SO YOU WANT TO WORK OUT AT HOME... NOW WHAT?
Working Out At Home: How To Build A Home Gym, Best Home Workout Equipment, Strength Training At Home, Including Actual Home Workout Routines
From The Now What? Fitness SeriesTM
By Linda Burke, CPT
SMASHWORDS EDITION
PUBLISHED BY
Linda Burke on Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Linda Burke and Straightforward Fitness, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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DISCLAIMER
This book is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.
The opinions and statements made in this book are that of the author and are based on her own experience. They are not intended to prejudice any party. Linda Burke, CPT, http://www.StraightforwardFitness.com, and/or the publisher do not accept any liability or responsibility for any injury or damage that may have been caused through the use of any material in this book. The information in this book is meant as an aid to your health and wellbeing.
Always check with your doctor before beginning this or any exercise, nutrition, or supplement program. The individual results obtained from these methods will vary from person to person and we make no guarantee as to the degree of results that you will personally achieve.
So You Want To Work Out At Home...Now What? is a part of The Now What? Fitness SeriesTM and is owned by Linda Burke, CPT. All rights to the series and the trade mark is the property of Linda Burke, CPT.
Visit the author web/blog site:
http://nowwhatfitness.com
Five
Stars! "Great book and inexpensive for those wanting an idea of
how to work out at home and what to buy to work out with. This book
gives very practical examples and will be very helpful."
Five
Stars! "These books are very well written with easy to
understand instructions that make working out at home a very doable
goal. These books are a smart buy! So glad I bought them!"
More
reviews on this series!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 - Home Workout Equipment
Resistance/Strength Training Equipment Must-Haves
Chapter 3 - How to Structure a Safe and Effective Strength Training Workout
Compound and Isolation Exercises
How much cardio do I have to do?
Chapter 5 - Guidelines for Safe and Effective Training
ACSM Strength Training Guidelines
Chapter 6 - Sample Home Strength Training Workouts
Chapter 7 - Integrating Flexibility Training Into Your Routine
Basic Stretches and Their Descriptions
As a fitness professional with over 27 years of experience in the fitness industry, it has come to my attention that most people don't really understand what they need to do to be healthy. I blame this in large part on commercialism and the media as it bombards people with misinformation in attempts to sell products that claim to be a magic pill, potion, contraption, solution, shortcut, or quick fix to fitness.
Hey, guess what? There is no such thing. And frankly, I think the public is getting sick and tired of being lied to and swindled. If you are one of those people, then I have some good news for you. I decided to write a series of books that explain as succinctly as possible what to do once you've decided on a particular fitness objective. The Now What? Fitness Series is intended to break down the subject of fitness into terms anyone can understand.
The purpose of this book is to explain in a bite sized, easy to digest format the necessary components of an effective home workout routine; one that will yield real results in the lives of those who are willing to take the time to learn what they need to do and why. No quick fixes here, just the facts. It's not rocket science, and my intent is to simplify a very convoluted subject and give you the "straightforward" facts minus the hype, fluff, and filler. All you have to do is check out The Now What? Fitness Series titles and choose the ones that best suit your needs.
Or you may read them all. That's the beauty of it. They are succinct so that you don't have to invest hours and hours in reading. However, rest assured they are jam-packed full of vital information. Each book covers a separate, albeit essential, step on the path to achieving improved health and fitness.
In fact, without much of this info, you could waste a lot of time and even risk injury with ineffective and dangerous methods. Worse yet, you may get discouraged like so many people do who aren't armed with the proper knowledge and quit. I do not want this to happen to you. You should treat your commitment to fitness like your life depends on it, because it does. Never quit!
Whether you are a novice or just interested in finally getting the true facts on fitness, I suggest you read these and in this order:
So You Want to Get Fit...Now What?
So You Want to Do Cardio...Now What?
So You Want to Strength Train...Now What?
So You Want to Eat Right...Now What?
If you have decided to join a gym, then by all means you need to read So You Joined a Gym...Now What?
If you've decided you want to work out at home, read So You Want to Work Out at Home...Now What?
All of the above fitness books are available at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lindaburke
It is my desire to help you realize that it doesn't have to be complicated and that taking responsibility for your own health and wellbeing is your birthright and your duty. Your life will improve exponentially if you do this, I promise. Your doctor and hospital bills will diminish, and the quality of your life will soar.
I wish you the best of luck. Please do not hesitate to go to the NOW WHAT? Facebook page to contact me, leave comments, or interact with other readers of The Now What? Fitness Series. You may also contact me at NowWhatFitness.com .
Again, thank you so much for your patronage and your trust.
