Working out at home

[weeferg]

OK, here's the deal:
Can't afford a gym membership as I am a solo mum, already working full time and don't want to have to pay for a baby sitter continuously!
I live in a tiny flat (and I do mean tiny!) I've got a couple of dumbells, a windsor pilates circle and a dyna-band. I know I won't get the same results that I would in the gym, but does anyone have some great ideas on what I can do to get the best results possible?

[BlakeD]

My wife and I also work out at home, early in the morning before the kids wake up. We have a set of dumbells and a weight bench. What I've discovered is that there are various exercises that you can do that don't necessarily require the big gym equipment. For example, for your quadriceps, you can do jump squats. For your hamstrings, you can do lunges. For calves, you can hold different amounts of weights and do angled calf raises or (my favorite) one-legged calf raises on a step. We've bought lots of different weights at thrift stores/garage sales, and so we haven't spent much at all. Try going to ExRx (Exercise Prescription) on the Net and that web site lists a bunch of exercises for each muscle group, including those exercises that don't require any weights.

[Stephenie]

I've seen pics of people using a normal step as an incline bench, if you already have a step, you don't need a bench. Two dumbbells and a few plates will take you most of the way. I almost only use the free weights at the gym, not the machines and I do believe that they are better for training than the machines.