How to exercise properly without joining a gym?

[warpus]

Hi All,

First of all, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Saturnalia, or whatever it is that you may or may not be celebrating this week.

The basic premise of this thread is this: I am somewhat in shape, (probably a bit better than average), but I would like to improve this situation slightly.

The only active things I really do are:

- playing soccer once a week
- walking a bit more than most people might

So yeah, I don't really do much that would be considered healthy. I don't eat much junk food, but when I cook, it's usually greasy and fattening. For lunch at work I make sandwiches - with generous helpings of mayo.. for breakfast I'll have a coffee and that's it. For dinner at home the average meal might be meat pierogies with fried onions, spaghetti with lots of meat and cheese, home-baked pre-made pizza with extra toppings, stir fry, or something else that involves oil and grease.

I used to work out a bit in University - almost never in a gym-like-setting.. mostly at home, before bed kinda thing.. regular pushups, situps, weights regiment, stretching, etc. This lead to a somewhat athletic-looking body.. Over the years this shape has stayed with me (somehow), but I wouldn't mind losing 15-20 pounds. Doing that would really make me look a lot healthier/better/slimmer and should bring out all those muscles a lot better. The main thing really is that it would make me feel better - both physically and psychologically.

The thing is that I hate gyms, and I don't have any weights at home. I am looking for recommendations. What sorts of things can I do outside of the gym, and what sorts of equipment should I get? What sorts of exercises should I be doing with them? What should I be focusing on if I'm not trying to improve a part of my body in particular?

How can I incorporate a cardio-type element in my workout by doing something at home? Is this possible without the presence of expensive equpiment? Should I just go jogging from time to time? How often? Like I said I play soccer - I would like to have more endurance there and not get tired as quick. I do alright, but can probably improve.

I am looking for slight improvements to my lifestyle here, rather than a revamp. I'm thinking I'll probably get some weights, do pushups before bed like I used to, stretch a bit more often, eat a couple apples a week, cut down on the pop, maybe go on a jog once or twice a week - but nothing significant. What sort of equipment/diet changes/exercises/whatever do YOU guys recommend? I admit that I don't really know much about this stuff - I'd just do what feels natural if I didn't get any advice, aside from maybe reading about daily nutritional requirements. If somebody says: "You should eat a bit more of this stuff, less of that, do exercise A and B x times a week, change your life in these slight ways", then that is what I'm looking for.

I have a pretty good metabolism, which is why I eat lots of grease. I also justify it by the fact that I don't eat much junk food, not much pop/sweet stuff, and cook most of my own food... as well as the fact that I play soccer once a week - that's GOTTA be good for me, right?

I could do a lot more by not really changing my lifestyle too much - help me out!

PS: the "without joining a gym" part is there cause I know I would eventually stop going I don't like gyms. Apart from the occasional eye candy, and the brief feeling of satisfaction, I really don't enjoy them - and would stop going at some point. It would be a new years' resolution that would be broken after a month or two. Instead I want to do something a bit more realistic.

If I have to spend $200 to get some weights and other equipment of some sort, so be it. Anything more than that and we're getting into "exercise machine" territory, and I really don't want one of those.

 

[GoodGame]

Wii fit?


I'd spend $50 on a cushion mat that is normally for setting a weight bench on, another $50 on some aerobic shoes, and then buy the Taebo set ($30) with the stick. That's actually a very good cardio workout without weights.

The P90 workout, if you can buy it second-hand, is a reasonable workout video set as well, though expensive.

On top of that you can get a set of adjustable dumbells for about $25 and then spend I guess $50 on dumbell plates, though I'd wait for a sale.

Then eventually get a reasonable, adjustable bench for under $200.

Getting professionally fitted for some decent running shoes ($100) is also a good option, especially to cross train for soccer, but that's definitely not an all-weather workout.


I'd still go see a doctor to see if your BMI, etc.. is actually healthy. Changing the diet, and limiting fats will always help one get more fit combined wiht exercise.

