How to Set Up the Simple Home Gym Fitness Program
Many of you may already belong to a gym and enjoy going, and there is nothing wrong with that (assuming you are working out the right way of course). But many lack the time or money to keep going to a gym consistently. Some of you may travel alot for work or stay at home with kids. There is still no reason for you to not be able to fit in a workout regardless of your schedule and location. If you can make the time, I’ll show you how easy it can be to make your own simple home gym fitness program.
You don't need to spend $1000s on expensive equipment in-order to get a real workout in your own home! Save your money!
Build Muscle to Burn Fat and Feel Younger
I’ve said it many times in the past about some of the biggest workout mistakes people make, but people should not get obsessed about cardio when it comes to weight loss and don’t always need a gym just to get a workout in. But first let’s motivate you to want to build and use those muscles (including all you women out there, don’t worry we are not talking about bulking up).
When it comes to losing weight, we want to eat less and keep our metabolism strong at the same time. One of the best ways to raise our REE (resting energy expenditure) is going to be through doing more intense workouts. Doing intense resistance based training will actually help elevate your REE for up to 48 hours while increasing your fat “releasing” hormones in the process. Sounds pretty good to me!
Remember also that your muscles are your fat burning factories (where the released fat in from the fat cells go to be burned up as energy), so you want to keep them around (and not let them waste away).
Here’s an eye opening study about the importance of resistance based exercise. (Bryner, R et al) 20 people (men/women) were taken and put on a very low calorie liquid diet (800 cal) for 12 weeks. Half were put on aerobic exercise only program and the other half resistance training only (3x/week). What would you expect? Well the aerobic only group lost more weight, but with also lean body mass loss (muscle). The aerobic only group also lowered their RMR (resting metabolic rate).
But guess what, the resistance only group did not lose any lean mass and had a slight increase in RMR! Let me repeat that, the group only doing resistance training kept all their muscle, lost fat and slightly elevated their RMR all while on a very low calorie diet for 12 weeks!!
Lesson learned is that even on a very low calorie diet, resistance training will keep your muscle and allow you to burn more fat without dropping your metabolism in the process! Resistance training is really the key (including how to slow down aging as seen below)! Best part, it is never too late to reap the benefits!
Human aging is associated with muscle atrophy (sarcopenia), weakness and functional impairment, which commence in the fourth decade of life with a rate of strength loss of about 1.0% per year, accelerating with each passing decade. Long-term physical activity is associated with a reduction in morbidity and mortality in humans. Resistance exercise can increase muscle strength, function and mass in older adults even into the 9th decade of life. Resistance exercise training can reduce markers of oxidative stress, and increase anti-oxidant enzyme activity in older adults. We report here that healthy older adults show a gene expression profile in skeletal muscle consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction and associated processes such as cell death, as compared with young individuals. Moreover, following a period of resistance exercise training in older adults, we found that age-associated transcriptome expression changes were reversed, implying a restoration of a youthful expression profile.
Source: Resistance Exercise Reverses Aging in Human Skeletal Muscle; Simon Melov, Mark A. Tarnopolsky, Kenneth Beckman, Krysta Felkey, Alan Hubbard; Buck Institute for Age Research, Novato, California,
What You Need
As seen in the picture above you do not need to spend $1000s on complicated and expensive equipment in order to use your muscles. Most people buy these machines and then let them collect dust anyways. So here are my top 3 things you will need and they are all about under $100 total!
Your Own BodyWeight
Gymnasts are perfect examples of how a person is able to build up plenty of strength and muscle tone with using their own bodyweight.
This one is FREE! You already have the greatest gym, your own body. Using your body like it was meant to is a great way to keep healthy and challenge your muscles as well. Gymnasts do it, so do the military and many others.
I remember reading a book long ago called “Movement that Matters” by Paul Chek (a world famous trainer) who described the “primal movement patterns”. They were how our body was meant to be used including bending over, squating down, lunging over objects, pushing, pulling, twisting and gait (moving over terrain). Using all these is all we really need to do with enough of a challenge (as your body does not care whether you are using your bodyweight, resistance bands, or dumbells…it just wants you to challenge the muscles over time).
