If President Obama’s $787 billion stimulus hasn’t made it’s way to your pocket yet and you’re looking for ways to cut back, your gym membership may be on the chopping block of monthly expenses. Not having a gym to go to anymore doesn’t mean your training or fitness goals have to suffer. Take the opportunity to try something new, get creative, and explore your surroundings. Just outside your door there is a whole world of things to climb, jump over and run around. In your living room or garage there is plenty of space to train with body weight and minimal equipment, as well. Let’s look at some practical ways to build your own home gym and cut the cord on that gym membership.
Bodyweight training is free, requires a small amount of room, and is great place to start. Training tools like heavy ropes, sandbags, pull up bars, and gymnastic rings can all be made from household items in your garage or with materials purchased at your local home improvement store. Craigslist’s sporting section and Ebay are great places to find discounted equipment and weights as well.
For variety and a great way to keep your home clutter-free, visit your neighborhood playground for some free outdoor training equipment. Jungle gym training with pull-ups and dips provide a one stop shop for your upper body. Plyometric jumps outdoors, and box jumping on park benches are another great alternative for the lower half.
Kettlebells are pricey, but can replace an entire gym full of equipment. Start your collection with one, and build up from there. I once took a break from the gym for about 18 months and trained almost exclusively with kettlebells. My conditioning base, flexibility, grip strength, and explosiveness were all greatly improved and brought a well needed balance to my body that I didn’t get from traditional strength training.
In summary, the training possibilities are endless outside of the gym. Training at home, the park, or outdoors can not only save you money and time but is also a great way to confuse your body and get out of a rut.
For other ideas contact kyle@striveperformance.com, and if you are in the San Antonio area set up an appointment for some out of the box fun.