That's Fit

Looking to start resistance training but not ready to join a gym? No problem. An easy solution is to purchase some basic home fitness equipment, such as a set of dumbbells, a weight bench, and a Swiss ball. But, if you're also trying to tighten your financial belt, you may not have the disposable income for these purchases right now. Again, no problem.

One option is to create a no-budget home gym. I outlined some easy ways to do this in a previous article. But, if cutting PVC pipes to size and filling buckets with sand isn't really your speed, don't fret; you're still not at an impasse. That's because, whether you realize it or not, your own body weight is usually more than enough resistance to provide you with a killer workout.

Here are three exercises you can do without joining a gym, buying fitness equipment, or even pulling a Macgyver and makeshifting it:

1. Push-ups. Quite frankly, push-ups are one of the best upper-body exercises you can do, even if an entire gym full of weights are available. Use proper form and technique, which includes keeping you hands just slightly farther than shoulder-width apart. If standard push-ups are too difficult for you at this point, try modified push-ups (knees on the ground).

2. Squats. You don't need a barbell, stacked with 45-pound plates, bending across your back to benefit from this great lower-body exercise. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and with your hands either on your hips or stretched out directly in front of you. Lower yourself slowly until your thighs are parallel to the floor, hold in that position for a second, and then rise quickly back to the starting position.

3. Burpies. Despite the fact that they have just about the strangest name of any exercise, this movement is great for both cardiovascular health and strength building. From a standing position, squat down and place your hands on the floor. Next, kick your legs behind you, which should land you in the up position of a push-up. Then, drive your knees forward until you are at the bottom of a squat position. To finish, thrust your body upward and jump as high as you can off the ground. This constitutes one full repetition.

Even doing only these three exercises is enough to get you a good "pump." Still, there are literally dozens of other body weight exercises that you can do, all of which require nothing more than ... well, you.