Weird Gym - Need exercise advice

[Drashnar]

Apologies for the long post, and if this is the wrong spot.


I'm currently a member of a gym that does not have a single, normal, olympic bar (barbell) in the facillity. They have limited dumbells, some machines (including the smith machine), and half the space dedicated to treadmills.

I know, I know, the overall advice I'm going to get is "SWITCH GYMS NOW!!!11!!!"

I know that.

My circumstances though won't let me switch to any other gyms just now, for varying reasons (lack of close options being one of several).

Next, it pains me to admit this, but I'm a bit of a newb. I don't want to consider myself "new" to this, but when my last regular workouts was my time in the Military, and before that time in High School football (done by a very good coach, who now is a College Strength Director and Mens Health Contributor), I haven't done any "serious" working out since 2004 - 2005 timeframe.

So I guess you could sum up by saying I know and remember enough to be dangerous, because I don't want to consider myself a "newb", even though I fit squarely into that bracket.

------------------

A bit of background first:

I'm trying to setup a workout routine that will work with my crazy schedule (working guy in a house of 6), and still get me the progress I'm looking for without completely disrupting the rest of the household.

Right now, I have 2 ultimate goals. 1, make working out a habit, and "the new normal" in my life. 2, be happy with what I see in the mirror.

------------------

On to the question:

So, given my lack of access to a barbell, how would you recommend me moving forward? I know that it severely limits what I can do, but I don't think it will stop me dead in my tracks, at least not yet, given my current (lack of) fitness level.


Currently, I want to focus on my legs and glutes. Working in IT has me on my butt all day, every day. Based on a picture I took of my rear end few months back, I was not happy with what I saw. And given that I need a good foundation, and the glutes are one of the biggest muscles in the body, I decided to try and put a slightly more emphasis there.

I currently am building what I think will work for me based on the research I've done so far.

Day1 (Monday)
-----------------
Chest & Triceps
Cardio (30 min HIIT)

Day2 (Tuesday)
------------------
Legs & Glutes

Day3 (Wednesday)
---------------------
Back & Biceps
Cardio (30 min HIIT)

Day4 (Thursday)
-------------------
Shoulders
Cardio (30 min HIIT)

Day5 (Friday)
---------------
Legs & Glutes


Saturdays and Sundays are both off limits to workouts, and with me only doing 1 or 2 lifts per muscle (for example, 2 chest lifts, and 2 tricep lifts), I figured this would be a fairly even spread with the 2nd leg day giving me the emphasis that I wanted, while still giving me at least 2 days recovery between each day.

Where I'm having the most trouble is on with choosing exercises are my Leg days. Everything I've seen says "STAY AWAY FROM THE SMITH MACHINE." And with no barbells available right now, that takes away the 2 most recommended exercises for legs (Squats and Deadlifts).

Can anyone please give me some advice? Thanks!


TL;DR "I need leg/glute exercises that don't require a barbell."

[sooby]

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...post1266579671

[Drashnar]

bump. Nothing else?

[keyboardworkout]

Google

"how to build muscle at planet fitness"

[Tyrbolift]

Google

"how to build muscle at planet fitness"

It could also be a senior center. The senior rec centers where I live are pretty pathetic for bodybuilding purposes, but they don't want the liability of someone hurting themselves under a bar. That's one reason why I belong to a gym that's about 10 miles away and pay a separate set of dues.

[Luca2]

Hey man, here are a few ideas:
- Bulgarian split squats with dumbbells
- Single-leg Romanian deadlifts with dumbbells
- Leg press (if you have one available)
- Goblet squats
- Dumbbell step ups
- Smith machine hip thrusts
- Smith machine squat variations (to do after your free weight work; split, back, front and hack squats come to mind)

I have found Bulgarian split squats in particular to be an excellent substitute for squats.

See this video for more ideas:

[Drashnar]

Thanks everyone for your responses!

I'll try not to be ashamed to admit that yes, it is Planet Fitness. I did some googling as suggested, and ultimately started with the workout linked below. It is dumbbells only, and probably better than me trying to design and balance my own workout so soon.

EDIT: Apparently I can't post links. If you google "muscle and strength dumbbell only workout" it should be the top hit. /EDIT

Does anyone have any thoughts about the workout? Good for a beginner? Bad?

This morning I recorded my first weekly progress check. Loss of 2.5 lbs overall. As per my accumeasure calipers, a loss of 2lbs of bodyfat, and a gain of half a lb of muscle, so it seems to be working for me for now.

But if that' is a bad workout, then I don't want to develop bad habits while it's still easier to correct them. Thanks!