Eric Renrag B.Sc

Do you belong to a big box gym?  How much do you spend per month? How often do you go?  Are you meeting your fitness goals?

 

These are some of the questions that my wife and I took a hard look at 2 years ago when money got tight.  We had gym memberships that included trainers, classes, and all the workout equipment you could possibly need.  We spent a ton of money and tried to use it as much as possible.  The Problem - We weren't getting anywhere with losing weight, looking better, and feeling great.  We would go to the gym, Bicep Workouts drop our kids off in some small room with a teenager watching them (and 40 other kids), and try to work out.  I would go to the weights and get in line to use the machines and equipment and my wife would go to a class and sweat with a bunch of other women.  Now, when we left, we were sweaty and felt like we had done something, but it was a pain in the rear and expensive. 

A friend of ours invited us to the regional CrossFit games in Austin, TX last year and we really had our eyes opened for the first time.  Here were people who are in incredible shape that don't belong to a big box gym.  Most of them worked out at home with family and friends.  We spent some time getting to know some of the participants and came home to do a lot of research.  What we found helped save our pocketbooks, lives and family.
We now have a home gym in our garage that cost less than 2000.00$ to put Class 3 Weapons License together and we can workout anytime we want.  I'll list the equipment we have in a moment, but let me start by saying that you can get a great workout at any park near your house.  You don't need weights, machines or any fancy equipment to do a strenuous and satisfying workout.  Most of the time, we take our kids, do a 45 minute workout and spend a little time playing with the family.  The other parents look at us like we are crazy, but we feel great and it doesn't cost a dime. 

Our workout:  Our workouts usually consist of a warmup, followed by about 20 minutes of strenuous exercise and a stretching and cooldown period.  What follows is an example:
Warmup - 3 Times
    1.    10 shoulder stretches
    2.    10 pushups
    3.    10 squats
    4.    10 dips
    5.    10 pullups
    6.    10 back extensions (supermans)
    7.    10 situps
    8.    Sampson Stretch
Workout (example) - 3 rounds
    1.    50 squats
    2.    50 situps
    3.    15 pushups
    4.    4 handstand pushups
Every workout is done for the lowest amount of time possible, so you get a great cardio workout as well.  We do something different for the workout everyday and try not to do the same things often.  These are simple and effective workouts that require no equipment and no gym.  And if you think this is an easy workout, just try it. 
A list of the equipment we have in our garage is as follows:
    •    squat rack
    •    concept 2 rowere
    •    bumper plates / steel plates
    •    Olympic bars 2
    •    Kettlebell sets
    •    medicine balls
    •    GHD machine
    •    Abmats
    •    Jumpropes
    •    A good stereo
Now, you don't need all of this equipment, but we have found that for under 2000.00$, you can equip your garage or spare room very nicely.  After all, you are just renting equipment from the big box gyms, why not pay less and own it yourself.


My wife and I are headed to Florida in 2 weeks and although I am ashamed to admit it, I want my arms to look good on the beach.  Usually, we do workouts that are designed for the entire body and not directed at one region.  This is not to say that you can't blast an area and get a great workout.  We did one the other night that was absolutely killer for the upper body.  
We typically do body weight exercises along with some form of olympic weight lifting to increase strength.  We do every workout in as little time as possible to increase the metabolic conditioning.
We also like to throw in some form of workout that is not usually associated with exercise at CrossFit Magnolia.  things like climbing rope, flipping tires, digging hole and trenches, etc.  These are everyday movements that can increase your core strength as well as targeted areas.  
The other night we did a great upper body workout that consisted of the following:
  5 Rounds for time of
Row 500 meters
5 handstand pushups
10 squats
15 pushups
10 situps
10 ring dips.

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