Best exercises (besides weight lifting)?

[dawade]

So I'm not exactly satisfied with my physique and my stamina when it comes to athletics anymore. I used to play football and soccer and be able to run no sweat, but now even when I run for just a little bit at a time I am somewhat out of breath and have formed the beginnings of a beer belly...ALL OF THIS MUST STOP! So that's where you guys come in.

Without going to the gym, what are some of the better exercises and activities you guys can think of that one might be able to perform around the house?

Pushups, situps, running, swimming, basketball, and running football routes all come to my mind, but I was just wondering what you guys thought? I plan on swimming and stretching every day for a while and not eating as much (and eating healthier foods like fruits and veggies) to see if I can't shake this "gut" off before school starts.

[beta1607]

boxing and jumping rope.

[CollinEstes]

Swimming is one of the best activities.

Also if you want to play Racketball, it is fun and a pretty hard workout if you play it hard with someone else.

[beckham9]

[ QUOTE ]
Swimming is one of the best activities.

Also if you want to play Racketball, it is fun and a pretty hard workout if you play it hard with someone else.

[/ QUOTE ]

skip raquetball and play squash instead, its so much better.

Click on one of the pictures to load a video of squash (http://http://www.squashlive.com/)

better workout and MUCH more fun/challenging. You actually have to think and develop a strategy instead of just hitting the ball hard and low

[CollinEstes]

I'll have to try it. Racketball is alittle more than that, most players hit the ball too hard, it is easier to score sometimes with a solid tempo shot rather than a hard one.

[chaas4747]

Sticking it in her pooper.

[John Basedow]

It's good to hear that you want to get in shape. Fitness is an investment you can make in yourself, and it can pay off for the rest of you life.

I have videos out which extensively put forth a plan that can transform you into a stud, like myself. Not only will I give you ideas for eating healthy, but I outline a variety of exercises that you can use to high tune your body. From light weight exercises to no-weight exercises, and from stress relieving stretches to POWER YOGA, my program has it all. You too can awesomely ripped abs like mine and super defined muscles. If you haven't looked at my pictures, I suggest you do so. I like to look at myself in the mirror for at least 30 minutes a day. I'll even post some below for your motivational needs.
http://www.fitnessmadesimple.com/photos/10.jpg http://www.fitnessmadesimple.com/photos/9.jpg http://www.fitnessmadesimple.com/photos/12.jpg http://www.fitnessmadesimple.com/images/BBB_muscles01_b.jpg

[Lawrence Ng]

Do a week of circuit training to help you get back some stamina and strength.

Also keep stretching.

Lawrence

[M2d]

pilates

[IronDragon1]

Were I (for whatever reason) not inclined to use weights I would personally go with a circuit consisting of the following
All exercises should be done in a circuit 3-5 times every other day performing as many repetitions until you cannot do another one without breaking form.

Dips
Push Ups
Sit Ups (Yes-that's right situps not crunches, however )
Bicycles
Squats
Lunges

May I ask, however, why you do not want to use weights?

[jakethebake]

So you missed the big pushup thread? (http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=2611635&page=&view=&sb=5& o=&fpart=1&vc=1)

[Blarg]

The best thing for you is probably stretching. Do it often, until you're in you're old and gray. It helps circulation and prevents injury. Athletes injure themselves constantly, and most I've known do very little stretching. That's one of the big reasons for their injuries. The older you get, the more dangerous injuries become and the more range of motion you lose, so stretching is a lifelong must.

The second best thing would be, if your joints can take the impact, jumping rope. And there is not a lot of impact there, as you are only hopping up and down an inch or two. If you can't take the impact, an exercise bike will do it for you, or a treadmill if you can take the boredom. Biking outside is a really great way to get fresh air and get out of the house.

Anyway, besides stretching, I would put something aerobic next. I suggested jumping rope because it supposedly gives about 3x the cardiovascular work-out of jogging. That means a mere 5 or 10 minutes jumping rope is equal to miles worth of running, without taking all that precious time. Or even requiring you to leave the house. And even the most expensive jump ropes are dirt cheap. The cheap ones are two bucks worth of rope from the hardware store, and they're 90% as good as the best ones you can buy. They're also portable. Jumping rope is just an all-around kickass exercise for so many reasons.

