Strength training at home.. with no equipment

  • So I'm going to try and come up with a strength training routine. I don't have access to a gym, so will be doing it at home. I don't have anything other than a set of 3lb weights and a set of 5 lb wegiths. So far my plan is to:

    ~Do the 100 pushup challenge
    ~Do the 200 situp challenge
    ~Do the 200 squat challenge
    ~Holy Cow planks (I have to do some research on these.. no idea if I can do them or not)
    ~Tricep kickbacks (no clue how many to do)
    ~Bicep curls (no clue how many of these to do either)

    What else should I do? Does any of this sound good? I'll be doign these on M, W, F. I really want to try and keep toning up and building muscle while I'm losing, but am pretty much a newbie to exercise and am clueless what constitutes a GOOD weight training exercise program.
  • Check out this link to Crossfit's body weight workouts
    http://www.board.crossfit.com/showthread.php?t=50739

    3 & 5lb for a beginner might be challenging, but not for long (if you can do the push up challenge for say, a few days, 3/5lb is nothing, my 4 month old is 20lbs! He's a little chunky though, LOL). That doesn't matter though cause there is a ton of resistance that can be done with body weight
  • How about a DVD?

    I've been using The Trainer's Edge: Integrated Strength Training. You can watch it instantly if you have a Netflix account. I wouldn't rate it a 5 Star workout, but it definitely makes my muscles hurt!

    There are also free ones available at exercisetv.tv. I think I'm going to give some of those a try this week.

    I've also heard recommendations for Kelly Coffey, Jari Love, and Biggest Loser Power Sculpt.
  • Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred uses 3 or 5lbs weights (depending on each person). Its a good video, yesterday was my first day, i'm sore!
  • try to find items around the house to use in training. i use a box with phone books in it as a step sometimes. for a higher step i use a sturdy chair or my bed- about 19in high.
    put a heavy backpack on. or if you have an infant put them in a carrier on you. try different items- liq. laundry det, 5 gal water jug, or just anything random in your house.
    also experiment with different heights/speeds when you do the exercises. you can see an example of this in cathe friedrich's w/o. such as 'low ends' when you do a lower plie/lunge/squat and only slightly go up instead of all the way up. try looking at her Legs and Glutes w/o. this will also give alot of ideas you can try, or any of her w/o. you can watch clips on her website or on utube. if you decide to get some of her w/o, the down loads are very affordable. 3, 8, or 15 bucks each depending on what kind of w/o u want.
    also about.com has a good chart of different moves beginner,inter, advanced. i have the one for lower body, i think theres one for upper body too.

    just try to mix it up so your body's not too used to the moves.
  • Thanks so much everyone!!!!! I'm going to check all these out.