When the Gym isn't for You

Perhaps public gyms are not your style, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find your own space in which to exercise - however small or big your indoor or outdoor space is, if movement is important to you, you’ll find a way to integrate it into your life.

Here I’ll be focusing on how to transform indoor spaces in a practical way into spaces you’ll be comfortable exercising in - but of course there’s also walking, jogging, running, playing team sports, and so many kinds of movement you can do outside the house.

Let’s get to it - you don’t need masses of space to get fit at home, you just need the right equipment and sometimes you don’t even need that. Whether you have a spare room or a corner there are routines that can be devised around your living area. Most personal trainers who work with their clients at home use little more than a Swiss ball, resistance bands and an exercise mat.

When considering working out at home, the place to start is with yourself. Consider your personal goals and what you hope to achieve with your regime. Do you want to get fit, lose weight or prepare for a cycle? Each goal will require different spaces and equipment. Apart from the space and equipment, to make sure you start and continue exercising be honest with yourself about what you can manage – set aside a time each day/week for you to exercise, even if it’s just 15 minutes. By making it part of your routine and writing it down you’re ensuring you’ll put the time and effort into it and make it easier to maintain.

Also, patience is key, no body is the same and so make sure your goals are realistic for you – make them challenging enough for you to work at it, but not too challenging that no results in a limited time will get you discouraged. After all the main goal should be the exercise itself, being in that moment just for you, the practice and consistency will reap the results.

A compact exerciser

If you can lie spread-eagled on the floor, you have enough room to exercise.

Equipment

To do floor exercises you will need an exercise mat – very important as it won’t slip from under you. A stability or Swiss ball is also worth buying – originally used by physiotherapists they work every muscle in the body. A yoga ladder is a good buy if you’re looking to increase flexibility. Hand/foot weights which you can increase at 2kg increments as you build your fitness level, along with body weights which can make your workout a little more intense. Skipping ropes can be a nice inclusion into your routine too. Medicine balls are similar to hand weights though are suitable for throwing exercises.

Fold away gym

As well as the equipment above, those with a little more space have greater opportunity for a varied workout. With 1.5m x 2.5m of space you probably have room for at least one piece of machinery that will fold away, plus a few other larger tools.

Equipment

If you own a bike or enjoy cycling you can buy a home-trainer device which raises the wheels of a bicycle off the floor. Power bags are great to use as free weights without the potential hazards – these can be used in lunges, squats, bicep curls, etc. A great fold-away cardiovascular machine is an indoor rower – it works every major muscle group and is great for interval training.

If you’re sitting most of the day a great tool is the flexi-bar – it vibrates once shaken and the only way to stay balanced is to use the deep postural muscles (the same ones weakened from hours of sitting), and is very easy to store too. If a Swiss ball does not appeal to you, you may prefer a BOSU (both sides up), which can be used either way up – it can be used for jumping, hopping, running, and balance work. Kettlebells are great for combining resistance and cardiovascular training – they offer an intense, muscle lengthening routine in as little as 15 minutes.

Home gym

With more space to spare (especially a spare room), after investing in what attracts you from the above you could consider one or two more pieces of cardiovascular machinery. The choices are huge and though price does not necessarily determine quality, it is worth spending money and time (doing the research) on what will be a reliable machine. Make sure to try the pieces out either in-store or in a gym so that you’re certain it’ll be something you enjoy using often and will be worth incorporating into your routine.

Equipment

Cast-iron dumbbell sets usually come with removable weights that can be used with a barbell bar – which can be quite convenient. A flat-to-incline bench is great to have for use alongside the free weights. A pulley-system is an alternative to free-weights and offers a variety for every muscle group. You might also want to look into cross-trainers or a spinning x-bike, or a treadmill of course which is still the most popular piece of equipment for home and some fold away. There are also combination cardio machines which bring together the best features from the elliptical, stair climber and treadmill. Boxing is considered a high-intensity cardio workout, so this might be an interesting option if it’s possible to hang a punching bag – all you’ll need is a pair of gloves!    

Note for all: Make sure you’re in comfortable sportswear that’s cool and doesn’t restrict your range of motion. Leave two hours after eating before you exercise. Start with a 5-10 minute warm up (gentle skipping, running on the spot, up and down stairs or using light weights) to get your heart rate up, then move on to weight training and finish with cardiovascular exercises. End with 5-10 minutes of cool down (stretching).

Be sure to check out some amazing workouts on Instagram, there are many trainers who offer free content and videos as a taste and it’s good to first see who’s style you enjoy working out with and then you can move on to their programmes if you want to.

Here are a few of my favourites –

Zana Van Dijk

Senada Greca

Talilla Henchoz – we are club five