The great thing about your own bodyweight is that you have it with you where ever you go. So you always have your own “personal fitness gym” with you at all times. You can do pushups, pullups, squats, lunges, planks and a variety of exercises in your home, the backyard, during lunchtime, on the road in a hotel room or wherever.
BodyWeight Straps
Pulling is an exercise that is key to developing the back muscles, straps allow you to do this at many angles while just using your own bodyweight.
I’m a big fan of these because of the flexibility and variety of exercises you can do with them, all while still using your own bodyweight. Exercises can include angled pushups, pullups, bodyrows, planks, roll outs, dips and so much more.
They are also easy to attach whether outdoors (to something sturdy like a pole) or indoors (with most having a door frame holder option). My favorite is the Jungle Gym Straps from Lifeline fitness. I used them with bootcamps and they are great. There is also other brands out there like the TRX, but compare a $49 option with a $150+ one….and the Jungle Gym is the way to go!
Note: You could also add in here gymnastic rings and the versatile Lebert equalizers bodyweight bars.
Resistance Bands
Hollywood actress Jessica Biel also uses resistance bands to help keep herself in really great shape!
Remember that your muscles only care about resistance and tension, it does not look at the source. So a good set of resistance bands is not just for the older people or rehab clinics. You can do a variety of pushing and pulling exercises at all angles to duplicate any machine in the gym. You can workout all your muscles while only needing a small space (and it packs away with ease into a small bag as well).
Be warned that some of the bands you see in the stores are pretty light resistances. So you really do need to make sure that you get some that are adjustable and can have more resistance (thicker/heavier) bands attached in some fashion. 2 great options online are the Rubber Banditz and Bodylastic Bands.
More Options
So there you have it, between your own bodyweight, a set of straps and some bands that is about $100 (far cry from the $1000-$2000 for the super duper home exercise gyms). You can start there and even build up as you see fit to include other things such as:
- Weight vest (to make your own bodyweight increase for movements….or just used a weighted backpack too)
- Dumbbells/Kettlebells for a different feel
- Make your own sandbags for more heavy lifting options
- Interval timer to keep you motivated, such as the Gymboss timer
All these while still using your “primal movement patterns” and using your body the way it was meant to move!
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Comments/Discussion
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{18 Comments. Read them below or add one}
quite possibly my favorite post in this challenge (so far) – I’ve been doing well on the nutrition front, but failing miserably on exercise. This post gives me hope…off to research resistance bands!
Also, attempting my first IF today – after a prolonged absence…
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Mike OD Reply:
Glad you enjoyed it. Exercise does not have to be (and shouldn’t) be complicated. It’s not an “all or nothing” type of event that so many make it out to be. Just even 2x a week resistance training has tremendous benefits! Bands are great and so versatile, but like I said find the ones with “variable” resistances (otherwise you may make it too easy on your muscles). The 2 links above are solid sources of bands if you can’t find any good ones in the store (and it may be cheaper online anyways). Enjoy the IF!
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Jenn Reply:
made it 20 hours before caving…not too bad for the first round – also not to the point of enjoyment – I sit at a desk all day, and although I don’t snack – the periods of hunger/non-hunger was a bit distracting…
I’m really liking the Bodylastics bands – hmm, hubby already knows I don’t care for flowers or candy – maybe I can wrangle some bands for Valentine’s day?
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Mike OD Reply:
@Jenn – Well done! The first few fasts are never going to be the easiest, especially if you are focused on “not eating” in your mind…then funny how hunger kicks in. Try drinking some tea throughout the day, I find that helps and also keeps me focused on other stuff besides food. I can’t imagine any husband who wouldn’t want to buy their wife bands instead of flowers, although he might think it is a trap for him somehow at first….as you women are a mystery to us men.
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Jenn Reply:
yeah – we can be a bit of a mystery (well, not me – I’m totally normal lol)
and talk about not normal – my husband already has my Valentine’s gift, so I’m guessing I’ll be buying the bands for myself!
