Lifting Heavy w/o a Gym

[csa1991]

Basically as the title describes…

I am to the point where every success story I read for short gals, every before and after the hat appeals to me, looks like I need to incorporate heavy lifting.

How do I do this without access to a gym?

I also don’t have room for a squat rack in my house/garage lol

Would love tips, ideas, etc for my circumstance.

 

[chucklemethis]

@csa1991 I'd invest in some adjustable dumbbells. You can still lift relatively heavy just with dumbbells. The ones I have go up to 55 lbs each so I'm able to do heavier lifts for lower body with them like squats and deadlifts. You can hit most muscle groups just with dumbbells at home and there are many fitness coaches and plans online that I've followed that are only dumbbell focused.

Dumbbells at home was how I got into lifting, and now I end up going to the gym once or twice a week. I still love and do home dumbbell work outs the most though.

 

[csa1991]

@chucklemethis Very cool! I’ll check those out. Do you have any recommendations for a lifting plan?

 

[chucklemethis]

@csa1991 A lot of people on Instagram have good sample plans out there, a lot of times they are free if you dig into their stories or if they post their exact lifting split.

For me I typically do 2 lower body and 2 upper body days a week and do roughly 3 sets of 5-6 different lifts for each.

Some people I like on Instagram are:

@michaelabarsotti - she does go to the gym a good bit but she also has some good dumbbell only resources

@cheryl.c.coulombe - in her 50s, all her workouts are home dumbbell

@movementwithjulie - all home dumbbell, she does have a bench though, but couch or ottoman can be subbed.

Also here is a sample customizable lifting split, some of the lifts listed are gym lifts though.

 

[csa1991]

@chucklemethis Thank you!!! Also - what is “lifting heavy” … lol vs just regular weights?

 

[chucklemethis]

@csa1991 Hmmm I mean I think it depends on the person and depends on your goals. Typically a higher rep set is for toning but progressive overload (which is lifting a higher weight/lower rep til failure) is for strength. Progressive overload is what I think of when I think of lifting heavy.

For me, I try to up my weights if I can for improvement, and keep it around 8-10 reps where the last reps are hard. Idk if that's what other people consider lifting heavy, but I've seen improvement from it.

Idk if that helps or answers your question? I feel everyone has different viewpoints on this.

Honestly to someone getting started, I very highly recommend watching videos to make sure you do form correctly so you don't hurt yourself (RIP my back when I first started doing deadlifts and was doing them wrong ), and really just learning. I planned out my lifting splits on note cards at the beginning and just figured out which lifts felt good and which didn't and just worked on perfecting my form.

 

[littlerock888]

@csa1991 Kettlebells! They’re versatile (you can use them to work out obliques/abs, lower body, upper body … basically, you can get a full-body workout), and you can use them for both HIIT and strength/weight training. And they don’t take up much space.

 

[csa1991]

@littlerock888 Love that idea!! Any kettlebell lifting plans you love?

 

[hayden4]

@csa1991 depends on how heavy. landscaping supply stores/stoneyards sell heavy rocks and bags of gravel that weigh 100lbs when dry. please be careful and do warmup reps with a light weight first to make sure you have the form right.
adjustable dumbells or kettlebells would probably be preferable. landscaping supplies is just a more budget-friendly option.