Since I’ll be mentioning this throughout the training section, its worth discussing my focus and philosophy around Low-Cost/No-Cost(LCNC) fitness.
What is LCNC Fitness?
LCNC fitness is essentially cross training that employs calisthenics, isometrics, plyometrics and aerobic/cardio exercises. Aerobic/cardio here is not done on machines like an elliptical, stairmaster or treadmill. Cardio is conducted here by running, biking, hiking, high intensity interval training (HIIT), jump rope, etc. When you hear of calisthenics, think about push-ups, pull-ups, mountain climbers, and lunges. For isometrics, think of planks and other core strengthening exercises. In the case of plyometrics think of burpees, jump squats and other explosive exercises.
For future reference, I tend to lump isometric and plyometric exercises into the category of calisthenics. Regardless of the technical domain a particular exercise is categorized by, they are generally conducted in interval/circuit training structures of varying intensities throughout my workouts.
My Background
I have been engaged in calisthenics on and off over the past decade plus but I have also spent many of those years going to a gym to lift big and heavy. My fitness goals adapted based on my wants and needs at the various periods of time.
Looking back on my days of power-lifting and bodybuilding, while they were fun and challenging, I was left with gains that easily went away. What is really sustainable and practical? Could I do that for the next 10-30 years? In my opinion, I say no due to practicality and sustainability.
At the time it was quite satisfying to be able to have the strength I worked hard to get. Every increase in poundage felt like an personal accomplishment in effort. I’m not going to dismiss any of that because it served its purpose in my personal development and experiences.
While I was in the active duty military (2008-2012), it was nice to have access to the gyms at no cost. Even then I began tailoring my workouts around the practicality of being a Marine, so I tended to steer more toward calisthenics and cardio. After I departed active duty, I picked up a gym membership to a local gym at a two-year term so I could continue doing what I was going. I noticed after the first year, I started going less and less. I was paying to not go to the gym. That is when I reevaluated my priorities and reconciled my financial commitments.
About 5 years ago, I completely walked away from the classic gym membership (with monthly and annual fees) and heavy-weight, concentrated lifting. Training and fitness wouldn’t be based around my desire and time to get to the gym to workout. Instead, I could tap into my exercise experiences to design workouts around my goals and objectives that could be done anywhere for free. Therefore the focus of my workouts would be predominantly around cross training with calisthenics exercises. This was the start of my path down the Low-Cost/No-Cost mentality of workouts and fitness.
Philosophy Behind LCNC Fitness
Looking back
For hundreds and thousands of years, people have been “working out” by means of their communal responsibilities in the name of surviving. By the end of the day, there was no need to go “workout”. If you think about it, working out and exercising is really a luxury of a modern society that doesn’t spend most of its time performing agricultural and other labor intensive tasks. They didn’t have or need dedicated gyms to be physically fit. People performed their tasks for a living and that made them strong enough to accomplish them. Their fitness developed around that. There were no machines that allowed them to get weak through efficiency.
Fast forward to now. Machines, though they provide an extremely valuable aspect and luxury to life, have made modern society smarter, but also weaker in the physical sense. We work smarter not harder than we have to, even within manual labor type jobs. When is the last time you didn’t rely on some form of machine to do something? Walked to work? Walked or biked to the grocery store? When is the last time you had to haul 50+ lbs over extended distances greater than 50ft?
As a simple look into the past, you can even see the differences between developed parts of the world and developing parts of the world. Now we have gyms to help get us physically fit, something widely not common in developing nations.
My Motivation
The whole idea and motivation behind LCNC fitness has many facets to it.
- The freedom to exercise anywhere.
- Workout and be fit without spending money.
- The freedom to be creative and develop your own tailored workouts.
- Workout pretty much everyday without the need for as many rest days as one might need when lifting heavy on concentrated movements designed toward building specific muscle groups.
- No need for equipment to begin, just your body and mind.
- Not constrained by hours of operation set by a gym.
- No need to drive anywhere to workout. (No additional traffic!)
In the end you save a lot of time, money and energy when you think of all the things that go into going to a gym and paying for a membership.
My Goals and Objectives
My primary training goals and objectives are focused around general physical fitness. Additionally, I do spend more time on aspects that will serve me well when it comes to hiking and climbing. This includes general flexibility, coordination, agility, leg strength and endurance, core strength, aerobic endurance, and shoulder strength.
The Costs
The entry price point for the LCNC fitness mindset is $0. For you those of you who are interested in saving money, this is really great. Think of the opportunity cost and freedom of not having to pay $30-$100+ a month to workout. Think of the wear and tear on your vehicle, as well as fuel costs of driving to the gym.
You really don’t need anything to get fit and challenge yourself. This may not be for some people though. Some folks need the structure and/or community of a fitness class, like CrossFit or Strongman. Those options are valuable and serve a purpose for some. If it encourages you to get out their and improve yourself, do it. I am merely seeking to offer you an alternative.
What are the benefits of LCNC fitness?
Cost Effective
First off, you’ll save a lot of money in the long run. Who doesn’t desire that outcome? There is no contract to commit to here. If you need to take off for a month, you can always start back up when you’re ready to go again. The hustle and bustle of life can make working out every day or even every week throughout a given year quite difficult. I would encourage anyone interested to stick with the general idea of LCNC fitness for at least 60-90-days to truly evaluate what it can do for you.
Sustainable
The workouts are sustainable in the long-term. This means you can repeat the workouts while adjusting the difficultly as you see if to make them more challenging. You can also tailor the exercises to meet your evolving goals over time. When you add variations, you employ different skills and likely trigger smaller, less utilized muscles.
Flexible
They are flexible around your time and locational constraints. These workouts don’t require much besides a little bit of time and some space (5′-7’x3′-7′ workout area depending on exercises).
Multi-Functional Exercises
By doing calisthenics workouts, you tend to engage a lot of muscle groups during the exercises, and with increased pace and rhythm you bring in the element of cardio into the movements as well. One movement, multiple benefits.
Goals and Objectives
If you are focused on strength and fitness then aim to do the exercises for at least 3 days a week. Your health and wellness will generally improve the longer you stick with the exercises. You get out of it what you put into it.
In the case for aesthetic gains or general weight loss, you need to balance LCNC fitness with an appropriate diet regime. Generally speaking, weight loss and aesthetics come down to nutrition as well as caloric intake to caloric burn ratios.
What do you need to begin LCNC fitness?
To start out, you need to have the desire and willingness to challenge yourself without the need for a gym or formal structure. This is where I hope to inspire people by posting my workouts. Please join along, ask questions, and engage.
To start out, the only piece of equipment I will be incorporating into the LCNC fitness routines is the jump rope. You can read about it from a previous post here. I’ll also try to provide alternatives. For instance, if you are not interested in purchasing a jump rope, you could substitute running, high knees (in place) or jumping jacks for the various times I perform the exercises. No cost alternatives!
What I will provide
First, I will be posting my daily workouts (3-6 workouts for most weeks) for FREE. Next, I will be posting additional content to demonstrate the various exercises and workouts in the form of still-pictures and video (YouTube/D-Tube) as well as provide in-depth articles on the various exercises.
Eventually there will be general and objectively-defined programs that can hopefully provide you with enough structure to motivate you to take the LCNC approach to fitness. After you have been performing the exercises for a while, you too may be able to develop and plan your workout sessions tailored to your desires and objectives.
