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Making “Gains” While Exercising at Home

Before we get started, can we all agree to remove the word “tone” from our workout vocabulary? I forget where I originally saw this but it sums it up perfectly...“toning is for printers”...and chances are if you’re reading this you are not a printer. 

So when someone says they want to get “toned” what do they really want? You want to gain muscle..gasp!...and depending on where your body fat level is currently at, you may want to reduce body fat in order to have more visible muscle. The more muscle that is visible, the more “toned” or “muscular” you appear. 

I think the word toned gets used because there is this stereotype image in our heads around the terms “gaining muscle” or “muscular”. For women in particular, there is a constant pressure to take up less space and to make ourselves smaller. The words “gaining muscle” or “muscular” implies that you're taking up more space which fights against everything social media has taught us as women. You are allowed to want to gain muscle and take up more space, you do not need to use words like “toning” out of fear of becoming “bigger.”

With all that said, let's get to the main topic of this blog making “gains'' while working at home (or in a forest lol)? Is it possible? YES! But with this in mind, you might need to adjust your workouts from a typical gym workout and if it is in your budget, possibly purchase some equipment. Below is a list of at home gym equipment that would be worth investing in if you enjoy working out at home. To be clear, you do not need all or any of this equipment to workout at home, this is just a selection of my favorites.

Home Gym Equipment Wishlist:

Dumbbells: Preferably 3 different weights. A pair you press overhead for several reps, a pair heavier than that, and a pair lighter than that. If you are unable to purchase three pairs then purchase 1 pair that  you are comfortable using overhead.

AND/OR

Kettlebells: Preferably 3 different weights. One that you can press overhead for several reps, one heavier than that, and one lighter than that. If you are unable to purchase three pairs then purchase one that  you are comfortable using overhead or swinging.

Suspension Trainer or TRX: I think suspension trainers (TRX) are the most underrated worthy pieces of equipment for homes. They are so versatile and are a great way to build strength in your core, upper body, and lower body! I think a common misconception is that you need a place to hang your TRX, all you need is a door! Every TRX comes with a door anchor which makes them easy to hang up and use almost anywhere. Just make sure your on the correct side of the door when you use them ;-) Below are a few different suspension trainers (my personal favorite are the jungle gym straps).

Pull-up Bar: If you want to be able to do pull-ups I highly recommend getting a doorway pull-up bar. They are the best way to practice. To excel at pull-ups one of the key components is consistency. There are several different variations you can purchase. My personal favorite are the straight bars without the neutral grips in the middle because it allows you to place your hands in a more optimal position. The negative is there are no neutral grips. Below are just a few options I found.

Bands and a Door Anchor: Having access to a few different band variations can be helpful to make exercises more challenging but they can also be used as a replacement for cable machines! Here are a few band examples:

Gliders: These also allow you to increase the difficulty of an exercise. They take up minimal space and can be used for a variety of core, upper, and lower body exercises.

Now that we know what equipment we may (or may not) want to purchase for our home gym set up, how do we make exercises more challenging. A few ways that we can do this by increasing the number of reps, increasing the sets, changing the tempo, doing single leg or single arm (unilateral) variations, or adding a band.

  • Reps: Reps or repetitions are the number of times that you perform an exercise. If you only have access to one pair of weights at home, you may need to increase the number of reps that you are custom to performing in order to stimulate muscle growth and increase the difficulty of the exercise. So if you normally do 10 reps you might need to do 20 or add in 1.5 reps.

  • Sets: Completing several reps of a specific exercise in a row is called a set. Instead of completing 3 sets of an exercise, to increase the difficulty, you may need to complete more perhaps 4-5 sets.

  • Tempo: Tempo in exercise is the rate or pace in which an exercise is performed. Tempo is usually prescribed as a 4 digit number, let's say the number is 3131. The first number represents the eccentric portion of exercise, the second number represents the isometric bottom position, the third number represents the concentric portion of the exercise, and the fourth number represents the isometric top position. So what does this mean, lets use a squat as an example. If a squat was prescribed with the tempo of 3131 that would mean you would lower into the squat for 3 seconds, pause in the bottom for 1 second, come up out of the squat for 3 seconds, and pause in the top position for 1 second. Changing the tempo can drastically change the difficulty of an exercise.

  • Unilateral Variations: In exercise, unilateral means using a single limb. Unilateral variations typically are more challenging than bilateral (two limb) variations because you are challenging your core muscles, stability, and increasing the demand of the muscles on the working leg/arm. Think of a single leg deadlift versus a traditional deadlift.

  • Bands: Add a band can increase resistance in addition to use weights or they can be used in place of weights if that is all you have access to. Band can be added to an infinite number of exercises to increase the difficultly of an exercise. Some examples are banded squats, lunges, push-ups…the possibilities are almost endless. Bands can also be used as assistance if your working on progressing towards an exercise like pull-ups.