How can I workout in my home? I get this question regularly. When I first meet with potential clients I explain the benefits of in-home personal training: saving time traveling to and from the gym, comfort, freedom for leering gym rats, using your own shower, etc. Not to mention saving money on gym membership. The comment I always get in return is that the person does not have a "home gym".
In this post I will give you the best way to outfit yourself for a home workout. If you've trained with me you know my philosophy is to do total body exercises, use a circuit format, do a lot of repetitions, do them in rapid succession, basically be efficient with your movements and your time. Many of my clients work primarily with their own body weight doing differing versions of the four base exercises: squats, pushups, pullups and lunges (more on these in an upcoming ActiveBlog post. Even many of my athlete clients do complete killer workouts without touching a weight. I have trained several clients to reach or maintain their body weight on the bench press without ever doing bench presses.
But it isn't realistic to think that you can reach all of your fitness goals without some resistance training using more than your body weight. So what equipment do you need. Here are the basics:
- Set of adjustable dumbbells. These resemble one single dumbbell but can be adjusted in increments of 2.5 or 5 lbs starting at 2.5 lbs and going all the way up to 100 on some models. They are made by Bowflex, Nautilaus, Weider, etc and come in sizes between 20lb max and 100 lb max. The beauty of these is that they have the footprint of one dumbbell so they can be stored under the sofa very easily. They are also easy to adjust. The 20lb variety are approximately $100, the 50s are $500 and the 100s are about $700. Keep in mind that 20lbs can go along way to building a solid fitness base for most people.
- Stability Ball. You've seen these large, brightly colored, inflated balls at your gym. Have you used them? The stability ball, or Swiss Ball, can replace an expensive bench in almost all situations. Using a ball rather than a bench forces your body to utilize muscles to support itself rather than letting the bench do the work. It makes for remarkable improvements in core strength which leads to strength gains on all exercises. Plus the ball costs about $25.
So how do you do cardio? That can the tough part. Having grown up in Buffalo I know the problems with getting cardio in during the winter months. Running, walking or biking are tough with snow on the ground or a howling wind blowing. And snow shoveling, while effective cardio, is no fun at all.
Many people I meet with have a treadmill or elliptical in their basement gathering dust. I could start a museum with the stuff I have stumbled upon. But the reality is that a properly structured workout routine can encompass cardio benefits and calorie burn without using an expensive treadmill or stationary bike. Don't believe me. Try this out for size but only do it if you are an established exerciser. Remember, it is important for you to have a doctor's clearance before performing any exercise routine that involves vigorous activity.
Perform the following circuit in sequence with no rest between exercises (rest only as needed):
5 Burpees (start standing straight up, place your hands on the ground and kick your legs back into a pushup position, perform a pushup, jump your legs forward, stand up and jump)
10 Turkish Getups (Lie face up on the floor, pull your feet toward your butt and crunch your upper body forward, use one hand to help push yourself up to a standing position)
15 Pushups
20 Chair dips
25 Full Military Situps
30 Body Weight Squats
35 Jumping Jacks
40 Walking Lunges
45 Jump Ropes
What about resistance bands?
I am not a fan of bands at all. The resistance is far too variable. Generally the tension is much to light at the beginning of a movement and much to heavy at the end. They are great for rehab but not for serious strength training.
What other types of equipment do you use at home? Add your thoughts to comments.
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
www.ElevationBootCamp.com
267.626.7478
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
iFitness on the iPhone
I am not always a huge fan of the much hyped iPhone applications. We have all seen the commercials. A hip new song booms in the background as a fresh-voiced narrator whisks us through the latest thing that the iPhone will solve in your life. Among the apps I have downloaded and ultimately deleted are a restaurant finder that was great at finding Wendy's and Subway but not so good at finding any place where food is not served on trays.
So when I looked at the iFitness app which is billed as a replacement for personal trainers I was skeptical. How could the info on this little device replace me?? I will argue that it can't, but it does a lot of good in its effort.
iFitness at its best is an extensive exercise library with an easily searchable database of exercises broken down by body part. The navigation is simple, the pictures are crisp and clear, and the descriptions are thorough without being verbose. The app allows users to record the number of sets and reps they performed, the weight used, and provides graphs to show progress.
As a reference tool for remembering exercises it is outstanding. In addition, the exercises go beyond the basic and gives users a chance to get new ideas for exercises. Where the app comes up short is in its suggested workout routines. All "static" or "pre-packaged" workout routines are lacking in the specification necessary to get an individual their optimal results. It is common for people to get workouts from a magazine or steal a friend's routine. That is fine but not optimal. Each person has unique goals, body types, strengths/weaknesses, postural or movement inadequacies, and health and injury concerns that a static program cannot speak to.
An effective personal trainer will work with their client to define a set of specific goals and measure their client periodically to determine weight/body fat, cardio conditioning, flexibility, core stability and overall strength. All along the way providing the client with a program specific to their unique needs to get the most results from their efforts.
The iFitness app is excellent at giving people a reference tool for learning new exercises but it is not complete in its ability to give a targeted fitness routine.
So when I looked at the iFitness app which is billed as a replacement for personal trainers I was skeptical. How could the info on this little device replace me?? I will argue that it can't, but it does a lot of good in its effort.
iFitness at its best is an extensive exercise library with an easily searchable database of exercises broken down by body part. The navigation is simple, the pictures are crisp and clear, and the descriptions are thorough without being verbose. The app allows users to record the number of sets and reps they performed, the weight used, and provides graphs to show progress.
