Resistance training for the lazy, WFH Edition
Discussion
I’ve never really enjoyed exercise, and hence, I don’t tend to stick to it very long, especially if it’s repetitive and boring.
Over the years I’ve done some weight training and got some results, but overall, I always felt to get results I would have to change my entire lifestyle and not just lift weights, but was never willing or committed enough to do so.
Lockdown happened, gyms closed, I downsized my house so no longer had the luxury of having a dedicated bedroom with a squat rack, bar and whatnot.
I have been left with a set of dumbells and a fair few weight plates. I did start trying to do it twice a week, but again, I don’t ever seem to stick to it. There’s always something else to do.
Now, I appreciate this post will not be for anyone who is properly into bodybuilding / powerlifting as it simply won’t get the results that they strive for. This for the everyday Joe like me who doesn’t like exercise and will make any excuse not to do it, and isn’t bothered about being the next Arnold...
Also with working from home permanently now, I used to be on my feet a lot more, and now, I have found the amount of hours that I was seated was becoming a huge concern. I could feel my body seizing up, and it was surely a slow death sentence.
I’ve came up with an idea to kill two birds with one stone, and take mini exercise breaks. This forces me to move, which is good, but also means I don’t spend very long at all actually doing the exercise, so it helps with my motivation, which is important for someone like me who will find excuses not to do exercise.
My routine is performed daily, and is as follows:-
Day 1 - Squats, Press ups, 10 reps
Day 2 - Lunges, Bent over rows, 10 reps
Day 3 - Stiff legged deadlift, Shoulder press 10 reps
Day 4 - Sit ups, Bicep curls 10 reps
I will perform these every day, and I will do a set:-
Before work
Morning break
Lunchtime
Afternoon break
After work
Each set takes literally 2 minutes so there is no excuse not to, and I actually feel as much muscular benefit if not more so than my 2 day a week routine that I didn’t always stick to.
Just wondering if anyone else has had good results with such an unconventional routine? I like to call it the lazy mans weightlifting
Anyway, I’m sure most won’t be interested at all, but for those like me who suffer from lazyitis, then give it a go
Over the years I’ve done some weight training and got some results, but overall, I always felt to get results I would have to change my entire lifestyle and not just lift weights, but was never willing or committed enough to do so.
Lockdown happened, gyms closed, I downsized my house so no longer had the luxury of having a dedicated bedroom with a squat rack, bar and whatnot.
I have been left with a set of dumbells and a fair few weight plates. I did start trying to do it twice a week, but again, I don’t ever seem to stick to it. There’s always something else to do.
Now, I appreciate this post will not be for anyone who is properly into bodybuilding / powerlifting as it simply won’t get the results that they strive for. This for the everyday Joe like me who doesn’t like exercise and will make any excuse not to do it, and isn’t bothered about being the next Arnold...
Also with working from home permanently now, I used to be on my feet a lot more, and now, I have found the amount of hours that I was seated was becoming a huge concern. I could feel my body seizing up, and it was surely a slow death sentence.
I’ve came up with an idea to kill two birds with one stone, and take mini exercise breaks. This forces me to move, which is good, but also means I don’t spend very long at all actually doing the exercise, so it helps with my motivation, which is important for someone like me who will find excuses not to do exercise.
My routine is performed daily, and is as follows:-
Day 1 - Squats, Press ups, 10 reps
Day 2 - Lunges, Bent over rows, 10 reps
Day 3 - Stiff legged deadlift, Shoulder press 10 reps
Day 4 - Sit ups, Bicep curls 10 reps
I will perform these every day, and I will do a set:-
Before work
Morning break
Lunchtime
Afternoon break
After work
Each set takes literally 2 minutes so there is no excuse not to, and I actually feel as much muscular benefit if not more so than my 2 day a week routine that I didn’t always stick to.
Just wondering if anyone else has had good results with such an unconventional routine? I like to call it the lazy mans weightlifting
Anyway, I’m sure most won’t be interested at all, but for those like me who suffer from lazyitis, then give it a go
That workout is barely a warm up, and realistically, if your feeling that more than your 2 workouts a week, then your not doing enough.
