Note: This post has nothing to do with jiu jitsu. :) I have been crappy at posting over the past several practices, and I wanted to explain why.
This past week has been a crazy one for a lot of reasons, not the least of which was a test in my Portuguese class (which I crushed with a B-) and a personal training seminar that I gave yesterday. As some of you may know, I am Certified Fitness Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist through ISSA, and at this point in my life it's more of a hobby than a profession, but I love the problem-solving aspect of taking someone from where they are to achieve their goal of either performing better or looking better. I look at it like a riddle or a math equation; there's always an answer, but sometimes you really have to work at it.
Anyway, I gave a seminar to the lovely ladies of the Junior League of Monterey County on the concepts of working out at home. I started planning with the concept that anyone can walk into a gym, so the idea here is to counter that - what do you need to be successful working out at home, whether by yourself, or with a friend?
I did it as a volunteer service, meaning não dinheiro, so I have no qualms whatsoever about posting the entire thing here. Warning, though - it's LONG. :) It ended up being about 2 1/2 hours, including discussion, demonstrations, and messing around with some equipment. But I felt like it turned out great, with a lot of good discussion, and I think I was able to take some myths about working out and fitness and dash them to the ground, which I love to do. I had an absolute blast planning this discussion, and it was fun to give it and see that I had changed some opinions.
Kathy at Bodyworx graciously allowed us to use her gym for the seminar, and it was a perfect place to have it, with the mats and all of the equipment to demonstrate with. Anyway, wanted to say thanks again.
So here we go:
Before we even start: it is not my intention to sell you anything. I'm going to talk about some equipment, but I'll tell you right now I don't want you to buy any of it. I'm going to talk a little about using a personal trainer, and I'm not trying to solicit clients - in fact, I'm not taking clients. But I want to establish up front that these are simply discussion items, and this is absolutely NOT a sales pitch.
WHO AM I?
I am a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, certified through the International Sports Sciences Association. I have been in the Air Force for 16 years and am a certified Physical Training Leader. My areas of expertise involve bodyweight exercises and sports conditioning, but I also have plenty of experience working with civilian clients ranging from 15 to 85 years old, with a wide variety of skill levels, limitations, and goals.
THE PYRAMID OF "GETTING IN SHAPE"
In all things fitness, there are three aspects to the idea of "getting in shape," which we'll discuss shortly. Exercise, the reason for this seminar, is actually the smallest of the three legs.
First, diet. I could spend hours discussing the concept of diet, but suffice to say that your diet is the largest variable in terms of influencing your body to change, both in a good way and a bad way. (In fact, they asked me when I want to give the nutrition seminar - apparently I made an impact :)) If you're serious about changing the way you look or perform, you HAVE to understand that you're probably going to have to change your diet. But that's another subject for another seminar.
Second, daily activity. What I mean is essentially real life. All the movement you do during the day that isn't specifically related to exercise still counts in terms of burning calories and maintaining your health. We as a society are entirely too reliant on cars, elevators, and stuff that makes it easier to go somewhere or do something. If you can make small changes to your daily routine you can, over the course of time, change your body's ability to deal with stresses (the whole point of exercise) and probably lose a couple inches along the way:
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Is it harder? Yep. Longer? Yep. By maybe 30 seconds, depending on how far you have to go. But you'll get the heart rate up just a little, and get some leg work in. You don't need much - I'm not advocating taking the stairs up the Empire State Building (that counts as exercise), just a couple floors. It makes a difference.
- Walk somewhere for a change. Instead of parking right in front of McDonald's, park down the block and walk there. It's a conscious effort on your part (read: taking ownership of your investment), and then you don't feel bad about stuffing your face with a Big Mac when you get there. Seriously, though, you can make this work in any application. That extra block will truly make a difference over the course of time.
