How to further my training without going to a gym?

Question

My current training sessions consist of the following :

• 10 elevated push ups (foot on an elevated platform)
• 25 squats
• 30 second planks

3 reps of the above, once every other day, totalling about 3-4 times a week.

The diet I'm following is the Paleo diet, which consist mostly of meats and vegetables and skipping on the carbs. I do have cheat days though, maybe 3 meals per week.

Sadly, I don't have the luxury or time to go to a gym. I'm starting to feel my training session is no longer taxing on my body, so I was hoping to make it harder.

What could I change/tweak in my training regime, aside from increasing the reps, so that it would be more effective?

My goals are to build my strength and lose body fat.

Answer 1

There are plenty of ways to make bodyweight exercises harder, and they generally involve decreasing leverage to making exercises harder, or doing unilateral exercises.

For example, using just your current plan.

• 10 uneven push ups (one hand higher than the other, alternating)
• 25 one-legged squats
• 30 second birddogs ( a plank with oneleg and the opposite arm raised).

Answer 2

If you incorporate more standing and walking during the day you will burn more calories without having to go to the gym. _[1]

Stand up at work (and at home). Try not to sit in an office chair or on the couch for hours on end.

To your list of exercises I would add two elements:

1. some kind of sit-ups or crunches to work the abdominal muscles
2. pull-ups or curls to work the biceps

Burpees are also a good full-body exercise that can burn a lot of calories. There are quite a few variations to work extra muscle groups. _[2]

_{[1] http://www.livestrong.com/article/73916-calories-burned-standing-vs.-sitting/}

_{[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burpee_%28exercise%29}

Answer 3

It Can Always Get Harder

Elevate your feet higher.

Do more squats, deeper, in every set.

Plank for a minute.

Go through the entire sequence four times instead of three, trying to finish in the same amount of time.

Add lunges, burpees, or clapping push-ups to the sequence.

Do more of what you're doing, do what you're doing better, do a harder version of what you're doing, or do something different also. Those options almost always exist.

Further reference

My preferred reference for making at-home exercise harder is Ross Enamait. Browse his site and social media to get a general sense of his methodology, and consider picking up Never Gymless. The Primal Blueprint Fitness ebook also has some good ideas for designing Paleo-style home workouts.

Answer 4

I suggest you to buy medicine ball. She will help you for new variants of exercises where other muscles start to act. Or some dumbbells, weight most often help to increase strength. To " lose body fat" you'll need to burn more calories from taking over the day. Diet and training help, but i am not sure they are enough. What i mean? Best training for losing fats are aerobic exercise. If you don't have time for 30 min jogging, you can make sprints. I start with 3 x 100m every day. Then increase to 5 x 100 + jogging (20 min +) three times on week. If don't have time for this you can buy skipping rope. Also burning calories very good, don't take too much from your time like running, it's cheap and can skipping no matter what wheather is outside. "Build my strength and lose body fat" its complex and hard, need some time and much personal destitution. Last year i lost 18 kg for 4 months doing what you now want. Don't give up and results will come.