LIVIN' LARGE: Minimizing yourself and maximizing your life!When you have over 100 pounds to lose it can seem impossible to get started in the right direction.
Well, I am back for another go-round. I just wanted to say congratulations to everyone that completed the first 61DC and I am sorry I was not there to see it completed.
As for me, life sent me into a major tailspin. In early July my girlfriend of 8 years broke up with me for another guy and that messed me up bad, real bad. I went into a huge down-slide of drinking and just a general lack of care for my well-being. I have overcome all that darkness and am working to pull myself back up by the bootstraps. However, things have changed a little bit. I am now living closer to the college but in shared housing (I rent a room in a house with 5 other people; we share common areas like kitchen, bathroom etc.), and my hours at work are a little less so I don't have much money coming in.
I went to the college to workout when class first started and all I can say is I was appalled at what I found when I entered the weightroom. I will try to describe it as best I can but I don't think words enough can describe the sad sight I saw. The entire weight room at our college is about 20'x20', inside it contained, 2 stationary bikes, 2 recumbent bikes, 1 rower (looked like a mid-80s model about ready to fall apart), and in the centre of the room an old 4 station fitness machine (4 sides, 1 side for pulldowns, 1 side for "bench" etc.) that looked to be so old and worn that if I used it it would crumble to pieces. There were no dumbbells, no barbells, no free-weights of any kind. No weight plates, no bench, no olympic bars, just nothing. I turned around and walked out.
So now, I don't have the income to buy a gym membership (cheapest student rate in the area is $41/month), and the school basically doesn't have a weight room so I am stuck doing anything I can on my own, which lately has been riding my bike around the city. What I need ideas on are some things I can do at home to at least get a decent workout in each week. I have no room or money for dumbbells or building any kind of home gym so that isn't an option. I figured it would have to be things like pushups, chair dips (feet on couch/chair, arms on another chair and dip inbetween), pullups if they will allow me to install my chinup bar in my doorway, stepups onto a chair or some of my milk crates, goblet squats with whatever I had handy for added weight. Also for things like stepups I could throw some of my text books in my bookbag for added weight. Maybe some Good Mornings using the same bookbag idea for added weight.
So does anyone have any other ideas of things I can do at home, and maybe what kind of set/rep scheme I should go for since it is mostly bodyweight work with maybe some slight external weights added?
Thanks for any input anyone has.
-Kyle
-PS. Wow that came out a lot longer then I intended, sorry for rambling.
__________________ Beginning is Easy - Continuing is Hard
猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees
- Japanese Proverb
My highschool had one of those scary medieval torture devices. Leg press, pullups/dips, and some other weird shit. heh.
Well, first I'd say check around. There is one gym in our area that isn't a chain, just owned by some ex-bodybuilder dude, and it's cheap as shit. Not too much advertising, but boy is that dude proud of the amount of iron in that place. So there might be something around you've not noticed yet that isn't mainstream.
Single leg work? Using heavy objects lying around for sled work? Decline pushups on the stairs? Pullups at a park? Canvas bags of rocks/dirt/random stuff? Tabatas?
Look through Lil'J's and Lost Dog's logs for ideas on bodyweight circuits to get you pumping ... otherwise there are lots of pushup variations, pullup variations, and many single leg exercises to keep you challenged ...
__________________
Life's a Journey ... Enjoy the Ride!
Zach Even-Esh's Real Man Fitness might fit the bill for you. It's mostly bodyweight stuff, with tips on adding in a few more things to your workout arsenal. He suggests one dumbbell. Just one, so you can basically just keep it in the corner or under your bed. One db is cheap, too. Either the adjustable one or one decent sized solid db.
It's simple, basic stuff, but it might be perfect for someone who's busy and doesn't want to or can't get to a gym.
Here is a great thread for you. It has a long list of body-weight workouts with no equipment required. They are somewhat random but all are butt-kicking. Or just follow along with the blog mentioned at the top of the thread.
Thank you for the responses, I have a lot of searching to do to come up with a good viable exercise selection. I have one further question though, what kind of set/rep scheme should I go with. Would something like 3x12-15 be more appropriate since it is mostly bodyweight work with possibly a little external weight, or could I see just as much benefit doing 5x5 or some other more sets less reps style? Or, is that all really moot and I just need to do something/anything. (I have a tendency to over-think just about everything I do)
Thanks again everyone,
Kyle
__________________ Beginning is Easy - Continuing is Hard
猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees
- Japanese Proverb
I'm assuming you're goal is fat loss? The set/rep scheme isn't going to be all that important. The key is to put some intensity into it and eat right (and in a deficit).
RacerBill has been doing some old school routines in his backyard. Jumping jacks, etc. You do enough of a vigorous exercise and you're going to get your body burning fat. Sure, you might do even better if you had some weights, but you don't.
But, can you get something? One dumbbell? Make a sandbag? Do you access to a chinup bar?
You can do a bodyweight routine like this one, for starters.
Do this 10 times. Record your stop and start times, too.
