HOW TO TRAIN WHILE YOUR GYM IS CLOSED

[Bio]

Please stay on topic in this thread! There are other threads on COVID-19 to discuss social distancing, etc. Thank you!!

 

[jeroendebleser]

Just ordered this cage here, along with a bench, barbell, plates and a few grips for the pulldown and pulley on the bottom - it also comes with a dip bar, so that should have me covered for a while no matter what happens in the future hahaView attachment 115258

That looks great. I'm jealous

 

[tkav1980]

Just ordered this cage here, along with a bench, barbell, plates and a few grips for the pulldown and pulley on the bottom - it also comes with a dip bar, so that should have me covered for a while no matter what happens in the future hahaView attachment 115258

That's literally all you could even need IMO. Even when I train at a commercial gym the only other thing I'd use was a leg curl. Everything else was done in the cage or on the bench.

 

[brewu4]

Jeez. This is so shitty for most people I’m in southern Cali and I work at a private facility I’m so thankful to still be able to squat/dead/ bench heavy. We have cables, reverse hyper, ghd, couple free motion machines pull down... missing hammer strength presses and rows and hack squat but other than that I’m pretty good. Anyone in Orange County hit me up

 

[austrianoak]

That's literally all you could even need IMO. Even when I train at a commercial gym the only other thing I'd use was a leg curl. Everything else was done in the cage or on the bench.

Yeah very true, I think I‘ll use this as an opportunity to get stronger on the basics again and put my main focus on that - it‘ll be another 4 weeks until everything is delivered tho but can‘t change that. I was lucky to still get any stuff, most online shops in my country are completely sold out of everything. Crazy

 

[tkav1980]

Yeah very true, I think I‘ll use this as an opportunity to get stronger on the basics again and put my main focus on that - it‘ll be another 4 weeks until everything is delivered tho but can‘t change that. I was lucky to still get any stuff, most online shops in my country are completely sold out of everything. Crazy

I'm going through the same thing. My cage and bar will get here in two weeks but its 4 for my adjustable bench.

 

[Pericles]

What I'm wondering, how many people are going to keep paying $30, $50, or $100 a month for a gym membership when they cant use it for 3 months! Those trapped in a contract, will they continue to draw funds from your bank account? If you paid the year in full, will you get a refund.

Personally I'm only paying $30 a month and plan on just letting it sit if it lasts less than 3 months. My wife is in a gym where it's all classes and she paying over $100 a month. I'm encouraging her to not let it go more than a month and then cancel it. She doesn't want to hurt a small business. Both of our gyms are owned by a single person. The owner of her gym is building a new facility too, terrible timing.

All these gyms should not be charging anything. It would be illegal. Hence why planet fitness was in the news

 

[Elvia1023]

I posted this in my log but will put it here as well as it's a lot of info on my current home training. The volume is very high but I just personally do that when first getting back into training as I like to push things. I would recommend most ease back into training if it's been awhile. Moving forward I will probably split things into 2 halves (upper and lower days).

There is absolutely no reason why we can't all get good results in this period. Obviously in a perfect world we would all have home gyms full of great equipment and lot's of free weights. I think we can all maintain most of our size and improve body composition over the next few weeks/months. We could even grow if we put the effort in but as I have already posted my goal is to lean up and improve my cardiovascular fitness. I want to prime my body for when I have access to the gym again and I will add in hormones and put some quality muscle on.

I have 2 types of bands and I prefer the really cheap ones (without handles) that are just pieces of elastic. They are made for yoga/pilates and I just added them to my cart because there was nothing in stock I basically just stand on one side of the band and wrap it around my hand and can perform pretty much everything like that. For rowing movements I used 2 bands and put them through a lock on my window and can perform various standing rows like that. After the bands I use my db and also bodyweight movements. My 2nd to last workout included...

