Needing a building to get in shape is like saying you need Harley Quinn to be your Therapist, there are other options out there. Seriously though, you can go to the gym if that's your preferred place to go get a workout. Some love that because it's like getting away for awhile and focusing on yourself and doing something that is rewarding to you, but that's not the end all-be-all option. Sure there's a lot of equipment to choose from but does it save you the amount of time you can truly use?
Resistance Bands have been around for decades and with the most recent ads of the X3 and other banded products, you can virtually take your workout anywhere. The best set of Bands to get is from Lifeline Fitness period. They're inexpensive, they last a long time and provide the lightest to bands so damn heavy that the strongest men in the world can barely budge if at all.
I would sometimes do research on weightlifting routines either from books, the internet or from DVDs I have and get ideas on how I can do those same routines with the bands or make up one as I go. Doing workouts ranging from conditioning to strength training to agility training, I've got more routines in my head and more exercises than I can count but only end up doing a fraction for the kind of training that suits me. I train mostly in my Garage but at times I'll do a workout in my office while I take a break from writing or want to be in much warmer areas of the house. That's the beauty about the Bands, you can take them anywhere and still have an ass kicking workout.
One of my favorite workouts these days is a conditioning workout where you do Supersets of various band exercises and step ups for building stamina and strength in the legs. Mainly I would do curls, presses and rows with the bands and do step ups after them. The lightest I use is my 100 lb TNT Cable, the heaviest I do is the heaviest cables I have and that's putting two 40 lb Resistance Cables with the 100 lber to total 180 lbs of resistance, those are tough as hell at times but it provides a hell of a strength workout for the upper body.
The objection of my workouts to do as little rest as possible to the point where I keep going without resting. The lighter band I use is purely for conditioning purposes. At one workout doing supersets I totaled 500 Reps with the Cable(s) and 500 Step Ups, the only rest was maybe marking off a set which took a few seconds.
After some time at the gym for nearly a year, I was glad to get away from it, I really only went there because there was a strongman room with stones, heavy bags and logs along with a place for MMA and after experiencing both, I do miss it but my heart wasn't fully in them. I did break some PR's there and had the opportunity to spar with a former UFC fighter and quite a few champs in BJJ along with my coach. My gym will always be the world around me and I'm more keen to training at home where I know where everything is, I can listen to my own style of music, don't have to pay to eat somewhere and no one to wait on for equipment. Within a total of less than 30 minutes, I can have the best workouts of my life.
The biggest take on using bands is that you can adjust the resistance within seconds and unlike weights, the the longer you stretch the band, the heavier it gets as oppose to the same resistance throughout an entire movement. The gym can be an amazing place depending on the area it is in and the people that have positive attitudes but it can also be a pain in the ass because you have to find a way to get there, change clothes, at times wait for your turn on the equipment, get your workout in, change back into regular clothes (maybe shower first) and find your way back home. With Bands, you save a hell of a lot more time and save so much freaking money it is ridiculous.
If you have a gym to go to and you love it, continue to do it but if you're traveling or have no desire to go to the gym that day but still want to do something for a workout, get the bands out and take them with you or get them out of a bag or little storage space you put them in and get cracking. Make the most of what you have and use the time that is meant for you. Train to believe you can do a workout no matter where you are and never limit yourself the knowledge of what is possible.
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