I like tea for the fast, and coffee – something about warm liquids seem to help…hope to complete two fasts this week as well….
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Like Jenn, I too have been slightly slacking on activity. Excuses abound, but that’s what they are…*sigh*
Tonight, I’m going out with friends with only a half hour walk planned (like everyday – yay for walking to the bus), but tomorrow I’ll start the day with at the least stretches and preferably some actual pysical activity which will make me sore…
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Mike OD Reply:
Yup, excuses are all gone now…Uh oh!
It is key you really do become “aware” of the importance of challenging your muscles in a more intense manner (compared to cardio like activity) for weight loss/management and healthy aging.
It doesn’t have to cost a ton of money, doesn’t have to take up hours a day and is something we should all make time for!
My advice, get a resistance band and make 10-15 min 2-3x a week to do all the basic movements like pushing while standing, pulling while standing, squating, shoulder press, etc. Make a simple circuit of 5-6 exercises and do 3 sets of 10 reps (challenging reps). Doesn’t take long and even 2x a week can get the long term results we are after!
Plus imagine feeling stronger and more confident with each day!
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A great new book on bodyweight progressions & training is DragonDoor’s Convict Conditioning. Check it out =)
http://www.dragondoor.com/b41.html
I recommend it, and have been using these progressions in my own semi-private group training with student-athletes.
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Mike,
Shame on you, you didn’t mention burpees, probably the most ‘horrible’ and therefore effective use of bodyweight and a floor
And there’s nothing quite like a truck tyre and a selection of sledgehammers for a home gym, and skipping/jump ropes are always good (and cheap!). As a slight alternative, how about juggling balls, good for hand-eye coordination, and quite good fun too.
As ever, a great article in a great series, keep up the good work.
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Mike OD Reply:
@Eegah – Ha! Yes I did leave out the burpees….although I know many past clients who may have wished I have back when I was training them as well! No worries though, I am sure they will show up on the bodyfit workout challenge site at some point.
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[...] FitnessSpotlight: How to Set Up the Simple Home Gym Fitness Program – One of the site I regularly follow, FitnessSpotlight, is in the middle of a 30-day challenge to better health. If I had known about it before the first day I might have tried it, but it all caught me by surprise and I missed the gun. It’s a rather arduous undertaking – a new life-changing thing every day for 30 days – but interesting none the less. Check out the introduction if you’re curious. [...]
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Hi, very interesting and for me most welcoming post. I am absolutely an ignorant on this issue, and realize I need first to work with a coach for a month or two, before i can set my own work out. I was thinking of doing pilates with an instructor to get a bit flexible and then move on to other work outs??
meanwhile I am doing some easier cross fit work outs .
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I also also agree that lifting your own body weight is really good for you. Buying a set of resistance bands is a great piece of fitness equipment to have. I have found my arms are alot more toned since I started using them.
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Check out this home-made suspension trainer.
http://rosstraining.com/blog/2010/01/13/homemade-suspension-trainer/
I’ll definitely go this route.
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Which would you think would be the best first purchase for a woman who is just restarting to work out with strength training at all (and who was wimpy enough even when she was working out for several months back when I lived near a gym that the trainer had to have me do certain exercises with dumbells instead of the machines because they didn’t go low enough) – the Bodylastics or the Jungle Gym? I’m assuming the Bodylastics would give more beginner options while the Jungle Gym wouldn’t necessarily help for a while?
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Mike OD Reply:
@Saya – They are both good options for beginners, but of course you will have to learn to “push” yourself a little and challenge those muscles afterall. In the end, go with what you feel more secure using such as the resistance bands. Then learn to up the resistance little by little and that is when the real results start showing! There are no excuses, just need to motivate yourself and keep it simple. It doesn’t have to be complicated afterall, just consistent.
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my home gym really is just a pullup bar in a doorway, but thanks for the info!
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sir ,
i wanted to built muscle at home ,but what type of exercise i used dont know
someone told use your own bodyweight exercise,someone told you should buy
heavy resistance bands and do exercise with them,finally one person told workout with free weight that will give you muscle.i am very confused please help me.
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