- Sit on a stability ball at work instead of a chair. We oftentimes can't affect the fact that most of us sit for 8-10 hours for work. Sitting on a stability ball isn't just comfortable, it is therapeutic, it promotes good posture, and it works your core just a little. Plus, it's a conversation item and people will think you're a rebel. Or weird.
Anyway, you get the idea. I'm not looking for you to try to work all day in the pushup position or to do squats while on a conference call. The idea here is to simply raise your activity level by just a little on a daily basis. You don't have to jog to work. But if you're able to incorporate some walking during the day, or some core work on a stability ball, I guarantee that over time, you'll be healthier, fitter, and happier.
And now, on to the REAL point of this seminar. :)
A SPECTRUM OF PERSONAL EXERCISE
- workout at home, no equipment
- workout at home, minimal equipment
- workout at home, lots of equipment
- workout at a gym
- workout with a personal trainer, at a gym, your place or theirs
All this is is a way to think about the options you have. You can include a friend or workout partner at any point in here as well. This seminar is specifically designed to discuss the first two, with a little bit of the third. If you want to talk about working out at the gym, or with a personal trainer, let me know.
PRIORITIZATION
All of it depends on your prioritization of exercise. Think about:
- The fact that you’re reading this indicates you at least have a vague curiosity about working out at home, that it seems like a concept that has some merit, or maybe you heard about someone doing it, or saw it on TV. :) Anyway.
- How motivated are you, and how good are you at making exercise a priority?
- How much money are you willing to invest? I don't want you to invest much money - that's the point here. But think of it as a concept. If you have an interest in something, be it martial arts or needlepoint, you are willing to invest some money because you like it and you want to be good at it. If you're serious about getting in shape, what is that worth to you? Think of YOURSELF as the investment. Are you willing to spend $20 to be in better shape? $100? $1000? Just consider that conceptually, because I think it relates to how big a priority you are going to make it in terms of time and effort.
- Are you willing to change your diet? By how much?
- Are you willing to buy some exercise equipment?
- Do you have a dedicated space at home to work out?
- Do you need someone to motivate you?
-- To start working out: In many cases, knowing that someone else is depending on you will make you more inclined to not cancel your workout
-- To work harder once you’ve started: Statistically proven through experiments that people tend to work harder if someone is encouraging them
- The more obstacles you place in front of yourself, the less you’re going to want to work out at home
- Many people THINK they are self-motivated enough to work out, but in reality that number is extremely small
THINGS YOU NEED FOR SUCCESS WITH ANY PROGRAM:
- Stick to a schedule – if you don’t have a dedicated time to workout, you won’t dedicate time to workout.
- Create a space for it – Just like you would set aside a space for other hobbies or projects, do the same thing here – YOU are the project this time. If you're thinking "well, I'll just move the coffee table every time," you're automatically creating an obstacle without realizing it. You don't need a home gym in the garage, but you need to WANT to go to your space and work out.
- Set yourself up for success – you know how you like to work out. If you like music, or TV, then make sure it’s there and you can crank it up if you want. Have water handy so you don’t have to go to the kitchen - it's interrupting your routine. And most importantly, do everything possible so you're going to not be interrupted. I know this is tough, especially if you have kids or a pestering spouse :) but as I said, anything that can stop you from working out WILL stop you.
- Stick with it – the first two weeks are the worst part. Once you’ve established your routine, it becomes easier. Once you start seeing results, there’s no stopping you. But it won’t happen immediately. You're going to be sore and confused for two weeks; simple fact. Your body is going to complain, you won't want to keep going, and it's going to take everything you have to push through it, both mentally and physically. Add to that that you're changing your daily routine - you now don't have time you used to have, you're rushing to get stuff done... EVERYTHING seems like it's standing in your way. This is Newton's First Law - an object in motion stays in motion, and an object at rest stays at rest. You're upsetting your own status quo, and you won't lie it. And you won't see real results for probably about a month. So why are we doing this again?
So what do you really need?
