Who Needs an Expensive Gym to get Strong and Ripped?
Do you think you really need the most advanced gym equipment to build big muscles? Do you think you need expensive supplements and fat burners to get ripped and in shape? Are you spending $100s a month and getting nowhere?
Well who ever said that you needed that gym membership or supplements to get results anyways? (I mean besides all the gyms and supplement companies) I am always inspired to see people who don’t need all the fancy stuff and still are strong and healthy. In fact, there are many out there who may not go to a gym and yet are functionally stronger than any person with $1000s of fancy equipment.
So if you think you are needing a gym or something else fancy to start getting in shape….well I present to you a series of videos for your inspiration. Maybe all you need is some motivation to go workout at home (or even outside) on a consistent basis. Whatever your fitness level may be, just go challenge your muscles and they will respond in a positive manner. (plus want to burn more fat, then have more muscle….as muscle is a fat burning factory!)
WARNING: Music and Language in videos below may be offensive and not suitable for work or kids….I am not responsible for it…so when in doubt just turn the sound down or off!
Note for RSS/email subscribers: if you are not able to view the videos then you can see them at the website by clicking here.
So there you have it. You don’t need fancy equipment to do pullups, pushups, dips, lunges, 1 legged squats or anything else. Even if you can not do the advanced movements seen above, you can do modified bodyweight movements and increased your own strength daily.
Maybe it’s all the complex choices and machines that are confusing you in the first place. Maybe it’s all those isolation exercises that are really doing nothing on the hormonal level to build muscle and burn fat. Whatever the case may be, the main message is: don’t use the excuse of not having access to a gym to stop you from doing something. Take control now and just get out there and make it happen one way or another!
Coming Soon: How to Scalable and Simple Bodyweight Workouts for at Home/Travel/Outside with minimal equipment….the bodyweight revolution is coming….
Print This Post
20 Reader Comments
Feel free to leave a comment below... and as always please keep it in good taste. Comment spamming ONLY to promote your website is NOT allowed. So please use your real name in the field below otherwise it may be edited or removed. Constructive discussion is always welcome, personal attacks or useless bickering is not. Not all comments may be answered directly by editors/writers.
Impressive videos. But this is simply for posing and impressing the chicks. I see no proof, that these guys do not go to the gym for training.
[Reply]
I don’t think people NEED a gym to lose weight because I believe that looking great is 8%0 diet & 20% exercise. I do however, go to the gym 3-4 days a week and I have noticed a difference in the way my body is shaping up. I also work out at home but the most important thing that I’ve changed is my lifestyle and eating habits. I eat between 1200-1400 calories a day, I IF a few days a week, I get more sleep, I rarely eat sweets and I never eat bread, rice, pasta etc.
The gym could be a good thing but in the kitchen is where I see my results!
[Reply]
Guz – Not sure how being able to do a pullup or having functional strength to climb is just to impress chicks? Although I can’t say 100% they never went to a gym, the example is to show that there are plenty of full body movements that one can do without needing $1000s worth of equipment.
Tracy – True, nutrition is always a huge factor! The main factor for exercise being that we use our muscles and challenge them (none of this high reps for toning BS). We always say around here “Abs are made in the kitchen”…but also having muscle (and keeping it) is the easiest way to be a fat burning machine all day long. Congrats on your great progress and keep it up!
[Reply]
I agree that this does not show whether these people gained these abilities in the gym or outside of the gym. It would have been better to see a video of someone working out in a very minimalist home gym that any of us could create, rather than people with ripped bodies showing off their amazing abilities. How many “regular” people can use these full body movements to train? You have to build a solid base of strength first, and who knows where these people developed that base.
And also, the insinuation that the people in these videos may not be able to afford a gym based on the settings depicted is actually quite racist and insulting.
[Reply]
Hort – there is nothing implied based on settings other than what they themselves are promoting for fitness without a gym, such like in this additional video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDCxH88-9X8
I am sorry if it comes across any other way to you as that is not the intention nor the message.
[Reply]
Nice, that video is a much better depiction of your point.
