Get in shape without paying a dime

Using body weight and strength it is possible to put pressure on the body that can correspond to a few pounds in the gym.. For strength, there’s the overhead push-up and the single-leg squat as described in The Naked Warrior.. The best thing about these exercises is that they can be done anywhere. Conventional gym wisdom teaches you to do a set to exhaustion. This is not a good idea with these. Instead, do a set that this is not the case finish you every hour by hour. Alternatively, do it whenever you enter a room, such as a bathroom or kitchen. 5 push ups and 5 squats. Another job handstand pushup. Place a hand on the wall and lower yourself in a controlled manner. It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. Know your limits. If you can’t bench press at least half of your body weight in the gym, the handstand pushup is a risky proposition as it’s more difficult than simply pressing a dumbbell or lever overhead. The handstand pushup is explained in Combat Conditioning and the hindu squat and the wrestler’s bridge. Hindu squats and regular squats are strength exercises. The number of reps should be built up to the hundreds. For centuries, skating has replaced cycling, skiing, running, etc. for strength in the legs.

Bridge and push one armed up will improve everything you need in the the middle part but if you are not strong enough for this, just stay. Similarly, if you can’t do a one-armed pushup, start with two-armed pushups.

Finally in the world of free exercise we have to do consider cardiovascular tests. I lift the burpee (see youtube video). Sets of these in quick succession will work the cardiovascular system harder than jogging because blood needs to be supplied to the entire body, not just the legs. If you do this regularly, you don’t need to run.

Now I can design a few programs with these tests, but usually people are very different in their abilities. What seems impossible to one person sounds like a cake walk to the next person, because strong men (women) are about three times stronger/faster/endurance than the average woman(man) and likewise average (woman) is three or more times stronger/faster/endurance than weak and out of shape men ( women). This is a big gap to account for.

However, you have to start where you are. If you know how to do one-armed pushups, do that. If you don’t, learn how to do them. If you can, do regular pushups. If you can, do girlie pushups. If those are also out of range, make planks. If you don’t know what a plank is, find it. See what I mean? Once you find your level and limits, start pushing those limits. Those who fail are those who lack discipline and consistency. Not those without money, equipment, or access to a gym or trainer.

Working on personal fitness is almost like building money by saving money. The more you have, the healthier you are. If you are healthy, you will get sick less. The stronger you look, the more attractive you will look, and things will be easier for other people – a confidence thing. If you are strong, you will lose weight as you get older. I can’t even imagine worrying about bone strength when I reach 70. As with finance, there are easy, pill to pop, ways to get there, often less than discipline, to make a choice and stick to it. Decide to be in good shape, physically and financially, and just do it.

Copyright © 2007-2023 earlyretirementextreme.com
This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only.
Use of this feed on other websites violates copyright. If you see this notice somewhere other than your news reader, it makes the page you are viewing a copyright violation. Some sites use random name changing algorithms to hide the origin. Find the original, unadulterated version of this post at earlyretirementextreme.com. (Digital fingerprint: 47d7050e5790442c7fa8cab55461e9ce)

Originally Posted 2008-01-13 10:29:33.