Can I workout without going to the gym?

Admin
Jul 15, 2017
7 min read

Are you the person who never has time to go to the gym? You have all the intentions of changing your lifestyle but when push comes to shove, it just does not happen. Late work days, commutes, family, meals, commitments, all getting in the way of your own goals. You may consider them selfish, but they really are not. When YOU workout and eat healthy, YOU will feel better for YOUR FAMILY. Instead of handing them the leftovers, you get your second wind, ready to race with your son or play in the yard with your daughter. You see, it is not selfish, it helps you to be a better version of yourself, for the ones we love.

Too often I see this desire in clients, friends, co-workers. You want to live a fit lifestyle, but you just do not have the time to go to the gym for an hour. I hear the words you are saying, and I asked a dear friend of mine to provide you with your very first tools to remove the excuse of I cannot go to the gym because….

Madeline Hood of Make Fit Happen with Madeline, agreed to be interviewed, pictured, and overall give a free home workout to my readers.

Before we get into the home workout, I wanted to tell you a little bit about the lady behind the workout.

Who are you?

Madeline was born and raised in Heber Springs. She loves her town and desires to make it an overall healthier community. She started training after high school when she changed her own lifestyle. After high school, she gained weight and started with the typical workout videos and at home stuff, and bouncing from diet promise to diet promise. After much failure, Madeline wanted to share with others how to prevent the vicious cycle. She desired to show people you do not have to go to extremes, you can still live a normal life and find a balance which includes fitness. So, she decided to pursue the ACE (American Council on Exercise) certification and start helping as many people find fitness as she could within her grasp. Slowly her client base continued to grow, as did her relationships with her clients from all walks of life. She loves training, whether it be in person or through online training plans, because it gives her a chance to possibly take their hand down a new path of stress relief, personal goal setting, and overall health.

Madeline currently lives with her husband and has a few fur babies. She desperately loves outdoor fitness. Whether it be hiking, biking, kayaking, or sprinting on the track of her alma mater, Heber Springs High School. She loves Heber Springs for many reasons, but one to mention regarding the topic, would be how easily accessible outdoor fitness is here in our small lake town.

What do you love the most about your job as a trainer?

“Showing people what they are really capable of, the little things they do not realize are so big.”

Nothing makes her love her job more than the encouraging updates from clients. Some of her favorites have included; being able to play with their grandkids for the first time without getting winded, a college student who previously struggled making it to class, now able to walk to class on time without feeling like they ran a marathon, and helping people develop a healthy outlet for stress, avoiding the unhealthy addictions we tend to use to cope with the day to day grind.

Is it always easy for you to work out?

“Absolutely NOT, no way. There are days I must drag myself to the gym. On those days I try to remember the whys; why did I start, why am I not where I want to be. I know I will feel better if I can just get myself there and start. I know it will make me feel so accomplished, when I did not think I had the time or energy, but I did it anyway.”

I do not have the time or the money to come to the gym and do these huge workouts. Is there anything I can do at home or somewhere small I can start?

You can absolutely get an efficient workout at home, but there will definitely be a time when you will have to add strength training, which can be done with resistance bands at home. But simple things can make a huge difference. Just start.

Are you ready to workout? Have you got your clothes on yet? Because here it is, your home workout from Make Fit Happen with Madeline!

First I will describe the workouts and show pictures of correct form from my lovely model, Ms. Madeline. She was gracious enough to let me drag her to my home, photograph her doing the movements WHILE explaining correct form AND all while sporting a Sartain Nutrition shirt! Such a good sport...

And I will say as someone who works out, she taught me a few things about form I have been doing wrong this whole time!! So everyone has room for improvement and can learn from someone who has been trained in the specifics of exercising appropriately to prevent injury along with maximizing efforts.

THE EXERCISES & PROPER POSITIONING

Exercise one: Plank

Be sure your body resembles a table, flat/even from shoulders to ankles. Do not sink into shoulder blades, and check to be sure shoulders are above wrists.

Start with 20 seconds, if you can do more, add 10 seconds each time.

