8 Expensive Workouts Made Cheap
By Anna Maltby, SELF
"It's too expensive" is one of the most common excuses for avoiding exercise. And while it's true that Pilates classes, tennis lessons and skiing can cost a pretty penny, you can get the same benefits at home or solo in the gym with the right techniques.
In other words, you have no excuse not to work out!
We asked Tom Holland, an exercise physiologist and the author of Beat the Gym: Personal Trainer Secrets -- Without the Personal Trainer Price Tag, for a few ways to get sweaty on the cheap.
"I think less is more when it comes to fitness and money," says Holland, whose new workout DVD series, Supreme 90 Day, is now available -- at a fraction of the cost of another popular 90-day fitness DVD series, P90X.
"Think of the guys working out in prison -- they usually have great bodies, but it's not like they have a lot of expensive equipment. You don't need a lot to get a lot."
We asked our Facebook fans which workouts they'd try if they weren't so pricey, and then got Holland's take on the lower-cost way to get the same results. Here's what he suggests for some of your most common quandaries:
1. PILATES
"With the great DVDs series available today, you can learn the moves and train with some of the best Pilates experts in the world. I recommend Tracey Mallett's series. You can also simply take one class, take note of the moves, and do them on your own at home."
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2. TENNIS
"First of all, let's talk about how to make tennis effective -- if you're playing singles, it's a workout. If it's doubles, it's probably not.
"Assuming you are really playing and not just socializing, though, tennis is all about sudden starts and stops. So to see those same results, go for interval training. It doesn't matter what modality you're doing, an elliptical trainer, a treadmill or a jump rope -- just do really fast intervals, going hard for 10 seconds and recovering for 20-30. Intervals are really the fastest and best way to get in shape now."
3. HOT YOGA "This one's going to be tough to recreate at home. The whole schtick is the over-100-degree room, so unless you've got a steam room or sauna at home, you aren't going to get to that level. But yoga at home is a great idea anytime, and next time it's really hot outside and you don't feel like going for a walk or a run, try doing some yoga in your backyard. It's fun, it mixes things up and you may see some of those same benefits."
4. BOXING "Boxing is great to do at home, because a lot of people don't want to take a class because they're embarrassed -- they think it's going to be too hard, or they'll look stupid. That's not a problem at home, because you go at your own pace, and there's no one to look stupid in front of.
"It's also great because the benefits are really easy to recreate. Focus on three things: Cardio, upper body and lower body. Switch back and forth quickly among jogging or jumping rope, then punches, then kicks. Do each one for 30 seconds, and then repeat."
5. SPINNING "Whether you have your own exercise bike at home or you're just riding a regular bike, getting the same benefits of Spinning is all about the music. Make yourself a great mix and be your own teacher. Pick a slow song, and that's your hill time -- get up and down out of the saddle, and you'll be toning. Then a faster song for your seated sprints with recovery time. Let the music dictate the workout."
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6. DANCE CLASSES/ZUMBA
"Just turn on the music and go! That's the beauty of it -- you just have fun. Get yourself a great mix of upbeat music, clear a 6' by 6' space and just dance and have fun."
7. SKIING
"Skiing is a great workout, because it's all about unilateral movements, which means each side is working independently from the other. Your dominant side isn't doing all the work. You can recreate this at home or in the gym by doing lots of unstable exercises on a BOSU ball or balance boards, and doing unilateral moves such as one-legged squats. It's great for your core, and it gives you strength that translates into your everyday life and helps you with running, biking and more."
8. PERSONAL TRAINING "Go on YouTube! It's seriously amazing what they have for free. The top guys out there know that to get the word out, they have to be available that way, so they're uploading awesome workouts every day.
"And of course, a DVD series like Supreme 90 Day is a great option -- I charge a ridiculous amount for private sessions, but you can get the same benefits with the DVDs, and you really don't have to have someone standing next to you the whole time.
Bottom line: Even if you aren't sure how to exercise on your own, there are nearly unlimited ways to teach yourself and see great results -- without dropping major bucks.
"Honestly, in today's digital world, information is free or at least very cheap. You can literally go to a place like SELF.com and get the same information the top trainers are giving their clients. Money isn't an issue anymore."
What are your favorite fitness-on-the-cheap tricks?
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