Office Dweller Workouts?

[greatBLU]

So I am always busy with something and try to get workouts done during my lunch break.

The problem is, I need to have access to a gym but I don't. Does anyone try and workout while at the office?

I found this article which kinda covers what I wanted to do: http://www.mademan.com/ultimate-work-workout-4

Does anyone have tips for working out during a lunch break? I am looking for things to do that don't take equipment and are more than cardio.

 

[brikis98]

1. What are your goals? Lose weight? Gain muscle? Improve fitness for some sport?
2. If you actually care about your health, find a way to make it to a real gym. Everyone is "busy" and yet people always find time in their schedule for a doctor's appointment, to watch their favorite TV show, etc. If your health is important to you, exercise should be no different.
3. Having said all that, you'll want to find good "bodyweight workouts". Some decent choices are Crossfit Bodyweight Workouts and the numerous articles on rosstraining.com and bodyweightculture.com.

 

[StageLeft]

Agree with brikis. My neighbor told my wife the other day she can't make it to a gym because she'd have to wake up at 5:30. A tear rolled down my cheek. I get up that early many days/week (if not earlier). These days I workout in the morning, I may also workout at lunch, and may also work out in the evening. You can find the time. I don't have advice on an office workout, frankly anything you can do in a cube without getting fired isn't going to be a workout.

WIth proper cardio you'll sweat like a stuck pig, and that's a no-no in office clothes.

My gym opens at 5:15 and there is a lineup then to get in. Pack your lunch and clothes the night before. When you wake up at 5:00 brew some coffee and suck it back on the way.

 

[zerocool1]

I typically run during lunch but with summer upon us, I'm going to try getting my runs in during the mornings. My office has a gym with a shower so that makes things much easier on me.

 

[Deeko]

Just do starting strength, there is literally no other workout plan on the planet that could possibly coincide with your goals and schedule.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: Deeko
Just do starting strength, there is literally no other workout plan on the planet that could possibly coincide with your goals and schedule.

lol :thumbsup:

 

[dealmaster00]

Originally posted by: brikis98
1. What are your goals? Lose weight? Gain muscle? Improve fitness for some sport?
2. If you actually care about your health, find a way to make it to a real gym. Everyone is "busy" and yet people always find time in their schedule for a doctor's appointment, to watch their favorite TV show, etc. If your health is important to you, exercise should be no different.
3. Having said all that, you'll want to find good "bodyweight workouts". Some decent choices are Crossfit Bodyweight Workouts and the numerous articles on rosstraining.com and bodyweightculture.com.

this

Originally posted by: Deeko
Just do starting strength, there is literally no other workout plan on the planet that could possibly coincide with your goals and schedule.

and this

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Deeko
Just do starting strength, there is literally no other workout plan on the planet that could possibly coincide with your goals and schedule.

Now you're just lacking creativity. Let it go. The joke... it's dead.

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: Deeko
Just do starting strength, there is literally no other workout plan on the planet that could possibly coincide with your goals and schedule.

Now you're just lacking creativity. Let it go. The joke... it's dead.

There is strong evidence that at least three posters disagree with you.

(If this were L&R, now would be a good time to congratulate Deeko on his Stance of Dominance.)

 

[EvilYoda]

Originally posted by: presidentender

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: Deeko
Just do starting strength, there is literally no other workout plan on the planet that could possibly coincide with your goals and schedule.

Now you're just lacking creativity. Let it go. The joke... it's dead.

There is strong evidence that at least three posters disagree with you.

(If this were L&R, now would be a good time to congratulate Deeko on his Stance of Dominance.)

hah, you read L&R.

*points and laughs*

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: EvilYoda

Originally posted by: presidentender

There is strong evidence that at least three posters disagree with you.

(If this were L&R, now would be a good time to congratulate Deeko on his Stance of Dominance.)

hah, you read L&R.

*points and laughs*

Now you're just lacking creativity. Let it go. The joke... it's dead

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: presidentender

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: Deeko
Just do starting strength, there is literally no other workout plan on the planet that could possibly coincide with your goals and schedule.

Now you're just lacking creativity. Let it go. The joke... it's dead.

There is strong evidence that at least three posters disagree with you.

(If this were L&R, now would be a good time to congratulate Deeko on his Stance of Dominance.)

Dealmaster was actually probably serious and unaware of Deeko's facetious tone since he's relatively new Have you ever done Starting Strength btw? Has Deeko? Hm...

Haha, awesome, repetition of my statement in a contextually dissimilar situation. I guess they don't teach analogy-formation much anymore, do they?

 

[Deeko]

I've read the book, and I've done very similar workout programs - by the time I'd read the book, I was beyond a beginner workout, so no...I did not actually do Starting Strength, however nor have I ever actually said anything is wrong with it per se - my long standing argument (the opposite of which I'm mocking in my first reply to this thread) is that there are plenty of effectual alternatives.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Deeko
I've read the book, and I've done very similar workout programs - by the time I'd read the book, I was beyond a beginner workout, so no...I did not actually do Starting Strength, however nor have I ever actually said anything is wrong with it per se - my long standing argument (the opposite of which I'm mocking in my first reply to this thread) is that there are plenty of effectual alternatives.