 

[warpus]

According to the BMI calculator I just used, I am slightly overweight. I have never thought myself as such! Maybe I'm just self-delusional

My friend who weighs only 20 pounds more than me looks pretty fat. I don't *think* I look fat. Is it possible that a lot of my weight is in my upper body and upper legs - in muscles? Or should I jsut look in the mirror again and try to reduce the bias somehow?

@Goodgame Were you joking about the wii fit? Cause I do have a wii, and I was actually looking at wii fit as something to buy and check out. What's the cushion for if I don't get a bench? Taebo seems gimmicky. What are the aerobic shoes for? Can I use indoor soccer shoes?

I don't really know much about weights/dumbbells/etc. What exactly should I get?

Not sure if I have room for a bench..

Running shoes I would get if people recommend jogging How much of that should I do?

 

[pau17]

Running can be hard on your knees, but if it doesn't cause you any pain, then go for it. Jump-roping is very effective cardio and it's easier on the knees if you do it right. If all you want to do is lose some weight, then start here.

You don't really need to lift tons of weights if your goal is general cardio fitness, but a little weight-bearing exercise is good too. Pull-ups are incredibly effective compound exercises that work out your arms, back, and even chest and abdominals a little bit, so you can see if you can set up a pull-up bar somehow.

Push-ups are good for your arms and chest, and the pushing position is also the default reaction to something in front of you or to falling face-down so it's good to train it up--people sprain/break wrists that way when they aren't strong enough to control the fall. If you don't have a bench press you can put weight on your back if you can already do a bunch of push-ups, or you can get creative by setting up chairs to get more of a range of motion and different angles. The thing to be careful with here is not stressing your rotator cuff in your shoulder, so start easy.

For legs, you can also do lunges without any equipment; good for multiple muscles in the legs and gives you a stretch. You can also do squats, but if you play soccer and do running or jump-rope you probably don't need to be working out your legs all the time.

For your purposes I would do a cardio regime (running or jump-rope) along with some basic compound exercises like pull-ups and push-ups, then see how that goes for starters.

 

[GoodGame]

My family got Wii fit plus, and it informed me I'm overweight today. The thing is, a lot of it isn't as intense as some good taebo. And LOL, some of it is just jogging in place with the numchuck in your hand. Though the balance exercises/games are fun in a tai chi kind of way.

Taebo isn't gimmicky. It's just solid aerobics and very reasonably priced---like 3 discs for $30.

I'd get the mat just because it helps protect the floor/carpet from jumping up and down on it.
I wouldn't wear soccer shoes indoors myself, plus aerobics shoes will be better cushioned for jumping up and down. Plus the mat will be more comfy for that too. And protects your back better if you do situps too.

Jogging? You can do that about 5-6 days a week, as many miles as you want. It's a passion for some. Like just pick a marathon date and train year round for it. A good stretching program is a must. I'm not much into year round jogging myself though.
BTW, I'm talking like a 1" thick mat that you can buy where they sell nautilus/weight benches.

 

[JollyRoger]

Date an aerobics instructer.

 

[Patroklos]

Run every other day. It requires nothing more than personal dicipline. Can you handle it, girly man?

 

[El_Machinae]

What floor is your office on?

 

[warpus]

Run every other day. It requires nothing more than personal dicipline. Can you handle it, girly man?

I have nowhere to run to, though. Plus now it's cold and it's going to be crappy outside for a couple months.

What floor is your office on?

Second.

I was actually biking to work for 3 weeks, during a transit strike.. 15-20 minute bike ride each way, with tons of hills in between and not a very good route. It didn't seem to do anything for my weight or health, and it just got me really tired each day..

That's why I'm looking for specific advice. I don't want to get into something that just destroys my energy levels for the day and doesn't really seem to do much in the end. I need to know how to maximize my options so that I see actual changes.

Maybe you will say that I am lazy. Say what you will - I am trying to be efficient and stop doing stuff that doesn't work

 

[Patroklos]

I have nowhere to run to, though. Plus now it's cold and it's going to be crappy outside for a couple months.



Second.

