
  • CarolAmanda
    CarolAmanda Posts: 84 Member
    I loved ChaLean Extreme!!! It was the first time I enjoyed strength training. Heavy weights, but low reps. Made me feel strong. :)


    Carol
  • CatseyeHardcast
    CatseyeHardcast Posts: 224 Member
    As everyone says, body weight exercises, exercise DVDs, yoga, you can even build a DIY a suspension trainer.

    Check out http://fitdeck.com/ for a deck of cards with specific exercises. These are a good way to keep your exercises varied and keep those muscles confused. They are available in loads of different catagories...body weight, pilates, junior, office, postnatal, exercise ball...the list goes on.....did that sound like an advert?
  • captainfez
    captainfez Posts: 18 Member
    If you have an iPhone, Android phone (or even pen and paper) there's the 100 pushups-style programs you can use. They exist for a bunch of exercises - dips, sit-ups, squats, etc.

    The idea is interval training - you do short sets of the exercise with a break in-between. It takes something like half an hour a week to do one of the apps' programs, with the goal being that by the end of a period of time (six weeks? nine weeks? can't remember) you can do what the name says: 100 pushups, say.

    Visit http://hundredpushups.com/ to check it out that's the pushups site, and there's links down the side to the dips, sit-ups, pull-ups and squats ones. Each one has a link to an app (cheap - it logs your data, etc) and if you don't have one of those phones, a pen-and-paper schedule you can use.

    I've found them to be fun. Not necessarily easy, but not supremely difficult either. And you need a minimum of equipment, and can do them all at home. Bodyweight exercises are cool.
  • xFrancescax
    xFrancescax Posts: 33
    My workout bible in website form:
    bodyrock.tv
    It took me a while to get over Zuzana's skimpy attire, but the workouts are solid, challenging, and fast (usually 15-30 minutes tops).
    wow just had a look this is great! :)
  • TheGoktor
    TheGoktor Posts: 1,138 Member
    Ugh. She really creeps me out! Her skimpy attire, her orgasm like moaning and grunting during her workouts...... I agree that she has some really great workouts but I can't get past the sexxing up of her routines. Although, I have caught dh watching them...... (eyeroll)

    I really don't feel she is sexing anything up! And the grunting I find to be just a mark of how hard she is working. I don't think I've ever seen any workout video where the presenter actually gets out of breath, so to see/hear her work up a sweat and react like a normal human being is actually quite refreshing IMO!

    I like that her outfits are a bit on the skimpy side because I can see exactly what is happening and where. I can see which muscles are being worked, which I find very helpful. And let's face it, she's got an amazing body - not in a sexual kind of way, but in terms of peak performance! It's the same kind of fascination I feel when I watch gymnasts, and the perfect control they have over their movements. The human body is a truly awesome machine!
  • Laurab_1986
    Laurab_1986 Posts: 32 Member
    I have to do physio at home for my knees.

    Roll a towel in between ur legs and squeeze x 15 reps x 3 times a day.

    Lie on the floor feet on the sofa and dig in heels. - in same position also lift pelvis and get thrusting.
  • JigglyPig
    JigglyPig Posts: 231 Member
    Bump
This discussion has been closed.