Resistance Band shoulder stretches, shoulder presses, front raises, lateral raises, bi-cep curls, hammer curls, standing tri-cep extensions (2 variations), rear delt raises, back rows (high, medium and low).
DB back rows, bi-cep curls, hammer curls, concentration curls, overhead tri-cep extensions, skull crushers, squats, stiff leg deadlifts, split squats, calf raises.
Push Ups.
Stretches.
Cardio.

Today I done similar but no push ups.

For calves on both days I done some unilateral sets going from right to left and repeated with no rest. Then I done 2 feet at a time for very high reps. Literally over 200 reps for 1 or 2 sets. I play about and the burn is crazy. I will do reps were I squeeze and hold at the top for a few secs then swop over to ones were I squeeze but don't hold and come back down and to a tibialis raise so bring my toes up off the floor and squeeze. Then I will do reps were I don't come fully back down (touch the floor) and I always play about with rep speed through the giant set. Basically changing it up after every 10-20 reps but never resting. My calves were sore for days after the 1st session and looked much fuller. I don't have any steps in my apartment (could use a book) but I will go outside on the stairs and do some on there to get a good negative stretch some days.

Now a key thing I am doing is utilizing cardio to train my legs. You will definitely be able to hold onto leg fullness by doing this if you don't have access to db's/barbells. I will also start doing days with many sets of squats to failure to hit my legs hard. But I have an exercise bike at home and if you do you can use it to your advantage. My bike has 32 levels to give an indication. The first day I done 30 mins cardio but for 20 mins straight I cycled on level 32 at a steady/slow pace. That was brutal but manageable even for me were my fitness isn't the best right now. My legs when I got off were super pumped and felt like I had done a hard session with weights.

Now my 2nd approach is amazing and I recommend you all do the same. It's simply HIT training but you get what you put in. Meaning for the working periods you need to put everything into it. I done 4 blasts for 30 secs which may not sound much but it was harder than the most brutal leg sessions I do. The key is the resistance and pushing through the pain. The key is your all out blasts and putting everything into them like you would a working set with weights. Do them like someone has a gun to your head and you have to put everything you have into them. The resting period isn't important you simply want to get your heart rate down but don't rush yourself. When I felt ready I would wait until 20 secs past the minute so let's say 8:20 as an example. I would start pedalling fast at that time and would get the resistance up to level 32 by 8:30 and then it would be all out until about 9:00. Then I would come down to about level 8 but later on it was more like 5 due to the pain. This is about working your legs and not so much cardiovascular fitness. I didn't fail because of my cardio I failed simply due to my legs. So you don't have to do this over and over just go in as hard as you can and after 4-8 blasts call it a day. I was practically crying at the end and when I got off the bike I couldn't stand up properly. Obviously it's the 1st time in ages I have done this so I will get better each time but literally do it until you are crying in pain. My legs were so pumped and felt like I had just done a triple drop set with hack squats.

 

[Deleted member 121863]

Dang there`s gonna be a lot of people putting lightly used gym equipment for sale on craigslist come summer time. LOL. I`ve got some heavy beams on patio overhang. I just put up some pulley`s with rope and a short straight bar. I got about 10 exercises out of it so far. Basically high and low pulley. Weight is 5 gallon water jugs. The system set up def adds some resistance beyond the weight. Total cost $30! The handle was a piece of pipe and I welded a hook on for quick release. That gets put on with a quick half hitch knot

 

[Elvia1023]

Dang there`s gonna be a lot of people putting lightly used gym equipment for sale on craigslist come summer time. LOL. I`ve got some heavy beams on patio overhang. I just put up some pulley`s with rope and a short straight bar. I got about 10 exercises out of it so far. Basically high and low pulley. Weight is 5 gallon water jugs. The system set up def adds some resistance beyond the weight. Total cost $30! The handle was a piece of pipe and I welded a hook on for quick release. That gets put on with a quick half hitch knot

Very true. My exercise bike has only been used to put my wet hoodies on to dry for the last 2 years but I am going to start making good use of it. I got the bands I use from an expensive site and they were still only $15 and they are really useful. A pair of 20-40lb db's can a long way though and aren't expensive.