- Time
- A place
- Intent
- A plan. We'll get to this.
Do you need equipment?
- NO, but there are things you can use that will add to the benefits you get.
THE IMPORTANCE OF GOALS
- What is your definition of “in shape”?
*How much you weigh?
*What size clothes you wear?
*Or how many times you can push/pull/move/run/do something?
My definition most closely resembles the last one. Being in shape to me means that my body does what I want it to do, and looks how I want it to look, period.
- What does weight really measure?
You'll notice I didn't mention weight in my definition of being in shape. I despise the use of weight as a measurement of ANYTHING. The definition of “obese” (IMHO) is not dependent on weight, it’s directly related to body fat percentage. That’s not to say there is no correlation between body fat and weight, but if you can measure body fat with any degree of accuracy, weight is irrelevant.
If you want to run a 9-second 100 meters, then you're going to train your body to do that. With that stress, your body will gain muscle, lose fat, and become as efficient as possible at countering the stresses you're placing on it. Will you lose weight? Probably NOT. In fact, you might gain some weight. But I guarantee two things: first, you'll be able to run faster. Second, you're going to look a lot better, because you lost the fat and got some muscle definition.
- So what are you ACTUALLY trying to accomplish?
Are you trying to get strong or fast, or are you trying to fit into a pair of jeans, or are you trying to look good in a swimsuit? Because again, you don't actually want to lose weight, you may want to lose SIZE. You don't want to lose 5 pounds, you want to lose an inch on your thighs/arms/hips. If you're asking me, I say throw out your scale and invest in a tape measure. A scale measures weight, sure, but that's not what YOU want to measure. You want to fit in that size 2 pair of jeans. Or you want to run fast or far, or you want to be stronger, or you want to lose the flabby "old lady" triceps. Whatever it is, I personally guarantee it is not directly related to weight.
Weight gain is different in terms of sports, but that's not what we're looking at here. Separate discussion - email me if you want to hear it.
- Strength and speed comprise functional strength – moving your body in a certain way/ways faster and easier and for longer
- Losing size (so you can fit into those jeans) involves changing your body’s physical makeup and muscle-fat ratio
- “Looking good” involves managing the size ratios between body parts. If you want to look skinnier, you can either lose size on your hips (which is finite, since you can't slim down bone), or you can manage the ratio between your shoulders and your hips. You don't need linebacker shoulders, but if you gain a little muscle there, your hips will appear slimmer (and by working out, you're probably going to lose some fat there anyway). But it's important to understand this concept so you can figure out what you REALLY want - do you want to fit into a size 2, or do you really just want that guy/girl to look at you and say "WOW."
- Functional fitness is what I am really working on. To me, that means being able to counter the stresses of daily life as easily as possible. If you can't walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded; if you can't pick up a box of books without a back support and a spotter; if you can't walk 2 blocks without huffing and puffing. These are the things we are really working on/
- Bottom line: Until you figure out what your goal is, exercising isn’t as beneficial as it could be
FREQUENTLY MUMBLED EXCUSES/MISUNDERSTANDINGS/PROBLEMS
- “I don’t want to get all ‘muscle-y.’” I've heard this from every single female I have ever trained, even the ones that know better. Simple fact: females are genetically predisposed to NOT get “muscle-y.” That’s why female bodybuilders have to tailor their diets at a minimum and supplement their intake to increase testosterone levels to really get the muscle growth that you see. If you don’t take supplements to alter your testosterone levels, the chances of you getting “big” or looking like a female bodybuilder are pathetically minimal. Will you gain some muscle? Of course. Will you gain some definition? Sure. But with the proper exercise plan, correct sets/reps, and some dieting, you can manage the ratio of muscle to fat and keep the bulkiness away. At the end of the day, I PROMISE you will not be mistaken for a man.
