Exercises you can do at home with no equipment?
- Thread starter Cromulent
- Start date
Man of Honour
Yes because that will be easy to do for someone who has basically never exercised, lol.
Op, there are many things you can do, you don't need a specific program, just try a few things and then focus on what you like. I've posted about Calisthenics a couple of times in threads here before, perhaps that will be a good starting point.
Soldato
remember decades back i would use a chair as a stepper for cardio and put an album on of a certain lenth as a time guide and for pace
got myself a 16 kg kettlebell last year and its the only think ive ever kept up to strenth wise ,i leave it where its in the way to remind me to use it
got myself a 16 kg kettlebell last year and its the only think ive ever kept up to strenth wise ,i leave it where its in the way to remind me to use it
Don't go on a diet, it wont work. Instead change your eating habits. If you are hungry more often you're doing something right. I lost a stone by cutting out those 'gap fillers' between meals. Get used to being hungry, when you loose your first 6-14 pounds you'll feel great and by then when you feel hungry you'll feel good about yourself.
Soldato
You can tell this was originally posted in GD from the replies (whoever recommended the Snake Diet guy should drink bleach, that guy claims he can cure cancer, AIDs etc).
OP - take a tri-pronged outlook at this
1) you're weak and want to be stronger; you don't need a gym for this but it's easier because gym equipment (barbells, dumbbells, machines) facilitate adding more weight over time progressively more easily. Lots of posters on here (me included) were overweight once but decided their desire to get fit outweighed their worry about being judged by other gym goers, which is largely all in your head at any decent gym, as most people are just there to get on with what they're doing. If you have an easily accessible gym near you, I'd recommend that over training at home. If you want to train at home, then ideally you need enough space (plus money and the right kind of space) for some decent equipment. If you just want to use bodyweight then that can be viable, but it's much easier for someone skinny to progress their ability to do pull-ups, for example, than someone who is very overweight, so you have to take that into account.
2) you're fat and want to be less fat. Training to be strong doesn't use up much energy compared to say, prolonged cardiovascular exercise, so it's crucial that you start moving your body about more. While you can start doing cardio, it's still not quite as important as what you're doing the rest of the day. In training/nutrition speak this is NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) - walking, carrying the shopping, going up the stairs, taking the dog out etc - and it's what accounts for the bulk of your daily energy expenditure. Use your phones built-in step tracker (or get the app) and start trying to reach a consistent number, then see how you can up that till you're moving around a respectable amount (there's no reason why 10k steps is the gold-standard, but it's a decent amount). Someone who is moderately active is going to have a much easier time losing weight than a couch potato, because the former will be able to eat more whilst still being in a calorie deficit due to the amount of energy needed to maintain their weight being higher.
3) outside of being a pro athlete, it's unlikely you can exercise so much you lose weight without changing your eating habits and that's a whole thread in itself. There's a huge variety of ways you can tackle this - which all achieve a consistent calorie deficit over time - but most of it's going to be down to which method suits your preferences and lifestyle and making long-term changes to your way of eating.
OP - take a tri-pronged outlook at this
1) you're weak and want to be stronger; you don't need a gym for this but it's easier because gym equipment (barbells, dumbbells, machines) facilitate adding more weight over time progressively more easily. Lots of posters on here (me included) were overweight once but decided their desire to get fit outweighed their worry about being judged by other gym goers, which is largely all in your head at any decent gym, as most people are just there to get on with what they're doing. If you have an easily accessible gym near you, I'd recommend that over training at home. If you want to train at home, then ideally you need enough space (plus money and the right kind of space) for some decent equipment. If you just want to use bodyweight then that can be viable, but it's much easier for someone skinny to progress their ability to do pull-ups, for example, than someone who is very overweight, so you have to take that into account.