 

[qbkilla]

What do you guys think about this: https://www.amazon.com/Power-Press-Push-Up-Complete/dp/B0065RBOWK

Since I currently only have a set of resistance band and 2 (light) adjustable DB's, I'm looking for something extra that doesn't occupy too much space. (I have no space for a bench, let alone a power rack in my appartment) I'd be using a backpack with added weight on this.

Also, since I'm not seeing it, how could the yellow position possibly be training back since it's still a push-up?

that sucks, im lucky I can use my moms garage. maybe you can find a way to do dips and rack chins? local playgrounds should have bars for chins and dips, weighted backpack, you can get a decent workout in. curl bar you can use for try extensions could be kept in the apartment and not make noise

 

[Deleted member 121863]

Very true. My exercise bike has only been used to put my wet hoodies on to dry for the last 2 years but I am going to start making good use of it.

So hard to get motivated at home, especially with 2 kids home from school all day. I understand how a bike becomes an expensive clothes dryer, lol.

 

[Elvia1023]

that sucks, im lucky I can use my moms garage. maybe you can find a way to do dips and rack chins? local playgrounds should have bars for chins and dips, weighted backpack, you can get a decent workout in. curl bar you can use for try extensions could be kept in the apartment and not make noise

I would just do this. That Power Press Push Up is not needed at all especially if you only want to pick up essentials. You can just do pushups on the floor or use your db's. If you want to do incline or decline pushups just use a stool or chair. You can get a great workout in with just db's or bodyweight. For back you can use resistance bands or go to the park and do pull ups. If you see the bottom of my long post that is why an exercise bike can be great for home training. I have very little room in my apartment but the bike can go in my bedroom or on the balcony.

Even with some light db's you can still get a great workout in. It just means high reps which are not ideal but for a few weeks/months are fine. Combine that with weighted push ups, pull ups, dips, squats etc and you can train very hard. I only have 1 x 7.5kg db but for bi-ceps I done 25 reps bi-cep curls then straight into 25 reps hammer curls. I ended with concentration curls and I couldn't even get to 25 reps. 3 sets no rest in between. As long as you go to failure you can still get good results. The same for tri-ceps and doing extensions (different variations) and skull crushers with the light db.

 

[jeroendebleser]

that sucks, im lucky I can use my moms garage. maybe you can find a way to do dips and rack chins? local playgrounds should have bars for chins and dips, weighted backpack, you can get a decent workout in. curl bar you can use for try extensions could be kept in the apartment and not make noise

We're not allowed to go out for anything non-essential (basically only for grocery shopping) so I can't even do that

Do you or anyone else see how the back handle position on that pushup-board can possibly work back?

 

[jeroendebleser]

I would just do this. That Power Press Push Up is not needed at all especially if you only want to pick up essentials. You can just do pushups on the floor or use your db's. If you want to do incline or decline pushups just use a stool or chair. You can get a great workout in with just db's or bodyweight. For back you can use resistance bands or go to the park and do pull ups. If you see the bottom of my long post that is why an exercise bike can be great for home training. I have very little room in my apartment but the bike can go in my bedroom or on the balcony.

Even with some light db's you can still get a great workout in. It just means high reps which are not ideal but for a few weeks/months are fine. Combine that with weighted push ups, pull ups, dips, squats etc and you can train very hard. I only have 1 x 7.5kg db but for bi-ceps I done 25 reps bi-cep curls then straight into 25 reps hammer curls. I ended with concentration curls and I couldn't even get to 25 reps. 3 sets no rest in between. As long as you go to failure you can still get good results. The same for tri-ceps and doing extensions (different variations) and skull crushers with the light db.

Yeah biceps, triceps and shoulders I can train perfectly fine for high reps to failure with my 25 lbs db's. It's all other bodyparts that are problematic. I did some db rows yesterday but once I got to 50 reps, I just quit. Seemed pointless really.

The problem I'm having with pushups on the floor is that it hurts my wrist, which is why I was looking into that pushup-board. Are you seeing how the yellow back handle position could possibly train back?

