I stopped going to the gym last year.
I didn’t stop training though. I now train at home.
One day I was in the supermarket and I saw a guy who I always spoke to in the gym. At this point I hadn’t been into the gym for a couple of months, and he asked what had happened, where I had been.
“I’ve stopped going” I said, “I’ve started training at home instead.”
“Ah but lets be honest,” he replied, smirking, “no-one actually does anything when training at home.”
“On the contrary,” I protested, “I’m probably working harder now than I ever did in the gym.”
The conversation then petered out and I don’t think I’ve seen him since. But what I said is true. I train a lot harder now I don’t go to the gym. At times after a session of burpees or a deck of cards workout I find myself laying down in a pool of sweat, struggling to catch my breath. Its hard, but I love it. I look forward to training, albeit with some trepidation, especially on tough conditioning days.
Motivation is the key. Read this article for anyone struggling to motivate themselves to do some exercise, or read this blog.
RossTraining is an excellent resource for anyone wanting to learn about any aspect of fitness. The forum is jammed full with exercise ideas, workout logs, home-made equipment links, and – most importantly – is frequented by normal people looking to improve their fitness. Just ask a question – you’ll be surprised how quickly you get an answer.
I don’t have a lot of equipment. In fact my fitness equipment is virtually all made from scratch, with the exception of some dumbbells and a skipping rope, and most of the conditioning workouts are finished in 20 minutes or less. I kept a workout log for a while, but I stopped when I went on holiday before Christmas and didn’t start again. It can be found here for anyone interested.
Sometimes when planning a workout is its hard to think of something to do, however there is no need to fret. Crossfit has an excellent resource, a small booklet full of workouts that can be completed with little or no equipment. The emphasis is on bodyweight training. Click here to download the PDF. If they don’t take your fancy, here is a list of over 60 weekly workouts that are just waiting to be completed.
All that left to do is stop reading and try this sample workout, inspired by RossTraining. No equipment is necessary, merely some determination.
100 x burpees – The YouTube video below is an example of this workout.
Have a go, and time yourself see how long it takes. Next time, try to beat that and set a new personal best.
