The Dip

Just dip.  Not tobacco.  It can be done with nothing more than the floor, or with one raised surface, two raised surfaces, with or without extra weight.  There really is a wide range of variation to experience with this exercise.  Lets start with a basic description of what is also called a tricep dip from the site www.onefiftydips.com:

Stand with your back to a chair or bench. Be sure that the object is sturdy and can comfortably support your body weight. Bend your legs and place your palms on the front edge of the bench, with your fingers pointing forward. Slowly walk your feet out in front of you, until the majority of your body weight is resting on your arms. Inhale, and keeping your elbows tucked in at your sides, slowly bend your arms and lower your body until your upper arms are parallel with the floor (see pic below). You should also notice your hips have dropped straight down toward the floor. Hold for a second, then exhale and straighten your arms back up to the starting position.

This is a description for a singe raised surface (i.e. bench or chair).  This can also be done with your hands on the ground, but having them raised provides a greater range of motion.  If you are starting, and are uncertain of your abilities, you can start with hands on the ground, then move up to having them off the ground.  

Additionally, you can raise your feet off the ground, using another bench or chair, or what have you.  Raising the feet off the ground, whether your hands are on the ground or raised, changes the angle of your body, and thus, it shifts just slightly the muscles being targeted, giving you an ever so slightly different workout.  Try it both ways, and occasionally mix it up!

If you have gotten a hang of the raised dip, maybe worked all the way up to 150 reps, and feel like you need more challenge, try adding weight.  I know, I know, weights aren't free, but you can use anything.  A gallon of water, your son's backpack full of textbooks, a cinder-block, anything you have handy that adds weight will work.  Just put it in your lap and resume reps.
Another way to give each rep a little more umph without complicating things is by slowing down and making each up or down motion take longer, and stay at the bottom a second or two longer.  Trust me, you will feel the burn sooner if you do!  Another variation I have seen is placing your hands on something that is not stable (such as a balance ball/balance board), thus forcing stabilizing muscles to participate.  Just be careful that you do not get too high off the ground in case you take a spill!

Here are some photos with links to more information you can read if interested:

basic floor dip

raised dip 

hands and feet raised dip 

weighted dip

balance board dip

work dip

Free as in towel

I guess technically a towel is not free, unless you stole it from Holiday Inn on your last va-ca.  But admit it, mixing up your free work outs with something I hope you already have around the house doesn't sound like a bad idea, does it?


Adam Dachis over at Lifehacker has found a couple of very good YouTube videos to get you started on a towel workout.  The first video uses towels to create resistance, and the second uses it in the exact opposite way, to make you slide, and in turn need to strengthen your core muscles to stabilize yourself.



This looks like an excellent way to mix things up a little bit in your routine, and lets face it, we all need to mix it up a little!

Surprisingly Effective Workouts You Can Do with a Towel in 20 Minutes or Less

The Zombies will get you if you don't RUN!

Ok, this is not exactly free, but I could not help it, its too awesome!  Lifehacker ran an article the other day about a new iOS app called Zombies, Run!

"Zombies, Run! is a pretty great idea. Instead of escaping the hordes of the undead from the safety of your couch, the app pairs the survival story with your music to motivate you to run."

Android users: Zombies, Run! is headed your way soon.


I will not go into much more detail because, as I mentioned, this is not free, and besides,  Adam Dachis did an awesome write-up already, so I will refer you to him:

Zombies, Run! Turns Your Exercise Routine into a Game of Survival

Bruce Lee Fitness Program

I was just reviewing some of my favorite fitness related articles when I came across one on Zen Habits, one of my favorite blogs.  When talking about Bruce Lee, the author (Jonathan Mead) said it best, "What’s more impressive is that Bruce trained his body without ever stepping into a gym and with very little use of weights or machines."  That's basically what I want this blog to be about.  In his article, Jonathan outlines five ways you can start training like Bruce Lee.  Calisthenics, Isometric exercises, Range of motion and flexibility, Balance, and Dynamic exercise are outlined to get started with.


What I like about this is that it is NOT "do this one thing 15 minutes three times a week to have a perfect body!"  That sounds so BORING doing the same thing all the time!  Sure, its great to have a fall back if you are running short on time and need to get in SOME exercise, but honestly, for how long are you going to want to keep doing the same repetitive exercise over and over?  But with all the options encompassed above you can do something different and unique every day, if you like.  You still may only spend 20 minutes at a time, and you may find there is something in particular you like doing frequently, but you have CHOICES!  It has been said by many people, many times that the best workout routine is the one you will actually stick to.  Having choices when you want to mix it up makes that significantly easier.


Also, it has been shown that muscle confusion, or doing different things all the time so that your muscles do not get excessively efficient at a repetitive task, is one of the best ways to get your muscles in shape fast.


Please read Jonathan's full article for a lot more ideas!

How to Get Bruce Lee Like Strength Without Ever Going to a Gym [Zen Habits]

The Healthy and Fit Algorithm [Zen Habits]

I ran across and interesting post on Zen Habits today. Though he advocates a few things I try to avoid because they cost money, like joining a nice gym, the article is an excellent summary of many important fitness principles that maybe we have all heard before, but we often forget about, and its good to be reminded of. Also, I am particularly happy that the author makes special mention of consistency. That's not to say that we do the same thing over and over, or even that we exercise at the same time every time, but that we do do it regularly.

The Healthy and Fit Algorithm [Zen Habits]

Strong Ankles, Better Balance

Ever wonder why some people seem to be accident prone and repeatedly sprain their ankles? It may not be the Klutz gene, but that their ankles aren't healing to the point they should to allow them the proper balance to avoid such injuries in the future. The New York Times Well blog writes:

"When you damage the ligament, 'you damage the neuro-receptors as well. Your brain no longer receives reliable signals' from the ankle about how your ankle and foot are positioned in relation to the ground. Your proprioception - your sense of your body's position in space - is impaired. You're less stable and more prone to falling over and re-injuring yourself."

So whats the good news, Doc?

"A growing body of research suggests that many of those second (and often third and fourth) sprains could be avoided with an easy course of treatment. Stand on one leg. Try not to wobble. Hold for a minute. Repeat."

That's as free as they come! Be sure to read the whole article for more specifics, how to make it more challenging for better balance, and a video. So now with proper rehabilitation your weak ankle is no longer an excuse for not trying a new running routine. Just be sure to get plenty of rest to heal well!

How to Fix Bad Ankles [Well blog]

Keeping the thrill alive (when running)

So running is a great and free way to get exercise, burn calories and get or stay in shape. But it can get old if you just do the same thing over and over again. And when something gets old, you stop doing it, then its of no benefit to you.

While I was researching another topic of interest I came across this post on Zen Habits from a couple of years ago. Leo puts forth 10 (sort of) different running routines to help spice it up a bit and keep you going when you might have wanted to stop.

"Your body adapts. After a month or so of doing one type of workout, you body will adapt and you’ll no longer be getting the same kind of benefits from that workout. You need to change things up every 3-4 weeks … and if you do, you’ll most likely see continued improvements."

This is true not only for running but for all exercises. That's why I look for so many different exercises to rotate through. But running is about the single best aerobic workout that we can get for free and with no equipment, so knowing how to shake it up is very important.

10 Great Workouts to Spice Up Your Running Program [Zen Habits]