Training at home(a little help for you)
Training at home for the beginner or novice!
Training at home will rarely be as effective as training in a commercial gym where there is a greater selection of equipment. In a commercial gym the atmosphere is a major factor as it is easier to push yourself if others around you are working hard. This does not mean that one cannot improve their physique development at home. They can, it just takes a lot of discipline and acceptance of the fact that the variety of exercises available to them are limited. What I am going to do is list a number of exercises for each major body part and it is up to you to mix n match the exercises to suit your own personal situation. This is by no means an exhaustive list but it is more than adequate to get you started. Ideally you will do 3 weights sessions per week and each session should last between 35 to 50 minutes.
Legs & Calf’s
Squats – hold 2 heavy DB’s at arms length (by your side) and perform 4 sets of 12 reps.
Phantom Chair – sit against a wall as if you were sitting in a chair with your hips slightly lower than your knees, perform 4 sets of 30 – 120 seconds.
Calf Raises – stand on a secure step and perform either one leg at a time, two at a time or one leg whilst holding a DB and perform 4 sets of 20 reps per leg.
Leg Lunges – hold 2 moderate DB’s at arms length step forward with your right leg whilst your left leg bends until your left knee almost touches the floor – return to the start position and do the same with your left leg and repeat. – 4 sets of 12 reps per leg.
Tuck Jumps – Stand with feet together, knees soft and arms by your sides – jump as high as you can aiming knees towards your chest (don’t bring your chest down to knees!) – Land on bent knees and repeat. 4 sets of 10
Chest & Arms
Bench Press – using either a barbell or DB’s perform 4 sets of 10 reps
Push-Ups - hands at shoulder width perform 3 sets of 10 – 25 reps
Close Arm Push-Ups – hands are no more than 4 inches apart – perform 3 sets of 10 – 25
Wide Arm Push-Ups – hands are wider than shoulder width – perform 3 sets of 8 – 12 reps (be careful as this places a lot of stress on the shoulders) Editor’s note: To make any push-up more demanding raise your feet off the ground
Arm Curls – Using DB’s or suitably heavy items from the home (excluding pets!) - Perform 3 sets of 12 reps – do these with your back against a wall to ensure that you use correct form and to place added stress to your biceps.
Dips – Placing your hands on a chair and your feet on another chair, then whilst using the strength of your arms (triceps) to support you, flex your elbows so that your backside is lowered towards the floor, straighten your arms to raise yourself up again and repeat. Perform 4 sets of 10 – 12 slow and controlled reps.
Arm Punches - stand with feet shoulder width apart, knees soft and fists clenched. Keep arms at shoulder height and punch forward conscious of putting your full bodyweight into each punch. To make this slightly harder you can hold very light DB’s or 2 bags of sugar etc. Perform 4 sets of 90 seconds at a consistent pace.
Back and Shoulders
Shoulder Press – Using a barbell, DB’s or 2 heavy household items – start with your hands by your shoulders and press until they are at arms length – lower back down and repeat. Perform 3 sets of 12 reps.
Shrugs – Using a barbell, DB’s or a heavy household item, like a table or two chairs etc. – standing straight with knees soft hold the item at arms length (either in front of you or at your sides) - proceed to raise your shoulders towards your ears hold for a second and lower back down under control and repeat. Perform 3 sets of 8 – 12 reps.
Single arms Rows – Place a heavy DB or item on the floor next to a bench or chair. Grasp the weight in your right hand and place your left hand on the bench or chair to brace your body in a position parallel with the floor throughout your set. Put your left foot forward and right foot to the rear. Pull the item or DB off the floor until it touches your chest, slowly lower the item towards the floor and repeat. Perform 3 sets of 8 – 12 reps.
What part does cardio play in all of this?
If you are overweight then performing 2 cardio sessions per week in accordance with good medical practice is certainly worthwhile. These sessions should be 30 – 45 minutes in duration and at an intensity that allows you to maintain a conversation i.e. you should not be completely out of breath. The point to remember here is that when you are performing cardio the most important thing is the amount of time you spend exercising and not the intensity. For example say you are getting your exercise via walking it is not a stroll but rather a brisk walk. Put a bit of effort into it. If you are young (under 30) and healthy and wish to perform cardio then I would suggest that you do 2 sessions per week of about 40 minutes in duration.
This is how I would structure your sessions:
7.5 minutes warm-up at a moderate pace
25 minutes of 1 minute hard and 1 minute easy
7.5 minutes cool-down at a moderate pace
The best form of aerobic exercise is either cycling or running (preferably outdoors). Hard means running or cycling fast but not quite sprinting. I am assuming that you are aiming to look more like a 100m sprinter than a marathon runner. To look like a sprinter you must train like a sprinter, it’s that simple.
What part does nutrition play in all this?
If you are trying to “bulk-up” or gain muscle then you must consume enough calories to ensure that your body has the fuel to build muscle. If you are overweight and hoping to gain muscle whilst losing fat then you to must consume adequate calories to allow muscle to be built. A few very simple rules to follow to ensure weight gain is mostly muscle as opposed to fat:
Eat for what you are about to do and not for what you have just done.
Try and consume balanced meals every 3 hours.
Choose the healthy option more often than the less healthy option i.e. brown versus white bread or diet coke versus regular coke.
Increase your protein intake, decrease your fat intake and choose complex carbohydrates over simple carbohydrates i.e. Weetabix versus Coco Pops.
Consume between 4 and 8 pints of water daily.
Consume more calories on your weight training days and slightly less on your cardio days. Don’t starve yourself on your cardio days – you should always be consuming more calories now than you were before (unless you were/are overweight).
Consider the use of some basic nutritional supplements.
Accept the fact that if you go from 130lbs to 150lbs that your waist size WILL increase.
Think long term and do not expect miracles in a month. If I were YOU – I would consider a gain of 14 lbs in 6 months to be superb gains. Be patient and accept the fact that muscle gains are not easily achieved – if you have the correct mental attitude then you are less likely to stuff your face with anything in the vain attempt to gain weight that bit quicker. It is vital that you remember that your goal is an increase in lean muscle mass and not just weight gain.
Be consistent; stay focused and best of luck!
Nutritional Supplements:
There are literally hundreds to choose from but only a few which are of any use to the beginner. I would recommend:
Creatine Monohydrate – taken twice daily
Whey Protein – take 2-3 servings daily
Maltodextrin – take 2-3 servings daily
A good multi-vitamin plus extra vitamin C – take once or twice daily.
Editor’s note: When taking supplements the most important thing is to be consistent in your usage of them. Take them at the same time every-day and remember that they are not your answer but rather an aid to correct training and a sound diet.