From my heart to your health,
Linda Burke, CPT
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Chapter 1 - HOME WORKOUT EQUIPMENT
A lot of your equipment needs will depend on things like your goals, gender, space requirements, budget, etc. Since, this book is targeted to people who've never worked out at home, I am going to give you a list of the basic things you'll need for general fitness in-home workouts. If your goals are body building or sports performance oriented, you may want to eventually join a gym where you can enjoy more variety with equipment that is specific to those goals, or you may want to invest further in the stuff you'll need as you advance. For now, however, let's take a look at what you need to begin training at home.
GIVE ME SOME SPACE...PLEASE
First of all you'll need enough space in order to perform the exercises with as little distraction as possible. A well-ventilated room with fans and a mirror or two to check your form will work.
BUST A MOVE, BABE!
Secondly, you'll need a piece of cardio equipment for warm-ups and the cardio portion of your workout. This could be a stationary bike, elliptical machine, treadmill, etc., whatever you will do on a regular basis. These machines can range anywhere from a couple hundred to thousands of dollars. Obviously, you get what you pay for; however, you can actually get a pretty decent machine for around four or five hundred dollars. It's up to you, but you may want to consider springing for a bit more if you plan on daily use, especially if you weigh more than a couple hundred pounds. I have found from experience that the cheaper you go, the less comfortable they feel. Let's face it, if you hate the way it feels (not smooth, uncomfortable, not a good fit for your body, not well-built, etc.) you are probably less likely to use it on a regular basis. So do yourself a favor and get a machine that will encourage your adherence, not hinder it. While bells and whistles are not that important, you will want to make sure it offers different exercise intensities. I've found that often times the pulse meter doesn't work and the calorie burn count is way off from anything close to reality. Therefore, these things aren't really important. As long as you can time your workouts, change your intensity, and adjust the machine to fit your body, if applicable, you're good to go.
Resistance/Strength Training Equipment Must-Haves
As far as other equipment goes, at the very least you will need:
• A bench
• A stability ball (consider this a round workout bench)
• Some free weights (dumbbells)
• Resistance bands
• Exercise mat
• Workout gloves
• Optional Miscellaneous (i.e., jump rope if your knees can handle it, medicine balls, etc.)
All of these things are easily attainable at most department stores in the fitness section. Of course, if you want to get some extras like a pull-up bar, barbells, etc. that is entirely up to you.
BENCH
It's best to get a bench that is adjustable; one that can go from flat to incline at different levels is nice.
STABILITY BALL
Sometimes called a Swiss ball, exercise ball, stability ball, balance ball, etc. This may be my favorite piece of fitness equipment ever invented. They are so versatile it's crazy! I like to think of them as a round workout bench. Anything you can do on a bench, you can do on the ball, but bear in mind that it definitely intensifies the degree of difficulty. Using a Swiss ball will improve the strength of the abs and the lower back. Since the Swiss ball is unstable you have to constantly adjust your balance, which in turn will improve your balance, proprioception and flexibility. Subsequently, working out with a stability ball will increase your core strength resulting in stronger, toned and more finely tuned muscles. Your coordination will also improve, resulting in quicker reflexes and response time. All of the aforementioned accolades make the stability ball ultimate for abs and lower back exercises. The sweetest part is that they are inexpensive. You will definitely want one of these whether you are male or female. However, size matters in this case, because fitness balls come in different sizes. The basic rule for choosing the correct size is that when you're sitting on the ball, you should be able to easily balance with your feet on the ground. Your hips and knees should both be at right angles. The following list matches you up with the right size ball, based on your height:
• 55 centimeters if you're less than 5 feet tall.
• 65 centimeters if you're between 5 feet and 5 feet 7 inches tall.
• 75 centimeters if you're between 5 feet 8 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall.
• 85 centimeters if you're over 6 feet 2 inches tall.
FREE WEIGHTS (DUMBBELLS)
Dumbbells are a staple in any strength training workout. The range of weights you will need depends on your level of strength. Of course, you will need to buy these in pairs. Most females will need them ranging from 3 pounds through 15 or 20 pounds. Most men will need them ranging from 8 through 50 to get started. You can always add to your collection as your strength improves. You may want to invest in a barbell and some plates for variety's sake; however, this isn't necessary at first.
RESISTANCE BANDS
Don't underestimate these little fellas; they can provide a very effective workout and add nice variety to your routine. They range in resistance intensity by color coding. They are relatively inexpensive compared to most equipment, so go all out and get one in every color. You can purchase these at department stores or online. I love these things almost as much as the stability ball...almost.
EXERCISE MAT AND GLOVES
Okay, these are definitely optional, but if you are going to be doing floor exercises an exercise mat will save your backbone and knees a lot of discomfort. Again, anything that will maximize your comfort may lend to adherence, so I say get it! The gloves will help your grip and save your hands from getting calluses due to gripping the dumbbells. Plus, they look cool. They feel good and are fun and inexpensive...I say get them! Come on...live a little. Get the gloves and mat! You can get these at most department stores in the fitness department or online.
