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We know that using free weights and machines is the fastest and most
efficient way there is to improve your metabolism and strength, but for many
reasons these may not be convenient or readily accessible to you. You may also
have no access to a commercial gym, home gym or are on business trip, but there
can be a solution, a strength-training workout without the need of expensive
machines. As with any exercise, whether you are using your own body weight,
machines or free weights, if the resistance doesn't increase, your muscles won't
be worked to their maximum capacity and the stimulus these fibres need to grow
will be missing. Exercises done correctly will build the lean muscle and
increase your metabolism in the same way as performing exercises at a gymnasium,
but without the time constraints and associated costs. These exercises can be
easily done in a bedroom, hotel room, a park, school yard, ceiling rafters in a
garage or in a doorway and all you have to do is use your imagination. There
will always be a way to add more resistance to your workouts. Please remember:
It doesn't matter where you are working out — at home, a hotel, or a park —
always warm up properly before beginning your session, and cool down and stretch
when you are finished. Leg Exercises Squats - They build muscle in the thighs,
shape the buttocks and improve endurance. Position your feet about 13 to 17
inches apart or at shoulder width, keeping the back straight and your head up.
If you want you can use something that will give you some support, i.e. a desk,
bookcase, sink etc. Now squat down to where the tops of the thighs are parallel
to the floor, hold for a second and then stand up, but don’t bounce at the
bottom of the movement, use a nice fluid motion. Always exhale your breath as
you stand up. Lunges – Stand straight in correct posture; now stand with one leg
forward and one leg back. Keeping your abdominal muscles tight and chest up,
lower your upper body down, bending your leg (don't step out too far). You
should have about one to two feet between your feet at this stage, the further
forward you step, and the more your gluteus and hamstring muscles will have to
work. Do not allow your knee to go forward beyond your toes as you come down and
stop where your feel comfortable (try not to let your back come forward) then
push directly back up. Do all your reps on one leg then switch legs and do all
your reps on the other leg. Back Exercises Chin-ups - Chin-ups are a great upper
body workout, particularly targeting your biceps, deltoid and lat muscles. Use a
doorway chin-up bar, ceiling rafters in a garage or grab the moulding of your
door frame, position your hands with an under hand grip and hang down stretching
the lats, slowly raise your body until your chin reaches the bar level. Pause a
moment before slowly lowering yourself back to the starting position. Don’t
swing or use momentum to get your body to the top, just use the target muscles.
Doorway chinning bars remove from the doorway when you are not using them and
can be put up and taken down in seconds. Bent Over Row - Take up a position with
your right hand and right knee braced on a sturdy bed or some other flat surface
that will provide a good support. Now pick up a dumbbell or something heavy that
you can hold onto with your left hand. Visualize your arms as hooks and slowly
bring the dumbbell or object up to the side of your chest, keeping your back
straight, then lower the weight back down to arms length, no lower, on extremes,
safe form only please. Concentrate on your back muscles. Reverse the whole
procedure and do the exercise now with your right arm. Chest Exercises Push-Up -
The push up is used for building chest, shoulders and arms. Lie face down on the
floor with your hands about shoulder width apart and keeping your palms turned
slightly inward. Now push-up until your arms are straight, lower and repeat for
repetitions. To make it more difficult elevate your feet. Try placing the toes
of your feet on a stable, elevated surface such as a bench, chair or a stair.
Straightening your body, position your hands on the floor at shoulder width,
lower your body until your chest touches the floor at the bottom, and then
return to the starting position in a nice fluid motion. Dips - This exercise can
be done between two sturdy chairs or other surfaces that provide stability. The
dip is another great upper body exercise. It’s a compound movement as well and
involves working all the muscles that the push up works. Keep your head up and
body as vertical as possible. For the beginning of the movement, start at the
top (arms fully extended) and lower yourself until your upper arms are parallel
to the seat of the chairs, hold and then push up to the top of the movement
until your arms are fully extended again. Keep looking straight ahead and don’t
bounce at the bottom of the movement. Adding Weight Although the simple weight
of your own body is enough resistance to provide an effective workout we need
progressive overload (added resistance) to become stronger. So all we need to do
is add some weight wherever we can find some. Because there are no metal plates
and fancy machines to use it doesn’t matter because the body doesn’t care where
it is as long as it's receiving resistance of some kind. You can use heavy books
clasped in your hands. You can buy some cheap weighted dumbbells or ankle
weights. A weighted vest will also allow you to add resistance for both chin-ups
and push-ups. Try to buy one that will let you remove and add weight as you see
fit. Also a backpack filled with books can be perfect for most of the exercises
and is a cheap alternative. How about a couple of buckets and fill them with a
certain level of water? As you get stronger fill them with more water. This is
perfect because depending on the exercise, all you need to do is to increase or
decrease the amount of water in the buckets for the required amount of
resistance. To wrap things up… We know that using free weights and machines are
the fastest and most efficient way there is to gain lean muscle and strength,
but by performing the exercises in this article you’ll find that they will
provide you with the same benefits as going to a gymnasium but without the
ongoing costs and time constraints.
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