bit of imagination and perhaps a small piece of equipment or two.
What do you do on those rainy days or in the off-season when you can't
get out on the bike? Well, some of us are fortunate enough to belong
to a gym where we can go use the fancy expensive equipment. While some
of us don't want to dish out a monthly fee and don't want to have to
fight the traffic to get to the gym.
Don't fret. There are many ways to get fantastic home fitness workouts
without leaving your house and with little or no equipment.
However, if you want to ride your bike indoors you will have to make a purchase.
Resistance Trainer
These trainers attach to your rear wheel and typically have some sort
of attachment that pushes against your tire to provide the resistance.
You can get the cheaper magnetic resistance version or a more
expensive fluid version that provides a more realistic progressive and
smooth resistance. Prices range anywhere from $100 to $500.
The resistance trainer is best for interval workouts as compared to
the rollers (coming up next). Since the bike is stabilized, you can
stand up and hammer without fear of riding off the trainer into your
wall. Perhaps a reason to spend a little more!
Rollers
Rollers consist of three metal cylinders attached to a framework. You
ride your bike on the cylinders, which give you free movement similar
to riding on the road. If you have never ridden rollers, give it some
time. It is a strange feeling at first and somewhat intimidating.
Getting started is the hardest part.
You might like to have a wall or something handy to steady yourself in
case you start to wobble. Once you get the hang of it, rollers will
help you develop great balance and form on the bike. They are super
for longer distance riding indoors and I like to use them for warm-ups
and cool-downs for strength routines.
Speaking of strength training, here are some ideas of how to get great
home fitness workouts with little or no equipment.
Bodyweight Exercises
People seem to forget they have over a hundred pounds of weights at
their fingertips anytime of the day. There are many exercises that are
extremely challenging and require no additional weight or equipment.
Most bodyweight exercises also work many muscles at once and are more
functional than tradition weight lifting. I also have a nice pull-up,
push-up, and dip bar in the garage for some really tough strength
exercises.
Yoga
Many people equate yoga with stretching. While flexibility is a big
part of the benefits of yoga, let me tell you, it requires a lot of
strength. I suggest attending a class where an instructor can help you
with the correct application of poses before trying to do these on
your own.
Fitness Band
A fitness band is simply an elastic tube, sometimes with a handle or
some sort of attachment at either end. Fitness bands are fun,
portable, inexpensive and with hundreds of exercises to choose from,
provide diverse home fitness workouts. The bands have the added
advantage of providing progressive resistance, which will help you see
gains even faster than traditional weight lifting.
Fitness Ball
Sometimes called a Swiss ball or exercise ball, a fitness ball is a
soft plastic sphere filled with air. There are a ton of exercise
variations involving the ball with many being very challenging. The
fitness ball exercises are kind of a mix between bodyweight exercises
and yoga.
Dumbbells
A nice set of dumbbells with a range of weights can give you the same
options as a home gym at a fraction of the cost and take up much less
space. You will probably need to get a bench to go along with them in
order to perform many of the exercises, although a fitness ball can
sometimes suffice. While dumbbells aren't cheap, they are not quite as
expensive as a home gym.
With all these options, who needs to join a gym or purchase a bulky
expensive home gym to get great home fitness workouts.
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