Are you getting bored and losing motivation while lifting from home?
Conventional training programs may not suit all of us, when training from home - while gym’s are closed.
Not all of us have the benefit of a complete dumbbell rack (10 - 50kg pairs) or a barbell/weight package in the comfort of our garage or living room…
The benefit of training in a gym is weight/equipment selection which allows you to increase weights or make programs more challenging each week. We love shiny objects and being able to change-up our training helps to keep us stimulated and motivated.
While training at home, you can only do so many 3 x sets x 10 of the same weight for the same movement before you start to get bored and lose motivation.
To prevent this from happening and to help keep your training spicy, try these 3 x challenging resistance training methods that don’t need much weight but provide massive amounts of muscle stimulation.
German Volume Training (GVT)
German Volume Training is great for challenging your lifting capabilities but doesn’t require large amounts of weight..
“Why? How do you know I can’t lift really heavy with GVT?”
Because German Volume Training requires you to complete a total of 100 reps..“Uh..OK that’s not bad…”100 reps broken down into 10 x sets x 10 reps
“Challenge Accepted!”
With only 60 seconds rest in between rounds. German Volume Training is typically an exercise completed for 10 x sets x 10 reps with 60-seconds rest in between rounds.
“Uh.. Nevermind”
Yeah it’s not easy, but it’s not meant to be super hard either…
It all comes down to weight selection. You are recommended to start with a comfortable weight (your 20-rep max is a good starting point) and increase the weight each week.
German Volume Training is all about increasing load/volume over time - not lifting heavy weights. Which is perfect if you have a limited amount of weights available at home.
You can also superset opposing muscle groups to make your workout even more challenging and efficient.
I.e. Dumbbell Overhead Press (Shoulders) Superset with Dumbbell Bent Over Row (Back)
Total Rep Training
Total rep training is one of our favourite training protocols at PPS for those wanting to get ripped and gain muscle. It’s not for the faint hearted but provides a massive amount of return on your training investment.
Conventional training methods usually revolve around basic sets x reps with some rest and then repeat.I.e. 4 x sets of 10 reps (Boring!)
It’s a pretty standard routine in the gym and can get pretty boring. But total rep training adds a whole other level of spice to your usually training program.
Imagine being asked to do 75 x reps on Goblet Squats in as ‘least sets as possible’ using your regular working weight with as little rest as possible.
You take each set to failure and the aim is to complete the total amount of reps faster each week.I.e. Set 1 x 25 reps, Set 2 x 20 reps, Set 3 x 18 reps, Set 4 x 12 reps = 75 reps
There’s no limit on the amount of reps you complete each round, you just push to failure and rest as little as possible - that’s Total Rep Training.
You can also reduce or increase the amount of reps to complete each week which is handy if you are limited by the weights you have at home.
I.e. Week 1 = 75 Total Reps, Week 2 = 50 Total Reps, Week 3 = 25 Total Reps (Increasing loads each week).
Timed AMRAPS
If you are training at home and don’t have the usual vast amounts of weight available to perform sets x reps and feel stimulated, you can move to timed based sets, rather than reps.
Training for time adds a whole new element to your training; you are no longer restricted by reps and may not even need to count those reps, you just keep lifting until the timer expires.
A timed AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) is great for bodyweight movements such as Squats, Lunges or Push-Ups but also can be integrated into weighted movements as a finisher.
I.e Renegade Row x 5 Minute AMRAPS or Push-Up x 5 Minute AMRAPS
We even perform Timed Circuits for As Many Rounds As Possible
I.e
A) Goblet Squat
B) Overhead Press
C) Weighted LungeX 10 reps each x 10 Minute As Many Rounds As Possible
Which is a great mix of Strength and Cardiovascular training (ew cardio! But Cardio also helps with strength!)
Innovation, adaption and creativity are the new buzz words amongst at-home lifters, while gym’s are closed.
To fight boredom while training at home, while limited by the weights we have available, we need to be more creative and research training methods that can help us maintain our strength while staying motivated.
GVT, Total Rep Training and Timed AMRAPS are just 3 x examples you can try, but there are tonnes of different programs available out there on the interwebs.
If you want a more tailored solution designed for your goals and your home gym equipment, we include a tailored program in our at-home coaching/online coaching solutions.
Click the button below to learn more about our online transformation programs:
