The $100 Home Gym

With Christmas approaching, advertisements for fitness gizmos are even more abundant. Exercise equipment is a popular gift category because everyone wishes they were in better shape and the machines featured on late night infomercials and the back of the magazines sure look promising.  Here’s a not-so-secret “secret” for you… the buff guy and the sexy gal on the commercials, didn’t get those fabulous bodies with that machine. 

Save your money.  Those gizmos are often expensive and end up being used a temporarily holding place for clothes that need ironing.

If you had just $100 to invest in a gym that would give you a great workout, help build functional fitness and transform your body, here’s what I would recommend:

  • A Pair of hexagon shaped dumbbells (moderately heavy – 15 to 30 lbs for example at $0.50/lb)
  • A door frame chinup bar (about $20)
  • An ab wheel (about $5 to $10)
  • A physiotherapy ball (around $50 for a good one from Sissel)

 

Let’s look around the house for the other essential equipment: a set of stairs (or 2-step folding ladder or a sturdy, durable knee height box or coffee table) and folding or kitchen-style chairs. 

With your very inexpensive, space-saving gym you can get to work.  Here is a sample workout:

  1. Full Squats (Hold dumbbells at the shoulders if you are stronger and you can also hold in the bottom position for up to 10 seconds for more advanced variation)
  2. Chin-up variation (if you cannot do full chin-ups, hang under the bar and put your feet on the back of your fold up chair for a modified pull up and bring your chest towards the bar)
  3. Step up onto 2nd step or knee high box (do each leg at a time and slow down the lowering of the body to make the muscles work harder)
  4. Pushups (use the dumbbells to hit the muscles at a fuller range of motion)
  5. Low Back “Superman” Raise or Dumbbell Deadlifts
  6. Tricep Dips (using one of two of the chairs)
  7. Ab Roller (if these are too hard start with a Front Plank Hold)


Do each exercise in sequence with little rest in between sets for no less than 6 and no more than 12 repetitions.  Rest 1 or 2 minutes then repeat 2 to 5 times.

With your $100.00 home gym, there are many other exercises you can do in a variety of set and rep schemes.  They key to seeing real results is to change your program often (every 4 weeks). For a comprehensive directory of exercises corresponding to muscles groups with photos go to ExRx.

Time to do your ironing, clean off that machine you never used and never got you any results, sell it and call it even.

DE Coaching Team

Krista Schaus PICP CPT
Ontario CANADA krista@definingedge.ca

Kate Kline PICP CFT
Arizona USA
kate@definingedge.ca

DE Client Services

info@definingedge.ca

 

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