Working out at home when you live in an upstairs apartment.

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Party_Cat
Party_Cat Posts: 12 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello, friends.
I feel so stuck!! I have really been wanting to work out at home, but I keep running into obstacles. I started doing the 30 Day Shred, and my husband kept commenting on how I was shaking the whole apartment. (Not because of my weight! We live in an older apartment complex, so he is not exaggerating.) We are both worried about our neighbors (because we are considerate people) so I haven't been able to do that work out. I still want to get some cardio in, but it is dark by the time I leave work, and I can never get my husband to come walking with me. (He does need actual walking shoes in his defense; he's a bigger guy and has tried walking in all of his other shoes with bad results.)
Anyway: I just want to work out and not disturb the peace!! Any suggestions? I have 2 and 5lb weights at my disposal and a yoga mat. I also have Wii fit, but I am not sure if that even does anything. Help?

Replies

  • kellienw335
    kellienw335 Posts: 1,745 Member
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    Is walking at work an option? You can burn a couple hundred calories walking around the building at lunch and on breaks.
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
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    Why not ask your the people around you, if you bother them while you work out.
    There's also a difference in your case if you work out between 7 -9pm and 9 - 11pm.
  • 11mike
    11mike Posts: 159
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    I agree with

    Kellienw335's you could go for a walk around the block on your lunch break I normal go out to my garage to try to workout
    look on line n see what type of workout you can do with the weights
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,509 Member
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    You speak to your neighbors and let them know that you may be noisy for an hour a day because of exercise. Still be considerate and keep the noise down to a minimal, but most neighbors don't usually object.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,931 Member
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    Go walk by yourself?
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    I have exactly the same problem! I live on the top floor of a 3-storey walkup, and I worry about jumping around and disturbing the downstairs neighbours.

    This is why people join gyms.
  • goodfido
    goodfido Posts: 127 Member
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    I'd say talk to your neighbors and let them know you're exercising so you may be a little louder. You never know, they may want to workout with you. Also, I've downloaded some workouts that consist of strength training and pilates. You don't make too much noise doing squats, lundges, push ups, lifting weights, sit ups etc.

    Good Luck
  • Shereewhitney88
    Shereewhitney88 Posts: 87 Member
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    segacs wrote: »
    I have exactly the same problem! I live on the top floor of a 3-storey walkup, and I worry about jumping around and disturbing the downstairs neighbours.

    This is why people join gyms.
    Some people can't afford to join a gym though.
    I agree, talk to your neighbors, you might not even be bothering them.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    edited November 2014
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    You could go for non-jumping cardio exercises like knee crushers, large sets of unweighted squats, walking lunges, standing jacks, mummy kicks, shadow boxing, bicycles, etc. I'm sure Google could provide a good long list of non-jumping cardio options.
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
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    Definitely ask your neighbors if it has bothered them, and see if you can find a compromise time that works for you both. Maybe they notice but don't care too much, 30DS is only about 20 minutes, and not all of that is room shaking activity.

    If they aren't super cranky, they will probably be pleased that you bothered to check with them and are apt to respond graciously.
  • Party_Cat
    Party_Cat Posts: 12 Member
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    Thanks, everyone!! :)
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Blogilates.com has a "quiet" workout video for people who live in apartments. I think it's actually called Quiet Cardio or something along those lines. I agree with the other posters, though, ask your neighbors for an hour. If you were my neighbor, I'd be happy to give it you!
  • BuddhaMom74
    BuddhaMom74 Posts: 147
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    I have a house, but I rent out my basement, so I have my stuff upstairs. I enlisted the help of my tenants to determine what section of my space was the least noisy...as it turns out, it's the kitchen!! So, every evening, I wheel my treadmill in to the kitchen, and in the morning, that's where I work out! It's not ideal, but I'm a single mom, and can't leave my house in the morning to go to a gym, so it works for us! So, perhaps enlist the help of your downstairs neighbours to determine the least noisy spot.
  • KristenE83
    KristenE83 Posts: 187 Member
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    Resistance bands, suspension trainers, and weights all can give you an awesome workout relatively quietly. Also, I have found some quick youtube workouts by that aren't very jumpy. Check out popsugarfitness (or something like that). They have an awesome short ab workout that is really mellow but will really work the ab muscles. There is hope!
  • shelbyfit72
    shelbyfit72 Posts: 56 Member
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    I agree ask your neigbors-I have done a lot of dvds-jillian michelas p90x-insanity-also the gym-but even in my house when I workout it makes noise-so just ask wouldn't hurt good luck to you on your journey
  • Frixions
    Frixions Posts: 2
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    Well you were mentioning how you are doing the 30 day shred, using light weights, and using a wii fit. I would suggest to adjust your fitness plan to less commercialized methods. There are ways to be more quiet while exercising without spending a ton of money as Need2Exerc1se mentioned:
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    You could go for non-jumping cardio exercises like knee crushers, large sets of unweighted squats, walking lunges, standing jacks, mummy kicks, shadow boxing, bicycles, etc. I'm sure Google could provide a good long list of non-jumping cardio options.

    And for a side note: You might consider continuing to make a bit of sound if its unavoidable. If your neighbors have a problem with it they will likely let you know, thus you might want to avoid stressing out about a situation that might not even be bothering them to begin with.
  • calliegirl73
    calliegirl73 Posts: 22 Member
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    one of my local parks has a work out area for adults with walking and resistance equipment. look to see if your local park has something.
  • LuckyMunky
    LuckyMunky Posts: 200 Member
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    This lady Jessica Smith

    Has a wonderful youtube channel with a ton of free videos that are very good for apartment or small space workouts. Many are low impact (no jumping around) but still work up a great sweat.
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
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    This one's typically called a "dumbbell squat thruster" and is very good when done in intervals. It has no jumping around so it's quiet.

    On this page, the demo guy is using a barbell, but that doesn't matter:
    http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Power/BBThruster.html

    You could do it with your 5lb. dumbbells. You'd probably wanna look into getting something heavier though, to be useful for a wider range of exercises.

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