5 burpees (a whole article on burpees, even)
5 pushups
5 knee tucks (The fifth thing in the video)
5 squats
5 jumping jacks
rest 30 seconds then start the next round
You can keep doing things like this that will kick your butt hard. If you can get a db and/or a sandbag, you can do even better.
CB's TT bodyweight routines have more advanced moves that are harder to do. That will give you the lower rep work, too.
I am sure I can scrounge some funds for 1 or 2 dumbbells or something similar. As useful as the adjustable weight dumbbells would be that is way out of my price range, I can't believe how much those are heh.
As for the chinup bar, I am on the fence. As I said in the OP I am living in shared housing and I am hesitant to drill into the doorframe to mount the bar I already own. If not there is an elementary school across the road so I can easily head there for some pullups etc.
You are right, my target is fat loss and I knew I was overthinking things lol. Just have to get that through my head and just get out there an do something. I can't keep searching for the perfect routine. The other big task will be pulling my diet back in, when things spiraled out of control my diet was the first to go to shit. I would like to get back to a TNT style since I enjoyed it a lot and it was working great for me. As a bonus, now with no gf the first 1-2 weeks when I am moody/irritable won't really affect anyone other then myself .
__________________ Beginning is Easy - Continuing is Hard
猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees
- Japanese Proverb
This kind just slips over the door jam/molding. No hardware required. comes on and off quickly.
For dbs, just get something like this: DB Set I got one at Walmart for $35. I load all the weights onto one handle. My set went to 42lbs, but they also sell extra plates. I bought a few 10lbs plates for $5-6 each.
You can also just buy the plates and make your own bar from a 18 inch long, 3/4 inch piece of pipe, automotive tube clamps, athletic tape, and some basic bar collars (from the sporting goods store). It's more bad ass, anyway.
Well, I have some ideas now, I just need to throw em all in a hat and pick em out to create my workouts . Kind of been putting it off under the guise of studying for my tests this week but truthfully I haven't been studying either.
I think before I do anything I need to find that spark, that drive to workout that I have lost. It is one thing to say you want to do something it is quite another to actually do it.
Once I will draw up a workout I will post it up.
__________________ Beginning is Easy - Continuing is Hard
猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees
- Japanese Proverb
don't wait for a spark - don't wait until you have your workout drawn up - go do a body weight circuit as soon as you read this - it only takes a few minutes and once you get it done you'll have momentum to start on your *real* program.
it doesn't have to be perfect before you can begin. if nothing else, once it is done you can say "at least it was more than I did yesterday"
don't wait for a spark - don't wait until you have your workout drawn up - go do a body weight circuit as soon as you read this - it only takes a few minutes and once you get it done you'll have momentum to start on your *real* program.
it doesn't have to be perfect before you can begin. if nothing else, once it is done you can say "at least it was more than I did yesterday"
Well, I can't do it right this second because I am in the computer lab and I start work in 15 mins but I understand what you are saying. I know I have to cut the excuses and just do it, what I meant was I need to find that spark, that drive to workout that keeps me going even when I don't want to. I have become surprisingly good at talking myself out of doing something I don't want to.
__________________ Beginning is Easy - Continuing is Hard
猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees
- Japanese Proverb
Well, work is slow and I am just sitting here. No time like the present to put things into motion. No more stalling, I am going to sit here and hammer out at least a rough workout, I can fine tune it as I go.
I like a few of the ideas LD threw out (especially the burpees, god I haven't done them in... I don't know, 15 years heh)
5 Burpees (good intro move, full body, really get the blood pumping)
5 pushups (different variations, normal, wide grip, close grip, mix it up constantly)
10 Jumping Jacks (keep heartrate up, kind of an active-rest)
5 lunges/stepups (just like the pushups there are several variations so I will simply mix them up each workout)
10 Jumping Jacks (same as above)
5 squats (start with bodyweight, use db or other form of external weight and do goblet squats as I improve)
10 Jumping Jacks (you know)
*some form of row* This is the one place I am drawing a blank, I don't really have a good way to do a back exercise. After scouting the house I don't have a good location for the pullup bar so I can't use it for pullups or inverted rows. If anyone has any good ideas for this part lemme know.
Rest, repeat
I will perform them for time, no rest between each move, start with 1-1.5 min rest between rounds for 5 rounds (maybe more depending on overall time) and decrease the rest time as I improve. When I get my time down to 30s rests and can still complete it easily then I will begin adding external weights and/or make the moves more difficult.
__________________ Beginning is Easy - Continuing is Hard
猿も木から落ちる Even monkeys fall from trees
- Japanese Proverb
__________________ It all starts with the mind, but the thoughts, the intention aren't enough. Action needs to come next. Dream it, believe it, plan it, execute it, celebrate it. - Wendy
Maintaining an excited rush for a year. Now THAT's a product I want to try.
Good-bye, iqboyiq.
__________________ The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same. -- Carlos Castaneda
Last edited by RacerBill : 07-10-2008 at 03:53 PM.
Need some ideas/assistance
Wow that came out a lot longer then I intended, sorry for rambling.
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