Best and Effective Workouts without weights

  • Any tips for a beginner, stiff body that needs to start off with the basic
    And how many times per day and for how long.

    I don't have funds for the gym or muscle mas proteins and such
    And I need to loose some weight and also tone up for the summer.

    If you have any daily routines you might do in the morning like stretching exercise to be flexible would be helpful as well.

    I'm extremely lazy type so starting easy would help.

    Thank you
  • I have no experience with weight/strength training, but hatha yoga has changed my life! I used to be a dancer (ballet) until I ruined my knee when I was 20, and after leaving, my body became so stiff and inflexible. Yoga helped me regain my flexibility, balance and posture. I was too afraid to attend classes in the beginning (although I do now, but it can get pricy if you're on a strict budget) so I learned by watching videos online - YouTube has a zillion, from each basic pose to full hour-long sessions. It's a great way to learn in the privacy of your own home without spending a single cent!

    I go to a 30-minute class in the morning, I do it for ~15 minutes after cardio to cool down and again for about 15 minutes before bed. It helps immensely if you have a large mirror - even a skinny full-length mirror from WalMart ($15) would help a lot - so you can see what you're doing and make adjustments as necessary. It will be difficult in the beginning, so stick to basic/easy poses and work on mastering those before you move on to more advanced poses.

    I don't know if I can post links, but Google "basic yoga poses" and "basic yoga workout videos" to get started. Also, avoid anything like yoga cardio, yoga weight loss or yoga meltdown routines (Jillian Michaels has one floating around YouTube) because those are more cardio workouts than basic yoga
  • Thank you. I Hope that doing yoga will make me suoer flexible but in progress.

    How long does the body take to be super flexible when it comes to doing highly advance yoga? And What should I do when my body is sore or recovering. Hot bath?
  • Yoga is great for flexibility. Just go slow when you start and really concentrate on getting the pose right, not trying to stretch yourself further than is reasonable. You will injure yourself. I know, I have done it. Youtube has a lot of home workout videos and many of them do not use anything more than your body weight. Never underestimate the power of lunges, squats, burpees, pushups, bicycles, planks and dips. Great workout, free to do, and as challenging as you want to make them. A jump rope is an awesome way to develop cardio conditioning with minimal space and equipment. If you have a sports stadium or tall staircase near you, that's a killer leg and butt workout.
  • I go to the gym every day and weight train 5 times a week.

    You don't have the funds to.

    If I did not have funds to I would do planks, side planks, squats (holding bags of sugar), sit-ups and press-ups.

    An we'd probably end up with the same results.

    There's no room for lazy though. So get rid of that.
  • You could start with some cheap workout videos like Walk Away the Pounds or 30 day shred.

    Couch to 5K is also a good place to start for cardio if you don't want to spend any money at all.

    I've also found that the health and fitness section on Pinterest has about a million different workout plans that can be done with just your body weight, just like Ian and Brandis are suggesting.
  • Yep, Brandis is right - it is veryimportant not to overextend yourself, especially in the very beginning! It's more important that you are doing the pose correctly, not that you can stretch as far as the instructor/the person in the video/whatever. The more you practice, the more flexible and strong you will become, so as you progress you'll naturally be able to stretch farther and go longer!

    It's hard to say how quickly you'll progress - it completely depends on where you are now (I obviously had a slight advantage after 17 years of dancing!), how often you practice, for how long you practice and even what poses you do. For me, it took about four weeks to totally master the basic poses without falling or losing my balance, and about six months to reach the advanced poses. But even now, after six years of yoga, there are still poses that I can't fully do - dancer gets me almost every time That being said, if you truly commit, you should see results very quickly; by the end of the first week, you may notice you are already beginning to loosen up.

    I am by no means an expert, but if I were starting out like you, I would probably start with 15 minutes a day for the first couple weeks, then add five minutes each week thereafter until I reached 30 minutes a day. While I prefer to practice in the morning, I find I am far more flexible and able at the end of the day, so that's also something to consider. Downward dog, sun salutation, child's pose, warrior, plan and half twist are all good poses to start with. And before you attempt any poses, definitely watch the video a few times - without an instructor there to critique you, you really want to make sure you understand the pose before you attempt it!

    As for feeling sore, it's been a long time since I first started, but I honestly can't remember feeling sore. I would say if you are sore, a hot bath/shower and some ibuprofen is probably the best way to go, but I would also double-check how I was doing each pose to make sure I'm performing them correctly. I always do yoga before and after working out as a warm-up and cool-down and I actually find it helps reduce my soreness!

    Like I said, I am by no means an expert, but if you have any specific questions feel free to ask
  • I started yoga at 28, and i had been a couch potato all my life.

    Took 2 years to get my head to my knee and 5 to do a full lotus (it's not perfect but it's there)

    and i never felt sore after yoga. My teacher always said - if it hurts you're doing too much.

    Yoga was a perfect way for me to start excercising - it's low impact and it feels wonderful (like you just got a massage). It slowly helped build fitness and got me mentally to a place where i was willing to be more active. 5 years after i started yoga i now run (imagine - me running!) I can do 1 mile but am hoping to do 3 by the end of the year. and as everyone says - you don't have to spend a penny to do it at home
  • I have no idea how much overweight you could be at 110 pounds at 5 foot one.

    However, its needn't be a drama. First of all do your 80% diet 20% exercise program for weightloss.

    If you want to build some muscle, then take up yoga. Use your body as your weight. There are lots of work out programs on youtube.

    Try headstands, whatever its called when you lie on your back and lift your feet and hips up in the fair and try to get on your shoulders. supported by the elbows.
    for legs, there's lots of stuff you can do. Just browse yoga poses and try them.
    Downward dog pose is good for shoulders strength and stretching the legs.
    Squats are good for the legs. I don't know the names of most yoga poses get a book from the library and gradually increase what you do.

    I've started with some pilates exercise this time for core strength. I try to do them everyday whenever i remember throughout the day. its easy that way.

    There are also online easy running programs.
  • Thank you for not judging. I have real bad self esteem issues.
    I know I might not be overweight. But to me it is a problem. And I know laziness shouldn't be a factor neither. I will start doing some of the tips you people gave me. I really appreciate it. I hope to get results. And I will maintain my diet as well. (: