Just a new thread to share a few workout links that I use frequently.
Please feel free to comment on these or add to the list!

Bodybuilding.com
While I don't think I'll ever LOOK like a bodybuilder, I like this page because you a) pick a body part, b) pick the type of equipment and c) make with the clicky, and it will give you an assortment of exercises with that equipment to hit that body part. Video demonstrations of the exercises are available.

http://bodybuilding.com/fun/exercises.htm

ExRx
A VERY exhaustive (in every sense of the word) exercise guide. You could spend hours wandering around this site.

http://www.exrx.net/Exercise.html


CrossFit
This has become popular recently. They post a new and different and random workout each day.

http://www.crossfit.com/

Gimme 20
A social networking site to track your progress, compare yourself to others, trade information, find and create new workouts.

http://www.gimme20.com

The "300" Spartan Workout
A YouTube link that shows you what the actors in Frank Miller's "300" went through to get those bodies.
A great 2 minutes and 33 seconds that will either motivate you or depress you even further

http://youtube.com/watch?v=b23qBIGrGeQ

Enjoy!

- Bill

My exercise of choice during the winter is indoor rowing on an erg (rowing machine), and I bought mine from Concept 2:

http://www.concept2.com/us/default.asp

Their site has a lot of great info on rowing, and the feature I use most is the online logbook: I enter my time and kilometers rowed every day. What gets fun is that you can join a "virtual rowing team" and compete with other teams. That helps keep me motivated on days when I really don't feel like rowing. I'm on the "Eh! Team," a bunch of Canadians who have (virtually) rowed around the world several times since I joined. The team uses Google Earth to track our virtual progress across the globe.

Rowing is a very in-your-face exercise...a half-hour of rowing is worth at least an hour and a half of biking, at least here in flat Montreal. It's a great workout...you push off with your legs so in fact your legs get as much of a workout as your arms and shoulders, plus it's incredibly aerobic.

Brad!
Thanks so much for posting that link. I remember using and LOVING a rowing machine when I belonged to a gym. The ones we had were equipped with a color monitor that had a birds eye view of a river or lake with scenery, etc. and you raced against another boat.
Loved it and yes, it is one heck of a great aerobic/anaerobic workout.
Now if I could just get the $900 together

- Bill

I love rowing machines, too. I feel like they give me a full-body workout. I've never seen one with fancy overhead racing views, though. Maybe I can find one to hook up to my Wii!

The Concept 2 machine's simple black-and-white monitor includes a "fish game" (which I've never actually used!) that might be fun: you're a fish on the screen and your job is to escape all the bigger fish that are trying to eat you. It forces you to change your rowing pace to move your fish up and down on the screen while you try to avoid the others, so if you're into games that might be a good way to go.

Me, I simply bought the rower to give myself an excuse to get an iPod

I can't listen to music while I work, so rowing is a great way for me to listen to my favorite tunes.

The Concept 2 monitor can show you not only how many meters you've rowed and how much time you've rowed, but also things like how many calories you've burned, plus you can hook it up to a heart-rate monitor if you're into that sort of thing. Yes, it was expensive, but way cheaper than a gym membership, and I've been using mine religiously for the past two years. I might even keep rowing this summer...usually I switch to biking once the weather gets good but I don't want to let down my virtual team!

Just remember to keep your suspicions about you. There is a lot of "gym myth" on the internet and the last thing you'd want is to get hurt. The Canadian goverment has a good starter resource in the Canadian Physical Activity Guide, and I'm sure the US has something similar.

Another point to remember, let your family doctor know, especially if you're going it alone without the assistance of a professional.

My big problem is actually making time to exercise. I can't join a gym, because I never go. (At one point in my life -- 1998 -- I did go to a gym regularly, and it was fantastic. That's the fittest I've ever been, and it felt wonderful.) I prefer to exercise outdoors. The most success I ever had came from riding a bike along these country roads for a couple of summers. Now I'm fairly good about walking, especially if I have an audiobook on the iPod. But I don't like to walk in the rain, which there's plenty of in Oregon during March and April...