MISCELLANEOUS
You can go as crazy as your imagination and budget desire here. Jump ropes are a great option if your knees can handle it. They have digital ropeless jump ropes now that track your calories burned, jumps, time, etc. They range from 35 bucks on up. Of course you can get an old fashioned jump rope (rope included) starting at about 10 bucks.
You may also want to get some other pieces of equipment such as a lat pulldown machine, leg extension and curl machine, chest press or fly machine, squat racks, etc. These can be expensive and take up a lot of space. You can get a Universal machine (multi-station weight machine that has several of the aforementioned machines attached to it) which can be expensive and bulky also. Again, it is according to your budget and space requirements. Give it due diligence before going the expense and do some research before purchasing these types of machines.
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Your workout is going to be structured something like this: 1) Warm-up. 2) Strength train. 3) Cardio, which should always start with a 5-minute warm-up and end with a 2- to 5-minute cool-down. 4) Stretch (if you choose to end with a stretching routine). If you are doing it all in one session (more on that later) it needs to go in that order.
The first thing you will want to do is start out with a 5-10 minute warm-up at a moderate pace on your cardio machine of choice, which could be a treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical trainer, etc. or jog around the block or jog in place. (By the way, cardio and strength training are more fully discussed in the next few chapters.)
NOTE: A moderate pace is about a 5 on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being no-to-very-little exertion or effort and 10 being full-out effort. This is known as RPE or Ratings of Perceived Exertion.
As far as which to do first, cardio or strength train: Best case scenario is to do cardio one day and strength train on another. If, on the other hand, you want to do both on the same day and in the same workout, you may split your time between them; however, if you do I suggest doing strength training first. This will augment the fat burning process during your cardio workout and allows your best glycogen to be utilized for your strength training session. If you are doing much more than 30 minutes of cardio on the same day as strength training, I would suggest you put a few hours between them, if possible, in order for your system to recuperate a bit. For example, you could do cardio first thing in the morning and strength train later in the day or vice versa.
After Your Warm-up: You may choose to stretch after your warm-up or you can move right into the strength training portion of your workout. Never stretch a cold muscle though. Meaning: warm up for at least 5-10 minutes on the cardio machine of your choice before stretching. Some people choose to cool down with stretching after they strength train. This is completely optional and up to your personal preference. I personally prefer to stretch the muscle group I just worked between sets instead of before or after the workout, and that is how usually I train my clients; but this is totally up to you. Stretching anytime after the warm-up is a good thing!
You have to rest about 30-60 seconds between sets anyway, why not spend that time stretching the muscle you just worked? I truly believe stretching helps facilitate the desired results of strength training and it feels great to boot. I also believe the more flexible a body is the less susceptible to injury it is. So just stretch, okay?!?! I promise you'll love how good it feels.
If you are doing a circuit routine where you are moving quickly from exercise to exercise with no time to stretch in between sets, I suggest you do a cool-down stretch routine at the end of your workout. For more on that be sure and refer to chapter 7 of this book. For demonstrations and videos of basic stretches for every muscle group go to http://www.straightforwardfitness.com/stretching-demonstrations.html
You are now ready to move onto the strength training portion of your workout.
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Chapter 3 - HOW TO STRUCTURE A SAFE AND EFFECTIVE STRENGTH TRAINING WORKOUT
Without going into too much detail, in the following paragraphs I will attempt to explain how to construct an efficient workout. In other words, how to know which exercises you need to do and precisely how to perform them, i.e., how many reps, sets, etc. For more details on this you may want to read "So You Want To Strength Train...Now What?" However, no worries, you'll get plenty of info here to get you started for sure!
WHAT ARE COMPOUND AND ISOLATION EXERCISES?
Strength training or resistance exercises are either compound or isolation in nature. Compound exercises are double-joint exercises that work more than one muscle at a time, i.e., presses, pull-downs, rows, squats, lunges, leg presses, etc. The leg press utilizes hip & knee joint movement; hence, it's a double joint exercise. The bench press utilizes elbow and shoulder joint movement. See how this works? You should do a majority of compound exercises per session and usually do them before the isolation exercises. They make good sense because they kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. It's a great way to train smart, working two or more muscle groups with one exercise.
Isolation exercises are single-joint exercises that work primarily one muscle, i.e., curls, extensions, raises, flys, reverse flys, etc. The DB (dumbbell) biceps curl, for example, utilizes the elbow joint movement only (when done correctly). Hence, it's an isolation exercise, working primarily the biceps. Isolation exercises are great finishing exercises, so you may want to do them after the compound exercise for the particular muscle group you are working. I like to try to do at least one of each (compound and isolation) for each muscle group.