“Dang, my phones about to die’ no way I can workout without my jams!”
“Oh would you look at that, I forgot my gym shoe’s”
“Yup, I’m not feeling this 15 minute drive to the gym, skipping it!”
Who hasn’t used an excuse like this before? The sad thing is that these are the more believable ones we tell ourselves. Look, I get it. Getting to the gym 4 times a week is incredibly hard, especially when your career and kids all deserve your valuable time. This all leads to us constantly skipping our workouts!
Alright, it’s time. It’s time to start setting ourselves up for success instead of failure. It’s time to always have an effective DIY gym on standby at home for those days you just aren’t feeling the whole gym thing. Not only will you save some serious coin but you will save yourself from making some crappy excuses as well. All in a small initial investment to get you going!
Your DIY Home Gym
For less than $30 you can create a simple, stand-by gym in any room of your home. Whether it’s in the closet or behind that plant you really need to water, this effective DIY exercises to try at home can be started anywhere ‘ out of site but always ready for action! Just hit up the local sporting goods store and purchase:
Exercise Mat ($15) ‘ To me, a quality exercise mat is a must. Nothing is more psychologically motivating then having your exercise mat unrolled on the floor just screaming at you that it’s time to smash calories! From planks to crunches to pushups, an exercise mat definitely saves your knees and keeps you from getting dirty ‘ got to love that extra cushioning.
DIY Tip: If you are seriously pinched for cash, a towel will also work. While it’s not as comfortable it will get the job done.
5 lb Dumbbells ($10-15 total) ‘ What’ just 5 pounders, huh? Trust me, you will get in an effective workout. If you concentrate on your form while using 5-8lb dumbbells, you will feel the burn.
DIY Tip: Want to save money? Canned foods (or detergent bottles) will also work.
DIY Workout
“There’s no way you can give me a good workout with that equipment!”
Alright, it’s time to give this a go and let me prove my point! Here’s what we are going to do. We are going to pick 8 exercises that alternate between cardio and strength training moves that in total work your entire body ‘ all AMRAP style (as many reps as possible) for 30 seconds each. This will allow us to get in a quick, effective workout in less than 20 minutes. Make sure to concentrate on your form while pushing yourself as hard as possible to get as many reps as possible without injuring yourself!
With this set up we don’t need much equipment (exercise mat, dumbbells, and your bodyweight) and it can be done quickly. You basically can get this done in the time it takes you to drive to the gym! It’s all about getting your heart rate elevated to ignite the EPOC or Afterburn effect to keep your metabolism ramped for an extended period of time after your workout is over (you can read about it extensively here). Here’s our workout:
- Incline Pushup
- Mountain Climbers
- Shoulder Press
- Jump Rope
- Squats with Bicep Curl
- Jumping Jacks
- Walking Lunges
- Burpees
Hit each one of these exercises for 30 seconds and just take 15 seconds between exercises for a total of 3 sets with only 45 seconds between sets! Makes me lose my breath thinking of it! [Note: Be cleared by your physician before beginning an exercise program
Conclusion
Don’t you think it’s time to set yourself up for success instead of failure? With this DIY gym on standby, when you don’t fee like hitting up the gym because you forgot your socks (or insert your favorite excuse), you can just go into the living room and bust out a quick workout! That’s way better than skipping exercise altogether, right?
