Help without gym

[Lukas239]

So I've become a fat bd, physically and habitually. On top of that I've noticed my fitness worsening to levels it's never been at.

Previously been keen on the gym; something about everything I need in one place means I'm happy to get in, work hard for an hour, get out. What with covid (massive excuse I know), that's off the cards for now.

I've tried running. I can train to an arbitrary target (10k recently) then I just stop. Plus it's mentally hard work for me to get out and do it.

Unfortunately I don't have the space for anything more than a set of dumbbells/kettlebell either without going outside.

I'm well aware anything is possible with some commitment and innovation, but what ideas have you got/used to stay fit without access to a gym?

[TheThing]

I have a free standing pull up up bar in my back garden with a set of rings hanging from it. Also got the following;

7 x kettlebells ranging from 16kg - 32kg
10kg weight vest
5 x resistance bands
2 x skipping ropes
1 x Swiss ball



Pretty much all I need. All my kit apart from the pull up bar in the garden takes up a peice of floor space less than a metre square. Although I would love a heavy tractor tyre for pulling/dragging/flipping.

Edited by TheThing on Tuesday 10th November 13:32

Edited by TheThing on Tuesday 10th November 13:51

[daveco]

The best thing you can do is to set a timer on your phone to get up and walk around your office/house for 5 minutes every 30 minutes.

Perform body squats, press ups and if you have them, try and curl a few weights. The weights can be anything that offers resistance (bottle of water in a shopping bag).

Here is a good website for strength standards that includes bodyweight exercises https://strengthlevel.com/strength-standards


The key point is what you can measure is what you can value.

So try and do 10,000 steps a day, or a certain amount per week (loads of free apps on your mobile for counting steps)

Try do to a certain amount of press ups, body squats etc per week.

The important thing is progress.

Eat more protein to satiate your appetite. This will also help with maintaining lean mass and fat loss.

Sleep is incredibly important as well, so no coffee etc after 3pm every day.

[bigandclever]

Have you had a look for any outdoor gyms in your area? I only ask because in the last month I’ve found 2 within a couple of miles of my house that have been there for ages and I never even knew

OK, they’re not that exciting, but there are loads of body weight apparatus.

[ukwill]

I've previously used a fantastic app called "Mark Lauren Bodyweight Training".

It has guided programs / quick workouts or you can build your own entire program from a heap of individual exercises (each with a video showing how to do the exercise). All timed, and all done without any requirement for weights - he specifically uses stuff around the house as props!

I think I paid £3 for it as a one time purchase.

Alternatively, youtube has loads of bodyweight/calisthenics workouts.

[Evoluzione]

I've got some logs which need chopping.

[TheThing]

Evoluzione said:

I've got some logs which need chopping.

Thats my kind of workout. Proper useful real life fitness.

[RizzoTheRat]

Lukas239 said:

I've tried running. I can train to an arbitrary target (10k recently) then I just stop. Plus it's mentally hard work for me to get out and do it.

I'm lazy, I know exactly what you mean about mentally hard work to get out and do it. 2 things I've found really help with exercise, although not much help until lockdown ends...

• Incorporate exercise in to your routine. I'm lucky enough to live within cycling distance of work and I never drive in. I generally try to walk in once or twice a week and run home. I set of with good intentions in the morning and by the time I decide I can't be bothered to run home it's too late, it's either run or walk I'm working from home a lot more at the moment so needed to get a little more creative, I needed some bread today so I went for a lunchtime run and bought a loaf while I was out. On Thursdays I go for a lunch run and finish at the local market. My push bike is now my main mode of transport, the car only gets used for longer journeys. I used to use the car to nip to the local shop, which just seems crazy to me now.

• Focus on the social aspect, either team sports or meeting mates for exercise is a big motivator. Parkrun is a massive thing for me, through that I joined a local running club, and now I meet up with mates for a run (and at the weekends a post run coffee or breakfast) which I'm far more likely to do than going out on my own. It also helps massively that wife runs so it's something we can do together, or she will nag me in to going for a run We're limited how many people we can meet at the moment but have still managed to meet up with meet up with a few mates for a run and coffee on Saturdays until the last couple of weeks.

[gregs656]

You can do tons with a pull up bar, gymnastic rings and resistance bands.

I'd like some kettle bells too but haven't got round to it yet.

[fat80b]

Cycling for me. I try and go every morning after the school run. Anywhere from 20 mins to an hour or so. Probably do 4 times a week.
I find that it helps both physically and mentally - I missed the cycle to work where I would get my day's priorities lined up in my mind so I put the cycle back in and it definitely helps start the day in the right way.

I also have dumbbells next to my desk / in the doorway to the office and try to do a few reps every time I return to my desk.... Partly as a punishment for being distracted but mostly because it is good for me...

[AndyDRZ]

bigandclever said:

Have you had a look for any outdoor gyms in your area? I only ask because in the last month I’ve found 2 within a couple of miles of my house that have been there for ages and I never even knew

OK, they’re not that exciting, but there are loads of body weight apparatus.

Other than driving around and hoping to find one, is there a way to tracking these down ? My Google Fu is failing me.

[bigandclever]

Your mileage may vary .... https://www.tgogc.com/find-a-gym