Working out from home can become monotonous and demotivating. However, with careful planning and new ideas you can create a challenging, effective workout from the comfort of your own home. Different people have their own fitness goals; therefore, it is impossible to recommend a home workout to suit everyone’s needs. In this article, we discuss a variety of home workout ideas for a range of fitness goals.
Workouts will not involve specialist gym equipment. All you will need for the workouts below are some various household items and open space.
Bodybuilding
Bodybuilding is a sport focused on sculpting the body for a specific show. Exercises are usually completed in isolation for hypertrophy and fat loss. Exercising at home without equipment is not optimal for bodybuilding, as muscle growth relies on the progressive overload of resistance training. However, we do not always have access to weights, therefore we need to adapt to what we can do.
The best way for a bodybuilder to train without weights, is to implement tempo and near-failure training into their workouts. Near failure training has been shown to be most effective when progressive overload is not possible. Tempo training slows down the reps, making them a lot harder, therefore reaching near failure quicker. This prevents you from doing a crazy amount of reps before near failure is reached. Below we have planned a week of bodybuilding workouts.
All exercises should be completed to near failure, meaning stopping 2-3 reps before you cannot complete the exercise anymore. If you can complete an exercise for more than 12 reps, add tempo into the exercise. For example, slow the concentric and eccentric phase of the lift. Additionally, you may choose to use weighted household items for resistance, such as food tins, or water jugs.
Monday: Chest and Abs
- Wide Grip Press Ups
- Narrow Grip Press Ups
- Diamond Press Ups
- Hollow Rocks
- V-Ups
Tuesday: Legs
- Squat
- Single-Leg Deadlift
- Bulgarian Split Squat
- Glute Bridge
- Reverse Lunges
Wednesday: Back and Abs
- Superman’s
- Scapular Push Ups
- Good Mornings
- Superman Plank
- Crunches
Friday: Shoulders and Abs
- Incline Push Ups
- Pike Push Ups
- Plank Shoulder Taps
- Leg Lifts
- Bicycle Crunches
Saturday: Arms
- Household Item Bicep Curl
- Chair Dips
- Triceps Bow
- Diamond Push Ups
Functional Fitness
Functional fitness involves preparing the body for everyday tasks and activities. Functional fitness focuses on weightlifting, cardio, and gymnastics. While weightlifting can be difficult to do from home, cardio and gymnastics are easily adaptable.
True strength training can be completed in a similar way to bodybuilding training. Focus on using tempo to make the exercise harder, while trying to train to near failure. We’ve come up with a range of metcon workouts you can do at home, involving each sub-category of functional fitness.
5 Rounds for Time:
- 30 Second Handstand Hold
- 20 Burpees
- 30 Sit Ups
- 20 Squat Jumps
EMOM15:
- 20 Hollow Rocks
- 40 Second Wall Sit
- Max Burpees
AMRAP20:
- 20 Air Squats
- 15 Sit Ups
- 10 Burpees
- 5 Press Ups
27-21-15-9:
- Handstand Push Ups
- Jumping Lunges
- Chair Dips
Aerobic
Aerobic exercise refers to cardiovascular conditioning. During aerobic training you are working over a long period of time in a steady-state. Aerobic exercise is easy to do at home, you can create an at-home training circuit or simply go on a run.
Other forms of cardio such as cycling or swimming are also perfect aerobic activities but are limited by available equipment. The great thing about aerobic training is it is easy to apply progressive overload, therefore, you can continue to get fitter, even if the gyms are closed.
To apply progressive overload, you simply have to make your workouts harder each time you do them. This might be by adding a minute to your run, running a faster pace, or adding another exercise to your circuit training session.
We’ve created some sample aerobic circuits for you to try. To begin with try 3 rounds of 40 seconds work, and 20 seconds rest:
Circuit 1:
- High Knees
- Lunges
- Press Ups
- Plank
- Star Jumps
Circuit 2:
- Air Squats
- Chair Dips
- Step Ups
- Jumping Lunges
- Sit Ups
Circuit 3:
- Squat Jumps
- Burpees
- Shoulder Taps
- Tuck Jumps
- Mountain Climbers
HIIT
High-intensity interval training commonly referred to as HIIT is a form of interval training consisting of short high-intensity activity with long rest periods. During your work periods you want to be pushing at maximal effort. Similar to aerobic exercise, HIIT workouts are easy to progress. There are several ways to progress a HIIT workout. You may choose to increase the work time, decrease the rest time, or add another round. To begin with try 7 rounds of 15 seconds work, and 45 seconds rest from any of the exercises below. You can choose only one exercise or a combination:
- High Knees
- Tuck Jumps
- Sprints
- Squat Jumps
- Jumping Lunges
Yoga
Yoga involves meditation, postural exercises, and controlled breathing to develop mental and physical health. Yoga sessions aim to provide relaxation while improving mobility. Again, yoga is an easy exercise to complete at home, as no equipment is required.
The most difficult thing with yoga is finding a quiet place to do it. If this is an issue, try listening to a meditation app while completing a session. Try working through the following yoga flows, spending 2 minutes in each position before moving straight into the next:
Yoga Flow 1:
- Mountain Pose
- Standing Cat Cow
- Hip Bridge with Leg Reach
- High Plank
- Upward Facing Dog
Yoga Flow 2:
- Downward Dog
- Triangle
- Warrior I
- Rocking Childs Pose
- Warrior II
Yoga Flow 3:
- Cat Cow
- Childs Pose
- Half Hero
- Standing Yoga Mudra
- Tree
Working out from home can be challenging, especially if you have little equipment. However, there are ways to reach your fitness goals with minimal equipment, you just need to train smart. We hope this article has given you some knowledge and inspiration about how to create your own home workout and reach your fitness goals.