When you have a goal of getting in shape, don’t think that you need to be at a gym in order to do so. Although being in a gym is ideal, it may not be possible for everyone.
Some of my clients are busy professionals and either can’t get into a gym due to logistical reasons, or because when they do get to the gym it’s stupidly packed and they have wait ages for equipment to be free to use. Factor in the time waiting to use the equipment, and they’re not getting in the workout that they need.
But luckily you can always find a way to get in shape without a being in a gym. In fact, you can just build your own at home with some basic equipment and you don’t even need to have a lot of space.
Piggybacking on my previous home gym equipment article, let’s break down what equipment is ideal for your home gym, what the benefits of each are, and the workouts you’ll need to get in shape:
1. Your Body
Although I love using all of the traditional weight training tools, I’m a huge proponent of bodyweight training. Bodyweight training is often neglected and underrated in getting in shape.
Besides it not costing you a dime, the beauty of bodyweight training is that you can do them anywhere. Bodyweight exercises have a place in any and every workout routine. No matter what your fitness levels are, bodyweight training is beneficial and effective.
Exercises such as pushups, chin-ups, squats, lunges, jumps, and plank variations are incredible at building strength, increasing muscular endurance, improving your athleticism, stability, and balance.
Lifting weights is great for strength and muscle building, but bodyweight movements do the same thing but in a different manner even when the same muscles are involved. For example, performing a chin-up vs. a lat pulldown. Both exercises target the same muscle group, but in their own respective ways.
With the chin-up, it’s a closed chain exercise, meaning your hands or feet are fixed on a surface, and doesn’t move while performing the exercise. And with the pulldown, it is an open chain exercise which means you’re moving something either away or towards the body. Both recruit the same muscles, but closed chain exercises stimulates your nervous system differently, allowing you to recruit more muscles.
Bodyweight training also builds relative strength. Being strong and moving big weight is great and all, but you want to have the strength relative to your bodyweight. What good is benching 400+lbs if you can’t perform a single pushup?
Bodyweight exercises gives you feedback on how you’re progressing with your physique. If you’re on a bulk and have been gaining weight, your performance on pushups and chin-ups will reflect whether or not you’re gaining any extra fat.
One of the best ways to improve your push-ups and chin-ups besides practicing them often is to lose bodyfat. The less you’re carrying, the easier it is to move your body. Whenever someone asks me how they can improve their chin-ups, I tell them to lose bodyfat. One of my clients increased his by 10 just from that alone!
If you’re trying to gain weight and the amount of reps you’re doing is staying the same or increasing? Awesome, you’re building muscle and improving your muscular endurance. If not, then you’re probably gaining too much fat.
With all these reasons, bodyweight training is a no-brainer to be doing at home.
2. Resistance Bands
One of my other favorite pieces of exercise equipment to use are resistance bands. They’re small, compact, and you can perform a wide variety of exercises with them. Even though bodyweight training is great, you are limited to the amount of exercises and muscles you can target directly.
Resistance bands are great because they allow you to target all different muscle groups, and the resistance feels completely different than using your bodyweight or any weights.
For example, performing a row with bands is going to feel different than doing it with a barbell or dumbbell. This is because the resistance comes from the elasticity of the bands rather than gravity from weights. As you continue to stretch out the bands during an exercise, the more resistance you’ll feel.
You can also use bands to add resistance to other exercises as well, such as pushups, squats, presses, and rows with weight, making them more difficult.
When working out at home, bands are a great piece of equipment to use. When selecting which ones to get, I recommend compact resistance bands and loop resistance bands. These two are my favorite brands:
3. Dumbbells
Compared to barbells, dumbbells are a much better tool for home workouts. They take up less space and you can do more movements with them. Depending on some exercises, they can be also way more challenging than their barbell counterparts.
I love using dumbbells because of their versatility. You can do unilateral movements, load bodyweight exercises, and can chain together an awesome fat loss circuit with just one dumbbell.
