Strength training at home

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tkb1985
tkb1985 Posts: 146 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello MFP!

So I'm nearly at my goal weight, and now that I'm healthier, I have decided that I'm going to focus more on how I look and feel than what I weigh. Also, my upper body strength is pants, and I would like to improve this!

I want to do some strength / weight training; however, my problem is money... I have none! :cry:

I can't afford to join a gym or buy new weights, and the only weights I currently own are 1kg and 3kg pairs that I use for my 30DS etc. After reading all the 'Heavy Lifting' posts I could get my hands on, I know this isn't going to be enough to see real change.

I've been researching weight-free (FREE!) exercises I can do at home, but I'm a complete beginner, and could use some ideas on how many sets etc and some different exercises I could try.

Here's what I've come across so far:

- Push-ups (can only do about 10 full at the moment, but I'm hoping to Improve this)
- Chair dips
- Dead Lifts (I have no idea what these are, but everyone seems to rave about them!)

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Tisha

Replies

  • HarryRanson
    HarryRanson Posts: 5 Member
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    Use exercises that use the biggest movements and muscle groups such as:

    Shoulder Presses
    Squats with Shoulder Presses
    Lunges
    Bur-pees
    Jumping Squats
    Press Ups

    Just a few ideas, these will burn the most calories and build the most strength as well as being fairly taxing.

    Bicep curls etc will burn very few calories and work less muscles.

    Make a little circuit and aim for 15-20 reps of each exercise and keep the rest between exercises to a minimum (around 30 seconds). the more advanced you become the less rest you'll need and you can start increasing the weight.

    Hope this helps.

    Harry
  • MrsLVF
    MrsLVF Posts: 787 Member
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    Hello MFP!

    So I'm nearly at my goal weight, and now that I'm healthier, I have decided that I'm going to focus more on how I look and feel than what I weigh. Also, my upper body strength is pants, and I would like to improve this!

    I want to do some strength / weight training; however, my problem is money... I have none! :cry:

    I can't afford to join a gym or buy new weights, and the only weights I currently own are 1kg and 3kg pairs that I use for my 30DS etc. After reading all the 'Heavy Lifting' posts I could get my hands on, I know this isn't going to be enough to see real change.

    I've been researching weight-free (FREE!) exercises I can do at home, but I'm a complete beginner, and could use some ideas on how many sets etc and some different exercises I could try.

    Here's what I've come across so far:

    - Push-ups (can only do about 10 full at the moment, but I'm hoping to Improve this)
    - Chair dips
    - Dead Lifts (I have no idea what these are, but everyone seems to rave about them!)

    Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Thanks

    Tisha
    Until you can afford to buy some weights, just stick with the 30 day shred. there's plenty of push ups & planks in that. you could add the chair dips that's great for the triceps. I don't know how broke you are, but you could check out craigslist, or garage sales to pick up some cheep weights. Good luck :smile:
    (you need a barbell & weight plates for dead lift)
  • NickDow
    NickDow Posts: 8
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    Hello,

    without buying any other equipment it will be tricky for you, but not impossible. When you do have some extra money I'd suggest investing in weight bands. They're cheap easy to store and offer a lot resistance. In the mean time...

    You're going to be stuck with a lot of push-up style exercises and you'd be surprised just how many variations you can come up with. Such as wide push-ups, that focus more on the chest, standard push-ups, that focus on arms and chest, then diamond push-ups, that focus on the triceps. You can try for one example:

    10 wide, 10 normal, 10 diamond.... Now for strength training you'll want to go slow and controlled. 4 seconds down, pause for 1 second, then 4 seconds up.

    Another way to mix it up is with incline push-ups: stick your butt way up in the air getting your feet and hands flat on the floor, bring them as close together as your flexibility will allow, (as if doing toe touches), then do a push-up. This will work your shoulders.

    Dive-Bomber push-ups are also fun... lol

    Here is a short list of some others you can do.

    Balance push-ups,
    side-tricep raises
    plang push-ups
    one-arm push-ups, even if on your knees
    fly push-ups, like a wide push-up except you go to one side instead of straight down
    clap push-ups

    Then you can get creative.... say do 4 slow push-ups, then 4 fast, then 4 slow, then 4 fast.

    I can go on and on, so if you want some more ideas or better explanation, just ask.

    Cheers,

    Nick
  • tenunderfour
    tenunderfour Posts: 429 Member
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    Check out Bodyrock.tv. They post daily workouts which use bodyweight (mostly).... only 12 minutes long. There are modifications for beginners. They are great!
  • maab_connor
    maab_connor Posts: 3,927 Member
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    a gallon of water is 8.33 or 8.34lbs. get two gallons at the dollar tree. this is also your emergency water, so if you already ahve that stocked, no worries, but it's not a waste and it's super cheap.

    hold one in each hand for squats and for lunges. shoulder presses, butterfly presses, arm curls. whatever you want to do in NRoLFW, you can do with a gallon or two of water.
  • mfanyafujo
    mfanyafujo Posts: 232 Member
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    Hey! I strength train at home, all body-weight exercises. I'm following a program in a book (You Are Your Own Gym). It's really worked for me, and you only need things like a table, chairs, or other household items, though many of the exercises don't need anything at all. I've done it for 13 weeks now, and the change is pretty cool. It's also a good alternative to gym memberships, home gyms, and DVDs. Hope this helps.
  • tkb1985
    tkb1985 Posts: 146 Member
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    Guys, you rock! Thank you so much for all the suggestions, I'll definately give them all a try! I like the sound of that book especially :)
  • Holmfridur_Gestsdottir
    Holmfridur_Gestsdottir Posts: 83 Member
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    Mountain climbers!
    And yes, definitely check out bodyrock, they are awesome! :) Skipping rope is great workout, too. If you can find the money, definitely buy some dumbbells, since you have 1 and 3 kg dbs, then 5 is the next step. If you find resistance bands, you can get a decent workout using them, and they may be cheaper, too. If you are a beginner, you should be able to get enough stimulation for your triceps and shoulder muscles with the 1 and 3 kg dbs at least for the time being although you will need to have bigger ones to get to the next level. As pp's have said, there is no point in doing deadlifts without pretty heavy dumbbells or a barbell. However you can do squats, lunges and step ups without equipment, or holding your dumbbells. And they make for excellent leg and butt workouts.

    Good luck!

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