Tag Archives: Home workout

Join The Band to Build Muscles & Get Fit!

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Don’t panic, we’re not talking music here (I’m tone deaf). We are talking about what i rate as the single best piece of home workout equipment you can buy. Watch the video, read the article and scroll right down to the bottom for some exciting news!!

Resistance Bands:

So what exactly are resistance bands and why do i rate them so highly? They are simply a set of latex tubes that come with handles, feet and door attachment. Usually they come in a set with 5 different colour tubes or bands and each has different resistance levels. By attaching all 5 bands you can really ramp up the weight/resistance to some quite high levels. I wrote in a previous article about these and some other pieces of essential home equipment but to me these are top of the list.

Why? Well because they are just so versatile. You can replicate probably 80% of the exercise’s that you can do in even the most well equipped Gym with just one piece of equipment that fits in a drawer. You can take it on holiday or business trips with you. They work equally effectively for beginners or for pretty serious trainers who are looking to build solid muscle. Resistance bands are also a little more forgiving on muscles, joints and tendons for those that have injuries or those who are perhaps getting on in years slightly. They are also perfect for ladies that either don’t want to go to the Gym or have busy lives with kids etc and want something they can do at home for 20 minutes a day.

They take a little getting used to and certainly a bit of experimentation to find the angles and exercises that work best for you, and that target the muscles that you want to target. However with a little practise you will find that you can work Shoulders, Chest, Biceps, Triceps and your entire back very easily. Working those leg muscles and Abs are a little more complex but still perfectly possibly.

Now i know that there are a load of guys out there shaking their heads and saying “resistance bands?? Really? They are for wimps!”  To a degree I can’t argue with that. If you are an advanced body builder or weight lifter then resistance bands cannot replace going to a gym and just shifting a shedload of heavy weights. If you are really trying to build massive muscles then resistance bands are not going to do it for you. However this blog is called Ordinary Guy Fitness and it aims to cater to the majority of people who want to get fit, lead healthier lifestyles and definitely tone up and build some muscle. For that aim these are perfect.

An additional, and for many people an essential benefit, is also the cost. Gym memberships generally speaking are expensive. Exercise classes are expensive and any sort of personal trainer is definitely expensive. I’m not putting you off of any of those things as I use or have used all of them, but many people are no fortunate enough to have the spare cash and in those cases a one of payment of maybe £20 or $25/27 is a very inexpensive way to buy a piece of equipment that can help you get fit and build some muscle.

If you want some tips on how to use the bands or incorporate them into your existing workout programme then drop me an email or comment and I’ll do my best to respond.

That’s it for this article. I will make it a mission to do my own video showing as many different band exercise’s as possible in the near future.

However at the top I promised you some exciting news. A couple of weeks ago in this blog post I talked about Ordinary Guy Fitness possibly offering some products that will help with your fitness, health and training goals. Well in a couple of weeks the first couple of products will be rolling off the production line and will be available on Amazon with Ordinary Guy Fitness branding and guarantee. Not only that but the very first products available will be Ordinary Guy Fitness Resistance Bands. Not only that but readers and subscribers to this blog , the Facebook page or my Twitter page will be given their very own discount codes that will not be available elsewhere. Make sure you don’t miss out. Go to the home page and subscribe to my email list now to make sure you don’t miss future posts and the release date.

Take Care,

John

Home Ab Workout to Blast Your Core!!

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Hi Everybody,

Just a really quick post today. Following some previous exercise and video posts one of the most frequent questions I’ve been asked is can i show an Ab workout that people can do at home with no equipment. The answer to that is yes, or course. There are probably a dozen really good Ab exercises you can incorporate into an Ab workout. Your abdominal and core muscles are really tough, you need to work them hard and regularly and they will improve rapidly. Here is a combination of 6 exercises. Do them for the required number of reps or time shown in the video. Once you have completed the circuit take about a minutes rest, then repeat 3-5 times.

Ab Blaster Exercises:

Leg Raises with Hip Thrust: Lay on your back. Hold your legs out in front of you. Depending how advanced you are you can do this with legs bent or almost straight. Using your Abdominal muscles lift your legs up 90 degrees. When you reach this point use your lower Ab muscles to thrust your hips and legs up to the sky in a controlled motion. Lower your legs, under control, back out in front of you. Do not allow them to touch the floor. That is one rep. Repeat 10 times.

Sit Up/Crunch With Twist: Lay on your back with your knees bent and slightly apart. Hold your hands together with arms extended behind your head. Using your abdominals sit up and crunch forward moving your arms to extension between your knees. Lower, under control back to the floor. That is one rep. Then repeat, this time when you reach the top twist and crunch to the left, then lower back to the floor. Finally repeat the sit up again but this time twist and crunch to the right. Do 12 reps. 3 for each part.

Windscreen Wipers: Lay flat on your back, arms at your sides. Raise both legs together up to 90 degrees above your body. Under control slowly lower them down to one side as far as you can reach tensing your Ab muscles and controlling your legs down. Pause without your legs touching the floor. Then lift and raise them back to the middle. That is one rep. Then repeat on the other side. Do 10 reps in total.