I was actually biking to work for 3 weeks, during a transit strike.. 15-20 minute bike ride each way, with tons of hills in between and not a very good route. It didn't seem to do anything for my weight or health, and it just got me really tired each day..

That's why I'm looking for specific advice. I don't want to get into something that just destroys my energy levels for the day and doesn't really seem to do much in the end. I need to know how to maximize my options so that I see actual changes.

Maybe you will say that I am lazy. Say what you will - I am trying to be efficient and stop doing stuff that doesn't work

I wasn't calling you lazy, I was just joking with you

Its not enough to simple go running or biking, it matters how you go walking or running. Some people with overt weight excess can get away with just walking or casually biking and it works because they are so out of shape. You however, going off the fact that you can play an aerobic game like soccer every week without killing yourself, are probably at a point where such simple measures as walking are no longer going to provide you with visible results. As you get more in shape it takes more work and discipline to achieve results.

In the case of biking 20 minutes is not enough to really accomplish much. It is certainly better than nothing though. Whether biking or running, you have to get your heart rate up or you are doing nothing. You also want to push yourself to exhaustion. If I were you I'd identify a park or series of side streets that are not too busy on your way home from work so that you can bike for at least an hour at a pace that makes you sweat. If you have a place at work where you can change into athletic gear for the ride home even better, you probably won't want to sweat in your work clothes.

When you get home if you have the energy spend 20-30 minutes working on your core. Push ups, sit ups, lunges, crunches. All things you don't need equipment for.

You will feel exhausted, but it shouldn't be a food comma type exhausted but a satisfied exhausted. However, you should notice an uptick in energy in general.

 

[warpus]

Running can be hard on your knees, but if it doesn't cause you any pain, then go for it. Jump-roping is very effective cardio and it's easier on the knees if you do it right. If all you want to do is lose some weight, then start here.

Yeah, I'm down with running.. I play soccer, so there's a lot of running there. Generally I am pretty good at bursts of speed in a game - I don't find prolonged running nearly as enjoyable, and sometimes it does bother my knees a bit... but I could see myself getting into something like that, yeah.. Jump roping, not so much

You don't really need to lift tons of weights if your goal is general cardio fitness, but a little weight-bearing exercise is good too. Pull-ups are incredibly effective compound exercises that work out your arms, back, and even chest and abdominals a little bit, so you can see if you can set up a pull-up bar somehow.

That is an excellent idea!@ I am totally going to look into this! I have a walk-in closet in my bedroom.. Does that seem like a weird place to put one of these? Cause I can't really think of anywhere I could put one.. Can they pretty much be attached to any doorway thingy?

These are probably stupid questions, but I'm not afraid to ask them, because my sexy new body is more important than my reputation.

Push-ups are good for your arms and chest, and the pushing position is also the default reaction to something in front of you or to falling face-down so it's good to train it up--people sprain/break wrists that way when they aren't strong enough to control the fall. If you don't have a bench press you can put weight on your back if you can already do a bunch of push-ups, or you can get creative by setting up chairs to get more of a range of motion and different angles. The thing to be careful with here is not stressing your rotator cuff in your shoulder, so start easy.

I remember doing sets of 8 or 10, until I was too tired to. Is that a good way to do it?

For legs, you can also do lunges without any equipment; good for multiple muscles in the legs and gives you a stretch. You can also do squats, but if you play soccer and do running or jump-rope you probably don't need to be working out your legs all the time.

My legs are in pretty good shape, I think. For some reason though I have never done lunges.. I found a video on how to do that properly, so I'm gonna give it a try.

For your purposes I would do a cardio regime (running or jump-rope) along with some basic compound exercises like pull-ups and push-ups, then see how that goes for starters.

What sorta distance/frequency for running is good for a beginner?

 

[ecuwins]

Watch Rocky IV.

 

[warpus]

Jogging? You can do that about 5-6 days a week, as many miles as you want. It's a passion for some. Like just pick a marathon date and train year round for it. A good stretching program is a must. I'm not much into year round jogging myself though.
BTW, I'm talking like a 1" thick mat that you can buy where they sell nautilus/weight benches.

