A sad little gym

[dorothean]

Elsewhere rydra_wong encouraged me to post about what equipment the little gym at my apartment complex has.

The only things I've ever seen people using are the cardio machines:
(1) two stationary bicycles
(2) two treadmills
(3) one elliptical machine

There are weight machines, the sort you sit down on, and that have adjustable weights on pulleys (don't know how to describe them any better):
(4) one that has levers for flyes and other levers for pushing forward
(5) one that has a pull-down bar and levers for pulling forward
(6) one that has something to lift up
(7) one in which you hook your legs over and pull up on the weight with your ankles to strengthen your thigh muscles

And then the saddest part, the free weights (in front of a mirror, but with no room to swing them or a bench to sit or lie on):
(8) two 10-pound dumbbells
(9) two 30-pound dumbbells

That's it! No pull-up bar!

Yet, there must be many much worse gyms out there; and this one is free with my rent. I've never had a free gym in my neighborhood before, so I really should take advantage of it.

Any clever ideas? Tell me about worse gyms you have known?

(If it helps, I am not athletic, not interested in running, and have little upper-body strength, but want to become overall stronger for things like hiking.)

Comments

[rydra_wong]

Oh my, that is dismal.

Personally, I'd be inclined to ignore most of the machines, except the pull-down bar: lat pull-downs can be handy if you fancy working towards a pull-up.

And the levers for pushing and pulling forwards could be useful substitutes for chest presses and rows, if that's something you want to work.

in front of a mirror, but with no room to swing them or a bench to sit or lie on

Is there a free corner of space elsewhere in the gym? Nothing to say you can't move the weights around the gym, as long as you return them at the end of your session.

Is there enough space to lie down anywhere? (I'm thinking about Turkish get-ups, which are wonderful for almost everything. You may want to start these with your home weights or none at all, though; they make a light weight feel much heavier.)

If you've got standing room in front of the mirror, you can at least do squats, which should be excellent for hiking strength.

Also possible and fun, good for back and legs: windmills and one-legged deadlifts.

Btw, here's the Free, gratis and for nothing resource post.

[dorothean]

Thanks for the tip about the pull-down bar!

There really isn't any room anywhere in the gym, but I can do some things in my living room.