Gym emergency, please respond.

[a completely inoffensive name]

I just realized today that after Friday when I take my last final, I will be without a gym for 3 whole weeks during my winter break. I do not have a gym membership in my hometown and I don't think it is viable to drive 1.5 hrs to my uni gym every time I want to lift.

Please help, what exercises can I do without weights to give me a balanced work out? I don't want to lose my gains, but I also have no money to pay for a new gym membership.

[Hooahguy]

While not ideal, you can always work out at home. You can live without weights for 3 weeks and substitute them with pushups (normal, wide-arm, diamond, always good to switch them up), situps, leg lifts, planks, jumping jacks, squats, the like. And running of course.

For 95% of our workouts we never used any real equipment, really only used kettlebells with any frequency. Of course that was only during circuit training but that was a whole different story.

[Strike For The South]

Pull ups. Push ups. Buy and 80 pound bag of cement and do squats with it.

[Rhyfelwyr]

I'm kind of in the same boat at the minute ACIN since I'm only doing bodyweight exercises due to what I'll call an injury.

You can do a lot with push ups and I've been surprised at the pump these give my chest and arms. I'm currently doing three variations. Firstly, I do the bog standard one you can see in the wikipedia gif - these particular target the chest. Then, I do ones where go into the same position, but then move my body forward somewhat so that my hands are further down my body, and your elbows are more at a maybe 45-60 degree angle to your body, rather than 90 degree in the first lot - this type will target your arms and in particular your shoulders. Finally, I do diamond push ups, where your thumb and second fingers of each hand meet to form a diamond, and you should come down so that the diamond just about touches the middle of your chest - these will really hit your triceps.

When doing the above, imagine you are sticking your bum in the air a bit and make sure to keep your core rigid. I only do 2 sets of each since I am tight for time and am taking it easy at the minute - 3 sets would be the ideal.

Next are dips. Most people say they do these by putting two chairs together. Personally I use the corner of a kitchen counter. But these are very easy to improvise. Keep your form strict with these and go right down and you will work your chest and triceps well.

Finally, improvise if needed to somehow do bar exercises. Invest in pull up bar if you can't use a plank of wood or something (I use a bench press bar by lodging it between a tree and a wall). If you can't do proper pull ups at first, kick yourself up for the first one and do a short range of motion.

So in summary:

1. Standard pushups
2. 'Arm' pushups (not sure what their name is)
3. Diamond pushups
4. Dips
5. Pull ups

As I said I do everything in sets of two, but in your case make it 3. I tend to do a set number for the first set and only go to failure in the second.

In your case, I would also add squats. Even bodyweight ones will have some effect, but like Strike said try adding weight somehow. I can't do these at the minute sadly!

[Beskar]

Nerd-Fitness usually has a bunch of free advice from their mailing lists and around the website. Obviously has optional books too.

This article is called the 20-minute Hotel Workout, where it is designed to be done in a bedroom/alone area when on a roadtrip or similar.

[LeftEyeNine]

There are towels everywhere.

Edit: Oh, and on a more comprehensive at-home plan, you got the famous P90X.

[Fragony]

Swimming. You use all your muscless. You won't gain a lot but what you have will be tight as a drum.

[Moros]

Do you have some basic dumbells or similar?
Cause with some basic exercises using body weight and dumbells you can get very far. If you just make sure you train all you different muscle areas. If you can do pull ups and variants as well then you're golden. Have you seen the keeping fit with swordsmaster thread? It has plenty of information on keeping fit, with or without gym equipment: https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...h-SwordsMaster

It's hard to suggest a routine or anything as we don't know in what shape you are, what goals you have. But you can think of your own routine. You know how much work you can and tend to put in. You know what the goal is.

[Zain]

Sports Medicine major here, I'd like to lend a hand.

Although compound lifts with weights are great, conventional body weight exercises are still superior for the non-elite athlete. This is what I suggest...

Upper body - Pushups for outward build and pullups for lateral build
Core - Planks and leg lifts (Also agility sports like Basketball/American Football/Soccer(Futbol) are amazing)
Legs - Squats and Lunges (Weighted if you're any sort of veteran)

The body needs to be confused and challenged, so maybe these few weeks away from the gym will be a good change.

[Kadagar_AV]

ACIN, really?

I mean... REALLY!?

Option A) Do a Google search for how to work out without a gym...

Option B) Ask the same question on a forum for history strategy gamers...



Yeah... Totally did the right choice there, mate

[Husar]

ACIN, really?

I mean... REALLY!?

Option A) Do a Google search for how to work out without a gym...

Option B) Ask the same question on a forum for history strategy gamers...



Yeah... Totally did the right choice there, mate

Prejudices, quite a few people here work out, you're a well-trained ski instructor yourself...

[a completely inoffensive name]

ACIN, really?

I mean... REALLY!?

Option A) Do a Google search for how to work out without a gym...

Option B) Ask the same question on a forum for history strategy gamers...



Yeah... Totally did the right choice there, mate

I should have gone with C) Make an ass of myself for no good reason. It seemed to work out for you just fine.

[SwordsMaster]

HIIT. Sprints, pushups, jumps, will keep the winter bacon off.

[a completely inoffensive name]

Everything is good, except I have not been doing pullups. What do I use to pull up in a suburban house?

[Strike For The South]

Sports Medicine major here, I'd like to lend a hand.

Although compound lifts with weights are great, conventional body weight exercises are still superior for the non-elite athlete. This is what I suggest...

Upper body - Pushups for outward build and pullups for lateral build
Core - Planks and leg lifts (Also agility sports like Basketball/American Football/Soccer(Futbol) are amazing)
Legs - Squats and Lunges (Weighted if you're any sort of veteran)

The body needs to be confused and challenged, so maybe these few weeks away from the gym will be a good change.

No.

This is wrong.

Dont do this

[Moros]

Are there not parks or anything where you could possibly do pull ups, chin ups,.... You can combine it with some running in your daily exercise routine.

[Kadagar_AV]

There are a LOT of actual experts sharing their experience for free.

Admittedly though, I sound way offensive when I'm drunk