Home Workout Equipment - Part Two

Here is my home gym. Try the following full body workout with this basic equipment:

Warm-up - 5 min. jog on treadmill, dynamic stretching

2-3 sets per exercise, 10-12 reps per set

(60-90 sec. rest between each set)


Dumbbell Bench Press

Barbell Squats

Bent-over Barbell row

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Deadlifts (or dumbbell romanian deadlifts)

Dumbbell triceps extension

Dumbbell biceps curl

Ab crunches on the physio-ball (3 x 15 reps, 30 sec. rest between sets

You can run this in order for 2-3 sets per exercise or you can run it as a circuit - do each exercise once in order then go through it 2-3 times.

To increase the intensity - decrease the rest time between sets (30 seconds) or do jumping jacks or jump rope for 30-60 seconds between sets.

Cooldown - walk 5 min. on treadmill, static stretching

DISCLAIMER: this workout is for informational and educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a medical or health professional before you begin any exercise program or if you have questions about your health.

Home Workout Equipment - Part One

If you're like me - I prefer to workout in my home or work gym at least until Feb 7th or so due to the New Year's resolution folks who crowd the gym this time of year. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad they're there - but I don't like sharing or waiting for equipment so I turn to my home gym.

My home gym project began about 10 years ago when I bought my first treadmill and I've slowly added on from there. I'm on treadmill #2 - which isn't bad considering both my husband and I use it almost daily. Other pieces I have include a flat bench, incline bench, squat rack with pull-up bar and lat pulldown attachment, Olympic set barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, yoga mats, dumbbells, resistance bands - and oh yeah - a 32" HD TV :).

Working out at home has some real advantages - especially if you have small children. Start with a basic dumbbell set, jump rope, mat and a flat bench. You can get a great full body workout in 20-30 minutes if you are crunched for time.

Look on Craig's list for deals - especially around Feb. 7th - that's when the majority of exercise newbies drop out.

Making Fitness Fun

Best Christmas present as far as my son and his friends are concerned? The Kinect device for X-Box 360. This is a fantastic add-on that allows for hands-free gaming. Many of the games are physically active - jumping, kicking, punching, running in place - definitely better than sitting and playing Super Mario Brothers all day. I can't wait to try the fitness games made specifically for this - check it out!

Merry Christmas

Hope you were able to work out and spend some quality time with your families. I received many fitness related gifts - my favorite being a BOSU ball! I have been wanting one for my home gym for some time but didn't want to spend the roughly $100 on it. My husband - who has been very supportive of my fitness ventures - made sure it was under the tree for me.