5-6 a week? That's like almost every day of the week! That's a bit too much running for the likes of me. I'd rather do a bit more running each time 2 or 3 times a week.

 

[warpus]

I wasn't calling you lazy, I was just joking with you

That's okay, I am actually lazy!

Its not enough to simple go running or biking, it matters how you go walking or running. Some people with overt weight excess can get away with just walking or casually biking and it works because they are so out of shape. You however, going off the fact that you can play an aerobic game like soccer every week without killing yourself, are probably at a point where such simple measures as walking are no longer going to provide you with visible results. As you get more in shape it takes more work and discipline to achieve results.

Discipline? Goddamit!

Maybe I'll have to redesign this whole thing and start with a closer examination of my diet first instead. I'm sure I am totally not eating a couple minerals or vitamins that I should be - and way too much salt, grease, and sugar.. I can start eating better and slowly introduce exercise into my life - probably starting with one of those pull-up things. I mean, it's gonna be winter and snowy and cold and all that crappy stuff soon, so I'm ont gonna be able to run outside anyway.

In the case of biking 20 minutes is not enough to really accomplish much. It is certainly better than nothing though. Whether biking or running, you have to get your heart rate up or you are doing nothing. You also want to push yourself to exhaustion. If I were you I'd identify a park or series of side streets that are not too busy on your way home from work so that you can bike for at least an hour at a pace that makes you sweat. If you have a place at work where you can change into athletic gear for the ride home even better, you probably won't want to sweat in your work clothes.

Pushing yourself to exhaustion is a good thing? I thought that you were supposed to take a more balanced approach to exercise.. with like.. not as much biking as you claim.

When you get home if you have the energy spend 20-30 minutes working on your core. Push ups, sit ups, lunges, crunches. All things you don't need equipment for.

You will feel exhausted, but it shouldn't be a food comma type exhausted but a satisfied exhausted. However, you should notice an uptick in energy in general.

Right after work would be a good time to do it I guess. Usually what happens is I sit down to rest, have a beer, and then next thing I know I'm sitting around and not being active at all, I'm tired, sleepy, and nothing's gonna get done except sarcastic posts on the internet.

Is it better to work out on an empty stomach, or a full one?

 

[Princeps]

I experimented once. I decided that for two days I'd eat only fast food and drink soda.

I lost 4 kg. I went down from 68 to 64 kg (with 178 cm length). I have no idea why.

 

[El_Machinae]

In most scientific studies I've seen, interval training gives (by far) the best bang for the buck.
I used to do car-pushing with a friend. Find an abandoned parking lot (behind a church, maybe) and then you alternate pushing the car as fast as you can for about 15 seconds.

This gives maximum concentric tension, since the car limits your ability to accelerate, so is best for strength building. It's full body, and it's interval training.

If you do 5-6 sets a day, you'll be good.

 

[Leonel]

I just have a cheap but firm step stool and a 5 pound weight. For the step stool, I'd just run up and down that as fast as I can before I get out of breath and then just walk up and down it with emphasis on working the muscles for about 15 minutes. Then I'll lift weights for 5 minutes per arm.

 

[GinandTonic]

Stick up a pull-up bar in your house. Every time (ish) you walk under it do a pull-up to the 90 degree stress point then level your legs to 90 degrees. After a couple of days start holding for a second or two.

Not that I've been doing it for years now, but it did work.

 

[illram]

Jump rope is a good alternative to running. Or find a flight of stairs. Jump rope you can do at home.

Push ups, crunches, Dips, pull ups and chin ups are also good. If you think you will use them, buy some free weights and maybe a bench, and you will be able to do everything you can do at the gym. Focus on exercises that work out multiple muscles at once, such as lunges or bench press or deadlift.

Run or do your cardio after you lift, you burn more calories.

 

[Ecofarm]

Everyday:

3 sets of pushups
3 sets of situps/crunches
3 sets of pullups (get hallway bar from amazon.com)

Aerobics occasionally (run, bike, swim)