Ok, so I'm mad at my website. It's so annoying when websites make upgrades that somehow can't incorporate your existing work! They have created a new blog dashboard that promised all these fancy bells and whistles, so of course I want to use it. But I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen to my blog posts that I wrote before... soooo that being said... we are on a little adventure together!
Anyways- we shall see how this goes-hopefully it's as great as promised. But in the mean time, I wanna talk about a conversation that I had with someone the other day.
I was at my yoga studio and struck up a conversation with one of the ladies there. She asked how many times I go to the studio a week and I told her just once because most of the time I work out at home. She sort of had a blank expression on her face when I told her that, so I added, "I have a pretty cool gym set up in my garage."
She nodded her understanding and began saying how great that must be because it is so convenient, and went on to tell me that she also has a membership at the local gym. But as she wrapped up her statement, she finished with this, "I wish I could work out at home."
I gave her a smile and said, well you could! Before I could continue she laughed and rolled her eyes, and said, "I can't afford all that stuff!" She then began rolling up her mat and putting her things away so I knew the conversation was over. But it reminded me of how many people have this mindset.
This block in their head (another word for excuse I suppose), where they tell themselves that they just can't work out at home because they need all the fancy equipment.
THIS IS ENTIRELY FALSE! Whenever I tell people about my setup I always add that, "I know that I'm spoiled," because my setup is sick and I'm totally lucky to have it all. But it is not necessary for me to work out at home! In fact, several days this past month I worked out in my temperature controlled bedroom and not the freezing cold garage because I am a huge baby when it comes to being cold. A few of those workouts that I did in my house... ZERO EQUIPMENT (the others I used some dumbbells).
You don't need to have an extra $1,000 lying around if you want to workout at home. If you DO have a little money to spend, here is what I recommend splurging on:
1. CrossTraining shoes: please don't throw on your old running shoes and then start doing a bunch of lateral movement! Running shoes were created for... can you guess? YES! RUNNING! And while wearing them occasionally when you are doing other things is fine, they were designed for movement in the sagittal plane and you do risk a rolling an ankle when adding other types of movement because the shoe was not meant to absorb impact that way. Instead, hit the outlets! Nike and Reebok are my favorites to hit and they often have last season's cross trainers marked almost 50% down! Forgo your Starbucks for a few weeks and you can afford a $60 pair of shoes, yeah? Believe me, it's worth it! Reebok Nanos are admittedly my favorite cross trainers, but I also have Nike MetCons that are great. Other brands like Inov-8 and No Bull are also great, BUT finding deals is going to be harder, so you are gonna have to shell out some cash.
2. Dumbbells: check sites like Craigslist, and apps like LetGo and OfferUp. People are often dumping these and guess what, they are nearly impossible to damage or break so getting them used and half the price is a total score! If you have the ability, get three pairs: something light that you can do 12-15 reps, something medium (8-12 reps-ish), and something heavy (4-8 reps). That way as you get stronger you can "grow" into your heavier dumbbells and it adds a bunch of variety for rep schemes.
3. Lastly, I would recommend a Kettlebell. These versatile little guys are amazing and they were actually how I started my home gym. Go for a weight that you can perform a traditional American swing at least 8 times (Unsure what that looks like? Go here for a great demo!). From there, that weight will be able to be used for SO MANY other movements to give you a large variety of things to try out.
But hang on, I know some of you are like, "But I DON'T have a couple hundred bucks to spend." That's fine! While you try and save some $ for the investment (for the shoes first PLEASE!), here are three workouts for you to try that involve ZERO equipment (okay, shoes you will need but just be mindful of your footing if they are specifically running or walking shoes), except maybe things in and around your house, or maybe at a local park. Some things to keep in mind when doing these workouts:
Always modify the movement if you feel PAIN in the range of motion. Normally modifications can be found online easily but if you can't find something, please reach out to me! I would love to help. Otherwise, full range of motion is best!
Intensity! These workouts are designed to be done with some Oomph behind them. You should not be able to have a conversation with someone while doing them- unless they are breathless, one word answers. This also means that long breaks are a no-no (unless written into the workout). Need to grab water? Fine- but have your water bottle next to you and ready so that you can take a quick sip and then keep going (Also a quick note, some people have found that taking long, gulping drinks of water leaves them feeling nauseous so if you are new to working out, stick with small frequent sips and then see how you feel).
Have fun with it! Set goals for yourself and make it a game. When it gets hard - SMILE (even if you don't feel like it)- it will help even if you don't mean it! Put on some good music and work hard! Try and be positive! Don't think "this sucks" over and over again in the workout, but be grateful for your body's ability and remember that you are doing this for a reason.
Warm up before hitting the workout! I didn't write specific warmups for each of these workouts but you should always be warm before starting a workout. This sounds EXACTLY like what it means- you are raising your core temperature. People often think that warm ups should be relaxing and easy... at first sure... but by the end of the warmup your heart rate should be slightly elevated and you should be starting to sweat. Check out the internet for fun warmup ideas! There are thousands of them!
Alright- without further ado... here are the workouts!
Workout No. 1
5 Rounds
15 jump squats
10 pushups
5 burpees
10 leg raises
15 sit ups
Workout No. 2
20 minute AMRAP (as many rounds/reps as possible in the given time)
100 meter run (just approximate this distance, does not need to be exact)
20 reverse lunges (total, 10 each side)
40 foot bear crawl forward (approximate distance again)
40 foot bear crawl backward
15 superman back extensions
Workout No. 3
You will need some sort of step or box for this. A park bench or simply some steps in your house will suffice. Chairs are not recommended for use as they tend to be unstable and can move from under you.
For time
21-15-9
Step ups (each side)
Shoulder taps (each side)
Accumulate 60 seconds high plank
Rest 90 seconds
immediately into...
15-12-9
Squats
Straddle push ups
Accumulate 60 seconds left side plank
Rest 90 seconds
immediately into...
12-9-6
Lateral/side step ups (each side)
Tricep dips off bench/box
Accumulate 60 seconds right side plank
In solidarity for those trying out these workouts, I will do them too! Try them out and let me know how it goes! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out and have fun working out in the convenience of your own home!