Russian Twists: Sit in a semi upright position, slightly leaning backwards. Lift your feet off the floor, cross your ankles and hold them there. Then without letting your feet touch the floor and continuing to lean slightly backwards twist your torso from side to side and touch your hands on the floor to either side of your body. Do 16 reps (8 each side). I would normally do this using a weight or medicine ball but this workout is with no equipment, hence no weight.

Side Plank: Laying on your side place your feet on top of each other. Then raise yourself up onto your elbow which should be directly under your shoulder. Use the arm to support yourself and ensure that your body is in an entirely straight line. Squeeze your hips, side and torso to make sure you hold your body perfectly straight with no dipping down. Hold for 20 seconds on the right side, then turn and do the same on your left side.

Front Plank: Lay face down on the floor. Raise yourself up onto both elbows again placed under your shoulders to support your body weight and lift up onto your toes. Again it is important to hold your body completely straight. Do not lift your bum in the air OR allow your hips to sag. Whilst holding the position squeeze your torso, glutes, abs and thighs as hard as you can. Hold the position for 30 seconds.

That’s it. As i said repeat 3-5 times and aim to do this or something very similar 4 or 5 times a week. You will make progress quickly and having a strong core and Abdominal muscles is incredibly beneficial for health, posture, overall fitness and makes a big difference to how you look and carry your self.

Take Care,

John

THE 5 pieces of essential home fitness equipment!!

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Resistance Bands 1

So you want to improve your fitness and become stronger and healthier but can’t get to the Gym. Maybe you just don’t have the time to get out for an hour, don’t want to lay out the money (some gyms are very expensive these days), or one of the most common reasons is embarrassment. You may not feel confident in a Gym environment as you may not be completely sure what you are doing or could feel self conscious about your shape….

All of these are valid reasons for millions of people. However that doesn’t give you a reason to kop out and do nothing. As I’ve said in previous articles, you can do fantastic workouts that will transform your body and health from the comfort and privacy of your own home. However in order to do that effectively it would really help to have a few bits of kit and equipment to help you achieve your goals.

Listed below are 5 pieces or types of equipment that will help you do all the exercise you need to tone, flatten and pump your body as well as improving heart and lung function and general health. Most of these are relatively inexpensive, easy to source (Amazon) and easy to store.

My number one choice is a good set of resistance bands with handles. I probably shouldn’t advertise but something like this would be perfect.

They are very easy to use and enable you to literally do dozens of different types of exercises that very effectively mirror a weights or resistance training programme that you could do in a Gym. Many Gym goers sneer at them but unless you are already a hard core gym bunny who throws a lot of weight around you genuinely can do as much as you could do in a gym and the various bands add degree’s of resistance (weight) up to a fairly decent level. For women, beginners or youths they are particularly fantastic. Just check out Youtube for examples of the training you can do.

A set of Dumbbell’s or possiblly Kettle Bell’s. This is by far the most expensive item in my list. However if you prefer real weights to bands and want to shape and tone your body then a good set of dumbbells are a fantastic addition to your home fitness kit. What you buy will to some degree depend on how strong you are and what you want to do with them. Personally speaking, adjustable ones that you continually need to keep changing the weights on bug the hell out of me but they are a cheaper option. Otherwise like me go for 4 or 5 different weights. For beginners, those only looking to tone, or some ladies then you can keep it fairly light A set of dumbells that comprise or can be adjusted to 1.5kg, 3kg, 5kg and 10kg is fine. For guys or those looking to add some muscle then I’d say something like 4kg, 7kg, 12.5kg and 20kg would be perfect.

A professional style skipping rope. What?? A skipping rope? That’s a kids toy isn’t it? Very far from it actually. Some of the fittest professional sportsman on the planet, professional boxers and MMA fighters swear by them. Skipping well is not easy and when you start you will be deeply disappointed in yourself and tempted to ditch it. DON’T!! Persevere, keep practising and you will improve and when you do the benefits are fantastic. 10 minutes of skipping is a brilliant cardio workout. It gets your heart pumping, your metabolism racing and also tones your legs, forearms and even shoulders. Honestly, it’s a great exercise.

A Swiss gym ball, exercise ball, fitness ball…they have lots of names but you all know what i mean, an inflatable shiny ball. They may seem a bit naff but they work. They are great for a variety of abdominal exercises, good for stability exercises for your core and can also be used to support your body whilst using your dumbbells and weight training. Again this is a very cheap piece of equipment. Make sure you do not buy a ball that is too big, especially if you are a lady or smaller guy.

An Abdominal roll out wheel. Again not the most well known piece of equipment but fantastic for toning and shaping your abs and building deep core strength. It will also increase shoulder strength if used correctly. Another relatively inexpensive item although i’d recommend spending £15/20 and buying one that has good recommendations and is fairly robust so that it lasts some time.

That’s it. 5 very simple, cheap (apart from the dumbbells) and easy to buy equipment that will transform your home workout programme and help you to transform your body. There are lots of other things you could buy ranging from pull up bars to full home gyms, but seriously, you don’t need them. More home work out programmes will follow in later posts so get buying and lets get you ready to rock and roll in time for Summer.

Now go off and enjoy your Easter eggs without any guilt.

Take Care,

John