Where's the Beach?

Once upon a time, I belonged to a gym. I went there religiously. I even ran on the treadmills before I figured out the whole outside running thing. Even then, I was at the gym most days of the week lifting weights and/or taking spin classes. I learned to enjoy the environment of the gym. Before I was a member, I only ever worked out at home to my vast collection of Cathe Friedrich DVDs . I was initially intimidated by the gym, most of us are. But I sort of made it my home away from home. I was comfortable with the equipment, the classes, the people. Then the gym closed. I panicked at first. No spin classes? No squat rack? What if I needed a treadmill out of desperation on a bad winter day? Of course I learned to make due. I don't have a squat rack, that one still bothers me, nor do I have a chin up bar (the ones supposed to fit ANY door? Yeah, not a house built in 1890). I have a wide range of dumbbells, an EZ Bar, aerobic step (use as a bench or for step ups, dips, etc.),...

My Home "Gym" As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I had a request to do a post about my home gym. After mulling it over, I thought it was a really great idea. I can show everyone that you can indeed get really great results without having to spend a fortune on a home gym. Don't get me wrong of course, I would LOVE to have the money and room to have a treadmill, a nice weight machine set up, squat rack, even a barbell. Yes, you read that, no barbell (for now). I don't' even have a bar to do chin-ups or pull-ups. The ones that are supposed to fit every doorway do not in fact fit doorways built in 1890 apparently. I must also say that I do have a gym membership that I almost only use for the cardio equipment. It was not until this January that I actually did weights at the gym. So, while I do have gym access, I still choose my home "gym" mostly out of convenience.  Back to my gym: I also wish I had a much larger room. The room used for weights is r...