One idea for people that might not have time to go to the gym, nor a lot of money to spend on equipment, is to start with something basic like SimpleFit. It was started by a follower of CrossFit (which willmize mentioned above) and a great way to start getting back in to shape. It basically consists of following a routine of push-ups, pull-ups, and squats, based on your fitness level and moving up as you get better. For the pull-ups, I bought a Door Gym that is AWESOME and not very expensive. Anyway, just thought I'd throw out that idea since I think it goes well with the philosophy of GRS.

For working out to get in shape, build endurance, or maintain it, I have to discourage the sole (or primary) use of an erg. From a GRS perspective, it's darn expensive! But it's also a specialized training device for serious rowers. I used to row in high school and college, and the erg fell in a distant third in our training regimen. For endurance, we ran. For rowing, we rowed (on water). The erg is a good device for doing long endurance trials in a rowing format. That is, most bodies of water aren't 5-10k long, so to be ON for that long, you need an erg.

If you do use an erg make sure you've got good form because it's easy to get nothing from your workout with bad form (or worse, throw your back). The Concept 2website has a clip of good form.

These things in mind, enjoy the wonderful sport of rowing!

True, the erg is expensive, but it's cheaper over the long haul than a gym membership (or for that matter, a scull, oars, and roof racks for your car!).

I think for a serious rower or for someone who's already an athlete, you're right, the erg is just a specialized training device. But I've been using my erg as my main form of exercise in winter (in summer I bike outdoors) for a few years now and it has done wonders for my aerobic capacity and overall fitness. I know a lot of people who use an erg for weight loss, and it works very well for that, too.

I bought my erg after doing quite a bit of research on exercise machines. An elliptical trainer would have been my first choice, but our apartment is small and I needed something I could easily take apart and stow after use. Rowing machines were highly recommended as a good all-around exercise machine for general aerobic fitness, and since the Concept2 machine easily splits into two pieces that can fit into a closet, I chose that.

Winters here last seven months, and the sidewalks are too icy to run on in winter. Snow conditions haven't been good for x-c skiing for the last few winters either, so really if you want to get exercise you have to find a way to get it indoors, and I didn't want to join a gym.

Tried the crossfit workout for a couple months.

1. It's hardcore
2. It requires a lot of 'custom' equipment that most gyms don't have available. (Kettle weights, gymnatsic rings)
3. It's hardcore

That said, I'm about to start again... wish me luck!

For overall strength I've heard good things about Starting Strength. There is a book on the workout but if you would like very core principles of the workout it's worth running a search for the program on Bodybuilding.com . It focuses on the 'Big 3' (Squats, Bench Press, Dead lifts) which are all compound exercises (work more then one body part at a time). It's efficient and gets a very good rap on the site.

Thanks so much for this website and recommendation. I just canceled my gym membership and I'm all about finding great fitness equivalents to use at home.

Like my own body weight

- Bill

I know its totally commercialized, but I actually really got into a couple of programs that Beach Body did. They are out of Santa Monica, CA, I believe, and have some really great workouts. They, of course, have to be purchased (eBay is wonderful if you don't feel too bad about not actually supporting the company).

I use the Slim-in-6 (weeks) workout pretty continuously, and all it requires is either some hand weights or a weight-band, and a yoga mat. Its a really great, full-body workout that is for both men and women. It lasts just under an hour and incorporates stretches and yoga moves to help with flexibility.
Another great program they do is Power90, which alternates between Cardio and Stress workouts. This also requires just a yoga mat and weights.
Good stuff

For women: I HIGHLY recommend the book: The Core Program: Fifteen Minutes a Day That Can Change Your Life, by Peggy Brill. Brill is a physical therapist specializing in women and their various aches and pains, and has come up with specific moves to strengthen, straighten and align a woman's body. I bought this book for ~$15 on Amazon. Also good stuff!

All of these can be done in the privacy of one's home, and the Slim-in-6 takes less than an hour.

Simplefit seems like a great site. Crossfit is too much for me, but I can work towards that. Thanks for the link, elasticdog.

I'm putting a Door Gym on my list. Many places are out of stock right now but I hope to find one. Pull ups are one exercise I've been trying to get into my home routine for a while and that will make it doable.