If you’re a regular reader of Carrots ”˜N’ Cake, you know much I enjoy Body Pump. I attend classes regularly and it’s a quick, dirty, and fun workout! But, I know not everyone has access to Body Pump classes, so here are some ways that I’ve incorporated strength training into my workout routine at home.
At-Home Barbell (Body Pump) Classes
Before I found my current gym, I did my own version of Body Pump at home. I bought a barbell and set of weights and used a DVD to guide me through my workout in the comfort of my own home. When it comes to strength training, I’m easily distracted, especially at home, so following along with a DVD kept me focused and on track with my workout.
If you don’t want to buy an entire barbell set, you could still get a really great workout by using two sets of dumbbells (heavy and light) and one of the DVDs below.
Get RIPPED!
My go-to DVD for strength training at home was Jari Love’s Get RIPPED!. It was the first DVD I found online that was similar to Body Pump with regard to the chorography and order of exercises. I did this DVD in my living room twice a week for months.
Jari Love actually has a lot of awesome (not wussy) DVDs that are great for strength training at home.
After awhile, I got bored of doing this DVD over and over again, so the next few DVDs are ones that I considered buying, but didn’t because I ended up joining a gym with Body Pump instead.
Cathe’s Power Hour
Cathe’s Power Hour DVD contains three muscle conditioning workouts workouts, including Cathe’s Power Hour (similar to Body Pump), Maximum Intensity Strength (similar to Body Pump), and Body Max (contains both cardio and weight training).
Again, you will need to buy your own equipment, but once you have it, you have the option of three workouts!
FlexFuel with Michele Carmichael
FlexFuel with Michele Carmichael challenges all major muscle groups using barbells and dumbbells to create a strong, lean and sculpted physique. It targets all of the major muscle groups in a challenging and powerful group muscle-training class.
RIP
RIP is technically meant for fitness professionals, but I don’t see why you couldn’t buy it for yourself and do it at home. RIP is a 60-minute barbell program that matches movement to music and using traditional strength training allows participants to work at their own level”” just like Body Pump.
At-Home Strength Training
Ok, so you’re not into the whole Body Pump/barbell workouts. That’s totally fine. Here are some other ideas for strength training at home.
ExerciseTV
When I don’t have a lot of time to exercise, I love using ExerciseTV for a quick strength training workout. It has TONS of different workouts, ranging from mini to full length routines. My favorites are Jillian Michaels’s 30 Day Shred (actually, anything by Jillian Michael’s is really good) and Amy Dixon’s Bootcamp Body Makeover – Advanced. The workouts on ExerciseTV change all of the time, so there’s always something new and exciting to try out.
P90X
I’ve never done P90X, but I’ve heard great things and know a lot of people who swear by it for strength training at home. Just thought I’d throw it out there!
CNC Strength Training Workouts
And, sometimes, I just make up my own workouts and do them at home or at the gym. (I get a lot of my ideas from magazines and online.) Check out the strength training workouts on my Fitness page”” just scroll to the bottom of the page. There are a bunch!
For me, I need some sort of plan of attack when strength training– otherwise, I wander around aimlessly and don’t get a good workout, which is why I like Body Pump so much. The instructor just tells me what to do! So, when I’m not in a class, I like to write down (or print out) the exercises that I plan to do before I start my workout. It keeps me on track and focused.
What are your favorite ways to strength train at home?