After that, I would recommend doing something with challenge and fun in it rather than working out purely to work out, as most people will give up mere work-outs, sometimes fairly quickly. If you have fun or have a goal that is fun in itself, you're more likely to to keep going and achieving goals. By which I mean, if you love, say, playing basketball with your buds, you'll keep doing it and getting lots of exercise. Working on the goal of doing better lay-ups or hook shots will get you running all over the place for months or years on end, and you won't hate it. Another example: you love biking, but stay away from a certain area because you hate the hill there. Well, conquering that hill is a lot more motivating for most people than doing 5% more weight in a leg extension every two weeks or something. You'll really put your heart into challenges that are inherently interesting; the challenge of lifting more weight according to some schedule is pretty dull in comparison.

After that, I'd suggest doing what I'm doing now, two exercises with bodyweight. One is a one-legged squat(support yourself on a door frame or holding on to the edge of your table or sink), and the other is the one-armed push-up. There's a book that goes into great detail on how to do those exercises called The Naked Warrior, where the author calls the one-legged squat the "pistol" and shows how to work up to doing it with no hands helping balance you. I used to do this when younger and noticed it put a lot of strength and meat into my legs, which amazed me because I'm naturally really skinny. But it's a damn hard exercise. The one-armed push-ups are fun to try, too, and very tough, but you can work your way up incrementally. Both these exercises can be done anywhere anytime and give you a hell of a work-out, and also quite a sense of accomplishment. Heck, even bragging rights, if you like. The other thing I'm working on is handstand push-ups. I'm just leaning my handstand against the wall every few days and doing short movements of a few inches, and holding my position. Both build up tendon and ligament strength. As I do other things too, I'm adding this in to my routine very slowly.

Jumping rope, one-legged squats, and one-armed push-ups get all your muscles really well except for your pulling muscles. The best exercise for that is pull-ups and chin-ups(palms away, palms facing). You might want to do some grip work too.

None of this takes much of anything to speak of in terms of equipment or expense. Well, a pull-up bar can cost you 20 bucks and up, and a good hand gripper will cost you 20 bucks. By the way, join my Captains of Crush gripper challenge thread!

Oh, and I've always found things that let you move weights around quickly and dynamically in your hands incredibly good aerobic exercises and strength builders, whether it's Heavyhands, Bodybars, or Kettlebells. I own all three and can attest to how great they are. You can invent your own exercises, because the weights, even though not all that heavy, become difficult to move because of either the momentum you subject them to or the leverage you use, or both. You can vary each infinitely, in exercises you make up on the spot, to hit every muscle in your body. You can move fast or slow. These exercises can give you VERY fast hands, too, which is great for sports like boxing or basketball. Do a shadowboxing routine with Heavyhands on, and your hands will be flying when you do the same routine afterwards.

[Sykes]

Dance Dance Revolution.

Seriously.

You play that for 2 hours a day and drink lots of water for 2 months and you'll easily drop 30 pounds (if you're a heavy set guy)

[OCEIGHTY]

Lace up the high tops and hit the black top...nothing better than getting a work out and playing good, competitive ball.

[realwtf]

Get a laborer job and get paid to work out (+EV).

[EliteNinja]

Tennis.
Full body workout including cardio if you're good enough to get long rallies.

[Rev. Good Will]

[ QUOTE ]
It's good to hear that you want to get in shape. Fitness is an investment you can make in yourself, and it can pay off for the rest of you life.

I have videos out which extensively put forth a plan that can transform you into a stud, like myself. Not only will I give you ideas for eating healthy, but I outline a variety of exercises that you can use to high tune your body. From light weight exercises to no-weight exercises, and from stress relieving stretches to POWER YOGA, my program has it all. You too can awesomely ripped abs like mine and super defined muscles. If you haven't looked at my pictures, I suggest you do so. I like to look at myself in the mirror for at least 30 minutes a day. I'll even post some below for your motivational needs.
http://www.fitnessmadesimple.com/photos/10.jpg http://www.fitnessmadesimple.com/photos/9.jpg http://www.fitnessmadesimple.com/photos/12.jpg http://www.fitnessmadesimple.com/images/BBB_muscles01_b.jpg

[/ QUOTE ]

I know you, you went to my HS global history teacher/wrestling coach's HS and he would always beat the crap out of you

[goodguy_1]

Swimming is THE best all-around exercise barnone.... it's not even close