Beef's home routines

[Big Beef]

I am a big fan of working out at home, from time to time. Most of my strength gains have came from training in the gym, but I know for sure that you can get a damn good workout & build a nice body at home with just a little equipment!

I have a perfect pullup bar, a set of perfect push up bars, adjustable dumbbells & an ez bar, but could do plenty with just a pullup bar & body weight movements. I don't have much iron to put on the dumbbells or bar, so it's all about slow, concentrated form. I just thought it would be fun to post a routine occasionally or talk about a certain exercise I think is good to do at home. Feel free to jump in & post your own routines as well!

 

[Big Beef]

I had taken off time from the gym for about 3 months a while back & when I got back into exercising again, this was one of the routines I did at home when I couldn't make it to the gym...

Legs & abs- cardio done with 30 second breaks between sets & all lifts\exercises done with 1 min rest breaks between sets

Cardio: high knees (running in place, just bringing knees higher) for about 75%-80% effort & pretty winded, than 30 second rest break. I did 3 sets of this & was pretty damn sweaty. Threw in some jumping jacks too

Crunches: 4 sets of 30 to 50, depending on how many you can do

Body weight squats: 5 sets all sets until failure! I do my reps with 2 seconds down, 2 seconds up rep speed & I go parallel to the floor. None of that ass to grass shit. Not much benefit from doing that, but that's just my opinion

Body weight jumping lunges: 5 sets until failure! Not that I like to do them, but I think this an awesome exercise that is overlooked by many. Lunges in general, I mean. No need to jump high, just enough to switch to the next leg. If I'm not sucking air in really bad yet, I am after these!

Standing calf raises: I start out with both legs & do 20-25 slow reps to get warmed up & pumped

Single leg standing calf raises: 5 sets of 12. Nice, slow movement. These are probably my favorite calf exercises. I do very little rest between sets on these. One calf is resting, while the other is working

Standing calf raises: 1 last set until failure. Squeeze at the top for 3 seconds on every rep

If this isn't intense enough for ya using just your body weight, simply pick up some dumbbells for leg movements or wear a weighted vest. I had an awesome pump from this routine

 

[Big Beef]

I change it up sometimes, but this is one of the back workouts I have done at home before. I love training back! I use adjustable dumbbells, perfect pullup bar & a heavy resistance band.

Back (I usally throw in some abs too)

Two arm dumbbell row: 4 sets of 10-15. I start at bottom with neutral grip & supinate to where my palms are up at the top of the movement. No need to go heavy, as this is to get the lats pumped & no need to pull the dumbbells back to far either. When your elbows are parallel with your back, that's far enough imo

Pull ups: 5 sets of 10-15. Really, rep range depends on how good you are at pull ups. Adjust reps accordingly. If you can't do a pull up, use a chair to put a portion of your weight on. A chair is good anyway for pull ups, no matter how advanced you are. Pretty much like doing a drop set, if you want. Since I have the hooks that come with perfect pull up, I do overhand, neutral, supinating & underhand pull ups\chin ups. Use a weighted vest if you need to

Body weight rows: 5 sets of 8-12. Rotate pull up bar down to row position & use hooks. There are several ways to do this... put your feet on the ground, put your feet on a chair or do single arm rows, if you can. If you don't have a perfect pull up bar, just do some more dumbbell rows

Single arm band pull downs: 5 sets of 10-15. I love this evercise. I do it on cables at the gym, but at home I just wrap the band around the pull up bar. I kneel down & grip both ends of the resistance band & do my reps like that, to make it harder. If your band is not heavy enough, but you have more than one... use both! I supinate with this movement as well. Love the pump from these!

 

[Big Beef]

Picked this up today & plan on using it for an upcoming chest & shoulder routine at home. It's a heavy resistance band. I'm sure you all have used or at least seen them before, but they come in real handy at home. A lot of different ways to use it. I will also double it up & use it for single arm pull downs, since the one I have had for a while, is far to easy. I will post the routine I am going to do soon.

 

[Argon Coagulator]

Hell yeah I workout at home exclusively right now. Partly it's me being lazy and not wanting to have to get ready and drive to a gym and partly my wife doesn't want me around girls at the gym..LOL... Anyway, I have an adjustable bench I found behind a small gym, it's Reebok and has a 400lb weight limit. Soon I will upgrade to a Titan adjustable from Ebay that has a 600lb limit for $120. I have squat stands I bought for $50 on Ebay or Amazon with a 400lb limit, so I squat, Bench and Shoulder Press. I have an Olympic bar and at the moment for plates I have 35s, 25s, 10s, 5s so it altogether equates to 245lbs, which I can bench press 5 reps. I haven't gotten 45s yet because I'm already pushing the weight limit on the old dusty Reebok bench. I also have spin lock dumbbell handles fron Walmart with plates totaling 75lbs per dumbbell which I can rep for 15+ reps flat and incline. I want to upgrade to longer dumbbell handles so O can press with 100+ lbs per DB. I have the original Iron Gym chin bar. I really want to invest in a plate loaded Lat Pulldown/seated row machine because I know I'm missing out on back development that cable movements can provide. Chins and freeweight rows are not quite cutting it, they just don't isolate the lats as well.

