Staying Fit Without The Gym
Feeling like your waisting away without that sweet squat rack? Pushups not quite cutting it? It might be difficult to keep things fresh and motivation high when the workout lacks the things you love. Let’s talk about how you can replace the “big five” exercises without any equipment.
The big five are:
- Squats
- Deadlifts
- Bench press
- Barbell row
- Overhead barbell press
Squats
Squats are most effective with heavy weight. Sure you can increase your reps without weight but in no way is it comparable to the classic. Instead try Pistol Squats to increase the load on each leg. This is also fantastic for improving the muscles associated with balance.
Pistol Squats are a single leg exercise which require balance and flexibility. You can make things easier by performing the exercise next to a wall or poll for support. Increase difficulty by holding extra weight.
Pistol Squat Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZlLHZ4Venw
Deadlifts
Deadlift and back exercises in general are difficult to replace without some kind of pull up bar. But there are still options. Think about how you can use your body weight to apply resistance to the lower back.
Try a single leg deadlift which utilises the weight of your torso and leg to apply some resistance. Advanced calisthenics moves such as the back lever can also be effective.
Body Weight Deadlift: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FujJkRLG1Fg
Bench press
Pushups are great but don’t apply much resistance to the chest. To increase load try moving your arms back towards your hips and push from your center of mass. This transfers load from your feet into your hands, applying more pressure to the chest.
This move is commonly referred to as a planche push up. But there are a few other variants of the standard pushup which can work well such as the diamond or one arm pushup.
Planche Pushup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odcPqBOlJhI
Pushup Variations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0eYiItN2D8
Barbell row
The barbell row is difficult without some form of equipment, but you can try to make do with any kind of bar in your local park.
Try an inverted row to apply resistance to the same muscles as the barbell row. You can also add weight such as a backpack to increase the resistance.
Inverted Row: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXTc1mDnZCw
Overhead barbell press
There are a few options available to train shoulder without equipment, you can easily create weight by filling a bag with heavy household items such as books or your old coin jar. Use this for all forms of shoulder raises.
Another options is the shoulder pushup which looks like a regular pushup with your waist in the air. This brings your body weight over the shoulders to apply load. You can advance this all the way into a handstand pushup.
Shoulder workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yLcLmhhjDw
Calisthenics provide many answers to working out without equipment, check out YouTubers like Austin Dunham or Official Thenx for more inspiration.
Austin Dunham: https://www.youtube.com/user/GeekAMD
Official Thenx: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMiamiTrainer
