Just a reminder: This is "bodyweight workouts in the gym" month. Expect everything to be in use except the floor, and even that may be in prime demand.
My recommendation for gym workouts in January:
Squats: Split squats, rear foot elevated split squats, or airborne lunges
Pushing: Pushups, one leg pushups, spiderman pushups, or archer pushups
Puling: Pull-ups – 'cause even after New Years there's still room on the pullup bar. Think timed hangs, negatives, and partials, for most people
Hip Hinge: Pick up anything that isn't nailed down and single leg deadlift
"Cardio": Burpees, mountain climbers, jump squats (if you're good at landing), switch lunges, pushups, knee pushups, band rows
So get in the gym and get some work in.
And if – by amazing miracle – you do get ahold of some dumbbells or a kettlebell or (gasp!) even a barbell, go ahead and do a few sets of your normal workout! The more fluid you can be between your normal workout and your bodyweight backup exercises, the better results you'll get.
And yes, when I worked at the busiest 24 Hour Fitness in Colorado, this is how I trained my clients in January and parts of February. They all got great results, and actually never knew we were switching back and forth between the planned exercises and the "backup" exercises.
Using the Turublence Training 2.0 workout from a couple days ago, I'll give you an example: (all of the backup exercises are in blue)
Warm-up Circuit: -> No backup required, it's all bodyweight anyway. This is already a better warmup than what most people do to warm up: jog on the treadmill.
– Go through 2 times with no rest between exercises.
– Rest 20 seconds between circuits.
o Prisoner Squat – 20 seconds
o Pushup or Kneeling Pushup – 20 seconds
o Stability Ball Leg Curl – 20 seconds -> Backup: Single leg hip bridge
o Band Pull – 20 seconds -> Backup: Standing bent-over T's
Metabolic Resistance Training Circuit #1
1A) Dumbbell (DB) Goblet Step-Up – 30 seconds per side -> Backup exercises: Walking lunges (beginner), rear foot elevated split squats (intermediate) or pistol squats (advanced)
- 15 seconds rest/transition.
1B) T-Pushup (alternating sides) – 30 seconds -> T-Pushups are a great backup to any pressing exercise.
- 15 seconds rest/transition.
1C) KB (Kettlebell) or DB Swing – 30 seconds -> Backup exercises: If strength was the goal, then a hip bridge (beginner), single leg hip hinge (intermediate) or a single leg deadlift (advanced). If it was more of a "cardio" move, I'd use mountain climbers (beginner) or burpees (advanced)
- Rest 30 seconds & repeat 1 more times for a total of 2 circuits.
Metabolic Resistance Training Circuit #2
2A) 1-Arm DB Squat & Press – 40 seconds per side -> First 40 seconds: Pushups. Second 40 seconds: Squats (beginner), Jump squats (advanced).
- 20 seconds rest/transition.
2B) DB Renegade Row (alternating) – 40 seconds -> Pullup bar hang (beginner), Pullup bar negatives (intermediate), pull-ups (advanced). <or> Cable rows, machine rows, band rows.
- 20 seconds rest/transition.
2C) Suspension Y's or DB Rear-Delt Raise – 40 seconds -> Standing bent over Y's
- 20 seconds rest/transition.
2D) Suspension (TRX) Curls – 40 seconds -> Dumbbell curls, barbell curls, resistance band curls, cable curls, machine curls. <or> Cable rows, machine rows, band rows.
- Rest 30 seconds & repeat 1 more time for a total of 2 circuits.
Metabolic Bodyweight Finisher -> This is a great backup "cardio" if all of the treadmills, elipticals, and kettlebells are taken.
3A) Narrow-Stance Bodyweight Squat – 20 on, 10 off x 4 rounds
3B) Jumping Jacks – 20 on, 10 off x 2 rounds
3C) Narrow-Stance Bodyweight Squat – 20 on, 10 off x 4 rounds
3D) Jumping Jacks – 20 on, 10 off x 2 rounds
If you don't know some of the exercises that I substituted above, that's ok. Mostly I just want you to get how to think about it: You go in with your plan, and you have a backup plan in case the New Years Resolutionists take the equipment you need. You're flexible and you make it work.
So that shows you how I think about working out in the gym in January. This Turbulence Training 2.0 workout is mostly dumbbells and bodyweight anyway, so there's a good chance that you could go in the gym and actually be able to do it all as written. But you're prepared and you don't get thrown off, one way or the other.
Josh
P.S. Today is the last day that Turbulence Training 2.0 is on sale for $27. It's normally like $97 or something like that.
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