 

[Big Beef]

That's awesome man. You can definitely do a lot with that set up. Even if the squat stands have a 400 lb limit, you could still do heavy barbell lunges. I really like heavy cables for back too, but I'm a bigger fan of pull ups & free weight rows. I mentioned it on one of my previous posts, but I love taking a heavy band, wrapping it around a pull up bar & doing single arm pull downs. I go from neutral grip, supinate to underhand & the pump is great! I do em at the end to really fry my lats.

 

[Argon Coagulator]

That's awesome man. You can definitely do a lot with that set up. Even if the squat stands have a 400 lb limit, you could still do heavy barbell lunges. I really like heavy cables for back too, but I'm a bigger fan of pull ups & free weight rows. I mentioned it on one of my previous posts, but I love taking a heavy band, wrapping it around a pull up bar & doing single arm pull downs. I go from neutral grip, supinate to underhand & the pump is great! I do em at the end to really fry my lats.

For me right now squatting 225x5 feels heavy, lol so I have a long road before 400lb squats become too light! Sad, but it's my punishment for neglecting legs. Taking it seriously now though. I enjoy doing chins but pulldowns just pump them up alot better, I believe due to the angle I can maintain and focus on the lats. For me a better pump usually means more growth.

 

[Pastor]

Total gym always worked well for me as home equipment together with the free weighs

 

[Roc]

I could never workout at home!!

 

[Big Beef]

For me right now squatting 225x5 feels heavy, lol so I have a long road before 400lb squats become too light! Sad, but it's my punishment for neglecting legs. Taking it seriously now though. I enjoy doing chins but pulldowns just pump them up alot better, I believe due to the angle I can maintain and focus on the lats. For me a better pump usually means more growth.

I neglected my legs for a long time too. You definitely don't have to have a lot of weight to get a good leg workout & the strength will come in time. Those high rep leg routines are brutal!

 

[Big Beef]

Total gym always worked well for me as home equipment together with the free weighs

I had a Total Gym about 12 years ago or so. I wish I still had room for it. I would use it for super sets after free weight movements.

 

[Big Beef]

I could never workout at home!!

Just can't get motivated for it?

 

[Big Beef]

I'm going to post a bicep & tricep home routine I have done before. So many ways to work arms at home, with just a small amount of equipment. I use adjustable dumbbells, adjustable ez bar, push up bars & a heavy band. I also use super sets through pretty much the whole routine. If you don't have enough weight to do lower reps, than just do a higher rep routine with high intensity, using same exercises.

Bicep & tricep home routine

Ez bar curls: 6 sets of 20, 15, 10, 8, 8, 6

Super set with

Dumbbell skullcrushers: 6 sets of 20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 8. I do dumbbell skrullcrushers before ez bar ones because I paired it with ez bar curls & it is a pain in the ass to adjust weight on super sets using same bar for both exercises.

Dumbbell concentration curls: 6 sets of 15, 10, 8, 8, 5, 5

Super set with

Ez bar skull crushers: 6 sets of 20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 8

Heavy band curls: 6 sets until failure. This last exercise is done to really end with your biceps super pumped! So many ways to do this exercise... both hands, single handed, start single handed & burn out with both arms... it's all good!

Super set with

Standard or close grip push ups: 6 sets until failure. Used to pump & fry your tri's, so it's high intensity with these. Push up bars work great.

 

[Big Beef]

Just thought I'd show a pic of how I do band curls, most of the time. Under feet, doubled up in one hand, doing hammer style. Yeah... I'm being lazy in my house slippers.

 

[Big Beef]

My forearms develop faster than my bi's or tri's, so I don't ever work them, but this is a good, cheap piece of equipment for developing the top of the forearm. I know a lot of guys that want bigger forearms. I bought it a while back because I plan on starting to work them anyway. Fuck it... I'll get Popeye forearms! These are easily made too, if you don't want to buy one. Drill a whole in a stick, tie a piece of long rope through the whole & attach weight at the end. Simple!

 

[Big Beef]

I will be doing my abs at home from now on. At least, most of the time. I might throw a few sets in here & there at the gym. Anyway, this will be my routine...

Abs

Leg raise crunches: 4 sets of 25
Super set with
Twisting crunches: 4 sets of 25

Ab wheel: 3-4 sets, all angles until failure

Planks: 3-4 sets, each set hold for 1 minute

 

[Rot-Iron66]

My home gym is my temple, and I do same workout there or at commercial gym.

 

[Big Beef]

My home gym is my temple, and I do same workout there or at commercial gym.

Dude... I am so jealous! That is a home gym to be proud of. I don't have many goals, but one of them is to have my own personal gym. A nice one!

 

[Rot-Iron66]

Dude... I am so jealous! That is a home gym to be proud of. I don't have many goals, but one of them is to have my own personal gym. A nice one!

Started on it in 1977/78, so over 40 years I now have that. barbell22

Thx...

 

[Big Beef]

Did arms today at the gym & had an awesome day! I've worked my way up to doing dumbbell concentration curls of 65 lbs with good form for 5 reps. Pretty happy with that & I think I will see more strength gains in the weeks to come.

Anyway, I got to thinking & I thought I would add that when I do dumbbell concentration curls, I either do the regular sit down with an elbow on the knee or I do the old school version Arnold used to do, when you bend over (I grab an incline bench & slightly lean) & curl the dumbbell without moving my elbow. I worked out at the gym today, but these can obviously be done at home as well.