You probably want to be doing at least 5 sets of each for it to have an effect, if you work on the pronciple that 1 rep is maybe 1 calorie at best, then your not burning alot per workout.
You probably want to be doing at least 5 sets of each for it to have an effect, if you work on the pronciple that 1 rep is maybe 1 calorie at best, then your not burning alot per workout.
I kind of envisaged this sort of response, which is why I qualified it by saying it's not for gym bunnies.
Technically it's 5 sets per day over two 2 exercises.
It's not meant to get me big or anything like that, as it's clearly not going to do that; it is merely a way of making sure I do something so I don't seize up and to try and reduce the effects of being sat down too long, while providing some muscular stimulation and being sustainable for people like me.
I guess it's the principle of doing something is better than nothing. With the equipment I've got and the motivation levels I have, I don't think it's such a bad routine personally.
Also where did I say it was about burning calories?
Honestly I feel better for it, but I understand the skepticism however I think you're both misunderstanding the goal here.
Technically it's 5 sets per day over two 2 exercises.
It's not meant to get me big or anything like that, as it's clearly not going to do that; it is merely a way of making sure I do something so I don't seize up and to try and reduce the effects of being sat down too long, while providing some muscular stimulation and being sustainable for people like me.
I guess it's the principle of doing something is better than nothing. With the equipment I've got and the motivation levels I have, I don't think it's such a bad routine personally.
Also where did I say it was about burning calories?
Honestly I feel better for it, but I understand the skepticism however I think you're both misunderstanding the goal here.
Edited by TameRacingDriver on Thursday 5th November 14:46
I'm with you TRD.
Lockdown v1.0 I was WFH April and May. Had the bar and plates in the garden and just did a few squats, OHP and deads every now and again. Was great to keep myself moving and retain/build a little muscle mass. Should've kept it up but only lasted 4-6 weeks. Haven't done anything for months now and it definitely shows.
Lockdown v1.0 I was WFH April and May. Had the bar and plates in the garden and just did a few squats, OHP and deads every now and again. Was great to keep myself moving and retain/build a little muscle mass. Should've kept it up but only lasted 4-6 weeks. Haven't done anything for months now and it definitely shows.
https://darebee.com/
Body weight exercises with a variety of exercises and times to suit your needs. Will be much more useful than what you’re doing
Body weight exercises with a variety of exercises and times to suit your needs. Will be much more useful than what you’re doing
Stop finding excuses and find a way! There's no excuse for your average healthy person to not get any exercise. No time? Then get up half hour earlier. Can't be bothered? Then stop being lazy! Tired? Then drink a cup of coffee. You can get a quality workout done in 20 minutes. That is just over 1% of your day. If you do then you will be a better and healthier man for it. You will feel better mentally as well.
Puck said:
Looks good to me. The best workout is the one that you actually do. If it works for you, then great. You can always change the exercises (theres more than a lifetimes variation if you spend 5 mins on Youtube), the important thing is that you do it.
Thanks and yes, exactly. It's all very well people saying to me to just make time, man up or whatever. I've been having this battle for 20 years so anything I can do to that I can actually stick to is obviously going to be best. I have to get up and stretch my legs anyway so adding 2 minutes resistance training to it seems like a no brainer. TameRacingDriver said:
Puck said:
Looks good to me. The best workout is the one that you actually do. If it works for you, then great. You can always change the exercises (theres more than a lifetimes variation if you spend 5 mins on Youtube), the important thing is that you do it.
Thanks and yes, exactly. It's all very well people saying to me to just make time, man up or whatever. I've been having this battle for 20 years so anything I can do to that I can actually stick to is obviously going to be best. I have to get up and stretch my legs anyway so adding 2 minutes resistance training to it seems like a no brainer. Stick with it.
''The UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines report recommends breaking up long periods of sitting time with activity for just 1 to 2 minutes''
"Even if you exercise for an hour a day, you're still at higher risk for heart disease if you're sitting for eight hours every day"
Anabolic aliens on youtube - loads of 5 min routines/tabata that you can cannibalise down to 1 or 2 mins if you want. Or more.Use dumbells. Or not. Every hour on the hour. Or more. Or less. Loads of other good vids - all free!
