Working out on a budget
Depending on where you live, work or study, one of the biggest barriers to getting in a good workout is often price. Not all areas have ‘budget’ gyms, and student gyms can be under-equipped or vastly overpopulated at times you might want to train. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get all the health benefits of exercise and even build some decent muscle with limited equipment.
Aside from the more obvious forms of exercise, we can do anywhere like running and cycling (one of the best investments I made at university for saving time and transport money), there are other things you can do to make sure that you get the type of workout you need, whatever your goals.
1) Bodyweight Exercises
If your goal is to build some serious muscle, a large part of your training can still be focused around using your body weight to achieve this. You don’t need to be lifting weights to build muscle.
There are the obvious bodyweight exercises we can use; pull-up, chin-ups, press-ups, and dips, plus a whole host of variations you can use to make them much more challenging. Then there are the more advanced movements to work towards, such as the muscle-up or handstand push-ups.
Lifting weights might help to target certain muscle groups that need more loading (like the legs) or to target specific muscle groups. However, in this situation, if money was tight, you could look at using a ‘pay-as-you-go’ gym to do one session per week if you feel this is needed… or hit those big hills on your bike or some sprinting to help build leg muscles.
2) Student Gym Discounts
Most university gyms are reasonably priced, but if your Uni gym isn’t up to scratch, or always beyond busy, then most chain or even local gyms have student offers… even if they don’t advertise it is always worth asking, especially at smaller, non-franchised gyms.
However, if the only option is a budget chain gym, be prepared to train at anything other than peak times because they will be very busy. If there aren’t any nearby, it might be worthwhile jumping on your bike to save some money (and get some more exercise) if there aren’t any affordable gyms locally.
3) Workout Buddies
If you do have to travel to the gym, or generally feel unmotivated and in need of little support, then finding someone to train with, with similar goals can always be a great help. Not only can they help with motivation, but often come with new training ideas. Some gyms even offer discounts/free months for referrals, so it’s always worth asking around and if this is the case trying to recruit as many workout buddies as possible.
Instead, try to train in groups of no more than 3 (this allows for solid amounts of rest without exercises taking forever), keep chatter to a minimum (this is a great habit to get into if you value yours and other time) and if you are going with a larger group of gym pals then maybe split your group into smaller ‘pods’ to be courteous to other gym users.
4) Online Workouts
If money, distance to a gym or time is a real issue then there are literally thousands of different workouts on YouTube, or Apps available for free, that will give you a workout you can do at home or even Apps to create workouts whilst you run, cycle or train outdoors.
Add in some resistance bands, a kettlebell, yoga matt or even a pull-up bar and you have everything you need for a solid workout at home or in the park in the summer.
5) Outdoor Groups
Speaking of outdoor exercise, there are usually loads of different ‘boot camps’ going on in the local area if you look for them. These are usually cheap and cheerful circuit classes but are a great way to socialise, meet people with similar goals and get some encouragement from a qualified instructor.
If you want a proper great outdoors experience, then you can get your exercise by joining hiking, climbing and walking groups. Even things like canoeing and kayaking might be available through student societies or local clubs and are certainly great ways to keep in shape whilst making some friends and most importantly having some fun in the process.
