Between the carpooling and the cooking and the cleaning, fitting in some time at the gym is just impossible. The time you put into caring for your body is an investment in your health, however. You can put together a weight training plan at home that will build your muscles, strengthen your bones and tone your body. In just a few minutes, every few days, you can use your own weight training routine at home to improve the quality of your health and your life.
No Weights
You can perform strength training exercises at home, even if you don’t have weights on hand. Don’t let a lack of money or equipment stop you from strengthening your muscles and bones. Your body weight alone can serve as a weight for your body to work against. Perform a series of push-ups. Instead of moving quickly up and down, slowly alternate from a straight arm to bent arm. Start with just five to 10 before taking a break. Focus more on slow, steady push-ups, rather than a high number. Once you have pushed up to a plank position, roll over to one side, balancing your weight on one arm and the side of your feet. Hold the other arm up, pointed at the ceiling. Balance for five to 10 seconds. Gradually add increments of five seconds each day as you improve. Roll back to a push-up position, do another set of push-ups and roll over to the other side.
Alternative Weights
If you don’t want to invest in a set of weights or other equipment before you try some of the exercises, open your pantry. Take out some cans of soup, some water bottles or other pantry items that you can wrap your hand around easily. Bags of rice and dried beans also work well. Whatever you use, make sure you can get a good grip on the item. With a weight in each hand, hanging down at your sides, squat to a sitting position while lifting your arms parallel to the ground. Hold for five to 10 seconds, increasing over time, and then stand back up, returning your hands to your sides.
Weight Equipment
If you can afford it and want to invest in this new workout routine, purchase some weight equipment. You can buy hand weights at many sports goods stores. You can use these for squats, biceps curls and triceps curls. If you want more work, invest in a bench and free weights or a weight machine. Contact your local gym to see if you can pay a personal trainer to visit your home. Follow his instructions, and don’t overexert. It can be easy to lose track of time or repetitions at home, but you don’t want to injure or exhaust yourself.
