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Lifting weights at home: Easy and rewarding!

Many people want to improve their strength or overall health, but don't have the time or resources to head to the gym every other day. For these people, a very effective work out can be achieved in around 30 minutes right in their own home.

For those that are just starting out, there are a few things that you will need:

Medicine ball - these are great for people of all levels of fitness. There are infinite amounts of exercises that work the core muscles (abdominal and oblique muscles especially) that use a medicine ball. They also represent a low-impact way to train. Medicine balls come in many different weights and are available at almost any sporting goods store.

Weight bench - these are useful even if you aren't in training to be an athlete or competitive weight-lifter. Many exercises can be done while lying down on a bench, so one will prove useful in your home lifting endeavors.

Free weights - good for even beginning lifters, but starting at the correct weight is vitally important. Try to choose a weight for each exercise that is challenging, but not so heavy that you will risk injury.

Assuming that you have some of these items and are ready to get started, I recommend starting on a basic program. Really there are several that work very well, but this one has worked especially well in my experience:

BODY WORK (Uses no equipment):

Push-ups - great basic training that doesn't require fancy equipment or much time. I recommend finding a number that is very challenging to you. Try to perform 3 sets of that number of push-ups. Advanced versions can include "triangle" push-ups. To perform these, form a triangle between your hands, putting your nose in the triangle as you go toward the ground.

Crunches - these are easier than full sit-ups, so you should be able to do more. Sets of 20-30 are good for starters, you can always increase the amount as your strength grows.

Lunges - these can be done with a medicine ball held above your head as well, but it's best to start doing these with just your own weight. 3 sets of 10 lunges with each leg is satisfactory to start.

MEDICINE BALL WORK (May require a partner):

Russian Twist - hold the medicine ball firmly in two hands while sitting with the knees bent at a 45 degree angle and feet slightly in the air. Touch the ground with the medicine ball on one side, then make a quick movement with the ball to the other side of your body and touch the ground with the ball. Repeat this for 3 sets

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