We've agreed on this many, many times and I honestly haven't seen Starting Strength suggested much since then as much as some sort of resistance program has been. Seems like beating a dead horse

 

[presidentender]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Dealmaster was actually probably serious and unaware of Deeko's facetious tone since he's relatively new Have you ever done Starting Strength btw? Has Deeko? Hm...

Haha, awesome, repetition of my statement in a contextually dissimilar situation. I guess they don't teach analogy-formation much anymore, do they?

Yup! I did Starting Strength. It's a better program than I've ever seen for achieving quick gains in bench, squats, and deadlifts for beginners. Heck, I added to my bench on it, and scary fast (caveat: I had also switched my diet to bulk). But I wasn't as "pretty" (my powerlifter friend's term) after a short time, which I tend to care more about, and I was a worse grappler because my muscular endurance did suffer, particularly in the little support muscles (shoulders and neck especially; SS doesn't have wrestler's bridges in it, or enough work on lateral and rear delts).

It's a great program, it's a great program, it's a great program. It's also totally inappropriate in many situations.

As to the second paragraph, I wasn't mocking you. I think you tend to know your stuff, when it's stuff you know.

 

[StageLeft]

This thread is funny. The OP is so uninterested in working out he cannot even come back to his own thread. Total fail.

 

[PingSpike]

When our exercise bike shat the bed I was shopping for a new one on amazon. They have these super cheap ones that are basically just a set of pedals attached to a small stand. I read a good number of the reviews on them because for some reason I thought you had to stand on them the whole time and wanted to see what the deal with that was.

The idea was actually that you put it in front of your couch or something and use that as the seat and pedal like a recumbent bike. I noticed a few people in reviews said the stuck it under their desk and pedaled along all day at work. It seems like you'd slam your knees into the desk the whole time doing that but I don't know. I did drag my bike over to my couch and try pedaling it from behind sitting down and it was fairly comfortable, although the bike would try to travel away from you unless you did something to hold it in place.

I wondered if that idea may work...if you pedal fairly slowly you wouldn't get too sweaty and if you're there for 8 hours or something you'd burn a lot. My wife just pedals away at the bike while she reads, doesn't like going fast on it.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: PingSpike
When our exercise bike shat the bed I was shopping for a new one on amazon. They have these super cheap ones that are basically just a set of pedals attached to a small stand. I read a good number of the reviews on them because for some reason I thought you had to stand on them the whole time and wanted to see what the deal with that was.

The idea was actually that you put it in front of your couch or something and use that as the seat and pedal like a recumbent bike. I noticed a few people in reviews said the stuck it under their desk and pedaled along all day at work. It seems like you'd slam your knees into the desk the whole time doing that but I don't know. I did drag my bike over to my couch and try pedaling it from behind sitting down and it was fairly comfortable, although the bike would try to travel away from you unless you did something to hold it in place.

I wondered if that idea may work...if you pedal fairly slowly you wouldn't get too sweaty and if you're there for 8 hours or something you'd burn a lot. My wife just pedals away at the bike while she reads, doesn't like going fast on it.

To be perfectly honest, that is not a sufficient workout at all. We use those... for physical therapy... with the elderly. The bikes barely even get their heart rates up. I would not suggest getting one of these unless you are extremely obese and have no other options or unless you're severely injured. Also, you can pin the bike down by stacking anything on top of it (weights, books, etc) or bracing it against a wall.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: presidentender

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged
Dealmaster was actually probably serious and unaware of Deeko's facetious tone since he's relatively new Have you ever done Starting Strength btw? Has Deeko? Hm...

Haha, awesome, repetition of my statement in a contextually dissimilar situation. I guess they don't teach analogy-formation much anymore, do they?

Yup! I did Starting Strength. It's a better program than I've ever seen for achieving quick gains in bench, squats, and deadlifts for beginners. Heck, I added to my bench on it, and scary fast (caveat: I had also switched my diet to bulk). But I wasn't as "pretty" (my powerlifter friend's term) after a short time, which I tend to care more about, and I was a worse grappler because my muscular endurance did suffer, particularly in the little support muscles (shoulders and neck especially; SS doesn't have wrestler's bridges in it, or enough work on lateral and rear delts).

It's a great program, it's a great program, it's a great program. It's also totally inappropriate in many situations.

As to the second paragraph, I wasn't mocking you. I think you tend to know your stuff, when it's stuff you know.

:thumbsup:

 

[spamsk8r]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: PingSpike
When our exercise bike shat the bed I was shopping for a new one on amazon. They have these super cheap ones that are basically just a set of pedals attached to a small stand. I read a good number of the reviews on them because for some reason I thought you had to stand on them the whole time and wanted to see what the deal with that was.

