I'm leaving my over priced gyma nd amd trying to replicate most of it at home, any idea how I can do Lat Pulldowns and Low rows at home? I have free weights and a bench and can buy a few bits and bobs if needed.

wide pull up bar for lat pull downs

Nearest you'll get to low rows with home kit is bent over rows with a single dumbell. TBH I reckon they are better anyway as it's much harder to "cheat."

Agreed on pull up bar – Google Powerbar and pull up for one that fits in any doorframe without writing it off.

Knuckles facing towards you our away?

Forward grip (knuckles towards you) otherwise it's called a chin up and will target you biceps too much.

Pull ups are superb back exercise – narrowish grip for outer back muscles (lats), wider for inner back.

The Power Bar looks good, I used to have a chin up bar years ago that had screw in cups you had to attach to the door frame, this would be much better, as long as my wall could handle it!

It doesn't put much pressure on the wall or doorframe – very clever design!

I got some scaffolding for a heave bar with 2 bits teeing off to a wall which gives me dip bars as well. Do some press ups and that's pretty much all of the upper body dealt with IMO.

I have been thinking about joining a gym recently….but wonder if it will offer much more than the pushups/crunches/pull|chin ups i am currently doing. Only £21 a month tho….

Jamie – depends on your goals. If you want to keep generally fit and toned, home stuff is great. If you want to build serious muscle, you need a gym with some big weights.

low rows…. set you pull up bar at a height just out of reach when you're lying on your back on the floor. Body weight low rows.

If you want to build serious muscle

Not really. Just burn off the bit of excess fat, about 10ish lbs, and build lean muscle. Would not be using none of the cardio machines as already run 20-30 miles per week along with 20ish miles MTB.

I do find it hard to be regimented when doing stuff at home tho, i guess the one thing about the gym is that once you are there you are more likely to actually do something!

Jamie – home stuff should be fine. I spent many years at the gym and gained three stone then left it at that – now do home stuff twice a week to maintain it and keep fit. I only have fairly simple kit but it works pretty well.

Same as you for cardio – have miles of countryside to run and cycle in – plus the sea to surf in!

With home stuff – just think of the time you save not going to a gym. Think of the lack of weirdos and posers. Think of how all the kit is available with no waiting and blast your favourite tunes out too!

http://www.ratraceurbangym.com/home.html

http://www.ratraceurbangym.com/home.html

Jogging between venues to keep your heart pumping, you could typically find yourself running up to 4km during the session, interspersed with exercise zones that could include punch-ups in a piazza, cat-crawls in urine soaked car-parks and bunny hops over dog eggs!

Fixed that for them. Does look good tho, shame i am neither in Brizzle or The Big Smoke.

Pull ups are superb back exercise – narrowish grip for outer back muscles (lats), wider for inner back.

Mat, other way round surely ?

Jamie, since you already run there are loads of circuit training type exercises you can do whilst you are out that will benefit your fitness, raise your metabolic rate and burn fat far more than any gym will ever do.

All of the following can be done in sets whilst out running:
Do you have a park nearby ? Chin ups from the goal posts.
park benches or find anything to do elevated press ups from.
hindu press ups : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcW61Bb8uOo
hindu squats : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPSVpo4mzNI
Burpees : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Dq_NCzj8M
V-Sits : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L4yH8uP6No

Kev

Its in Edinburgh , London , and most big cities

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland/gallery/outofdoors_240410/02/

Keva – nope – apparently that is the right way around. Seems odd but it's true.

I do loads of body weight stuff as well as weights – just need to get a good balance of the two I reckon.

Cheers for the help Kev/Mat….all i need to do is drop my junk food dependancy and i am good!

Macavity:
Its in Edinburgh , London , and most big cities

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland/gallery/outofdoors_240410/02/

Unfortunately i live in Peterborough where the only thing like this that gets arranged is well…erm…it doesn't. Got some cracking warehouses tho.