home gym without machine **Question

Mostly I attend a well equipped community gym but sometimes I can't and
instead of missing my workout
I would like to workout at home with bench, rack, leg extension/flexion
unit and free weights and add a 3rd workout day.

- this excellent gym routine given to me by a buddy takes 45 minutes, is
4 sets / 15 reps alternating between the two grouped exercises twice a
week. (started routine going to the gym 4 months ago and lost 30
pounds so far)
- once a week I walk/run 400 stairs X 5 reps, working to 6 reps. I play
basketball twice a week.
- I have been losing a pound a week as desired (14-24 pounds to go)
eating carefully. (am middle aged)

abs crunches (to exhaustion)
**question here > lat pulldowns (machine) ---- is a good substitution at
home dumbbell rowing?

squats
dumbbell flies

lunges
dumbbell arm curls

dumb bell shrugs
side dumbbell lateral raises

dumb bell military press
front dumbbell raises

knee flexion sitting (machine) can do at home, too
**question here > triceps pushdown machine V-bar (machine) is a good
substitution at home upper arm elbow
extension,
triceps using barbell behind head

knee flexion sitting (machine) can do at home, too
**question here > triceps pulldown short bar with palms up - is a good
substitution at home lying
dumbbell
triceps extension to top of head or close-grip
bench press
or what do you suggest?

Thanks for any suggestions or criticisms.

enquiring minds wrote:

>
> **question here > lat pulldowns (machine) ---- is a good substitution at
> home dumbbell rowing?

yes, dumbbell rowing is a good substitute. doubles even better because
you'll be bringing your stabilizer muscles more into the picture. you
can also adjust the point to which you row to emphasize more of your
lower lats or more of your traps. rowing higher up to your chest will
hit the traps more. rowing to lower down your torso with hit your
lower lats more. pullups and chins are another excellent alternative.

> **question here > triceps pushdown machine V-bar (machine) is a good
> substitution at home upper arm elbow
> extension,
> triceps using barbell behind head
>

those will work. feel them out though, as they can be hard on the
tendons around your elbow. if you're starting to feel anything in your
elbows, they could be the culprit. some other alternatives are close
grip bench presses, pushups with a narrow hand position, pushups with a
wide hand position, and to a lesser degree dumbell MPs more toward the
back, and heavy dumbell floor presses


> or what do you suggest?
>

ab wheel rollouts is a great substitute for endless crunches. you'll
feel a set of 10-12 ab wheel rollouts a lot more than 50 or so
crunches... you can also roll out on a curved path to emphasize the
obliques as well.

Just some thoughts. Congrats on your progress, sounds like you're
doing really well.

John
http://www.kettlebellinc.com