- “I just want to lose 5 lbs.” See my comments above about weight. You don’t actually want to lose 5 lbs, you’ve been told by media propagandists (sorry, my paranoia coming out) that weight measures size. It doesn’t. What you meant to say was “I want to fit into the Nicole Richie signature model jeans, size ZERO.” Which is fine. We can work on that. I think I've railed on this enough.
- “I want it to all come off my… [insert body part here].” Again, let’s be real here. Body fat is a general thing. There are two ways to make yourself appear more “in shape,” both of which involve messing with the muscle-to-fat ratio: lose fat, or grow muscle. If you grow muscle, you’re still going to be the same size in your [name your body part]. If you lose fat, it’s going to come off your whole body in the same ratio (which I admit is unfair because fat tends to collect in different places for men and women). At the end of the day, though, if you want to lose fat, you want to lose fat. It’ll look good coming off regardless of the location.
- “I’ve always had problems with my (knees/hips/elbows/spleen/dedication)…” This is a touchy one. I have two opinions, on opposite sides of the same coin. Please bear with me.
First, everyone has an excuse. Excuses are what we use to avoid working as hard as we know we could. Why do we use them? Because working hard is hard. It sucks to push yourself in the gym/at home/at work. It sucks to be sore. It sucks to take time away from other things. However you look at it, working hard sucks. I’ve heard every single excuse as to why someone couldn’t work legs (most of them coming from me). Why? Because working legs SUCKS HORRIBLY. A couple of the biggest muscle groups in the body, all concentrated down there. When you work them hard, they pull all the blood into them, which makes you nauseous. Most people don’t work them enough regularly, so you’re always sore afterward. You’re tired. They hurt. So what do we do? (And I include myself in the pathetic excuse department, because I hate working legs) we make excuses. For me, it’s always “I’m busy” on leg day. For someone else, it’s easier to pretend that minor knee injury you had 20 years ago just happens to flare up when leg day gets tough. Whatever the case, it’s your workout. You need to decide for real whether you’re honestly impaired by an injury or if you’re just trying to avoid some tough workouts.
Second, on the other hand, everyone gets injured, and plenty of very tough people have very legitimate injuries or impairments that prevent them from full range of motion or 100% effort. In this case, don’t power through just to be tough. Be smart, listen to your body, and do what you can manage.
Simple fact: at the end of it all, for every exercise you can’t do, or say you can’t do, there are 1000 more we can work. We just need to find them. And if your knees/elbows/shoulders are genuinely that jacked up that we can’t touch them, then we’ll do something else to enable your strength/speed/size increase or fat loss. It's my job as your trainer to help you come up with those exercises that WILL work for your limitations.
- What is “core strength”? It’s more than just crunches. Core strength is responsible for most of the explosive movements in sports. Does that mean that you can ignore it if you don’t play sports? NO. It also has to do with posture and general body movement. If your core sucks, I’ll put money that you have back injuries a lot more than other people. Core involves everything from your knees to your shoulders - back strength, posture, joint strength. And if your core is strong, you are giving your body every advantage to getting the rest of it strong, plus you're going to be healthier in the long run (and stand up straighter).
WARMUPS AND STRETCHING
- Why do we warm up?
When you know you are going to apply a stress to your body, you can prepare for it. Your heart will need to beat faster to pump blood to the muscles that are going to demand it. Your joints will need to be lubricated. Your muscles will need to be loosened and receptive to the increased demand.
Joints have several things in them – cartilage, bones, and tendons, among other things. The secret to a healthy joint is the lubrication, which is done mainly with something called synovial fluid. Ordinarily, the joints are lubricated just enough to do normal daily activity, but when you step that up without fully lubricating the joint you really set yourself up for some injuries.
Muscles are like rubber bands, if you need the analogy. Throw a rubber band in the freezer for a while, then take it out and yank on it a bit. It’ll snap. Same concept with muscles – you need good blood flow and good temperature in order for it to stretch and contract appropriately.
