My New Year’s Resolution for 2020 was to join a gym, learn how to lift, and establish a going-to-the-gym exercise habit. I joined in February and started with a trainer… But COVID-19 lockdowns shut the gyms in Montreal in March. They reopened in July, but were shutdown again at the end of September.
My son has some dumbbells (5, 10, 20 pounds) and a pair of 15 pound clubs. So I asked the trainer to give me some exercises I could do at home. He recommended adding some resistance bands and gave me 6 sets of exercises — 3 upper body and 3 lower body. I try to cycle through the 6 sets each week and allow myself one day of rest. Gradually, I’ve been increasing the weights and/or reps.
Update: 2021-12-15: In April, I pulled out the bicycles and went for a half dozen rides. Half hour to hour. My knees flared up. Pain going up/down stairs or doing any leg exercises. Even getting up after doing pushups was painful.
In May, I got in touch with the physiotherapist I’ve seen in the past. He did an evaluation and gave a set of exercises. Quads were very “tight”. Foam roller and massage stick, stretches, followed by strengthening exercises.
In September, I was more or less recovered, and restarted these sets.
This is a 2 day split of upper body. So you would alternate day 1 and day 2 (with a leg day in between of course).
Dumbbells (based on what you judge you can handle) 3-4 sets 15-20 reps (if weight is too easy and you don’t have a better dumbbell increase up to 20 reps).
Upper day 1
Push up (chest)
Reverse fly (the one we learned without the bench, where you bend forward and fly like Mia) (rear delt)
Floor hyperextensions (lower back)
Curl to overhead shoulder press (bicep+shoulder)
Front/side raise (shoulder exercise)
Lying down tricep extensions (triceps)
Progression:
- Start: Using 5lb DB’s for fly and raises; 10lb for curl and tricep.
- 2021-01-15: 20 reps for fly, raise, tricep.
- 2021-04-18: Fly & raise use 7.5 lb weights for 15 (or 20) reps.
- 2021-05-04: 20 reps for raise.
Upper day 2
Dumbbell floor press
Dumbbell curl (chest)
Dumbbell bent over row (use that white furniture in the picture to stabilize yourself with the “resting arm”. Keep the same posture with your back but both feet on the floor (you normally have 1 knee on the bench) (back)
Floor hyperextensions (lower back)
Hammer curls (biceps)
Front raise + hold for 1 second (at 90 degrees in front of you with elbows locked. No side raises for this one, but try and make it a FULL second hold.)
Bench dips (since you have no bench, use a couch or something similar).
Progression:
- Start: 20lb DB’s for press; 5lb for raises; 10lb rest.
- 2020-11-30: mostly 20 reps; 15 reps for back & dips.
- 2021-01-26: 30 reps press; 15lb DB’s for most; 5lb for raises
- 2021-03-18: 30lb DB’s for floor press x 20 reps. (Actual, 20-15-13 reps. 30lb overhead scares me!)
Legs day 1
Same deal (3-4 sets) (15-20 reps). Both are 3 exercise circuits, try to take no break within the circuit if the heart allows it.
Lunge lap
Advanced step up (if you want take the smallest weights you have and just hold them like Bulgarian squats)
Side to side squats (find any platform thats 2-3 inches high that you can use in the middle as you squat from side to side)
Sumo squats
Weighted standstill lunges (1 leg at a time)
Easy step ups (can use 1 stair if you don’t have a stable platform)
Bulgarian squat (weighted if you want extra challenge)
Lunge lap
Progression:
- Start: No lunge lap; 2 sets (2nd set pushes into peak heart-rate even with rests) 5lb DB’s for most.
- 2020-11-29: 2x5lb DB’s for squats; 20lb total for sumo; 10lb DB’s for standstill lunge
- 2021-01-03: 2x10lb DB’s for squats; 10lb DS’s for Bulgarian
- 2021-02-28: 2x15lb for squats & Bulgarian
- 2021-12-15: Doing only one set; If knees bothering me, I replace the advanced step ups with high knees and normal step up.
Legs Day 2
The band for all of these goes 1 inch above your knee cap. Keep an eye on alternating vs not alternating. For some I want to do both legs at once (alternating exercises) if not its 1 leg at a time (like the Bulgarians for example).
Lunge lap
Banded alternating Squat to leg raise
Banded glute kickback
Banded plank + leg split (This one is hard but you get an abs workout same time)!
Banded crab walk (This one is very hard. Maybe start with 1 step each side and as it gets easier move to a total of 3 steps each side).
Hip thrust (put a dumbbell on your hips instead of a bar)-
Alternating banded fire hydrants
Lunge lap
Progression:
- Start: No lunge laps; Build up to X-Heavy band; 20lb hip trust
- 2020-12-30: double-band (X-heavy and Heavy); add 1x10lb DB to squats & crab walk; 30lb hip thrust
- 2021-02-01: 2x10lb DB’s to squats & crab
- 2021-04-11: 20 reps for all.
Upper Body 3
First circuit is all back, then we kick in the arms and shoulders in the next circuit. Sets and reps as usual except for the 21 (21 reps obviously)
Banded Lat pulldown
Banded Reverse fly
Banded rows
Banded 21s
Banded tricep kickbacks
Banded front raises
Progression:
- Start: use bands for pulldown & rows, 20 reps; using DB’s for others 10lb or 5lb.
- 2021-04-24: Use 7.5lb DB’s for fly and raises (20 reps).
Lower Body 3
Mountain climber
Regular squats
High knees
Long band glute kickback
Sumo squat
Dumbbell deadlift (Try with like 5 pounds, it should only feel tension in your hamstrings, NOTHING in the back. If you feel the back movement is wrong).
Progression:
- Start: 20 reps on mountain & High knees; 1x15lb squats; 1x20lb sumo
- 2021-01-01: 1x20lb squats; 2x15lb sumo; 2×10 deadlift
- 2021-01-23: 2x15lb for all weighted
- 2021-12-15: 2x20lb for sumo and db deadlift.
Progression:
2021-04-05: Start bicycling… Goal 2-3 times a week, 25 km to begin with, not on leg day.
2021-12-15: See the update at the top. Cycling was too aggressive a start.