Strutting Around : No-Equipment Full Body Strength Training Workout Right At Home!

I haven't done my strength training this week. Why? Because the Insanity Fitness Test was harder on my body than I thought. I was very sore several days in a row and walking funny. It was those squat jumps and burpees, man. They did me in!

Also I have yet to find a gym in my area that doesn't cost around $50 a month to join. I don't know who decided to make all the good gyms in the Annapolis area that expensive, but they are. The gym near my job is about $64 a month. Even the Y is $51 a month. L.A. Fitness is about the same price depending on what deal you take. Just no.

That's a ridiculous amount of money considering the gyms in adjacent communities such as Bowie and Glen Burnie will run you about $10-30 a month. I could buy my own treadmill and NordicTrack and still have money left over (but no room for my bed or books). No, no, no!

So I was forced to find a weather-proof no-gym no-equipment apartment-friendly workout plan.

The Insanity Fit Test is actually an amazing full body workout. However, I think I can only handle it once a week at this point in my training.

It's surprisingly easy to put together a strength training workout. You don't have to have a personal trainer or follow some dumb workout with light pink weights in some woman's magazine. You don't even have to do Crossfit if that's not your thing. The cornerstone fitness moves for any strength-training workout are as follows:

Chin Ups
Pull Ups
Push Ups
Bent-Over Rows
Crunches
Deadlifts
Squats
Calf Raises

There's no law against doing basic bicep curl/tricep dips if that's your thing. I feel like these are more for vanity if you're already doing push ups, chin ups, and pull ups. Ain't nothin' wrong with vanity, you know. I'm sure there are some more you could add to that, but if you're not basically paralyzed after doing 2-4 sets of 12 for each of those moves three days a week, then go swing your kettle ball or lift a damn monster truck and go away.

"But Jenny!" you protest "I don't have a monster truck! I also don't have a chin-up bar or dumbbells! All I can do is dangle on the chin up bars and lift bags of sand that fall on my feet and create ouchies! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GOOGLE THESE THINGS MYSELF OR HAVE NEVER THOUGHT OF GOOGLING THEM. HALP." Never fear! Here is the recipe for success I'm going to try tonight! I'll bet YOU could do these too after consulting your doctor and making sure you're not going to drop dead if you even think about getting off your dupa. (STAY ON THAT DUPA IF YOUR DOCTOR SAYS SO. DOCTOR'S ORDERS!!!)

Some Form of Crawling - This link shows modified beginner crawling to crazy awesome army crawling that might even surpass the ol' chin up bar.
Try doing inverted bodyweight rows or pull ups and push ups using a sturdy table or counter top to counterbalance your body weight.
Push-Ups - start with doing them against a wall, then work your way down to moving your feet out farther and farther from the wall until you find yourself progressing to coffee tables, stairwells, and then eventually the floor.
Crunches - the classic no-equipment crotch headbutt. Although I don't go all the way up because that's a sit-up. I do, however, pull my hips off of the floor and curl my pelvis up toward my ribs each time I curl my chest toward my crotch and really squeeze with each movement.
No-Equipment Alternative to Deadlifts
Air Squats - the holy grail of fitness.
Bodyweight calf raises - Really don't leave out the calf raises. I swear calf raises changed my life.

I now have no excuse to skip my strength-training workouts from now on. Gym or no gym, maybe some day I'll come to an expensive gym near you and lift it. No, not weights. The whole dang gym.