A week or so ago I woke up to a blanket of the white stuff covering the ground, roads, and everything else for as far as the eye could see. The cool thing is that every time there's a bit of accumulation, I get a day off work. The bad thing is that we aren't often prepared for such stuff here in the south, so roads are likely to be pretty bad for a while after such events.
That means getting to the gym will be difficult.
Day off? Not hardly! If I can't get to the gym, I have to figure out a new plan of action. Lucky for me, I have a set of dumbbells, but what if I had none? How could I still get a workout without the equipment I find at the gym? Here are some ideas for you:
Upper body:
Various pushups - pushups are a great way to work the chest, shoulders, back, triceps, and biceps. In order to target different muscles, vary the width at which you place your hands. Narrow width (hands 2 inches apart) will really target your triceps while a wide grip (hands under shoulders) will target more of the chest. Do 5 sets of each wide and narrow grip pushups.
For your triceps, do chair dips. Get a sturdy kitchen chair. Sit in the chair and grip the seat on both sides. Place your feet about 3 feet in front of the chair. Move your bottom off the seat, holding yourself up with just your arms. Bend your arms at the elbows so your bottom descends below the level of the seat and push back up. Perform 5 sets of this exercise - 15,12,10,8, and 6 reps.
For biceps, you can curl any heavy object with a handle - full milk jugs are often best. Perform 5 sets on each arm.
For your back, use the milk jug to do bent-over rows. Use the same chair as you did with the dips. Stand in front of the chair, put one hand on the seat, and let the hand holding the jug dangle at your side. Pull the jug upward until the jug is at your ribcage. Slowly lower the weight to the start position. Perform 5 sets with each arm.
I'll take some pictures and get them posted with this blog in the next few days. Visuals always help these sorts of blogs make a lot more sense. In the next few days I'll post another blog with an at-home leg workout that will leave your muscles quivering.
Be well!