Transitioning from working out in a gym to working out at home

[ZiggyPalffyLA]

So I actually do enjoy working out, but I absolutely dread going to the gym. Especially the gym I currently go to (and the only local gym I can afford). It's hot, constantly humid, crowded at all hours, and there are only 2 flat benches in the entire gym. I haven't seen an empty flat bench in literally months,

I'd much prefer to work out at home, but I live in an upstairs studio apartment with hardwood floors. I've bought enough equipment to do basic curls, pull-ups, overhead press, etc. but in terms of squatting, rows, dips, etc. I'm not sure what I can do. Ideally, I'd like to be able to do full sets of the following:

Squats
Dips/weighted dips
Bent-over row
Bench press (also incline/decline)
Other shoulder/tricep workouts I may not be thinking of

Is there anyone here who lives in an apartment who has managed to put together a full body lifting routine (with good results) at home, with minimal equipment? The main benefits are obviously not having to leave my apartment, but also having access to A/C and cold water, a TV I can watch while I lift, and never feeling judged. Any advice from people in a similar situation?

 

[Mango Polo]

Sounds like you need a power rack. And really, just that and the barbell.

e. And if you are worried about the flooring, you can stack multiple gym mats to seriously cushion things. Always lock your weights on the bar and you should be entirely fine.

 

[Invisible Cities]

I used to work out at home exclusively and got pretty good results with just adjustable 50 lb dumbbells.

I go to a normal gym now, but work out in hotel gyms pretty often too.

Some stuff you may not have thought off:

Goblet Squats (50lbs will quickly be too light, but you can do variations like sumo and narrow stance, focus on form.)

You can do the exact same idea for dumbbell or kettlebell deadlifts, but you'll probably need more weight.

(this is the best dumbbell back workout for me, anyways. I like my hands at an angle. You really have to focus on lower back and form.)

(overhead Tricep extensions. I just do these standing. 50lb isn't bad to start, or you can do single-arm at an angle.)

(Single-arm shoulder press. I like this a lot because it's harder to do, and requires more stability. Therefore, you can use lighter weights too. Even today I only do this with like 65 lb dumbbells).

Bench: just learn to love pushups, lol. There are so many varieties, and I'm not a fan of dumbbell flies.

 

[Shadybiz]

I used to work out at home exclusively and got pretty good results with just adjustable 50 lb dumbbells.

I go to a normal gym now, but work out in hotel gyms pretty often too.

Some stuff you may not have thought off:

(Goblet Squats. 50lbs will quickly be too light, but you can do variations like sumo and narrow stance, focus on form.)

You can do the exact same idea for deadlifts.

(the best dumbbell back workout for me, anyways. I like my hands at an angle.)

(overhead Tricep extensions. I just do these standing. 50lb isn't bad to start, or you can do single-arm at a slight angle.)

(Single-arm shoulder press. I like this a lot because it's harder to do, and requires more stability. Therefore, you can use lighter weights too. Even today I only do this with like 65 lb dumbbells)

Bench: just learn to love pushups, lol. There are so many varieties, and I'm not a fan of dumbbell flies.

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How are those adjustables, and do you have a recommended brand? I usually just go to the gym, but I now have a job that allows me to work from home a couple of days a week, so I was thinking of getting something like that, to get a few sets in during lunch, etc.

 

[honest_ry]

I would kill to be able to workout at home but I have no space for weights.

I fucking hate going to my gym and having to be around the young twats that frequent in.

 

[Parch]

A bench and an adjustable set of dumbbells do not take up a lot of space. Low cost and you can do a lot with only that. That should be the start of any home gym and quite often is all you need. Just purchase more weights for the dumbbells as you advance.

If you go for racks and barbells you're going to need more space and money.

 

[Invisible Cities]

How are those adjustables, and do you have a recommended brand? I usually just go to the gym, but I now have a job that allows me to work from home a couple of days a week, so I was thinking of getting something like that, to get a few sets in during lunch, etc.

Click to shrink...

I have some cheap ones from Weider that suck honestly.

BowFlex SelectTechs seem really nice, but I couldn't justify the expense.

 

[Deleted member 9486]

How are those adjustables, and do you have a recommended brand? I usually just go to the gym, but I now have a job that allows me to work from home a couple of days a week, so I was thinking of getting something like that, to get a few sets in during lunch, etc.

Click to shrink...

The Bowflex ones are great, though pricey.

We have the ones that go up to 52.5 lbs each, and adjustable bench and a pull-up bar for the doorframe. Works for us as neither of us are trying to get big or anything.

 

[okayfrog]

I bought this guy (I think) back in 2014. Currently live in a studio and it still fits nicely in it, crazy enough. I would highly recommend getting a squat rack for your apartment if you can fit it somewhere.

 

[Shadybiz]

I have some cheap ones from Weider that suck honestly.

BowFlex SelectTechs seem really nice, but I couldn't justify the expense.

Click to shrink...

The Bowflex ones are great, though pricey.

We have the ones that go up to 52.5 lbs each, and adjustable bench and a pull-up bar for the doorframe. Works for us as neither of us are trying to get big or anything.

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Nice, thanks guys. Yeah I remembered seeing the Bowflex set some years ago. Looking at Amazon, it seems to be fairly well-reviewed. It is indeed pricey at $300, but I'm thinking it would be worth it for the saved space alone. 52.5 is plenty for the manner in which I'll be using it; I'll be doing the heavier stuff at the gym.

 

[Volimar]

There was a machine at my physical therapy place... It was my dream machine. I could sit on it and exercise and it was the perfect position to not hurt my back. Looked kind of like this but nicer:

If I could have one in my house my quality of life would increase dramatically.

 

[ZiggyPalffyLA]

These are some great suggestions.