The idea was actually that you put it in front of your couch or something and use that as the seat and pedal like a recumbent bike. I noticed a few people in reviews said the stuck it under their desk and pedaled along all day at work. It seems like you'd slam your knees into the desk the whole time doing that but I don't know. I did drag my bike over to my couch and try pedaling it from behind sitting down and it was fairly comfortable, although the bike would try to travel away from you unless you did something to hold it in place.

I wondered if that idea may work...if you pedal fairly slowly you wouldn't get too sweaty and if you're there for 8 hours or something you'd burn a lot. My wife just pedals away at the bike while she reads, doesn't like going fast on it.

To be perfectly honest, that is not a sufficient workout at all. We use those... for physical therapy... with the elderly. The bikes barely even get their heart rates up. I would not suggest getting one of these unless you are extremely obese and have no other options or unless you're severely injured. Also, you can pin the bike down by stacking anything on top of it (weights, books, etc) or bracing it against a wall.

It wouldn't be a sufficient workout in terms of increasing aerobic capacity or strength, but in terms of simply expending calories and maintaining an active lifestyle it might not be a bad choice. You already know this, but when I worked at the Anaheim Convention Center all we did was walk, and that kept me from gaining weight even with a horrible diet. Once I started working behind a desk is when the pounds packed on, simply due to the lack of physical activity. So I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss something like this for someone trying to lose weight or stave off weight gain.

 

[PingSpike]

Originally posted by: spamsk8r

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: PingSpike
When our exercise bike shat the bed I was shopping for a new one on amazon. They have these super cheap ones that are basically just a set of pedals attached to a small stand. I read a good number of the reviews on them because for some reason I thought you had to stand on them the whole time and wanted to see what the deal with that was.

The idea was actually that you put it in front of your couch or something and use that as the seat and pedal like a recumbent bike. I noticed a few people in reviews said the stuck it under their desk and pedaled along all day at work. It seems like you'd slam your knees into the desk the whole time doing that but I don't know. I did drag my bike over to my couch and try pedaling it from behind sitting down and it was fairly comfortable, although the bike would try to travel away from you unless you did something to hold it in place.

I wondered if that idea may work...if you pedal fairly slowly you wouldn't get too sweaty and if you're there for 8 hours or something you'd burn a lot. My wife just pedals away at the bike while she reads, doesn't like going fast on it.

To be perfectly honest, that is not a sufficient workout at all. We use those... for physical therapy... with the elderly. The bikes barely even get their heart rates up. I would not suggest getting one of these unless you are extremely obese and have no other options or unless you're severely injured. Also, you can pin the bike down by stacking anything on top of it (weights, books, etc) or bracing it against a wall.

It wouldn't be a sufficient workout in terms of increasing aerobic capacity or strength, but in terms of simply expending calories and maintaining an active lifestyle it might not be a bad choice. You already know this, but when I worked at the Anaheim Convention Center all we did was walk, and that kept me from gaining weight even with a horrible diet. Once I started working behind a desk is when the pounds packed on, simply due to the lack of physical activity. So I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss something like this for someone trying to lose weight or stave off weight gain.

Yeah, thats all I was getting at. Never said it was much of a workout, but it burns calories in situations where you'd otherwise just be letting your ass grow.

I never meant to imply it was the be all of a workout program, I should have just said it might be a good supplement to another program for weight loss.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: PingSpike

Originally posted by: spamsk8r
It wouldn't be a sufficient workout in terms of increasing aerobic capacity or strength, but in terms of simply expending calories and maintaining an active lifestyle it might not be a bad choice. You already know this, but when I worked at the Anaheim Convention Center all we did was walk, and that kept me from gaining weight even with a horrible diet. Once I started working behind a desk is when the pounds packed on, simply due to the lack of physical activity. So I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss something like this for someone trying to lose weight or stave off weight gain.

Yeah, thats all I was getting at. Never said it was much of a workout, but it burns calories in situations where you'd otherwise just be letting your ass grow.

I never meant to imply it was the be all of a workout program, I should have just said it might be a good supplement to another program for weight loss.

The calorie expenditure is minimal though. I would suggest just walking instead and that doesn't cost anything For those who can't walk or are injured, it's definitely a way to stave off weight gain or lose weight. I would just take the easier route of walking though to be honest. The calorie burn + scenery, to me, would seem easier/more entertaining to do. To each his own though!

 

[Deeko]

You can't walk while you're sitting at a desk. If you have to be at a desk for 8 hours, this might at least burn a few extra calories while you're there.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Deeko
You can't walk while you're sitting at a desk. If you have to be at a desk for 8 hours, this might at least burn a few extra calories while you're there.

But ya can during your lunch break. You'd have to have a pretty tall desk to be able to get the full ROM, but if you can, cool, go for it.

 

[presidentender]

You might also consider one of those exercise balls like Dwight from "The Office."