Working out in my apartment?

[Jumbie]

Originally Posted by javyn

FYI, in case you guys didn't know. You no longer have to get pullup bars that require screwing/drilling in mounting brackets to the door frame. They have ones now that cost about 30 bucks that mount via your bodyweight on the top of the door frame. Also they usually have handles so you can do dips as well.

Most of the cheaper ones I saw after looking around online kind of sucked. Either the bar looked like it didn't allow for a wide enough grip for me i.e. my forearms would be parallel at the top of the pull-up (I'm 6'2"), or it wouldn't fit the wider door frames in my apartment (although one of them offered extenders) or reviews said it wasn't made for heavier individuals.

Eventually I ordered the UD-6 from http://www.easyeffort.com/

Cost me about $93 shipped from Canada but it's been more than worth it and I consider it money well spent. Can't do dips with it unfortunately so I ended up buying something else for that. According to their product page they're redesigning their doorway dip bar (they have permanent ones available) but it's been like that since earlier this year when I ordered my chin-up bar.

 

[javyn]

Good deal. I just have one of those cheap ones from Walmart that you have to screw the brackets into the door frame to mount. It works just fine, but it's going to be an annoyance having to remove the brackets and paint over the door trim when my lease is up.

 

[itskub]

You could put a yoga mat on top of a long enough coffee table, and lay down with your legs hanging off and do leg lifts to work your abs. Well that's what I do, I'm not expert.

 

[futhark]

As for pullup bars, I like the Creative Fitness Door Gym, which I got for $49 at Amazon. It does not screw into the door frame, and sounds much like the one Jumbie mentioned.

The picture on Amazon is poor, in my opinion - I have a better pic and some more comments about it here:

http://www.kendallgiles.com/kegblog/...vel_chinu.html

Best,

 

[SirSuturesALot]

Originally Posted by topcatny

Whatever you do don't do pushups. Apparently they are worthless.

Are they really?

 

[Syl]

Serious comment, you are a university student and your school doesn't have some kind of gym? That's a bit surprising.

 

[closetmess]

Get a powerrack (chin ups, dips, pushups) and some dumbbells. And try the P90x program, its ridiculous and will get you ripped. I dropped 20 lbs. in under 3 months and wasn't in bad shape to begin with. You can order it online or if you don't mind "borrowing" it, it is easily findable for download via torrents.

 

[topcatny]

Originally Posted by SirSuturesALot

Are they really?

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...hlight=pushups

 

[javyn]

+1 on p90x. GF started it a few days ago and is so sore she can barely move. I'm going to start this weekend.

Also, yeah, use the gym at your university. You are paying for it by way of exorbitant fees bundled with your tuition, might as well use it.

 

[why]

P90x is possibly the lamest workout I've ever seen.

I bet if you did P90x wwearing an Ed Hardy tee and Mark Nason boots the world would explode like a totally overstuffed douchebag.

 

[visionology]

I would recommend sex. Lots of sex and importantly in positions that involve you picking your partner up.

 

[onion]

I live in a 1064sf condo, and have a small room which I devoted to my home gym. I bought a home gym for, IIRC, $1200, maybe $1500. I think it was a great purchase. Mine has free weights, and has essentially every type of work out on it you could want. While it is free weights, it still has a lot of cable attachments (along with the regular Olympic bar and smith machine). It really works well.

For cardio I have a road bike that is hooked up to a stand. It has adjustable resistance so as I change gears it gets harder. It really works great for days I don't want to go cycling, or just want a quick work out inside. I was going to buy an elliptical, but I had absolutely no room, and now I have a road bike I can go cycling with to boot.

Personally, I love my entire set up, and it's a pretty small area.

Also +1 to the adjustable dumbells. They are great for small areas, and even with a home gym they are useful.

 

[Texasmade]

+1 on P90x

If all you want to do is workout in your apartment, then P90x isn't bad. You won't become a superstar athlete doing it, but it will get you into pretty good shape without you having to spend lots of money on a weight set and bench. Also, I imagine living in an apartment, space is limited and having a bench and weight set will take up a lot of space. I could be wrong on your apartment size though.

 

[jgammel25]

While a bit pricey, the Bow flex dumbbell set seen here... 'http://www.bowflexselecttech.com/gl...r_id=2534374302031719&bmUID=1216312246717'
(Cheaper on ebay), is absolutely amazing. It's extremely convenient and small, with adjustable weight from 5-52 on each dumbbell. I'm somewhat similar in size to you and this weight range is perfect for basically all forms of exercise. There are also some great chest and arm exercises designed for people without weight benches which I could direct you to if you are interested. I did one the first time and was more sore than from my normal bench press routine. The key is variety in routine. Hope this helps! In addition, something I would recommend is a simple shadow boxing routine. No accessories necessary! Great for arms, chest, abs, and especially the back, which never gets as much attention in a workout as it deserves. Again I can direct you to great shadow boxing programs if you're interested. Good Luck!!!