weight lifting at home on the cheap?

Where I used to live, I had a full weight bench with accessories right in my apartment. That isn't practical where I live now and the weight bench is gone. I do still have a lot of dumbbells as well as some ankle weights. I don't really have the money for, nor the room for a "home gym" type of apparatus such as a bowflex for example. Any ideas, experiences, good web sites, etc. where I could find out if it is possible to get a good workout, using mostly dumbbells and other smaller weights and accessories that I could do in the living room floor? What about a routine with a fitness/swiss ball, those seem to be pretty popular these days. I don't mean just something to "tone up" but with a possibility of adding muscle. I would be willing to invest a few dollars in some equipment or other acessories.

this is the key to a great workout with very little space and money.

Another option is to use things you've already got hanging around (milk jugs, duffle bags, etc) and put heavy stuff in them. One of my primary forearm workouts involves a broomstick and a milkjug full of old nuts and bolts. .

I used to work out with weights a *lot*.

After a lumbar herniated disk and a shoulder dislocation/rotator cuff tear, weightlifting is not so easy.

Lately, I've tried doing bodyweight exercises. I was initially skeptical, because of the hype generated by well-known advocates of this type of workout such as Charles Atlas and Matt Furey.

However, it works pretty well. I'm no longer interested in building massive muscle bulk, nor pushing up huge stacks of weights. I *am* interested in maintaining functional strength. The bodyweight exercises do a decent job for that purpose.

Have a look here:

http://www.trainforstrength.com/exercises.shtml

Or here:

http://www.mattfurey.com/

I have to admit I'm a little put off by Mr. Furey's style. I realize that the "kick butt" attitude appeals to many athletes, but I have a low tolerance for hyperbole and buzzwords. He does deserve credit for reviving bodyweight exercises in the pumping iron era, though. (BTW, I've heard those pictures of Mr. Furey looking totally pumped and ripped standing in front of the waterfall were taken while he was still doing a lot of weightlifting...)

I bought the following books for myself and my wife. Mr. Peterson and Ms. Pett are Christians, and inject some of their beliefs into their inspirational writing in the books. I didn't find it objectionable, but some people might. They are OK. I don't agree with Mr. Peterson that the workouts he describes are as good or better than weightlifting for building mass. However, pure muscle bulk is no longer what I'm attempting to achieve. The exercises are not intimidating for women, and I've finally gotten my wife to start a strength training program.

http://www.bronzebowpublishing.com/index.cfm

I have heard excellent comments about Ross Enamit's books. I have not read or used them personally, but several acquaintances whose opinions I respect found them very helpful:

http://www.warriorforce.com/warriorfitness.html

Sheesh, why do most of these guys have to ladle on adjectives like "underground", "outlaw", "totally kick-@$$", etc.? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

I'd recommend checking out the first link I posted. After all, the program free and it contains many of the exercises that are in the other books I mentioned.

I will put in a plug for Stuart McRobert's books, including The Insider's Tell-All Weightlifting Book and Beyond Brawn.

Its not going to make you HUGE, but a good workout can be had with an elastic band/tube. These are available from any sporting goods store for around $20, have a padded handle at each end, and come in a selection of difficulties/resistances to suit your fitness level. While you can't do absolutely everything with these, there are quite a variety of things you can do- stand on the center of the band and there are several shoulder and bicep excersizes; find a stable pole/railing to put the band around and you can work your back. Couple these with pushups (you take up some slack) for chest. Try one- you'll be surprized how hard they can work your muscles since the elastic keeps resisting through the full range of motion. I go to a gym, but I bring one of these whenever I travel since it weighs practically nothing and doesn't take up much space.

Hey, that trainforstrength site is pretty neat.