As a reference tool for remembering exercises it is outstanding. In addition, the exercises go beyond the basic and gives users a chance to get new ideas for exercises. Where the app comes up short is in its suggested workout routines. All "static" or "pre-packaged" workout routines are lacking in the specification necessary to get an individual their optimal results. It is common for people to get workouts from a magazine or steal a friend's routine. That is fine but not optimal. Each person has unique goals, body types, strengths/weaknesses, postural or movement inadequacies, and health and injury concerns that a static program cannot speak to.
An effective personal trainer will work with their client to define a set of specific goals and measure their client periodically to determine weight/body fat, cardio conditioning, flexibility, core stability and overall strength. All along the way providing the client with a program specific to their unique needs to get the most results from their efforts.
The iFitness app is excellent at giving people a reference tool for learning new exercises but it is not complete in its ability to give a targeted fitness routine.
Being a Fitness Role Model
I want to share the highlights of an article I authored that is appearing in the April/May issue of the Bucks County Women's Journal.
How to “Walk the Walk” of a Fitness Role Model
Here are a few simple behaviors you can use to influence others about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Make a choice before your feet hit the floor. Every morning when you first wake up before your feet hit the floor; make a conscious decision that today you will make healthy exercise and eating choices. Encourage your family and friends to follow your lead.
Use positive language when talking about your exercise and nutrition. Phrases like “I can’t wait to get to the gym today” or “I had an incredible workout this morning” will have a positive impact on the people around you.
Dress and act the part. No, I don’t mean wearing bike shorts to the office. But be proud of your fit body and don’t be afraid to look lean and fit as you walk around everyday. Stand tall, shoulders back, and head held high.
Be knowledgeable about health and wellness. No one likes a know-it-all. But people appreciate an informed opinion. You can easily become the family’s “go-to” person for exercise and nutrition suggestions.
Set a fitness goal and share it with your social network. Having a stated goal and achieving it can be inspiring to others. Talk up your fitness goal whether it be a 5k run or charity bike ride and let everyone know when it will be. They will pull for you and be impressed by your results. And better yet, they will help hold you accountable for completing the event.
Who are your fitness role models? Post a comment to this blog and let us know who inspires you? I've got a couple to get you started. My fitness role models are Lance Armstrong and Laird Hamilton. Laird is a champion extreme surfer (30-50 foot waves). His workout regime is epic.
Check out the full article in the upcoming issue of Bucks County Women's Journal available throughout Bucks County, PA.
Check out www.ActivePersonalFitness.com for information on our personal training and group exercise classes.
How to “Walk the Walk” of a Fitness Role Model
Here are a few simple behaviors you can use to influence others about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Make a choice before your feet hit the floor. Every morning when you first wake up before your feet hit the floor; make a conscious decision that today you will make healthy exercise and eating choices. Encourage your family and friends to follow your lead.
Use positive language when talking about your exercise and nutrition. Phrases like “I can’t wait to get to the gym today” or “I had an incredible workout this morning” will have a positive impact on the people around you.
Dress and act the part. No, I don’t mean wearing bike shorts to the office. But be proud of your fit body and don’t be afraid to look lean and fit as you walk around everyday. Stand tall, shoulders back, and head held high.
Be knowledgeable about health and wellness. No one likes a know-it-all. But people appreciate an informed opinion. You can easily become the family’s “go-to” person for exercise and nutrition suggestions.
Set a fitness goal and share it with your social network. Having a stated goal and achieving it can be inspiring to others. Talk up your fitness goal whether it be a 5k run or charity bike ride and let everyone know when it will be. They will pull for you and be impressed by your results. And better yet, they will help hold you accountable for completing the event.
Who are your fitness role models? Post a comment to this blog and let us know who inspires you? I've got a couple to get you started. My fitness role models are Lance Armstrong and Laird Hamilton. Laird is a champion extreme surfer (30-50 foot waves). His workout regime is epic.
Check out the full article in the upcoming issue of Bucks County Women's Journal available throughout Bucks County, PA.
Check out www.ActivePersonalFitness.com for information on our personal training and group exercise classes.
The Blog begins....
Welcome to ActiveBlog. Active Personal Fitness provides in-home personal fitness training and cutting edge group fitness classes in Bucks County and Montgomery County in Pennsylvania. We use proven, practical, sensible exercise and nutritional programs to help you make positive changes to your health and fitness.
At Active Personal Fitness our slogan is "you give us the effort...we'll get you the results." Positive life changes take effort. We will use this space to help you get the absolute most out of your effort with exercise suggestions, nutrition tips, wellness strategies and attitude checks. If you read this blog and feel more educated about fitness, motivated to make a change and determined to hold yourself accountable to your wellness goals then we have done our job. And YOU will surpass your fitness goals and achieve great things.
I am not a gimmicky, quick fix or fitness fad type of guy. I believe in giving intense effort, mastering basic movements, using your whole body rather than isolating specific muscles, being efficient with your time and honest with your abilities. As this blog unfolds you will see my ideas for helping you succeed and you'll see me share ideas that others have that make good sense. If you are reading this to find out how to get the body of your dreams in 12 days or less you are in the wrong place. But if you have read this far then maybe you have stumbled upon a few words that will contribute to your success. Read on!!
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