Home Gym

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by stubbyd, Aug 12, 2010.

  1. stubbyd

    stubbyd Valued Member

    OK - been reading around the forums a little bit and getting some ideas but I confess I'm not the best in the world at making myself train daily.

    Equally I hate going to a gym - they feel so souless and devoid of any human warmth or contact. Both of which I need as a personal motivator. Due to the nature of my current job (shift work) I can't even organise to go with a friend(s) on a regular basis. So .........

    So, I'm looking to start a daily routine (alternating if needs be) that can be done in a maximum of 30m including warm up / cool down. So in reality I'm saying 20m of exercise. As I get into it I'd hope the motivation is there for me to do more .... but?

    At home I have a weights bench but no weights - although 6 pint milk bottles filled with water will do just as well. I also have a static wheel adapter for my push bike. Oh and my chiro wants me to concentrate on core strength improvements and just the other day suggested I add lunges to any routine.

    Now out of any routine I'm not looking to build huge muscles or have any set aims other than improve my cardio and my core strength and perhaps even flexibility.

    So, with that in mind and with some of what I've read regards 'proper stretching' (I still don't understand that yet) can you folks suggest a routine I could undertake please?

    Or any advice including 'you've got to be joking, that won't work'.

    Do note that I've never been to a gym and don't fancy starting now plus I can't afford it anyway.

    TIA.
     
  2. stubbyd

    stubbyd Valued Member

    An update to this ...

    I'd forgotten that I'd been referred by my doctor to teh "Exercise by Prescription" ting that's going around.

    So my first appointment for that was today to find out what's what and how it all works. Now, I'm still interested in hearing from anybody on my original subject matter above but I've now got 4 months of monitored (is that the right word?) gym membership for £3.05 plus £1 per session and a user specific routine targetting my and my doctor's specific health concerns.

    I can see come the end of this (having seen all the swanky machines) that I wont want to come away from there and will try to find teh money ... though at this stage I have no idea where from.
     
  3. JaxMMA

    JaxMMA Feeling lucky, punk?

    You've got to be joking, right?

    Had to get it out of the way :evil: :)

    You can do a lot with few pairs of dumbbells (or one pair of adjustable dumbbells), weight bench, and a pull-up bar (or pull-up rings, door mounted pull-up bar, etc).

    If you can't afford dumbbells you can make your own. All you need is some iron pipe, few 5-10lb plates, and clamps.

    Also, check these two books:
    http://www.rosstraining.com/nevergymless.html
    http://www.rosstraining.com/infiniteintensity.html

    Ross has some great ideas on what you can do with body weight, dumbbells, and of course an empty beer-keg :)
     
  4. kravi2

    kravi2 Valued Member

    I just (a year ago or so) built myself a home gym. Understand that I have similar limitations in time - two kids, wife, and work from home.

    I stayed away from a bench press as I train to muscle failure. Anything I need a spotter for I can't use.

    So adjustable dumbbells, a curl bar (the wavy one), an exercise ball (core exercises) and an adjustable bench. Oh, and a yoga mat, two sturdy chairs, and a pullup bar.

    I bought everything in the standard, rather than Olympic size so I can recycle weights.

    Works for me, flexible, and allows me to increase weight size. Also minimal cost.

    --kravi

    P.S. On the fence with a barbell for bench pressing. I always loved bench pressing when I was a serious lifter, but if I'm training to failure and don't have a spotter, well... I'd rather bench with dumbbells than a barbell.
     
  5. Bigmikey

    Bigmikey Internet Pacifist.

    I just had to point out the above. How can you make such a statement about something you've admittedly never tried? Not trying to start anything, just wanted to ask an honest question.

    There is so much that can be done with the milk jugs you mentioned. By getting a good sized broom handle and placing a screw in either end sticking up a bit you can actually hang your milk jugs off the ends and create a barbell-type setup that can be used for things like barbell curls, upright rows, and many other exercises. I had a personal training client that could either A) afford a gym membership and have no idea what they were doing or B) afford a trainer but not have any equipment. I set him up with the milk jugs, a sturdy bench made out of milk crates we pilfered from a local grocery store and the afore mentioned broom handle and the workout he got was every bit as intense as anything he'd have done at a gym.

    Since time is your largest obstacle, a circuit training or Super set training approach will give you the biggest bang for your buck while challenging your cardio the most. I have a workout I created for a client not to long ago that I can PM you. It should fit the bill quite nicely.

    On the topic of training to failure with a barbell bench press vs dumbells... use both. Bench until you cant safely bench any more and then immediately grab two dumbells and start to rock out dumbell presses or flies. It adds a far greater level of difficulty to the movement and also does a far better job of truly fatiguing the muscles. This approach can be used for a variety of exercises like bicep curls, skull crushers and a few others. It lets you train to failure without the risk of being trapped under a heavily loaded barbell.
     
  6. Knight_Errant

    Knight_Errant Banned Banned

    OP- weights and a heavy bag are probaly the only real essentials. I'd add somewhere to do chins, but let's be honest, they grow on trees. You won't regret your purchase.
    Take a look at something I wish I'd known about when I started working out: http://www.crossfit.com

    BTW. I LOVE your avatar :D
     
    Last edited: Sep 13, 2010
  7. stubbyd

    stubbyd Valued Member

    Been absent from his thread for too long so my apologies for not replying sooner.

    Mind, I've been off improving my fitness and getting my knee back into good working order so that's my excuse :)

    Thanks for the link - I'll dig through that next night shift. As to chins though then they are part of the list I have that starts with "things I can't do" and they include touching my toes.

    And as to the avatar then that's supposed to be a mug of coffee in my right hand - the light sabre indicating my love of Sci-Fi.
     
  8. stubbyd

    stubbyd Valued Member

    No, it's a fair question.

    Strictly speaking I have been to gyms (many times) but never consistently enough to warrant calling it that. Last time I tried I persuaded a mate who goes to let me 'train' alongside him. First session was great, 2nd he was 45m late for and the 3rd he just didn't turn up to. I gave up as well!

    But see further down for more on gym attendance.

    OK thanks for these ideas, they sound very doable.

    Since I posted this I have now started on the "exercise by referral sessions" and although it means going to the gym it does it in a way in which I am enjoying it - and that's key to keeping me going longer term.

    First off you have set staff that have been trained specifically in the referral aspect and they get to know you as well as vice-versa. So it's akin to having a personal trainer but without the expense as they constantly check up on you, correct posture, challenge you to go further, faster, heavier, longer, etc ... I've never got that beyond my intro week at any other gym.

    Second, the sessions are most usually outside of usual gym sessions and in fact the main one I attend is in an entirely seperate gym just for this purpose so everyone there (other than staff) is there because of their doctor's referral. So there's no one there that is a bodybuilder putting one to shame or 'hogging' a particular piece of equipment.

    Lastly (although this won't last) the cost is greatly subsidised so instead of costing me £40pm it's £1 everytime I turn up. At 3 times a week (on average) over a month that's approx a third of the gym costs - admittedly the full £40 brings pool, etc with it...

    To me, these three things make a gym much more human and maybe I've just been unlucky with the gyms I've tried before - but they do make a lasting impression.

    So far, I'm 8 weeks in to a 16 week process and despite my shifts I'm sticking with it.
     
  9. stubbyd

    stubbyd Valued Member

    Thanks for the links and the suggestions - I do appreciate it even though I'm slow to respond :)
     
  10. JaxMMA

    JaxMMA Feeling lucky, punk?

    Not a problem. I only stop by here once a month or so, too :)
     

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