I have been a fitness trainer for over 28 years, and there are two things that I can say for certain. The first is that I have never actually met someone that didn’t have time to exercise. Sure, we’re all busy. Who isn’t? But if you have ever had time to watch TV, run errands, or even waited in line, you have had time to exercise. The second is that you can get a great workout with little or no equipment, so not having a gym membership isn’t an excuse to sit around. Today’s article is going to be focused on exercising anywhere, anytime, with little or no equipment. All you need is a little bit of knowledge and the will to improve yourself.

Unless this is the first of my articles you are reading, you know that I love strength training and exercise, and believe it is the foundation to overall health. You also know that I am a big believer in old-school workouts and using everything and anything to get the job done. I once spent an entire summer lifting nothing but a kettlebell and a boulder just to see what would happen. (In case you’re curious, I got really strong and was in great shape.)

Training fitness clients throughout the pandemic has only validated my view that it takes little or no equipment to get a great workout. Typically, my clients only have a couple of dumbbells and a yoga mat. Regardless of their fitness level, I have been still able to consistently challenge them using what little equipment they had available, as well as some bodyweight exercises.

Exercises such as pushups, sit-ups, and lunges have been around for many decades and are just as effective now as they were when our high school gym teachers made us do them a million years ago. Found objects such as soup cans, laundry detergent, or even a rock you found in your garden also work great for building strength. Weight is weight.

Let us also not forget that not much beats walking stairs for developing stamina.

If you think about it, nothing translates better to everyday life than lifting and doing everyday things. We get better (stronger) by doing things that are difficult. It’s that simple.

While machines and gadgets have their place, I will never truly understand why free weights such as dumbbells and barbells and bodyweight exercises ever took a back seat to weight machine circuits and other high-tech equipment lines. Simple equipment and sound exercise programming, combined with hard work, produces the best results!

People have been trying to find a way out of this simple fact forever, and I once wrote, jokingly, that the future would include machines that would exercise for us. Aren’t we halfway there already? Instead of running outside, we have treadmills, and instead of climbing stairs, we have stair-climbing machines. I once had a professor that was discussing a person that was asked by their doctor to break a sweat and elevate their heart rate for at least 20 minutes a day. Their solution was to sit in a hot tub and drink a martini. I’m pretty sure this was not what their doctor had in mind.

To begin an exercise program at home, start with the basics. Simple pushups, chin-ups, lunges, and other bodyweight exercises work very well. Focus on the perfection of technique, and don’t let your ego dictate form. Just because you could perform 100 pushups without breaking a sweat when you were eighteen doesn’t mean that is the place to begin. Build repetitions and/or resistance over time and gradually try more advanced exercises. Feel free to incorporate lifting objects you find around your house or work, of course with proper technique, throughout the day. This is an easy way to add exercise into your workday while you might otherwise be waiting for a phone call or have a few extra minutes to spare.

Whatever your exercise goals, bodyweight exercises and lifting found objects can be great additions to any workout and can allow you the freedom to exercise anywhere and anytime. Whether you prefer exercising inside or outdoors, using whatever you have available can be a great way to add variety to your workouts and get you in great shape in the process. If your exercise program is getting stale or if you are feeling less than motivated, try adding new “old” exercises to your routine.

Dave Bellomo is a fitness trainer and wellness professional and can be reached at dave.bellomo@gmail.com or messaged through Bellomo Fitness on Facebook.