Workout Advice: No Gym?

Question

I'm currently 19 years old, male, 145-150 pounds, 5'8", and I'm seeking advice for how I can workout at home, or at least without a gym. Sports, I can't participate in due to my lack of interest in them, and as for the gym, I don't have a membership yet, and I don't think I'll have one for a bit (though I'll be trying to get one ASAP.) My body type isn't fat or skinny, just not toned. What I want to achieve is a toned body. Not any sort of big muscle type of body, just healthy enough and toned enough.

What are your suggestions on which excercises or workouts I should do? Other than running and eating the right things, I have no idea what to do, and even then I'm not sure how much I have to run for. What should I do, when should I do it, and how often? I guess those are my main questions. I'd also appreciate any suggestions on what I should eat on a daily basis since my diet (or rather, just my food consumption) is pretty random.

I'd appreciate any helpful suggestions.

Answer 1

Here is one routine that includes cardio and strength training. If you want you can just do the cardio and then on Mon, Wed, Fri do the weights for the upper body and on Tues, Thurs, Sat do the lower body. You can also include abs everyday or every other day. Do the cardio everyday before the weights. Be sure to finish with a good stretch.

Do each of the cardio moves for one minute. Inbetween do the exercise with weights for 12-16 reps. If you can don't rest at all and just move from one exercise to the next. At the end of the circuit march or jog in place for 3-5 minutes and if you feel like you can repeat the circuit for a total of 2-3 times. Start with a 3-5 minute march or jog in place as well to warm up the body.

RUN IN PLACE - pick up the pace and kick heels up to buttocks

BACK ROW - w/ weights hinge forward at the hips and knees slightly bent, palms facing in lower the weight down towards the floor exhale as you bring the weights up with your elbows staying close to the body and squeeze the shoulder blades together, lower down and that's one rep

JUMPING JACKS

CHEST FLY - lay on your back with weights lifted above your chest and palms facing each other, inhale as you lower the weights out to the side and keep a soft bend in the elbow and go as low as you can without touching the floor, exhale as you bring the weights back up above your chest, that's one rep

HEEL DIGS - press heel out in front of you and hop to switch feet

SHOULDER RAISES - bend the arms at 90 degrees with weights in front of you, keeping the arms bent and inhale as you raise out to the sides, lower down for one rep

BURPEES - standing place hands on floor and jump feet back into pushup position and then jump feet back towards hands and stand up (that completes one burpee)

BICEP CURLS - holding weight in hands and arms bent at 90 degrees in front of you with palms up, exhale as you curl the weight up toward your shoulders and lower down, one rep

SPEED SKATER - leap to the right bring left leg slightly behind you and you reach towards the floor and then leap to the left bringing right leg slightly behind while reach towards the floor

TRICEP KICKBACKS - hinge forward from the hips with a soft bend in the knee, pull your elbows back and close to your sides, keeping the elbows in place lift the weights back towards your hips and then lower (keep the elbows in place!), that's one rep

CROSS COUNTRY SKI - stand with legs together and jump up landing with right leg in front and left leg back then jump again switching feet in the air

SQUATS - holding weights in hands with feet shoulder width apart, lower down into squat making sure the knees don't go past the toes and your butt is sitting back, squeeze glutes together on the way up, one rep

DOWNHILL SKI - feet together jump to right and then the left and stay low in a little bit of a squat position

BACK LUNGES - alternating the legs by stepping back with your right leg and lower into a lunge by bending both legs and keeping your left knee inline with your ankle, lift up and then step right leg in and switch sides, that's one rep (can hold weights in you want)

HIGH KNEES - run in place brining knees into the chest as much as you can

PLIE SQUAT - hold weights in front of the body, stand with legs wider than shoulder width apart and toes turned out, squat down and then squeeze the inner thighs as you lift yourself back up, one rep

SQUAT THRUST - kinda like a burpee but when you come up jump

SIDE LEG RAISES - right side only - balance yourself on your left leg and slowly lift the right leg out to the side, be sure to keep your hips forward and don't turn you leg out, you also need to keep the foot flexed and push through the heel

POWER JACKS - like a jumping jack but when your feet go wide go down into a squat and when jumping back with feet together do two hops

SIDE LEG LIFTS - left side this time

JUMP ROPE - real or pretend

DONKEY KICKS - right side - on your hands and knees, pull your right knee in towards the chest and then slowly extend the leg out and slightly up behind you, one rep

SQUAT JUMPS - in a squat position jump up and land in squat position

DONKEY KICKS - left side this time

QUICK FEET - standing with feet wide run in place as fast as you can (think football)

CALF RAISES - holding weights with feet together, lift yourself up onto your tippy toes by rolling through the big toe (important not to roll through the ankle), lower down but don't touch the floor, that's one rep

SQUAT W/ FRONT KICK - feet close together squat and come up and kick with the left then squat again and come up and kick the right and keep alternating

BICYCLE - on your back with your hands behind your head crunch up and twist your right elbow to left knee as you extend the right leg out and then switch sides, one rep

SHUFFLE W/ KNEE - shuffle three times to the left and on the third one lift your right knee and then shuffle three times to the right lifting your left knee on the third one.

Answer 2

Hi,
I know many guys that work out from their homes.
You must consume at least 500-700 calories in just protein per a day. Milk is a very good source. There are proteins that stay in your body, and there are some that go out fast, even without exercising.
I do 3 sets of 30's each with 70lbs. This is just when i am doing sit ups. I lift weights at home, and I do many leg exercises at the gym.
Any guy that I have known, always drinks protein shakes to tone. I don't do it, I just start with 2 glasses of milk, eggs, and bacon or ham. Then some sort of steak with veggies, and a very light dinner. I do not eat bread, and try to stay away from any fried food. The exercise you do depends on what part of your body you want to tone the most. I only tone two muscles in my arms for example. My thighs, and my stomach the most.
let me know in detail, exactly what you are trying to tone.

Answer 3

If you have any free weights, and are interested in using them, check out "The Workout from Hell". It's great for massive strength to weight ratio increases in upper body.

Along with that, consider training with in-line skates, and a bicycle to work your lower body.

I personally love the workout but others hate it. It's incredibly difficult to stick with initially, but it pays off very quickly if you can stick with it for a month or two.

Cross training is probably the best thing you can do. Consider yoga as an alternative, since it will give you a lot of core strength and flexibility too.

As for diet, just try to get a good balanced diet. Pay attention to what you eat now, for about a month and make small changes as necessary. If you're eating junk food a lot, try to replace it with fruit and only eat junk once a week. It's really hard to give you any kind of better advice without knowing what you eat now.

Answer 4

Eat only when hungry and not more than thrice a day. Nothing other than water in between. Include plenty of uncooked vegetables and fruits in each meal, preferably 50%. Chew each morsel at least 32 times to activate ur body to generate signals of hunger/fullness. Obey these signals.

Take light exercises and brisk walks regularly preferably twice a day.

U will achieve what u have not even dreamt and that too in a reasonable time. Do not be in a hurry.

Answer 5

There are a lot of exercises you can do without weights or equipment to tone your body. Try abdominal crunches, push-ups, lunges and calf raises. There is a lot of information available in the internet on how to do these exercises properly. Try to work up to doing fifty of each every day.

Answer 6

Jogging with hand weights is pretty good for all around tone with minmal equipment.
The stretching regime recommended before running is a good start toward flexibility and overall tone, - just extend it to five minutes or so.

Answer 7

Walking is very good. But maybe try some workout DVD's or getting some weights.