Ever wake up and know you should go to the gym, but want to just stay in your PJ’s?

Why not have the best of both worlds? That what I asked myself. For the last two years, I’ve done all my strength training in my bedroom.

Nomadic as I am, said bedroom has been in various places: on a mountaintop in New Hampshire, in Alta Utah, in Upstate NY, and in my current location of Norwich, VT. Not to mention the mobile gym-in-a-car that I took along on a 2-month roadtrip.

All that to say, you can do it at home! With minimal equipment. All it takes is knowledge and creativity, and a good dose of motivation.

Let’s face it: Gyms are expensive, kinda smelly with strangers’ BO, mildly inconvenient, and pretty uninspiring with their fluorescent lighting. If I can roll out of bed, stay in my PJ’s, and do a strength workout while I listen to a podcast, the choice between that and the gym is a no-brainer. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been in a gym in the last two years.

How do I do it? Let’s break it down:

Knowledge

Without the multitude of machines, not to mention other athletes to spy on, a successful home workout requires some structure. (To be honest though, so does a gym workout! How many times have you gone to the gym and felt totally overwhelmed and intimidated?) Progress in any strength routine depends on a carefully crafted schedule that details what exercises to do (and how to do them correctly), how many sets, how many repetitions within the set, how much rest, how to super-set, how to recover after a workout, and how to progress over the weeks.

Creativity

A fun strength workout requires more than just doing a set, waiting, doing another, waiting. At the gym, maybe you spend this waiting (resting) time surreptitiously staring around at everyone else. The great news is, it’s easier to get creative at home than at the gym. Pressed for time? You’ll enjoy circuit training. Want to take your mind off things? See above re: podcasts. (Or audio-books. Or the old standby, music.) In for a “lazy” morning in your PJ’s? Get out your favorite magazine and read during your rests. C’mon, who’s going to do that at the gym!?

Motivation

Seems like motivation is always the biggie. Best intentions, dumbbells waiting on the floor, PJ’s on…but uggg. For some of us, the drive to the gym (and the gym membership fee) may be motivating. It holds us accountable, in a sense. At home, we may lack this motivation. If this sounds like you, I recommend a 2-step approach. 1) Re-read Creativity  and make your workouts more fun! 2) Give yourself another way in which to be accountable. A good training plan goes a long way for motivation. As does keeping a handwritten log of your reps and weights, so you can track your progress. Tell your friends what you are doing, and maybe encourage them to give it a try. And remember that new habits take time (3 weeks, in fact) to form. If you’re trying to form a new habit, you might want to check this out.

Your training (both strength and endurance) should be as personalized and creative as the rest of your lifestyle. With knowledge, creativity and motivation your training can be more effective, more convenient, and more fun.

If you fear you might lack knowledge, creativity, or motivation, send me a message below and ask me a question, or check out my Coaching Options. You can also Join my Email List if you want more details on home strength training and a multitude of other endurance topics.

p.s. My current room is slightly larger than the average broom cupboard. I’m pretty excited for the ground to get not-soggy so I can do my workouts outside!