4. Jump Rope
One of the easiest tools you can use to improve your cardio and conditioning. It’s low impact, burns fat, and you can do it from anywhere.
As a kid I used to watch the Rocky movies. When he was training to get ready for his big fights, the montages would show him lifting weights, doing boxing drills, running, and jumping rope. Take a look at this video, how motivating and awesome is this?
Besides fighters, other athletes from all different types of sports also use the jump rope as part of their training.
The reason why I love the jump rope as a conditioning tool is because it’s so effective in improving your cardio. It’s a great way to warm up before your workouts, getting your body core temperature up, and increasing your blood flow beforehand.
Jumping rope at the end of your workouts can also provide a nice fat burn effect to top things off.
Another benefit of jumping rope is the improved coordination and athleticism. As we continue to age, we lose both of those things. By jumping rope and performing the different types of moves, you can maintain and improve your coordination and athleticism.
Here are some ways you can jump:
-Regular jumps
-Double Unders
-Single Leg
-Running Man
-Criss-Cross
Putting it All Together
Now that we’ve broken down each piece of equipment, it’s time to put the workouts together.
Here’s a sample 3 day home workout using bodyweight, dumbbells, bands, and jump rope:
Day 1
Warmup:
Jump rope for 5 minutes
Side Plank – 30 seconds each side
Decline Plank – 45 seconds
Band Pullaparts – 2 sets of 15 reps
A1. Dumbbell Goblet Squat – 3x12-15 reps
A2. One Arm Dumbbell Row – 3x10-12 reps each arm
A3. Pushups – AMRAP (as many reps as possible with good form)
Perform A1, A2, and A3 back to back with no rest.
B1. Band Face Pulls – 3x15
B2. Dumbbell Reverse Lunges – 3x10 reps each leg
B3. Dumbbell Shoulder Press – 3x10
Perform B1, B2, and B3 back to back with no rest.
C1. Standing Dumbbell Curl – 3x12
C2. Bench Dips – 3AMRAP
Perform C1 and C2 back to back with no rest.
Day 2
Warmup:
Band Woodchops (Low to High) – 3x10 reps
Plank to Pushup - 3x5-8 reps each arm
A1. Standing Dumbbell Arnold Press – 3x10 reps
A2. Dumbbell Split Squat – 3x10 reps each leg
A3. Band Reverse Fly – 3x15
Perform A1, A2, and A3 back to back with no rest.
B1. Pushups – 3xAMRAP
B2. Dumbbell Deadlift – 3x10
B3. Band Rows – 3x15
Perform B1, B2, and B3 back to back with no rest.
C. Dumbbell Pullover – 3x10 reps
D. Jump Rope – 5 minutes to finish
Day 3
Warmup:
Band Woodchops (High to Low)– 3x10 reps
Hollow Body Hold – 3x20-30 seconds
Side Plank – 3x30 seconds each side
A1. Dumbbell RDL – 3x10 reps
A2. Dumbbell Floor Press – 3x10 reps
A3. Kneeling Band Pulldown – 3x10 reps
Perform A1, A2, and A3 back to back with no rest.
B1. Pushups – 3xAMRAP
B2. Standing Band Bicep Curls – 3x15 reps
B3. Standing Band Lateral Raises – 3x12-15 reps
Perform B1, B2, and B3 back to back with no rest.
C1. Bodyweight Squats – 3x10 reps
C2. Lateral Lunges – 3x10 reps
C3. Jump Squats – 3x10 reps
Perform C1, C2, and C3 back to back with no rest.
D1. Toe Touches – 3x10 reps each side
D2. Bicycle Crunches – 3x30 reps
D3. V-Ups – 3x10 reps
Perform D1, D2, and D3 back to back with no rest.
Final Thoughts
If you’re trying to get in shape, don’t think you’ll have to join a gym. It’s ideal but not your only solution. You can get a great workout at home using your body, a set of bands, some dumbbells, and a jump rope.
Don’t think you’ll need a fancy workout program too, simply execute the basic movements and focus on improving each week. If you do so consistently, you’ll get the body you want.