Also, don’t just warm up the one muscle you think you’re going to use. For every exercise, even specific ones, you use stabilizing muscles, connectors, etc. Do a good overall warmup for the whole body.
When should we stretch, and how?
Stretching is not the same as warming up, although no one used to really know the difference. Sure, it still feels pretty good to stretch a little before you do some activity, but what are you trying to do? You’re trying to warm up those muscles. In reality, stretching should be done after your strength workout, not before (note: this applies differently to martial arts/yoga/etc, and things that require flexibility and range-of-motion to perform).
We stretch to extend the muscle fibers so they can get good blood flow through them, thus expelling lactic acid and all the nasty by-products of exercise, as well as increase general flexibility and range-of-motion. So it should be obvious why it doesn’t do much prior to a workout: first, much of strength training involves contracting muscles, not stretching (extending) them. So you’re being counterproductive to your stretching. Second, same rubber band analogy – in order to stretch your muscles safely, they need to be warmed up.
- On the other hand, after the workout you need to stretch (says the guy that hates stretching). Your muscles have lots of blood and lactic acid built up, and they are contracted. Stretching out the fibers allows blood flow through them, clearing out the nastiness and ensuring the fibers don’t stay short/contracted.
- How should we stretch? Nice and slow. Don’t bounce. Take it easy, stretch to a point at the “comfortable” line, and hold it. After 15-20 seconds, push it a little further and hold. Hold in total for 30-45 seconds. Less than 15 seconds is a waste. There are a bunch of advanced, specific stretching techniques out there, but for now just keep it simple. At a minimum, stretch the muscles you worked that day. To really do it right, stretch everything every time.
BASIC WARMUPS
- Rotational Exercises/Mobilization (joints): Every joint can and should be mobilized to get the synovial fluid moving. For all joints, think how they normally move. The idea behind mobilization is to take them through that range of motion slowly to open the joint and allow the fluids to get in there.
Neck
- NEVER do neck “circles”
- Instead, extend front-back and side-side to full range-of-motion, and hold for a second on each side. Don’t rotate and extend your neck at the same time.
Shoulders
- Circles (both directions). Start small, work bigger, nice and slow. The goal is lubrication, not warmup.
- Front-to-back
Elbows
- Often overlooked, but you should mobilize just like any other joint, particularly if you have prior injuries
- They only bend one way
Wrists and fingers
- Rotations
- Up-down
- Fingers, extend and contract
Hips
- Rotations
- Twist-at-waist
Knees
- Watch side movement – your knees are built more similar to your elbows than your shoulders. Knee circles are okay, but you need to turn your hips with them, and bend your knees well.
Ankles and toes
- Ankle circles
- Toes like fingers
Warming Up The Body
- The basic idea is to get your heart rate and core temperature up gradually. You don't want to start sprinting, just do some light movement for 5-15 minutes that will get your temperature up and your heart beating just a little faster. You don't want to be exhausted before you start exercising. :)
- Use basic movements
- Nice easy jogging, Jumping jacks, etc
BASIC EXERCISES (not all inclusive)
Pushups: Pushups work the chest (pectorals) and triceps mainly, but also help with shoulder strength and core strength
- Proper Form
• Head straight or looking up slightly; don’t drop your head
• Hands at shoulder height, roughly shoulder width/slightly wider
• Butt down!
• Down to elbows 90 degrees (or comfort level)
• Extend all the way at the top
- Variations and how to make it harder or easier
• Vary hand width
• Elevate feet (harder) or use knees (easier)
• Put hands or feet on bosu ball/stability ball/balance board
• Use exercise band across your back
Situps/Crunches: Situps/Crunches work the abdominal muscles and associated supporting muscles
- Proper Form
• Don’t pull on the head. EVER.
