Don’t need a gym to look like this…

You know that soreness you feel throughout your whole body?  The kind that feels like its transcended your muscles and has worked its way into your bones.  You feel tight and achy, but at the same time, you know it’s a “good” pain.

Squeezing your thighs or massaging your chest hurts so bad it feels good.  It almost becomes addictive as you sit there, unable to move.  For anyone who works out hard, you know exactly what I’m talking about.  The post-exercise pain associated with a really hard workout, new exercises or increased weight is a sign you are doing something right.

I’ll admit, it’s hard to get this type of feeling in your  muscles when you are exclusively working out from home.  Naturally, gyms have the heavy weights, machines, and barbells that allow you to tear up your muscles with heavy weight.  Of course, getting your cardio in at home is no problem.  Following something like the intense routine found here, is no doubt going to strip away fat fast.  But what do you do when you want to add serious muscle to your frame?

So many of you have written in looking for things you can do at home, when you don’t have access to all the heavy equipment and machinery found at the gym.  Typically, the generically lame advice has been ”use soup cans, towels, and phone books in place of weights”.  Can we stop right here for a second?

Does anyone really think lifting a 16 oz can of Campbell’s Chunky Corn Chowder is going to dramatically change their physique?  If working out was that simple, everyone on the planet would look like this guy.   Get real.  Forget these grandma workouts using cans of soup and phone books.  You want that soreness that only comes from a serious workout don’t you?  I don’t know why I’m even asking; of course you do.  Here’s what you do…head down to your local hardware store and pick up a couple of……….. water cooler jugs.  That’s it.  Get a few of these and you are more than set.

These things are PERFECT for working out at home.  Go for one 5 gallon jug and a couple 3 gallon jugs.  That’s all you need.  Keep in mind, 1 gallon of water weighs ~8.3 pounds.  Fill these to the brim and you’ve got 41 and 24 pound weights respectively.  However, that’s not the reason these things are so great.  The real reason these jugs provide such an awesome way to workout is the fact you DON’T fill them to the brim.  Say what!?  That’s right, you leave room.  What does room do?  Well, unlike the solid weights you may or may not be used to at the gym, these water weights are in a (captain obvious) fluid state.  And people, what does fluid do?  Well, it moves of course.  As you lift these jugs, the water is going to shift from side to side, causing you to incorporate many more stabilizer muscles and motor heads to steady the load.  What does this mean?  This means you’re going to get a more efficient and effective workout by using an unsteady weight, like jugs of water.  Even the most fit individual, who has no problem snatching a 100 pound dumbbell, would find snatching 100 pounds of water a near impossibility.

The beauty of these jugs is they can be used exactly like dumbbells or even kettlebells.  The same movements used for either of these two pieces of equipment, are not only replicated, but made MUCH harder.  Unlike weights where you have to buy many sets of varying weights, with your water jug, all you have to do is use more or less water.  I tried a full body water jug workout myself, and let me tell you, I was begging for back rubs, leg rubs, you-name- it rubs, for days after.  I maintain a fairly strict workout routine, but my body felt as though it had been put through the ringer.  Twice.  I’ve since incorporated this routine into my standard gym routine and have been seeing fantastic results.

Looking for some effective movements that will help torch your body and help put on muscle mass?  Give these a try and experiment with different jugs and weights.  Again, substitute in your semi-filled water cooler jug for almost any dumbbell, kettlebell, or med ball exercise:

• Snatch
• Swings
• Squat and Press
• Plated Speed Skaters
• Bicep Curls
• Dumbbell Crunches
• Military Press
• Lunge and Twist

Any questions, feel free to leave a comment and we’ll get back to you shortly.

• Bio
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Matt

Co-Founder at Share It Fitness

Matt has been involved in the fitness industry for over 10 years and has worked with, and helped countless individuals improve their lives. After college, Matt started his fitness career working in the trenches as a personal trainer for a big corporate gym. It was here he saw how impersonal Big Fitness really was. Clients weren't people, they were just sales waiting to be made. After branching out and starting his own personal training business in San Diego, Matt soon developed the idea of Share It Fitness and started our (now highly successful) blog. A fitness junkie himself, Matt knows the importance of incorporating exercise into your life. When he isn't working at Share It Fitness, you can find Matt running, biking, taking yoga, or pumping iron around San Diego.

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