Get Out Of The Gym

With the way today’s economy is it can be difficult for some people to shell out money for a personal trainer, gym membership, or crazy infomercial fitness equipment.  (I laughed when I saw the latest ab equipment that has the person swing side to side on wheels.  I was like, “Really?!”) 

You can get a good calorie-burning workout outside of the gym and in your home.  However, I encourage you to get out of the house and go to your nearest park so you can enjoy the nice spring weather and fresh air.  And if the nearest park is walking distance then use that to your advantage and burn some extra calories getting there! 

I recommend a park because most have benches, a great prop when it comes to working out!  Wanna work the legs then perform step ups on the bench or squats bending your legs low enough until your butt touches the bench. 

For your chest you can perform incline/decline push ups…depending on where you place your hands.  And no, there’s no “better way” when it comes to doing a push up (or pull up).  The only difference is how it affects certain muscle fibers.  Hands on the bench will simulate a decline press targeting your lower pectoral muscle fibers while hands on the ground and feet on the bench will focus on the upper fibers such as in an incline press. 

Work your triceps by doing bench dips.  Challenge your abs by performing knee tucks (sitting on the bench with your feet off the ground and bending your knees in toward your chest and then straightening your legs away from your body.) 

If you have exercise tubing you can wrap one around a tall branch and perform lat pull downs giving your back some attention. Crunches to the front and sides will work your abs and obliques.  Run around the park after each exercise to keep your heart rate up or do jumping jacks, mountain climbers, or jump rope for one minute. 

Now, if you don’t have a park nearby you can do all of this inside your home.  Stairs in the house can be your bench.  No stairs, no problem.  You can still do squats or lunges to work those legs. I do suggest buying some kind of resistance such as exercise tubing or dumbbells to provide more intensity and give you more options. 

As far as household activities whatever works the total body is best: moping your floors, vacuuming, cleaning out your closets, or washing your car. I discovered painting the outside of my house was VERY effective for burning calories.  Not to mention it gave me a HUGE sense of accomplishment!  By doing 30-60 minutes of household activities a day, in addition to an exercise program, not only will you stay in shape but your home will be spotless and sparkling clean! 

Happy spring cleaning!

Do you have a question for Bobby about how to improve your time in the gym? Send us an email.

(Photo: Getty Images)

A.C.E.- and N.A.S.M.-certified, Bobby Solorio has been personal training for over 10 years. You might recognize him from Bravo TV's "Kathy Griffin: My Life
on the D-List," where he trains his now-A-list client. For more info check out Bobby's website.