• Situps: knees at 90 degrees
• Crunches: feet down or up (different emphasis)
• Nice and slow – it’s not a race
• Keep breathing
- Variations and how to make it harder or easier
• Feet up
• Hold/Throw a weight/dumbbell/medicine ball
• Move your legs instead of your upper body
• Turn your hips (focus on obliques)
Planks: Planks work core strength and supporting muscles
- Proper Form
• On hands or elbows, same as pushup position (back straight, head straight)
• Hold it
- Variations and how to make it harder or easier
• Vary the length of time
• Lift one arm or leg
• Lift opposing arms or legs
• Elevate part of your body
• Hands or feet on stability ball/balance board
• Add weight
Squats: Squats are one of the most important exercises you can do. They work the legs primarily, but also help with core strength, back strength, and the endorphins released benefit all your muscles.
- Proper Form
• Feet shoulder width, feet pointed same direction as knees
• Head up – look parallel to ground or up at angle
• Back straight the whole time
• Sit back on your heels – try to keep your knees from coming forward
- Variations and how to make it harder or easier
• Exercise band under the feet
• Add weight (on shoulders or in front)
Running: Running (jogging) is cardiovascular in nature, meaning you need oxygen over time as you do it. The key to our discussion today is getting your heart rate up a little and keeping it there for an extended period of time.
- Proper form
• Relax
• Breathe
• Head up
• Good posture
• Relax
• Breathe
- Required equipment
• Running shoes (get these fitted at a specialty store). And really, no matter how you plan on exercising, you're going to want to get a decent pair of shoes.
Walking
- Is walking different than running? Maybe. But in terms of what we’re talking about, for exercise purposes, it involves getting your heart rate up a little and keeping it there.
- Could possibly fall into the daily activity side of the pyramid, depending on your effort level.
- Still need good shoes
BASIC EQUIPMENT
Exercise mat
- Do I need it? No. But it is extremely useful to keep you off a hard or cold floor, provide a little bit of padding, and can come to symbolize your “workout space” at home.
- How much does it cost? Generally $20 or so, although I’m sure you can spend more.
Stability ball
- Do I need it? No. But it provides a great way to mobilize your joints and a useful tool to augment exercises you already know how to do.
- What does a stability ball do? Provides an unstable platform on which to perform certain movements.
- How much does it cost? Generally, between $15 and $50, depending on where you buy it.
- How inflated do I need it? You want it soft enough to flex when you sit on it, but harder than a beanbag chair. This is a pretty wide window. I like to think that when you sit on it, your knees don't bend more than 90 degrees.
- Pros: cheap, not heavy, augments virtually every exercise
- Cons: takes up space in a corner
- What can I do with it?
• Warm up/mobilize/pre-habilitate
• Balance work
• Augment some exercises we’ve already done
• Other exercises/movements
Bosu ball
- Do I need it? No. But very similar to the stability ball, it provides a useful tool to augment existing exercises, as well as working on balance.
- What does a Bosu ball do? Same thing as a stability ball, except slightly more stable. It provides an uneven surface on which to perform movements, which triggers many of the supporting muscles.
- How much does it cost? Between $20 and $50, depending.
- Pros: Superb addition to most exercises
- Cons: Takes up space
- What can I do with it?
• Warm up/mobilize/pre-habilitate
• Balance/core work
• Augment exercises
Exercise bands
- Do I need them? No. But they are extremely useful for both augmenting exercises and pre-habilitation or rehabilitation of injured joints and muscles.
- What do exercise bands do? They provide resistance along the movement path, as well as adding small amounts of lateral stress to trigger supporting muscles.
- How much do they cost? Free (if you have a good doc) to $100+ (for specialized bands)
- Which strength should I get? Depends. Lighter ones are good for prehab/rehab/augmentation and heavier ones are good for independent exercises.
- Pros: fits in compact space, fairly cheap, can travel with you
- What can I do with them?
• Warm up/mobilize/pre-habilitate/re-habilitate
• Augment some exercises we’ve already done
• Other exercises/movements
Dumbbells
Do I need them? No. But they are excellent to add weight resistance to virtually any exercise.