Exercise two: Glute bridge

Be sure weight is through your heels, legs bent to a 90 degree angle, tuck pelvis (should feel in booty only, not back). Floor, to bridge, to floor once again equals one.

The modification to increase difficulty would be elevated glute bridges, pictured as well. You can do this in your home with a sturdy chair or couch/love seat.

Exercise three: Push-up

Now this sounds easy enough, we all know what push-ups are, right? Well, we have been doing them wrong for a very long time, ha! Note Ms. Madeline's elbow positioning.

Be sure back is flat, hips down, quite similar to the plank position.

The modification to increase difficulty would be to assume the standard push-up position on toes rather than knees. Madeline encourages all her clients to start with however many standards you can do before continuing on your knees. One is better than none.

Exercise four: Reverse lunges

Step back into lunge, weight through front heel, be careful not to let knee go in front of toes, a common mistake. Front leg should be at a 90 degree angle when you descend to the floor. Do not let your knee actually touch the ground, get as close as you are able without ACTUALLY touching the ground.

Exercise five: Squat

Weight through the heels, do not let knees in front of toes. Shoulders back, chest forward, thighs as close to parallel to the ground as you are able.

Check your feet, they should be hip width apart for a standard squat such as this, knees in line with toes. All the while, keeping your core tight. Got that???!

Exercise six: Lateral raises with weight

If you do not have weights, we all have items in our kitchen which would be great substitutes and do not collect dust or bust toes under the bed...

Palms toward body, raising arms simultaneously to 90 degrees, all the while shoulders back and down.

Exercise seven: Bent over row with weight

Slight bend in knees through the entire exercise, hinged forward at the hips until back is nearly parallel to the floor.

Keep back flat, rounding the back could lead to injury. Pull arms to side (think trying to start a push lawnmower), squeezing shoulder blades as you pull.

Exercise eight: Bicep curl with weight

Shoulders back and down, arms asides, palms forward. Do NOT rest elbows on stomach, and careful not to swing when pulling weight up.

Pull the weights straight up to shoulders, then back down to starting position.

Exercise nine: Tricep dips

Start seated, hands beside hips on the edge of a stable and sturdy chair. Scoot completely to the edge of the chair, where your back is against the chair. Bend arms as you lower the body to the floor, keeping your back as close to the chair as possible to prevent strain in shoulders, leading to injury.

The modification to increase difficulty would be legs straight, knees NOT bent, as pictured.

THE WORKOUT

Now that you have an understanding of the proper way to do each exercise, you will put the nine exercises into a circuit format.

Circuit one: Plank (20secs+), 20 Squat, 10 Bicep curls x 3 rounds

Once all three rounds completed move on to next circuit quickly.

Circuit two: 10 Bent over rows, 10 Tricep dips, 20 Glute bridges x 3 rounds

Once all three rounds completed move on to next circuit quickly.

Circuit three: 10 Push-ups, 10/each leg Reverse lunges, 10 Lateral raises x 3 rounds

Once all three rounds completed, you ARE DONE! Thank goodness.

If you have time, add any type of cardio you can, chasing toddlers, playing tag with the kids, dancing while cooking, rigorous vacuuming, stairs, anything that keeps your heart rate elevated.

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

Parting words from your at-home trainer, Madeline...

What are three tips you would give someone just starting out?

Be consistent.

Even if it is not a lot, a ten-minute workout is better than sitting on the couch. If fifteen minutes is all you have, do fifteen minutes of lunges- your booty is going to look better than if you were just sitting there like a lump!

Set short term realistic goals.

Example: I will work out this week. I will get three, twenty minute workouts. It does not always have to be a weight or calorie goal. Short and simple eventually lead to bigger goals.

Take progress pictures.

You do not have to share them with anyone, they are for you alone. Lock them away on your phone. They are self-motivating, and one day you will want to share them to help someone else.

An app I use for my progress photos to keep them safe, my eyes only: Photovault, password protected picture application compatible with iPhone/Apple products.