Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

I am still in my honeymoon phase since I got the weight bench and weights to do my workouts at home. I enjoy that I can just go downstairs and do the workout alone. I am doing the same workout as I did at 24 Hour Fitness and it takes me the same amount of time, except I don’t have to get in the car and drive to the gym.

The first few times I did the workout at home, I really over-did it. I used the same amount of weight that I did when I was at the gym, but those machines aren’t as efficient as free weights, so I ended up in severe pain after that workout. I had to lower my weight amounts by at least 15 pounds apiece in order to get a good workout without injuring myself.

I remember when I took weight training in high school. My friend was doing the exercises that her doctor had told her to do for her knees and the Muscle Brains would try to “help” us.

“You know, those machines might be safe, but they’re not as good as free weights. If you really want a good workout, you should be doing squats.”

I remember dismissing their advice because Karen was doing what her doctor told her to do and we were really just biding our time until we could slough this class and go to the Photography Lab. I realize they were just trying to be helpful, but at that time, I just wanted to be as far away from the weight training room as I could be.

Now, that advice is here, reminding me that I can get a good workout with just a bench and some free weights at home.