[Reply]
Hort – I’ll add it to the videos above as well. I do agree that scaling full body movements is needed to build up strength and fitness level. Today was more about showing the potential for what can be accomplished. I hope to have more definitive descriptions on exercises and scaling movements in the very near future especially for those looking to workout without a gym or wanting to do simple fitness at home with minimal equipment. Videos like those above just inspire me to go to the playground and do some climbing and pullups myself…..as it’s always fun to feel like a kid again.
[Reply]
Hannibal is ridiculous, I love watching his videos.
[Reply]
I agree you don’t need a gym or expensive equipment but what the gym does have are models of (usually) good behavior. When an individual joins a gym they not only gain access to the equipment but the people in it. I train and work in BIG BOX style gym though I train functionaly (I.e. CrossFit) and from talking to people I have come to realize that the people most in need of a healthy behavior change don’t know how to do – the gym membership serves as acess to others who are modeling the behavior (working out) that they need support in starting or maintaining. So is it needed…….yes, for many.-*
[Reply]
Having spent time in a developing country where people just use their beaches and have no money, but are in great shape, I think alot can be said for using what you have in your environment.
[Reply]
[...] needs a fancy gym to get fit? Check out this article from Spotlight Fitness that highlights the guys who get freakin’ ripped and unbelievably strong from working out on [...]
I agree, gym’s aren’t my thing, I mean I like to participate in Spin classes at the gym but other than that I’d much rather do my own thing outside somewhere. I have a home gym, but it’s starting to get boring and stale so I’m looking at more “adventurous” workouts along the lines of Monkey Bar gym. Too many people seem to confuse “strength” with size, which is completely ludacris when you seem someone who looks “skinny and frail” take down a guy twice his size. Bodyweight exercises are the best in my opinion, hell you can add in a weighted vest and really get things going.
[Reply]
I am an architect. I live in a tiny house (960 square feet) with my wife and two children.
A little more than a year ago, I decided I had to get in shape. I looked around and found CrossFit. The right-wing politics aren’t my bag, and Pukie the Clown is a real turn-off, but I could see that the randomized workouts and functional movements made for an effective program.
But where to put all that equipment in my small house?
I kept looking and stumbled upon SimpleFit. SimpleFit is built on three bodyweight exercises: the pull-up, push-up, and squat. The only equipment required is a pull-up bar and a few square feet of floor.
It doesn’t have the random workouts of CrossFit, but it keeps me motivated with its system of levels and weekly “Judgement†workout.
I have been at it for a little over a year. I am happy with the results. I wanted to share SimpleFit with your readers because it is the perfect workout for those who might be kicking the tires of Crossfit, but can’t commit to the necessary equipment or getting themselves to a gym (CrossFit or otherwise).
[Reply]
Impressive stuff. You do whatever it is you got to do in order to stay healthy, strong, and built. Period!
For me, I do go to the gym and work on powerlifting and olympic lifts.
But you guys seem to do a lot of body weight movements which gives you a different type of strength. Good stuff guys and keep it up. I bet you guys would make good break dancers; being able to move like that and all.
Good jobs guys. Mad props.
[Reply]
[...] “Who Needs an Expensive Gym to Get Strong and Ripped“, Life [...]
Really good article. REALLY good article! It’s a great example to us all of how you can achieve great results with a bit of ingenuity and innovation without having to dish out the cash on expensive gyms or membership.
It’s given me some ideas of some workouts I can do when I’m doing my early morning run/walk!
Good info in the comments too, nutrition’s always got to play a big part as well as sleep. No point doing all that exercise if you don’t take care of yourself.
Good post, I’ll be back to check out more of the site!
[Reply]
Hey Mike,
Great timing I was just telling my clients about these videos. I’m going to set up a link to your post.
Best,
Coop
[Reply]
I agree that there are many exercises or places you can go to that are free such as your neighborhood to work out and get into great shape, along with monitoring what you eat.
[Reply]
[...] Read the full article here. [...]
These exercises do work, I use to have a gym membership and I quit in order to save some money cuz college is not cheap. Anyway, I’ve had better results doing the exercises that they do in those videos, obviously I am not up to that level, but you improvise and work your way up. The best thing is I can do it any time since there is a park by my house with all I need.
[Reply]