2) you're fat and want to be less fat. Training to be strong doesn't use up much energy compared to say, prolonged cardiovascular exercise, so it's crucial that you start moving your body about more. While you can start doing cardio, it's still not quite as important as what you're doing the rest of the day. In training/nutrition speak this is NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) - walking, carrying the shopping, going up the stairs, taking the dog out etc - and it's what accounts for the bulk of your daily energy expenditure. Use your phones built-in step tracker (or get the app) and start trying to reach a consistent number, then see how you can up that till you're moving around a respectable amount (there's no reason why 10k steps is the gold-standard, but it's a decent amount). Someone who is moderately active is going to have a much easier time losing weight than a couch potato, because the former will be able to eat more whilst still being in a calorie deficit due to the amount of energy needed to maintain their weight being higher.
3) outside of being a pro athlete, it's unlikely you can exercise so much you lose weight without changing your eating habits and that's a whole thread in itself. There's a huge variety of ways you can tackle this - which all achieve a consistent calorie deficit over time - but most of it's going to be down to which method suits your preferences and lifestyle and making long-term changes to your way of eating.
Soldato
When I was younger I used to do a stamina regime.
Stretch your muscles first.
Lie down on a comfortable surface, a firm bed or the floor (preferably with a exercise mat) and lift your right arm up and down 10 times, so its at a 90 degree angle with your hand facing to the sky. Then stop, and do the same with your left arm. Then stop, and do the same with the right leg, then stop and do the same with the left leg. Do that a couple of times a week. After a month increase the 10 to 15 (or 20 depending on how you feel).
Then after a couple of months increase the lift numbers. If you haven't got anything wrong with your back try adding 5 push-up's in to the mix once a week when you've done the previous execises. Then gradually increase the push-up number after a few months.
As you get more endurance and higher numbers, you could also add special weights to your wrists and ankles.
I know when I was doing that by the end of it I could do 200 push-ups, and the leg and arms lifts were at 400 with weights on without any problem. I noticed I had lots of energy and hardly got out of breath when I was running around the field playing football like I had before.
The trick is to start very low intensity and just build it in to your weekly routine. Don't rush it.
Stretch your muscles first.
Lie down on a comfortable surface, a firm bed or the floor (preferably with a exercise mat) and lift your right arm up and down 10 times, so its at a 90 degree angle with your hand facing to the sky. Then stop, and do the same with your left arm. Then stop, and do the same with the right leg, then stop and do the same with the left leg. Do that a couple of times a week. After a month increase the 10 to 15 (or 20 depending on how you feel).
Then after a couple of months increase the lift numbers. If you haven't got anything wrong with your back try adding 5 push-up's in to the mix once a week when you've done the previous execises. Then gradually increase the push-up number after a few months.
As you get more endurance and higher numbers, you could also add special weights to your wrists and ankles.
I know when I was doing that by the end of it I could do 200 push-ups, and the leg and arms lifts were at 400 with weights on without any problem. I noticed I had lots of energy and hardly got out of breath when I was running around the field playing football like I had before.
The trick is to start very low intensity and just build it in to your weekly routine. Don't rush it.
Soldato
Use old pop bottles, fill them with sand if you have some laying about, or failing that good old water. Stick them in a rugged rucksack or bag... Home made weights.
But as already suggested, if you have access to a bike and ideally some quiet incline roads where you can chase your PBs and then recover on the flat/downhill, use it for up to an hour most days.
But as already suggested, if you have access to a bike and ideally some quiet incline roads where you can chase your PBs and then recover on the flat/downhill, use it for up to an hour most days.
Associate
- Joined
- 1 Dec 2017
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- 303
Another vote for Joe Wicks youtube channel.
You can do so much with just a pull up bar and a kettlebell if you really don't want to go to/pay for the gym. Running outside is always free and if you're self conscious then a brisk walk is still shattering.
For losing weight though it is almost exclusively about what you're eating. Get myfitnesspal, count EVERYTHING, and stick to less than 2000 kcals.