When you guys talk about adjustable dumbbells, you're talking about the ones where you just press a button and it automatically shifts the weight right? I swear, I can't find anything like that for under $300.

I'm definitely gonna look into an adjustable flat bench and a small power rack.

 

[Sabre]

I had this same experience after finding myself lacking time to go to the gym with a small child at home. I started out with playing with kettlebells and dumbbells. It worked to some degree but then I realized they are not a complete replacement for barbell training. Getting a rack was not an option for me due to space, so my solution was to get a barbell and weights and plan my workout around the movements in the clean and press/jerk cycle. My current workout looks like this:

Power cleans - low reps, mostly for warm-up and explosiveness
Front squats
Romanian deadlifts
Military press
Pull ups (I also bought a bar for this)
Push-ups with a 10kg barbell weight on my back
Curls

The nice things is that you can get a full-body barbell workout at home and all the equipment fits easily to a closet, etc. To do this you need to get fairly comfortable with the power clean and the rack position, since your front squat is limited by your clean. I had done cleans in the gym previously so this wasn't an issue for me. This works better for programs with higher (5+ reps) sets rather than maximum strength training with low reps, although the DL can be safely done with higher weights. For equipment, you should get at least one set of high quality plates. These are the ones that will touch the floor- they need to be durable and they shouldn't ruin your floor either. Bumper plates or rubber-coated Olympic plates work well. The other plates can be normal metal plates, but just make sure their diameter is lower than the ones that touch the floor.

 

[Deleted member 13328]

My dream is to have a gym at home, in the garage or something. Fuck that would be sweet.

My gym is the same as the op, crowded almost all the time. And only two "squat racks" where people curl.

 

[metalgear89]

I have a small adjustable bench which goes at different angles with a couple of dumbbells, barbell and a matt. I can get a full body workout with just that.

Bicep curls
Deadlift
Overhead shoulder press
Bent over single arm row
Dumbell bench press
Reverse fly
Planks
Squats
Lateral raise

I only use the barbell for deadlifts other workouts ones that needs weights i use a dumbell. I don't think i am ever going back to the gym. Everything fits underneath my bed so it doesn't take much space.

 

[mf.luder]

When I get some more yard space I'm going to build a fully equipped home gym. Mainly a deadlift platform and a rack.

It's on my list.

 

[HarryHengst]

I bought a power rack for this purpose. It's ugly as shit, my girlfriend hates having it in the apartment, but it owns to have, especially in the winter. Bought rubber tiles (that are like 5 cm thick) to put under the cage so doing deadlifts is fine without damaging the floor. My apartment does have concrete floors though, so they can easily hold the weight.

 

[Zampano]

Just buy some kettlebells and look up "Simple and Sinister".

 

[Fudgepuppy]

Holy shit, I just realized that I can do all of my exercises from home.

Totally looking into this stuff.

 

[Jindrax]

Rubber resistance bands shouldn't be underestimated either. Those things are pretty effective especially when you move up in strength.

I do rows with a 100kg resistance band for instance. A lighter one for curls. A different one for shoulder raises and presses.

You gotta get creative when working out in an appartement but it's definately not impossible.

 

[Fudgepuppy]

Any suggestions for how to do pullups at home? I'm not strong enough to lift my own weight yet, and a whole assisted machine would be too much.

 

[Messofanego]

I just did the opposite, exercising from home to now going to a gym. The gym is ideal for me. Next to my workplace. They have a membership cap of 750, so it can be quiet and enough space for everyone. They got a nutritionist and do classes like Pilates, yoga, Zumba, etc. It's not just gym bunnies who go there, 51% women, all ages, so I don't feel self conscious. Took me a while to find a gym suitable for me.

 

[Masquerader]

Any suggestions for how to do pullups at home? I'm not strong enough to lift my own weight yet, and a whole assisted machine would be too much.

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Start by trying chinups if possible, as they are slightly easier. If you're fat, you almost certainly have to lose some first, as it'll be an insurmountable hindrance if you have too much.

As for the actual technique, what helped me most was standing on a chair, then, starting from the end chinup position, descend slowly while resisting the descent using your arms, then repeat again. Try for it 8 or so times. When I got more able at descending during the pullup/chinup motion, I found it a lot easier to ascend later.

 

[Daitokuji]

I would try to find a better gym. Buying a power rack, all the weights and barbell, setting it up, etc. seems really expensive and a pain in the ass. Plus if you stop working out you won't be left with a bunch of junk in your house.

 

[Fat4all]

just stop working out, like me

 

[Deleted member 15632]

https://mobile.aquatrainingbag.com/

Bought one of these along with some dumbbells and a bench - been using pretty much every night the last week or so for 30min in my garage (had some simple boxing training years ago on technique).

Seems to be working out ok...I refuse to pay for gyms these days.

 

[RoninChaos]

I need to do something in my house. I have adjustable dumbbells. Any suggestions for a bench?

What about resistance bands? Any suggestions on how to make those work?

 

[ZiggyPalffyLA]

I have a small adjustable bench which goes at different angles with a couple of dumbbells, barbell and a matt. I can get a full body workout with just that.

Bicep curls
Deadlift
Overhead shoulder press
Bent over single arm row
Dumbell bench press
Reverse fly
Planks
Squats
Lateral raise

I only use the barbell for deadlifts other workouts ones that needs weights i use a dumbell. I don't think i am ever going back to the gym. Everything fits underneath my bed so it doesn't take much space.

Click to shrink...

I just ordered this adjustable bench:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0711L8FV7/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It looks perfect for my needs, it adjusts in incline, decline, flat, and 90 degrees, and it folds up for easy storage. And I can still do all of the exercises you mentioned.

My next purchase is a set of adjustable dumbbells (the ones where you just press a button) but I'm waiting for those to drop in price a bit.