Back when I was living in an apartment, I used to do a lot of similar bodyweight-type exercises. Probably the simplest way to gain mass without access to free weights. If you get a pullup bar (the kind you attach in a doorway, about $10-$20 at any sporting goods store), you can get in a pretty good upper body workout (forward/reverse grip chins, wide/narrow grip chins, etc. for lats and biceps, all kinds of pushups for pecs, triceps and delts, back extensions (on the floor or on a couch) and crunches for abs/back). But it's tough to get a good lower body workout. You can try some of the exercises listed in the websites above, but you'll probably find that your legs will quickly become too strong for the amount of resistance your weight can provide. And also, I found that after a certain point, even for upper body work, it gets really difficult to build mass using just bodyweight exercises (unless you're Herschel Walker). I was doing one-hand pushups, handstand pushups, one arm drop chins, but I was sort of plateaued (sp?) at that point until I started using the weights at the gym.

Get one of those pull up bars that fit on the door.

I agree. I far prefer moving my body through space rather than keeping my body still and moving something else through space. Your body tends to react better when its stimulated in this way too.

For me, running combined with pushups, situps/crunches, and pullups are plenty to built muscles and be 'ripped'...

Mark

There are a million ways to skin the cat.

I do an abbreviated workout with heavy weights about every 7 or 10 days. I do an almost-daily workout with bodyweight and various types of stretches.

I believe in excercises that work big muscles and lots of them at the same time, increasing poundages gradually, using perfect form and full recovery between workouts.

The shrug bar is my perfect solution because I get the benefits of the squat and the deadlift, two of the most effective excercises, without having to have a power rack or spotter around. I can excercise alone. And perfect form is far easier with a shrug bar than it is with a squat or even worse a barbell deadlift.

I use a dipping station as my primary upper body excercise, and the shrug bar for my primary full-body and lower-body excercise. With the shrug bar I do "squat lifts", or parallel grip deadlifts, and also partial stiff legged deadlifts which work the hamstrings and lower back.

I am 44 years old and am not designed with the weightlifter genetics. I am totally un-gifted in that department. I can deadlift 310 pounds and have developed real muscles and stronger bones without injury. How could I ask for more?

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For me, running combined with pushups, situps/crunches, and pullups are plenty to built muscles and be 'ripped'...

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Pushups are horrible for your wrists, and you're leaving out a lot of muscle groups... yeah, weightlifting can be boring, but it's effective.

Personally I have some dumbbells and an old weight bench, cheap and effective.

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Frangible said:
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For me, running combined with pushups, situps/crunches, and pullups are plenty to built muscles and be 'ripped'...

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Pushups are horrible for your wrists, and you're leaving out a lot of muscle groups... yeah, weightlifting can be boring, but it's effective.

Personally I have some dumbbells and an old weight bench, cheap and effective.

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My wrists are perfectly fine. Tell the military that pushups are bad. I think my best pushup score on the PRT was around 117 (thats in a 2 minute period). And who cares if I'm missing some muscle groups? The point isn't to become a professional bodybuilder. If your daily activities, be they work or play, require more muscles, the body will build them (assuming it has enough nutrients).

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon3.gif

Mark

weights aren't a substitute for good old fashioned body movement. they're a supplemental piece of equipment. ppl are just terrible @ developing muscles with weight. they get bulky and awkward and end up throwing their muscle balance outta wack.

Bruce Lee had better muscle sctructure than any body builder i've ever seen in my life. and he was 5'7" and 135 pounds. he used weights the right way. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

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My wrists are perfectly fine. Tell the military that pushups are bad

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The military does a number of dangerous things, it doesn't necessarily make it a good idea to repeat them at home. My roommate is a disabled veteran, he's got lots of stories along those lines . If you want to do pushups, you can pick up some grips designed for it that take the strain off your wrists. But yes, pushups do strain your wrists.

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Bruce Lee had better muscle sctructure than any body builder i've ever seen in my life. and he was 5'7" and 135 pounds. he used weights the right way.

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I'll admit a lot of bodybuilders look freakish, but those big muscles actually are stronger.

barring any specialized training, good ole calisthenics is the best. no equipments, just space.