I was just digging through my workout archives and found a humdinger of a workout using only resistance bands and hand weights – stuff I know most readers have at home. Of course you know, I just HAD to share it with you

Remember to warm up first (2-5 mins at least) and most of all, have fun!

Power Sculpting Workout

Equipment: Tubes, hand weights (5, 8 or 10lbs are appropriate. I advise starting with an an 8 or 10, as you can always drop the weight to a 5 if your muscles fatigue.)

Using a Resistance Tube, perform back-to-back sets of 12:

• Chest Flies
• Chest Presses
• Standing Row
• Bicep Curls
• Bent over, single arm rows

Using Body Weight: perform back-to-back sets of 12:

• Push-ups (from knees is fine)
• Tricep dips (use a chair or stair step)
• Burpees (squat thrusts)

Using a Resistance Tube: perform back-to-back sets of 12:

Squats

Penguin Walks (12 each direction – email me if you aren’t sure how to do these: question@blueskygym.com)

Using Hand Wts and a Resistance Tube: perform back-to-back sets of 12:

• Lateral straight arm lifts (bent or straight arms) (one set w/ wts, one set without, one set without and super slow)
• Hammer curls
• Tricep Kick backs (can use wts or tube)
• Back Extensions
• Standing elbow to knee crunch

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.

I love them! Resistance tubes are sometimes thought of as “not real equipment,” or too simple to really be effective, but the truth is, tubing is awesome. And since this happened to be the subject of my morning radio chat (airing every Friday morning on WIMA-AM Lima), I thought I’d share with you, my readers, what I raved about to my listeners.

Resistance tubes are terrific. They are inexpensive, portable, easy to use, and relatively cheap to replace. And can you think of any other piece of equipment (besides the TRX) that can give you a total body workout? They are the ideal choice for home use, travel, or as part of your gym routine. (Cheap and easy: 5 low-cost items every home gym needs)

Any exercise you do with a fixed machine, free weights, or a cable system can be duplicated using resistance tubing. Throw in a stability ball or weight bench, and you have all you need to get a great, total body workout.

In general, a tube’s color gives some indication of how much resistance it provides. For example:

Yellow – very easy
Green – easy
Blue – somewhat difficult
Red – difficult
Grey – very difficult
Black – NFL football players use these ;0)

If you haven’t used resistance tubing, a great book to have on hand is “The Great Stretch Tubing Handbook” – chock full of pictures and detailed descriptions of nearly any exercise you can think of. Available at Amazon.

If you haven’t used resistance tubing before, begin by replacing one or two of your strength training exercises with a tubing exercise. For example, bicep curls using dumbbells can easily be switched to bicep curls using a resistance tube. Simply place the tube under your feet (make sure you wear athletic shoes), grasp the handles in each hand, keep elbows tucked in close to the body, and using the tube as resistance, do 10-12 bicep curls.

Start with single joint exercises before progressing to more complicated, multiple joint exercises or combination exercise.

For example:

Tricep extensions and bicep curls before learning overhead presses; Hip extensions before squats; Flyes before ax chops, etc.

It is also best to learn with a lower resistance tube, such as yellow, green, or blue, before progressing to higher resistance tubes.

The same rule of thumb for increasing resistance applies to tubing: if the 10th or 12th repetition is easy, it is time to either add more repetitions, or increase the resistance. If you can’t complete at least 6 reps with good form, the resistance is too much – switch to a more elastic tube.

stability ball crunch

The stack of coupons and store sale fliers next to my computer is growing rather tall. I love a deal, and when I finally do my holiday shopping (90% of which I do online), I get giddy just thinking about entering the coupon codes and watching the final dollar figure shrink. Who doesn’t love to save money?

Because I train most of my clients in their homes and outdoors, I have gobs of equipment, and most of it is inexpensive. It occurred to me that my faithful followers (who also love a good deal) may not realize how easy it is to equip a home gym on a very small budget. For under $200, you can have all of the equipment you need to get fit.

5 home-gym essentials that cost less than $100

1) Jump rope

Simple to store and use, and for $10, you can have one too. They come in varying lengths, and some are even weighted – making them a touch more difficult (insert “mean trainer” grin here). If you haven’t jumped in some time, you will definitely feel your calf muscles talking back to you. Don’t listen – they’ll become accustomed to this form of cardio in no time.
Cost: $5-$20

2) Resistance tubing

I’ve lost count how many times I’ve praised resistance tubing, but no matter, my point is…tubing is versatile, portable, challenging, and cheap. I even recommend to clients that when they are purchasing tubing, buy two or three: one for home, one for the car (you never know when you’ll be at the playground with the kids and looking for something to do), and one for your suitcase. That’s right, just stick one in your suitcase and leave it there. Next time you travel, you’ll have no excuse (insert “mean trainer” raised eyebrow here.) ANY exercise you do at the gym with either dumbbells, cables, or fixed machines…you can do with tubing. I’m not pulling your leg. NFL football players use tubing, so trust me on that one.
Cost: $8 will get you a nice quality tube. Economy Exercise Tubing with Handles

3) TRX suspension trainer

This could be the best $100 you’ll ever spend. Suspension training is quickly becoming the “hot” new tool among trainers, and for good reasons: you can achieve a total body workout with one piece of equipment; it is easy to set up (in 2 minutes, you can have the contraption up and ready to go); it is lightweight; portable (great for hotel workouts); and anyone can learn how to use it with practice. Elite athletes and novice exercisers alike get a fantastic workout, using only body weight.
Cost: $100

4) Stability ball

It looks so simple, yet it can do so much. Every home needs a stability ball. Use the ball in the same way you would a weight bench. Since balls have a tendency to roll, you will be forced to engage your core and improve your balance – or fall off. Use the ball alone, or with weighted resistance (BodyBars, dumbbells, resistance tubing, cables…you get the picture.)
I recommend Resist-A-Ball for their superior quality and price
Cost: $20-$50

5) Kettlebell

You may have heard – kettlebells are all the rage. If you decide to buy one for home use, I recommend taking a few classes, or spending one-on-one time with an experienced kettlebell trainer. There is a technique to using kettlebells effectively, but once you nail that, the results will be amazing. Kettlebell training improves strength, endurance, agility, and joint stability. They’re a hoot to use too!
Cost: $20 for an 8.8lb kettlebell, up to $96for a 70lb kb. I think learning with a 10 or 12lb kb, then switching to a 16 or 18lb kb for regular use is a good place to start.
Perform Better also has a great DVD and manual to get you started. Kettlebells from the Ground Up

There you have it. For a grand total of around $200, you can have everything you need to work out at home, and enough variety that you won’t get bored – at least not right away.

Having a “home gym” doesn’t have to mean owning state-of-the-art cardio equipment, a complete rack of weights, and every tool in the box. Getting fit at home should be simple and cost-effective. Here are three of my “must-have” pics for any size home gym:

1. A swiss ball (stability ball). Swiss balls are so versatile, they are almost a gym in and of themselves. They double as weight benches, can be used for stretching, and abdominal work. The new BOSU® Ballast® Ball is weighted, making it a resistance and a stability tool in one. For more information on this product, visit BOSU Fitness

2. An assortment of elastic tubing (resistance tube). Elastic tubing is portable, making it ideal for taking it along with you to the park, on vacation, or even to work. It is also user-friendly and very effective.

3. A weighted ball (medicine ball). Medicine balls are available in a variety of weights, from 4lb-12lb, typically. Throw it, lift it, swing it…the options are endless.

Resistance tubing is available at most general purpose stores, such as Target or Wal Mart. Medicine balls can be purchased from Perform Better and Power Systems as well.