For all you people that do home workouts, this question is for you. I’m a 15 y/o male, and I’m ~165lbs. That’s not necessarily overweight, but I feel motivated to lose some of it. My goal is 150lbs. I don’t have any workout equipment at my house. All I have is a stationary bike. What kind of exercises could I do on a daily basis to help keep me healthy and shave off a bit of weight? And how long should I be exercising for?
This must be on my dash for a reason…well, here’s my take (without knowing anything relating to your current fitness level).
If you don’t have any gear and aren’t going to buy any, bodyweight exercise is your only/best option. Compound exercises, those that work multiple muscles and groups at once, are your best friend. Push-ups, planks, squats are benchmark and great, and can easily be modified to be made easier or harder depending on your needs. Things like jumping jacks, jump rope and running are also excellent, though can be hard on the knees. A stationary bike is fine if knees are an issue.
Without using added weight, you probably want to be pushing yourself until something is a real challenge but not to the point of hurting yourself. There is a huge difference between “burn” and “pain”; the latter is never good, and means injury. Form always comes first, meaning better to do something perfectly even if it’s only two reps than ten times wrong. You’ll work incorrect muscles and predispose yourself to both injury and bad habit. Mindfully keeping proper form and going until failure is one way to determine your capabilities. With simple things like this and no weights, you can likely exercise daily to no adverse effects.
So yeah, use that as a starting point. Look up websites that can tell you way more about the surface I have just scratched. Last point: nutrition is key. Don’t eat garbage. You literally are what you eat, so make good choices.
@Ocean
This is a great answer. The only thing I would add is time your workouts. Working out at home with minimal weights cannot and will not add a significant amount of mass, but it is great for cardiovascular development if you do it correctly. When you first start, you will be doing a set number of reps per set (and build to timed sets). Set a timer for your rest periods. Do not let yourself sit for 5 min for every 15 seconds of work. I would start at :30 rest periods and modify from there (if you are too winded to continue then extend to :45, if you’re bored before the timer is up reduce to :20). This will really engage your heart and lungs.
My current home workout is :15 second rest for every 1:00 of work for 30 min., but that took some time to build to. Good luck!
@Ocean
Also, there are some options for super cheap gear. 70 pound “sand in a tube” is 5 bucks at a big box hardware store. That opens you up for squats with a light weight on your shoulders, goblet squats, modified deadlifts, potentially curls, hammers, etc. (Edit: You may want to double layer this with a drawstring bag or old duffel bag to make sure it doesn’t spill if you have one)
A 5-gallon water bottle with a handle can be found for under 15 bucks. That’s about 42 lbs filled (and is adjustable).
If you’re just starting out, a gallon of sand weighs 12-13 lbs. Fill two milk jugs for two dumbbells. (Water weighs less, at about 8ish lbs) - EDIT: laundry detergent jugs may have stronger handles that are easier to grip.
A standard cinder block costs 2 dollars (or you can steal one) and weighs about 35 lbs. Use as a barbell or add some rope to make a ghetto kettlebell.
Check your garage. Old tires. Sledgehammers. Bike inner tubes for resistance bands.
Logs.
Don’t discount certain yardwork chores as exercise. You’re not gonna get ripped raking leaves or pushing a gas mower, but chopping wood or digging holes? Maybe you don’t need that done, but if you can find a neighbor who might pay you to get a workout…
Good luck.
@Onyx
Dude, you are awesome. I (stupidly) would have never thought of detergent bottles.
@Onyx
This was great…especially “or you can steal one.”
r/bodyweightfitness will be an excellent resource for you.
Running sucks, but it works. A couple of miles will help, even if you’re walking. Hiking is fun too. Just get moving.
It’s a challenging time to do sports, but it’s never too late to get involved at school or training outside of school. Group classes helped keep me motivated. Jiu Jitsu and wrestling were a great fit for me; I was too small and unskilled for team sports at school.
