The Minimalist Home Gym
by blogrdocI’m about to buy an elliptical trainer. The last time I bought fitness equipment was 7 years ago when I bought this thing for $100:
That was some of the best $100 I’ve ever spent. Thanks to this simple piece of equipment, I’ve maintained the upper body strength I obtained when I played high school football. Pull ups and dips are both very hard. When you are starting out, it’s tough to do just one. Focusing on form is the key.
I used to go jogging, but my knees started to hurt. I like the idea of the elliptical trainer because you get the same range of motion, but none of the pounding on the joints. When I was in college, and even grad school, I didn’t care about such things. I just went out there and made my body do all kinds of things. Not now.
Once I get the elliptical trainer, I will have a complete home gym. Strength training and cardio. All under my roof. No need to drive to the gym. It’s ridiculous to spend 10 mins driving there and 10 mins back to go for a 30 min workout. Saves gas and time! Then all I’ll need is a hot tub :)
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3 Responses to “The Minimalist Home Gym”
By blogrdoc on Mar 17, 2008 | Reply
In case anyone is wondering, yes - that is my garage. And yes that is an eyesore of a washing machine off to the right that I’ve been meaning to get rid of at some point.
By Sam Crockett on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply
When I was in high school I played soccer all year so that kept at peak physical condition. Now that I’m in college I’ve found it very easy to be lazy and do nothing when I’m not in class.
Fortunately, I started working out after my last soccer season. I started out slowly with 20 minutes everyday with one day a week for rest. By the time college started I was doing an hour every day, and since then I’ve cut back to three times a week with yoga on the off days.
So body strength is in great condition, but cardio wise I’ve lost all my stamina since the days of soccer. Just last week I started getting up about 30 minutes earlier to have time to run in the mornings. These morning runs give me time to relax and let my mind flow as the world around me sleeps.
The funny thing is my campus has a huge fitness and athletic center that my tuition is paying for, yet I prefer to do my workouts in the solitude of my room and my running in the early hours of the morning. I guess I prefer distraction free environments.
By blogrdoc on Mar 18, 2008 | Reply
Solitude. It’s a powerful resource that not too many tap into. I got hooked on running because of that. Too bad my knees gave out. You may be young, but you are an old soul, Sam.