Anytime (Anywhere) Fitness (Strength 7/11/13)

barbell

In my quest for lean superhero-ness, Dave and I are hitting the craptastic gym in our Converse to lift heavy stuff and work on skills a few times a week. For about 18 months or so, I’ve been using the Wendler 5/3/1 strength training program. It did a brilliant job of seeing me through my n=1 experiments and definitely increased my strength, but the way my body looks hasn’t changed the way I want it to. So in the interests of both science and vanity, I’m starting a new training program with The Movement Minneapolis that I’ll tell you all about very soon.

(If you’re new to strength training, here’s a great overview of what all the lingo below means.)

I’m visiting my family in Pennsylvania this week, and since I couldn’t bring the barbells from the craptastic with me, I found a suitable replacement in Anytime Fitness.

WARMUP
5:00 treadmill at 3.9 mph (1/4 mile)
arm circles, straight-leg march, air squats


WORKOUT

a.
5 rounds:
21 crunches
kb swings, 27.5# – 25 + 25 + 21 + 21 + 21
time: 12:50

b.
6 rounds:
5 deadlifts: 155# – 115# – 95# – 95# – 95# – 95#
waiter carry, 27.5#, 60 feet
time: 16:01

c.
4 rounds, :30 on / :45 rest:
jump squats
dumbbell row, 20#
elbow plank
hamstring curl on Swiss ball
time: 20:00


CASHOUT

Handstand hold at the wall

Anytime Fitness

A quick internet search before I hit my parents’ house told me that the closest gym with barbells is Anytime Fitness. An email later, I was ready to become a member for a week. For just $25, I have access to the gym 24 hours a day — I even have my own key!

It’s a sweet little setup: barbells, free weights, all manner of weight and cardio machines, plus an aerobics room for stretching and metcons. It even has a computer kiosk with workout videos that play on a giant screen that automatically lowers from the ceiling. I’m seriously considering a boxing workout just for fun; don’t judge.

Anytime Fitness has thousands of locations around the country, and when you join one, you get access to them all. If you travel a lot and aren’t into CrossFit, Anytime might be a good option for you. I don’t have a special relationship with them or anything, I was just impressed with the gym: very clean, all new equipment, reasonable prices, and 24/7 access. Anytime, anywhere fitness. Love that.

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Comments

  • I just joined a Snap Fitness in the town where I work, simply because it was convenient when I commute 60 miles each way and my schedule wasn’t suiting the CF gym near my house in Portland, OR.

    It sounds like they have a very similar setup to Anytime– decent amount of free weights, a few too many machine based exercises for my personal preference, cardio machines, and a room dedicated to video-taught workouts. It works in a pinch, and I’m fitting in workouts more now than I did before!

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