When you have limited space and time, you have to decide what’s important and how you are going to make the best use of both resources.
Spending time driving to a gym, waiting to use equipment, showering in a less then sanitary environment, then driving back home (~90 minute to 2-hour event), is not the best use of your time.
Storing old boxes full of college course textbooks and other things like that in your garage is not the best use of space.
Cut the drive to the gym. Spend two hours cleaning your garage.
Create your training space!
But what about equipment cost?
The cheapest and at times the most effective training you can do is bodyweight training. You can do this anywhere, but if you’re snowed in, and you’ve been warned by your family that sweating and grunting in your living room is not ideal, then the garage is the next best thing.
Get some matting on the floor, a stopwatch, and you’re ready to begin.
If bodyweight training isn’t enough, or you simply want to expand on what you are doing, then start thinking about a basic barbell set. Something where you can work on the three primary lifts: the deadlift, the squat, and the press.
If you don’t have room for a barbell set, then get a kettlebell. You can do deadlifts, squats, and presses with them. Of course, it won’t be extremely heavy, but you can still make strength gains with high rep protocols (google Dimel Deadlifts, or read Return of the Kettlebell)
What’s important for me? Over time I’ve either made my equipment (stones, squat rack, rings, pull-up bar, plyo-boxes, jump ropes…) or I’ve purchased it (kettlebells, and plates). Creativity (along with safety) can go a long way.
- Space to move around in
- Bars and plates
- Pull-up bar
- Kettlebells
- Squat Rack
- Atlas Stones
- Gymnastics Rings
- Jump rope
- Plyo boxes…
Find your space, clean it out, start saving time and money and you’ll be developing a habit that you can do well into your golden years!