- What do dumbbells do? They are simply weights to add resistance to any movement.
- How much do they cost? $5 (for one small pair) to $500+ (for variable or a huge set)
- What size should I get? Depends on your goal. A small pair (3 or 5 lbs) augments most exercises, whereas a variable pair or large variety allows you increasing augmentation as well as independent exercises.
- Types of dumbbells
• Individual
• Variable
• Water filled – an interesting option for travel
- Pros: perfect for strength training/pre-hab, variety of weights for your level
- Cons: can be bulky, heavy, tough to travel with (except very light ones), tend to sit on your floor gathering dust if you’re not VERY dedicated to them
- What can I do with them?
• Warm up/mobilize
• Augment some exercises we’ve already done
• Other exercises/movements
Medicine Balls
- Very similar to dumbbells, but good for gross motor movements and core strength. Also useful for explosive compound movements, like throwing.
- Do I need one? No. But a good medium-weight ball can add a significant amount of resistance to your workout for minimal cost.
- What do medicine balls do? Add weight (sometimes uneven weight) to any movement.
- How much does it cost? $10 - $50, depending on weight.
- What size should I get? Depends on how you work out.
Presumable bottom line: the more you invest in something, the more you have prioritized it
- If that was the case, there wouldn’t be 1000s of treadmills holding up dry cleaning in houses all over the country
Reality: your prioritization will determine your results, not how much you spend. If you can start working out and continue for a month, THEN consider augmenting your home workout with a new piece of equipment.
THE PLAN
Every person is different, and every person has different goals, needs, limitations, and capabilities. From that standpoint, my best advice to you is to invest in yourself. If you look at your getting in shape as a long-term investment, how much is that worth to you?
- Are you willing to invest time? How much?
- Are you willing to invest change? How much?
- Are you willing to invest money? How much?
We’ve talked about equipment and things you can spend money on. You could get a mat, a stability ball, and some surgical tubing and make a really good workout for yourself for under $50. For $100 you could add medicine balls and maybe a set or two of dumbbells.
But the best thing you could invest in is one visit to a personal trainer for a plan. Equipment is great, but without a plan you’re wasting your money. There are plenty of people – both at gyms and independent – that are qualified and motivated to help you develop a plan tailored to YOU.
You don’t need to sign up for a month, or even more than one visit (although two meetings is pretty standard – if you came to me, I'd ask you for two sessions, one to get all your information/goals/etc, and one a few days later to go over the plan with you). After that, it’s all you. At the end of it, you’ve dropped maybe $150 (and that’s on the expensive side), which is probably less than you’ll pay for a new pair of decent running shoes.
If you are the investment, then invest. You won’t regret it.
DEV’S ADVICE ON THINGS TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON FOR A HOME WORKOUT (IN ORDER):
- a planning session with a qualified personal trainer ($100-200)
- a good pair of running shoes ($100-200)
- hit up your favorite orthopedic surgeon or other doctor for some free surgical tubing instead of dropping money on exercise bands
- stability ball ($20-50 depending on type)
- exercise bands ($10-50 if you get different strengths)
- medicine balls ($10-100 if you get several sizes)
- dumbbells ($15-400 depending on number and style)
ONE LAST THING – WORKING OUT WHILE TRAVELING
- Most hotels nowadays have some sort of facility to work out, and several chains are investing millions of dollars into full gyms. If your workout is important to you, try to stay in one of these types of hotel.
- If you don’t have that option, you have the tools now to continue a bodyweight exercise program that will either follow what you’re doing or at least maintain your fitness until you get home.
- Exercise helps relieve jet lag as well as working off those cocktails you had before getting on the plane.
- Some of the equipment we’ve discussed – specifically, exercise bands and possibly some water-filled dumbbells – can be brought along with minimal effort, and if you’re used to using them can benefit your travelling workout greatly.