Don't fret about giving up on what you enjoy, but try to make slightly healthier choices when you can and so long as you count it, then you'll never go overboard.
You can do so much with just a pull up bar and a kettlebell if you really don't want to go to/pay for the gym. Running outside is always free and if you're self conscious then a brisk walk is still shattering.
For losing weight though it is almost exclusively about what you're eating. Get myfitnesspal, count EVERYTHING, and stick to less than 2000 kcals.
Don't fret about giving up on what you enjoy, but try to make slightly healthier choices when you can and so long as you count it, then you'll never go overboard.
Start off relatively light and gradually increase what you do. Walks before breakfast, with an audio lol for example, would be a great start.
Once you start seeing results motivation becomes much easier.
And as most others have said, it's really all about diet.
Once you start seeing results motivation becomes much easier.
And as most others have said, it's really all about diet.
Associate
- Joined
- 1 Dec 2017
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- 303
The best one liner I ever heard that may not be strictly true but really simplifies things was: "Diet gets the weight off, exercise keeps it off".
Caporegime
You can do a full glute workout with just body weight.
Press ups, sit ups, dips etc all doable.
Press ups, sit ups, dips etc all doable.
Soldato
I've been doing lose belly fat in 30 days via an app. It's been 30 days but I'm only 15 days into the routine because I'm slack. It's a good laugh and I'm improving!
Lots of crunches, planks etc.
Lots of crunches, planks etc.
Soldato
- Joined
- 25 Nov 2005
- Posts
- 12,637
Are all these HIIT workouts pretty much the same when it comes to calorie burns and staying in shape ?
I'm wanting to reduce my daily hourly cycle down to 30mins and throw in one of these 30min HIIT workouts, just not sure which one to pick (P90 worked well for me in the past but I don't want to do it for an hour)
I'm wanting to reduce my daily hourly cycle down to 30mins and throw in one of these 30min HIIT workouts, just not sure which one to pick (P90 worked well for me in the past but I don't want to do it for an hour)
Soldato
I have a (fairly wide but not very high) stool in the living room. When the house is quiet I'll fire up a TV show I've recorded and step my way through it. If I'm not motivated to get off the sofa I do bicycle kicks until my thighs and abdomen have had enough.
I hate upper body exercises and have no need or desire to look like Arnold Schwartchelump, but I do cheaty press-ups angled at 45% supporting myself on the back of a chair while watching the telly. I do have a DIY trapeze bar set up in the garage which can be used for pull-ups, but it's mainly there to help me de-cramp and straighten my useless back after gardening.
The best exercise by far though is walking. The high impact stuff makes fitter but also makes you sweaty and hungry, challenging your resolve unnecessarily. Walking fairly quickly gets you away from the fridge and feeds your soul instead, because it's what we're designed to do in between sprinting after prey (running into Tesco for a can of pop and Double Decker doesn't count, sadly).
Soldato
sort your eating habbits out and walk.
then do pushups and air squats.
I wasted so much time at the gym eating aload of crap and getting no where. And if you are worried about joining a gym join a smaller gym that's more specialist like powerlifting/crossfit/strongman etc they actually have a community and people will help you out.
I go to a strength gym which mainly does strongman stuff and we have people who struggle to quarter squat with no weight and cant walk without joint pain all the way through to world class athletes. take the leap it might just change your life!
then do pushups and air squats.
I wasted so much time at the gym eating aload of crap and getting no where. And if you are worried about joining a gym join a smaller gym that's more specialist like powerlifting/crossfit/strongman etc they actually have a community and people will help you out.
I go to a strength gym which mainly does strongman stuff and we have people who struggle to quarter squat with no weight and cant walk without joint pain all the way through to world class athletes. take the leap it might just change your life!
Soldato
Yes MFP. change your attitude to food and just get out there and start moving. Walk up and down the road, around the block, whatever. Just start doing it. Stay disciplined, set yourself realistic targets for improvement and that weight will come off.