Not everybody loves a gym, but as more and more studies tell us, everybody needs to strength train.
I’ve written about the importance of strength training here before, but the benefits range from decreasing injury - both from running and from daily life, better management of blood sugar levels, better sleep, improved cardiovascular health and so much more. Fairly recent studies even found that those who strength train live longer than those who don’t.
Women, in particular, benefit greatly from strength training just even twice a week. NPR reported earlier this year that women who strength train twice a week have 30% less chance of heart disease. Throw in the lowered estrogen levels women experience during menopause, and the need to build bone density via strength training increases.
The good news for those who don’t love the idea of lifting weights in a gym setting, or lifting weights at all, is that there are a variety of ways to strength train. You don’t even have to go to a gym.
As Healthline reported, “strength training” can be done in a variety of ways:
- Bodyweight exercises, like air squats, lunges, planks, etc.
- Using free weights for moves like bicep curls, rows, and shoulder presses.
- Using resistance bands and loops for chest extensions, curls, etc.
- Machines at the gym for all sorts of movements,
- Suspension systems like TRX bands for pullups, rows, etc.
But there are even more ways to gain strength than that. Using items in your own home or yard can make strength training a more doable activity.
You don’t need any special equipment or a gym membership. You can do a quick session while waiting for pasta water to boil, or while doing yardwork. We all juggle multiple things in our lives. Tapping into what you may already have around your home to strength train might just make living life, running, and strength training more possible than you thought.
Here are a few ideas:
- Alternative to free weights: Use cans from your pantry, rocks from a yard, or filled bottles of water. Especially if you’re just starting a weight training routine, using canned food, small rocks, or filled bottles of water offers plenty of resistance to build strength. Bottles of water work great in that you can adjust the amount of water in order to adjust the weight of the bottle.
- Lift or do bodyweight exercises while watching TV (or cooking dinner). I’m a big fan of watching sports while lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises like air squats and lunges. For one thing, the athletes on the TV inspire me to get stronger. And some sports, like soccer games, have running clocks that serve as a built-in timer: I can time however long I’m holding an exercise based on the game clock.
- Load up a backpack. Wearing a backpack filled with any weight is a simple, effective way to build bone density. I often throw full bladders of water, or bags of flour, into my backpack to go running or run/hiking with my dog. It’s a great strengthening exercise for me and slows me down to a comfortable pace on trail for her. Even wearing a loaded backpack around the house or on short walks is a powerful, time-efficient strength workout.
- Go for a hike. Hiking up and downhill builds strength and can be a lot more fun than doing leg presses and quad extensions. Add some weight to a backpack, and you’re getting that much stronger.
- Use park/playground equipment. Whether you take a child to a park or playground or not, you can utilize things like park or picnic benches for moves like triceps dips, step-ups, and even “box” jumps. You can use playground equipment for inverted rows or pullups, and “box” pushups.
- Do yardwork. If you do yardwork already, you know how physically intensive it can be. I’ve recently been digging a lot of holes, fighting to remove a stump of a dead tree, moving flagstones around, etc. It’s awesome strength training, and has great rewards: I’m outside, and my yard looks good. It’s just important to keep a tight core and not overdo it.
While doing any sorts of weight training, including yard work, it’s imperative to use good form to ward off injury. Working with a personal trainer is always a good way to learn good form, even if you intend on lifting cans of tomatoes instead of joining a gym. There are also good resources like this one online for using proper form for simple moves.