 

[Bio]

Dang there`s gonna be a lot of people putting lightly used gym equipment for sale on craigslist come summer time. LOL. I`ve got some heavy beams on patio overhang. I just put up some pulley`s with rope and a short straight bar. I got about 10 exercises out of it so far. Basically high and low pulley. Weight is 5 gallon water jugs. The system set up def adds some resistance beyond the weight. Total cost $30! The handle was a piece of pipe and I welded a hook on for quick release. That gets put on with a quick half hitch knot

Creative and inexpensive!

I'm sure some will laugh but I ordered this... https://www.gorillabow.com/

Before you laugh it off, it has resistance bands that go to 350lbs+. The standard bow has a 300lb rating. I got the travel bow which has a 350lb rating.
I also ordered these...

https://www.gorillabow.com/collections/gorilla-bow/products/ultra-heavy-band-kit-340-lb

https://www.gorillabow.com/collecti...rilla-bow-resistance-360-pounds-of-resistance

The last link is short bands for bench press movement. 360lbs of resistance!

In my garage I'm going to span a piece of 2x4 across two studs up high, put an eye bolt in and then a clip like gym equipment has. Then I can do pull downs. I'm going to do the same down low so I can do rows on a bench. With my back I have trouble doing bent over rows, which you can easily do with this, but seated rows are ok for the most part.

I know for the price I could have bought some standard weightlifting equipment but then making room for it is another issue. I do plan on doing that down the road. The other nice thing is that my wife can use this as well, in the house, doesn't take much room to use!

 

[austrianoak]

Creative and inexpensive!

I'm sure some will laugh but I ordered this... https://www.gorillabow.com/

Before you laugh it off, it has resistance bands that go to 350lbs+. The standard bow has a 300lb rating. I got the travel bow which has a 350lb rating.
I also ordered these...

https://www.gorillabow.com/collections/gorilla-bow/products/ultra-heavy-band-kit-340-lb

https://www.gorillabow.com/collecti...rilla-bow-resistance-360-pounds-of-resistance

The last link is short bands for bench press movement. 360lbs of resistance!

In my garage I'm going to span a piece of 2x4 across two studs up high, put an eye bolt in and then a clip like gym equipment has. Then I can do pull downs. I'm going to do the same down low so I can do rows on a bench. With my back I have trouble doing bent over rows, which you can easily do with this, but seated rows are ok for the most part.

I know for the price I could have bought some standard weightlifting equipment but then making room for it is another issue. I do plan on doing that down the road. The other nice thing is that my wife can use this as well, in the house, doesn't take much room to use!

I got a cheap knock off version of that from Amazon with like 220 lbs in resistance bands and I really like it! My girl uses it too, you’ll enjoy it!

 

[TheOtherOne55]

Austrian, where did you get this from?? Veryyy cool.

Just ordered this cage here, along with a bench, barbell, plates and a few grips for the pulldown and pulley on the bottom - it also comes with a dip bar, so that should have me covered for a while no matter what happens in the future hahaView attachment 115258

 

[tkav1980]

I know everyone is running on a skeleton crew but damn I'm getting impatient waiting for my rack and barbell. Hopefully it ships next week.
Side note, the 1 exercise per day to failure seems to be going great. I have a gold gym dip pullup thing in my basement and a few of my wife's bands from her fit for mom thing. Weighted pullups, dips, bucket of rocks for laterals and curls, bands for tricep push down right after the dips. Hold onto 3 plates for a weird front squat type of thing and some goofy row/pullup thing I came up with by putting my feet up on the crossmember of the station.
Only issue is golds thing says 300 lb weight limit and the dips with 2 plates put me at 280.
I wonder want to break it but I'm doing 25 reps on dips and want to add another platem anyone know if it can handle more than 300 lbs?

 

[warlock]

I got a cheap knock off version of that from Amazon with like 220 lbs in resistance bands and I really like it! My girl uses it too, you’ll enjoy it!

Do you mind posting the link?