Home Gym Workout

Recently I had Branda Polk and our good friend Michelle over for a workout in our make-shift home gym in the garage. I've known Branda for a long time now and she's a fab trainer and friend. Michelle and I met through her, really hit it off and we get to train together about once a month via one of Branda's tough concoctions!

Now to put our workout together. We had some parameters and a few limitations. They both wanted to work on the TRX, so we had to include that. We only had 1 hour total. There were 3 of us. Michelle does not have kettlebell experience yet. It was blazing hot. My space is small and my equipment limited. How to get in the most work, expose them to the TRX and keep us all moving? Hmmm...

Not fancy, but it works!

I penciled out a workout that would be sure to include every major muscle group. I was excited so it turned out to be 12 different exercises! Then I arranged the exercises into 4 mini-circuits. Each mini-circuit would have 3 exercises, one for upper body, one for lower body and one for core. Since there were 3 of us, we would do stations for time. This means we each started out on one of the three exercises, worked for a set amount of time, then rotated until we'd done each exercise twice. We did this for each one of the circuits. Allowing for transition, it timed out for about a 48 minute workout. Not bad.

Equipment included the TRX, the ValSlides, the 20 pound soft-sided medicine ball, an upright roman chair for leg raises, kettlebells and dumbbells and the GymBoss.

The TRX Suspension Training System is a unique system that can be used anywhere, but we keep it hanging from a beam in our garage. We have a rubber mat underneath for foot traction and you can easily get a full body workout with it alone. Now I'm rethinking the word easily I just put in that sentence because it's challenging, but you know what I mean. For this workout we concentrated on inverted rows, atomic push-ups, side plank and balance lunges using the TRX.

Look at that wall that needs to be painted. I'm calling the builder.

Oh wait, he is the builder.

I love our 20 pound soft-sided medicine ball by Dynamax. It's huge! We used it for slams, which really works your core and arms, not to mention it is a great stress reliever! We found this big one at MuscleDriver USA. For a smaller version that is more practical check out my GFWK Amazon Store.

The ValSlides are too cool. Let me tell you guys, they are not just for girls. One of the last times I used them I was sore for days. You can use them in all sorts of ways under your feet or under your hands. This is one type of unstable surface training that works. They are one of the most inexpensive things you can add to your equipment and they are totally portable. For this we used them to do a lateral type lunge with a punch. While one leg works to keep from sliding, you slide the other leg back at an angle and throw a punch! I've also used them under my feet for all types of squats and lunges, mountain climbers and walking with my arms in plank. Under your hands you can do a run (like a bear crawl), extended plank, and other core work. Crazy fun!

Since Michelle had not used kettlebells before, I adapted a few moves I've learned from Anthony Diluglio of Art of Strength from my Providence DVD. We held a kettlebell goblet style for squats. We also did single-arm overhead presses, but sitting on the floor with legs stretched out wide. You should try this. It totally takes your lower body out of the equation so you can't use it for assistance. Really tough. Then we used them for tactical lunges. These are reverse lunges in which you pass the kettlebell under your bent knee to the other hand each time you lunge. This lunge is challenging not only for balance but also because you have to go deep if your arms are short in comparison to your torso. Not that mine are, I'm just saying...

Jimmy got the upright roman chair for Father's Day. It includes bars for pull-ups, dips and padding on the back so you can do leg raises. It's really been a helpful, compact piece of equipment to have around. We found it at Dick's Sporting Goods.

We got in a great, fun workout with three people literally in a double garage. Oh, I forgot to mention that until you've used the TRX a few times it's tricky to get your feet in it right for certain moves when you're on a timer. So we brought Jimmy out to be the atomic push-up helper boy. He even made us all protein shakes afterwards. Gotta love that guy.

What type of workouts do you do at home? What equipment do you use? Would love to hear your ideas and suggestions.

This post uses affiliate links with the exception of the link to Branda Polk. Branda is a personal trainer and friend. Please see my disclosure statement.

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5 Minute Fitness

K is for Kettlebell!

Fitness Gear Review in Men's Health Mag

K is for Kettlebell!

You may be seeing and hearing more and more about kettlebells and yet your commercial gym may not have them. This is the case for me, so I tried dumbbell swings, which I really don't care for as I find them awkward. Then I started doing swings with a weight plate (the kind with a hole close to the edge). After one of my friends accidentally shattered a wall mirror by loosely placing a dumbbell on a rack (which then caused an avalanche that crashed into the mirror) I decided I would swing my weight plate toward a wall instead. Plus my husband is a builder so maybe he could bail me out cheaper with drywall repair if I lost control, right? I'm pretty sure I was scaring the gym management as well as the few that were brave enough to walk in front of me. It was time to buy a kettlebell. I wish I hadn't waited so long! If you're ready to add something new, I would recommend at least one kettlebell to start, learning the basic moves and obtaining one solid workout. For all of this check out Art of Strength.