I’m 30 now, but I’d say your age is a great time to get started! That means taking classes, finding the activities you enjoy, learning from instructors or YouTube videos. I learned how to work out, train, find balance, and be nutritious through many years of just trying a little bit of everything. Motivation is something all of us have to keep fresh regularly… learn how to keep yourself motivated.
But if you want a more simple answer, just run a mile a day and do push-ups and sit-ups.
If your goal is weight loss, I would suggest focusing on diet, not exercise. (Exercise has many great benefits, and you should definitely do that too, but not with the primary goal of weight loss.)
If you don’t mind counting calories, here is an amazing tool for calculating your daily calorie goal: Body Weight Planner - NIDDK
@Harlan
Yep, to paraphrase a saying I read/heard a long time ago:
Fitness is achieved in the gym, while weight loss is achieved in the kitchen.
/r/homefitness
/r/bodyweightfitness (weights not needed)
Stuff to use as weights (one gallon of water = I want to say 8lbs? Etc)
Try starting with yoga. There are plenty of free yoga workouts for all levels on YouTube. Great for strength, flexibility, and mental well-being.
Arin said:
Try starting with yoga. There are plenty of free yoga workouts for all levels on YouTube. Great for strength, flexibility, and mental well-being.
Upvote for yoga.
Also, ex-infantry and national level coach (male). In addition to the USMC and RCAF body workout regimens… yoga.
Just so you know it’s not going to be easy.
You literally have to get used to doing it as a daily thing (except for break days), and it’ll take weeks if not months for visible results.
Check out calisthenics if equipment is an issue.
Don’t focus only on cardio; build muscle too because your body will eat your muscles if you do only cardio.
Healthy eating, calorie deficit, protein, and planks matter a lot.
Check out r/1500isplenty.
Start with this “easy” and at the same time hardcore workout:
- Jumping squat thrusts (also called burpees). This is how the US Marines exercise.
Start standing…squat down, place hands on the ground shoulder-width apart (1 count), thrust legs back into the “pushup position” (2 count) and do a pushup (3 count)…then jump your feet back into the squat position (4 count) and jump up and try to “double punch” the air above your head while in mid-air (5 count)…land on your feet standing up.
Sort of like this guy…he modified a bit…go ahead if you want…your goal is to make them harder as you progress.
You should be saying “one” “two” “three” “four” “five” on each movement; repeat the full exercise 100 times, count out loud each motion, then do it 100 times again.
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Pull-ups…if you have a pull-up bar, great…if not, use rope or a tree branch and do as many pull-ups as you can…get to sets of 20…repeat.
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Walking lunges. Hold something heavy around 5-10 lbs in your hands while doing walking lunges, and turn to the left, and then to the right, holding out the thing straight out…keep it at shoulder height…don’t raise it…don’t let it drop…it should make an arc on a plane parallel to the ground as you lunge walk…walk around your yard like this…200 lunges or so.
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Push-ups - sets of 50, repeat.
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Plank for 60 seconds - rest - repeat.
Now go do the whole thing again, if you can…and if not…take 1 day off…then try again…do this workout Mon-Wed-Fri (take the weekend off).
In 1-2 months, you will be a monster.
Online workout videos!! I love popsugar on YouTube and most of their workouts do not require any equipment. I try to do at least 30mins 4 times a week, and this works much better for me than gyms or group classes.
Use a laptop/desktop if you can; this prevents the crazy amounts of ads on YouTube.
Whatever you decide to do, any movement, especially with resistance (weights bands etc) is great!
- Have a goal to start with.
- Ask yourself before you do anything: does this bring me closer to my goal? Eating, sleeping, exercise.
- Write down everything: Time, weight, difficulty, how you were feeling before the workout.
- Always warm up on your exercise days. If after the warmup you cannot workout, it is ok. Take care of your body.
Priority one is diet. If you want to drop in weight, you will never outrun a hamburger.
Beachbody works for me.