Minimal Equipment Routine Help

[Demosthine]

Hello All.

I have a small gym at my new assignment for work and I want to get in there twice a week, but I'm not sure where to start or what exercises to do, so help would be appreciated. I need to do cardio, since that is suffering, but I also want to firm up a bit and eventually work on definition.

I am 6' 2" and 180 pounds. I have a 33" waist. All about normal, so I don't need to lose any weight.

The gym has the following equipment:
- Treadmill
- Exercise Bike
- Elliptical
- Stairclimber
- Leg Curl Machine (Extension Machine also, I believe)
- Lat Pulldown/Row Machine
- Adjustable Bench
- Full Dumbbell Set

Are there any inexpensive items to add that can help me get a rounded out routine? I am looking at maybe doing the "At Home" routine, which is 3-days per week. I don't have the exercise band or the exercise ball, though. Not sure what I should get for those, either. I'm pretty much a complete newbie.

Thanks.
Scott

[tjwood]

You can do a lot of exercises with dumbbells and the cable machine, and your bodyweight. Especially if you're just starting out where you probably won't be needing massively heavy weights just yet! Often you can substitute e.g. the barbell equivalent of an exercise for the dumbbell equivalent without much issue.

Exercise balls and bands are cheap though not essential - I'd say start out with a bunch of exercises that you can do with the equipment you have available and after a while see what's limiting you.

The Jefit exercise directory is good, so is http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html - that one is split out by type so look at the dumbbell, bodyweight and cable sections and see what you can do with the kit you have.


As for cardio, take your pick from the machines there or even better, get your running/cycling shoes on and get outdoors!

[mrwright]

Any exercises you do on the ball you can switch to do on a bench or the floor
and instead of bands, use dumbbells