''The UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines report recommends breaking up long periods of sitting time with activity for just 1 to 2 minutes''
"Even if you exercise for an hour a day, you're still at higher risk for heart disease if you're sitting for eight hours every day"
Anabolic aliens on youtube - loads of 5 min routines/tabata that you can cannibalise down to 1 or 2 mins if you want. Or more.Use dumbells. Or not. Every hour on the hour. Or more. Or less. Loads of other good vids - all free!
TheThing said:
I get what you are saying about being told to make time or man up. It sounds harsh but its true. It really is as simple as getting up earlier and just doing it! For most people after the first couple of months they lose motivation and its understandable because life gets in the way and problems arise etc. But the motivation needs to be replaced by self discipline if you want results.
Again, you seem to be someone who enjoys exercise. You need to understand that there are people that, no matter how well intentioned, will simply end up finding excuses not to do it for whatever reason. It’s all very well talking about motivation and discipline, but as I said, I’ve a 20 year track record at failing at it. With this regime, I’m getting a similar workout than before, but splitting it up into more manageable chunks is helping massively. If anything, I am actually doing resistance exercise more than before. You may ask, if I cannot commit to a standard 3-4X / week routine, then why would I stick to this? Well, there are no guarantees. However, the fact is, for me, it is far easier to stomach 2 minutes of exertion, several times a day, than spend 30-45 minutes doing a repetitive routine.
Puck said:
Stick with it.
''The UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines report recommends breaking up long periods of sitting time with activity for just 1 to 2 minutes''
"Even if you exercise for an hour a day, you're still at higher risk for heart disease if you're sitting for eight hours every day"
Anabolic aliens on youtube - loads of 5 min routines/tabata that you can cannibalise down to 1 or 2 mins if you want. Or more.Use dumbells. Or not. Every hour on the hour. Or more. Or less. Loads of other good vids - all free!
I will, thanks ''The UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines report recommends breaking up long periods of sitting time with activity for just 1 to 2 minutes''
"Even if you exercise for an hour a day, you're still at higher risk for heart disease if you're sitting for eight hours every day"
Anabolic aliens on youtube - loads of 5 min routines/tabata that you can cannibalise down to 1 or 2 mins if you want. Or more.Use dumbells. Or not. Every hour on the hour. Or more. Or less. Loads of other good vids - all free!
It honestly seems like a no brainer. This and a daily 30 minute minimum brisk walk seem to strike a nice balance of effort v’s reward. TameRacingDriver said:
TheThing said:
I get what you are saying about being told to make time or man up. It sounds harsh but its true. It really is as simple as getting up earlier and just doing it! For most people after the first couple of months they lose motivation and its understandable because life gets in the way and problems arise etc. But the motivation needs to be replaced by self discipline if you want results.
Again, you seem to be someone who enjoys exercise. You need to understand that there are people that, no matter how well intentioned, will simply end up finding excuses not to do it for whatever reason. It’s all very well talking about motivation and discipline, but as I said, I’ve a 20 year track record at failing at it. With this regime, I’m getting a similar workout than before, but splitting it up into more manageable chunks is helping massively. If anything, I am actually doing resistance exercise more than before. You may ask, if I cannot commit to a standard 3-4X / week routine, then why would I stick to this? Well, there are no guarantees. However, the fact is, for me, it is far easier to stomach 2 minutes of exertion, several times a day, than spend 30-45 minutes doing a repetitive routine.
That shouldn't get you down, that should be your focus. Find something you like, and have access to, then stick with it, and when the time comes when you have an excuse to quit, don't. Do it anyway, then when you see how far you've come you'll have that positive feedback you need to keep you going.
Because exercise for any sort of gain, be it weight loss, CV health, muscle, strength, whatever, gets progressively harder, not easier. If you can't find a way to enjoy it, you never will stick to it. Look at things that impress you, then learn to do them.
Also, warm up, you will get injured.
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