If you think you need a membership to a fancy gym or fitness center to pack on significant amounts of muscle, you are dead wrong. With a straight forward home weight training program and a few simple pieces of equipment, you can build muscle and strength, and improve flexibility... and experience results as good or better than you would at the gym.
I've been training from home for the last two years, and it's been working out well for me.
Here the reasons I prefer to weight train from home:
- It saves me the time I would normally spend driving back and forth the the gym
- I can schedule my workouts around other things in my life... Sometimes I split my workout up into two sessions a day
- It saves me the $100/mo I would normally be spending on a gym membership
- Allows me to really focus. I find the gym to be distracting at times
Anyway, you get the point... there are some significant benefits to weight training from home. Now I'll tell you more about the equipment, as well as the routine's that have worked well for me.
Home Weight Training Equipment
I'll give you a run-down of my current home weight training equipment setup. Keep in mind that you do not need everything listed here in order to see great results. If you have a tight budget, you can get by without anything fancy (I'll get into that in another post).
Dumbbells
Pull-up / Dip Station
Resistance Bands
Workout Bench
Exercise Ball
Exercise Mat
Home Weight Training Programs
I've experimented with many different home weight training programs, and have found that for my lifestyle and schedule, a 5 day on 2 day off split program works best for my schedule.
It's a really simple program, but works.
Day 1: Back, Chest Legs
Day 2: Shoulders, Arms, Core/Abs
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|
Back: Pull-ups (3-4 sets) Legs: Lunges (3 sets) Chest: Dips (4 sets) |
Shoulders: Dumbbell Press (2 sets) Biceps: Dumbbell Curls (3 sets) Triceps: Narrow Grip Press (3 sets) Abs: Crunches (3 sets) |
Back: Dumbbell Deadlift (3-4 sets) Legs: Lunges (3 sets) Chest: Dumbbell Bench Press (3 sets) |
Shoulders: Lateral Dumbbell Raise (3 sets) Biceps: Narrow Grip Pull-up (3-4 sets) Triceps: Skull Crushers (3-4 sets) Abs: Leg Raises, Crunches etc. |
Back: Pull-ups (3-4 sets) Legs: Squats (3 sets) Chest: Dumbbell Press & Push-ups |
Full body stretch | Full body stretch |
In terms of repetitions, I generally change that up either weekly or on a per workout basis. Other than abdominals where I usually aim for 12-40 reps per exercise, I stick with a rep range of between 6-12 for the most part for all other body parts. Ocassionally I'll have an endurance workout (or week) where I perform 15-25 reps of a lighter weight for each exercise.
Remember, as long as you keep organized and track your routine, changing thing up is essential to muscle growth. If you keep performing the same workout, your body will plateau quickly.
Considerations When Weight Training From Home
If you are considering eliminating the gym workouts entirely, then I strongly suggest that you keep these tips in mind:
- Invest as much as your budget permits into your equpment. This will ensure variety in your workouts.
- Set your home gym equipment up in a private area that is clutter free. Put up pictures or mirrors on the wall for motivation.
- If you find music motivational ( I know I do!), then make sure you have a sound system setup with your favorite tunes.
- Get into the "zone" during your workouts, and avoid distractions like the TV, phone, computer etc.
Remember, building muscle isnt difficult if you are consistent and persistant. Not only consistent and persistant in terms of training, but also in terms of eating, tracking your routine etc. The bottom line is that training from home will yield results no different than if you were to train at a gym. If you have never worked out at home and are considering trying it, I highly recommend it.