Even if you are in good shape I suggest women start with a 8kg (18lb) and that men start with a 12kg (26lb) or 16kg (35lb). You will be surprised how heavy they feel due to the weight being offset and how strenuous even the double-handed swing can be. Some of those that you see in the stores, especially in the lighter weights, will have handles that are too small. You will want to get a kettlebell with a wide handle that you can comfortably use with two hands, or pass from hand to hand with a somewhat fluid motion. Another odd-ball thing to suggest is wrist bands. Kind of dorky looking but until you get your form down or when you begin using really heavy kettlebells it's easy to bruise your wrists and the bands just help.

Now, what to do with it? The possibilities are endless, so it's hard to know where to start. Check out this feature called Minute of Strength E-news. You will find over 100 short videos demonstrating common and not-so-common kettlebell drills by Anthony Dilugio and team. These are very well done and easy to follow. You can also sign up for the newsletter there. It's a great way to learn and practice the moves. I would start with the swing first and get the form down. The swing can be combined with just about anything for a good hard workout.

Once you get the basic moves down, you're ready for a more structured workout. The one I am using right now is Providence.

I'm really not a DVD kind of gal but this is the best I've ever seen. I love it! Anthony Dilugio takes you through an interval-style workout with 2 minutes work followed by 1 minute of rest, for 14 rounds. He doesn't mess around or talk too much. Upper body and lower body focus is altered so you get rest for specific body parts without breaking your momentum. It ends up being a full-body workout that benefits strength, endurance, balance and flexibility. Some of the moves include swings, clean and press, squats, tactical lunges, figure 8 with a hold, etc. One cool feature is that there is a visible time bar on the screen (which is encouraging because 2 minutes is longer than you think!). It's filmed outside and the music tracks to choose from are great and fit the workout well. Also, you're told exactly when to break, you get a preview of what's coming up next. It's just enough time to chug some water and catch your breath. At the end of the tape there is a snatch test. Whew, good luck!

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure statement.

Fitness Gear Review in Men's Health Mag

The April 2008 issue of Men's Health has some cool articles in it, one being a short list of "The Best New Fitness Gear." You might be wondering how I know this. A couple of years ago when I grew weary of girlie workouts with pastel weights I started digging around. That's how I found Craig Ballantyne and Alwyn Cosgrove among others. I found that Men's Health online had some great stuff and as I incorporated a few manly moves into my workout I started seeing some real changes. My husband actually gets this magazine but I usually grab it before he can even read it.

Here is the list of items and my thoughts on them (three of these are on my recommended list already)

Best Home Gym: Freemotion Ext Dual Cable Cross

Really cool and much better than fixed machines, I like using cables at the gym. However, the price at $4000 is pretty steep for home gyms of most folks I know.

Best Lo-Fi Fitness Tool: Iron Woody Woody Bag

I have not yet done sandbag workouts but would love to! Looks like a really durable item, and seems reasonably priced at $60 - $120 based on weight and also comes in packages.

Best Total Body Tool: TRX Suspension Trainer Force Kit by Fitness Anywhere

I love this, saw it demonstrated at the Arnold and my husband has been using this at his trainer's studio. Awesome for maximizing your bodyweight and gravity. Not sure I'd feel good about the door mount but the X-mount is what we will purchase when we get ours for home.

Best Stability Trainer: Valslides

These are wicked little gadgets. They point out in the article that it puts a whole new twist on lunges and squats, but I've had my butt kicked pawing my way across a gym floor in a crawling plank with my toes on these bad babies and then running back in a bear crawl position with them under my hands. Closest to puking I've ever been during a workout.

Best New Cardio Tool: Art of Strength Ropes Gone Wild

I love Art of Strength kettlebell workouts and first remember hearing about the ropes from Alwyn Cosgrove. Can't imagine how tough these are. Anthony Diluglio is a great resource. You can go to the website and see some short video clips of them in action. While you're there check out Minute of Strength.

Best Upper-Body Upgrade: JC Predator Band

I like working out with bands due to the different type of resistance (than dumbbells) and versatility. It's much tougher than it looks, and this looks like a well-made band. Wouldn't mind adding this to the arsenal.

Would love to know what others think about these products.

This post contains affiliate links for Fitness Anywhere (TRX), Art of Strength and ValSlides. Please see my disclosure statement.