Workout at home for a beginner
lalee115
Posts: 185 Member
Ok. I'm looking for some tips on working out at home for a beginner. Currently, I walk and do some cardio on fitnessblender. However, I want to incorporate some strength training as well. I, like a lot of people, used to be pretty athletic. I have done some minor weight lifting for health and have joined a gym and taken kickboxing before. However, being a single mom with a full-time job and a kid who cannot stay home alone, it is difficult for me to get into a gym. So, I have been trying to do things at home. I don't have much room, and I don't have any weights at the moment. Mostly because I am not quite sure where to start. However, I do have a resistance band from my kickboxing days, and I know pretty well how to use it as an alternative to light dumbbells.
I have downloaded JEFIT after seeing some people mention it here. I am planning to try and use the band as an alternative to weights on some workouts from here. Does that even seem feasible?
EDIT: Oh, I wanted to add that when I say I am a beginner, I mean in both knowledge and fitness level. I am 34 and relatively capable but am obese and trying to get my fitness level and strength and stamina back up.
I have downloaded JEFIT after seeing some people mention it here. I am planning to try and use the band as an alternative to weights on some workouts from here. Does that even seem feasible?
EDIT: Oh, I wanted to add that when I say I am a beginner, I mean in both knowledge and fitness level. I am 34 and relatively capable but am obese and trying to get my fitness level and strength and stamina back up.
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Good ol' calisthenics are always an option. Pushups, planks, etc. are a great way to work on your core and don't require anything but a little open floor and some restraint on the part of the kids and dogs who always seem to want to be in your face when you do them. If you know how to use your resistance bands, have at it!
Are walks an option? If that's your kid he looks old enough to go on walks with you. You could even throw in some short bursts of skipping or running to get your heart rate up.0 -
You might have noticed that fitnessblender has some kettlebell workouts in addition to the cardio ones? Order a set of 5/10/15 kettles off Amazon (waaaayyy cheaper than getting the same ones at Target or Walmart) and start doing the beginner kettlebell workout a couple of times a week. Start with the lightest weight and pay attention to your form first - get the move down. Pause as often as you need to. Don't feel like you have to blast through the whole thing; my husband's in the same boat you are, and he could only finish about 15 minutes of the video at first. He keeps at it because it's fun, and now he can get through the whole thing. I don't know if it's doing anything for his weight and his blood pressure, but he's sleeping better and gaining strength. In fact, we're off on a road trip in a few days - and HE'S the one that suggested taking the kettles with us so that we can work out in our hotel room.0
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Planks... Ugggghhhh! LolGood ol' calisthenics are always an option. Pushups, planks, etc.
I do walk already. He's 9; old enough to walk but not quite up to the distance and tempo I can do. He is a better partner for things like riding bikes, swimming and playing baseball.Are walks an option? If that's your kid he looks old enough to go on walks with you. You could even throw in some short bursts of skipping or running to get your heart rate up.
I had not seen that, but I will look for sure! I thought about kettlebells. Thanks!almostanangel21 wrote: »You might have noticed that fitnessblender has some kettlebell workouts in addition to the cardio ones?
I just finished a resistance band workout from fitnessblender. I had to take a couple breaks, but I did it! Excited for more!
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Ddpyoga1
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Look up Bikini Body Mommy! She does 90 day challenges and some mini challenges. They are all free on YouTube! Very beginner friendly.2
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I made up my own and do it as intervals. So 50s max effort / 10s rest (nothing scientific about that, that's just what I can do at the moment). I have one kettlebell. I do squats, rows, plank (not the full 50s atm), push-ups, sit ups, push press, weird no name kettlebell press thing I was taught where you lie on your back and push the kettlebell up, kettlebell swings. Burpees sometimes. I mix up the order too. I also do cardio run/cycle. I want to do more strength training but I wanted to start at home.
Under 10mins effort but I can notice improvements.1 -
Planking can be painful. However there are a huge amount of body weight calisthenics that can be done. When you get stronger things like pull-ups or dips can be added.
The lowly push-up has dozens of variations and some of them are mind-blowing difficult. You can build some serious muscle. You can even start by leaning against a counter or wall. I'm not so sure how much it helps with losing weight, you probably end up gaining some weight if you are weak at first since your body will start building muscle. http://greatist.com/fitness/bodyweight-push-up-variations
Calisthenics tend to create very well proportioned builds, more towards slender than stocky.0 -
Calisthenics tend to create very well proportioned builds, more towards slender than stocky.
??? I don't believe this is true. It is dependent on her genetics and body structure.
you can do vinyasa yoga (cardio and mild strength building) and work in body weight exercises like convict training or your body is your own gym (both are titles)0 -
Calisthenics tend to create very well proportioned builds, more towards slender than stocky.
??? I don't believe this is true. It is dependent on her genetics and body structure.
you can do vinyasa yoga (cardio and mild strength building) and work in body weight exercises like convict training or your body is your own gym (both are titles)
Not sure what you mean. There is a big difference between body weight exercises and weight lifting. There are pros and cons to each. The main difference is body weight calisthenics typically are compound muscle exercises. That is a lot of muscles are involved in the exercise. With weight lifting it is possible to focus on just some muscles and it can be hard to involve a lot of muscles at the same time. People work around that by doing lots of different routines.
For example, if you do a pull-up you are working a lot of the muscles in your arms, your shoulders, chest and a lot of your back. Move from a pull-up to a pull over and you are hitting pretty much every muscle in your upper body. Those types of exercises can't be done with single muscles. So you end up with a lot of muscles working together and generally growing together, but generally one muscle doesn't get out of proportion with the others. With weight lifting you can just build monster biceps if that is your goal.
While I don't know what vinyasa yoga is, I have seem a person that only did yoga, didn't have much of a build but was very strong. In fact he was impressive strong.0 -
Mark Lauren's You Are Your Own Gym: Progressive home work outs.1
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I am really leaning this way. I was talking with a coworker this morning about the fact that I did a resistance band workout with Fitnessblender last night that was labeled as "total body" but I did not feel that was the case. I am considering doing some research on exercises using resistance bands that target each area and then putting something together. Not that I pretend to know anything, but I figure it's better than nothing at this point and I can work my way up to more. Plus, I tend to feel like if I'm really putting some research effort into it, then I'm at least learning as I go.berolcolour wrote: »I made up my own and do it as intervals. So 50s max effort / 10s rest.
I really am not all that hung up on loss/gain immediately. I know that it's a possibility the scale could go the other way briefly. When I took kickboxing, it did that and then started dropping pretty consistently. I am really concerned about getting healthier and feeling better. The weight loss will come. I do have at least 100lbs to lose, so I'm in for a long haul and I just want to do everything I can to not just lose but get to a healthier way of living that I can sustain.I'm not so sure how much it helps with losing weight, you probably end up gaining some weight if you are weak at first since your body will start building muscle.
I Googled that, because I have never done yoga but have been really wanting to try it. I like that it is cardio.you can do vinyasa yoga (cardio and mild strength building)
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I think Denise Austin has a lot of beginner friendly workouts, and you don't need too much space to do them. She can be silly and cheesy lol but her workouts get it done! She has some dvds at Walmart and there are some videos on YouTube also. Another good YouTube option is Yoga with Adriene. Idk if you're a yoga fan but her videos are great!1
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