Exercise is a vital part of our lives, but we all have trouble squeezing the gym into our tight schedules. Whether it's due to work in the morning, cooking or cleaning in the evening, or just laziness, we have all delayed it. With the delay, the subscription goes down the drain month after month.
While spending hours in the gym is a more streamlined way of exercising, it is not the only way. You can build muscles, gain strength, and achieve your fitness goals, all within the comfort of your home.
Basic exercises at home are also a brilliant way of self-care within your space of convenience. So, pick a serene place at home, lay out your mat, and enjoy some me-time.
To execute the full-body workouts at home correctly, we have mentioned some effective ways for all fitness levels.
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Planning out a routine is super important for exercise plans at home. If you are looking for workouts that help you build strength and lose weight, then a full-body workout is the best option. Studies have shown that full-body workouts are the best way to ensure muscle growth at its highest potential and improve overall fitness.
However, before you start your workout, make sure you’re fully aware of the goals that you are striving to achieve. Amelia DiDomenico, the owner of Amrose Fitness Studio, says that “once you know the what, why, and how, the mindset is ‘just do it’.” Well, when you think of that tagline, Nike did hit the right spot!
Beginner Level Workouts
We have pointed out a couple of exercises to practice at home as a great fitness plan for beginners. For these exercises, complete two sets of 10 - 15 reps and take 1-minute rest between each move. Make Sure to warm up with some squats and lunges before you begin.
So, clear out the space in your lounge and get started:
Chair Squat
This excellent easy at-home workout plan helps you master your form by keeping a chair underneath you. It helps strengthen your legs and core.
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and stand in front of the chair.
- Extend your arms in front of you, bend your knees and lower your back till your bottom touches the chair.
- Return to the initial position and repeat.
Plank to Downward Dog
This move focuses on your upper body, particularly your shoulders. This move can minimize the use of weights to strengthen your shoulders. Here’s how you can do it:
- Lower your body in the plank position, place your hands under your shoulders and feet together.
- Squeeze your core and raise your hips to go in the Downward Dog pose. Now, your body will be in a triangle shape to the ground. Keep your eyes fixed to your feet and neck neutral.
- Hold the position for a second, then return to the plank.
Bird Dog
This is one of the simple at-home workouts that help you improve balance and stability. It is also effective for people enduring chronic lower-back pain. While you can scale this workout according to your fitness level, we will explain the beginner's level here.
- Lower yourself down to your fours, keeping your hands under your shoulders and knees under your hips.
- Extend your left leg and right arm simultaneously and pause here for 2 seconds.
- Go back to the initial position and repeat with the left arm and right leg.
Bicycle Crunch
For a beginner's level full-body workout, this is an excellent exercise to develop core strength. Here is how to practice it correctly:
- Lie down and bring your legs up in the table-top position. Put your hands behind your head. Use a yoga mat to perform this exercise with utmost convenience. Yoga mat by DMoose can be an ideal option for this.
- Crunch and extend your left knee towards your right elbow, keeping the other leg straight.
- Release and bring your right knee towards your left elbow.
- Complete 15 reps.
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Intermediate Level Workouts
As you begin to gain expertise in beginner-level workouts, you'd be ready to move on to the next level. This level will be a bit more challenging and focused on stronger arms, legs, and abdominal muscles. Getting a set of dumbbells for these exercises would be a good decision. DMoose offers adjustable dumbbells to maximize muscle development and growth.
Here are some of the intermediate level exercises that can help you achieve your goals without spending any hours at the gym:
Triceps Dips
Triceps are an excellent way to target your triceps without needing any heavy equipment. All you need is a couch or stable chair to practice these. Here is how to perform them accurately:
- Sit on the chair's edge and then slide a bit forward so that your behind clears the edge of the chair.
- Lower yourself so that your elbows bend around 45 to 90 degrees.
- Push yourself back up so that your arms are straight.
Get-Up Squats
These squats are the best form of at-home workout plans without equipment that keeps your legs and glutes under continuous work resulting in fat burn. Here’s how you can perform them in the correct form:
- Get down in the squat position and do not stand up throughout the move.
- Drop your knees to the ground, one at a time.
- Step your feet back, one at a time, to sustain the squat position.
- Repeat this as fast as you can, maintaining your squat position.
- Take a break of 1 minute in between.
Resistance Band Squat Presses
Squat presses using a resistance band primarily target the glutes, quadriceps, and hip abductor muscles. It also focuses on core and back for secondary targets. Resistance band by DMoose is an excellent choice to go for. They are durable, portable, and support multiple resistance levels.
Here’s how you can perform it:
- Keep your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Step on one end of the resistant band and hold the other one in your hands with your palms facing upwards.
- Squat down to get your hips parallel to the ground, then stand back up, stretching the band over your head with arms extended upwards.
- Get back in the squat position.
- Take 10 seconds rest, then repeat.
Burpees
This challenging exercise works as an excellent in-home workout plan. It helps build endurance, burn calories, and boost fitness. Burpees are a great form of HIIT workout, and research has shown that HIIT may be an effective way of burning fat around the abdomen. Here is how to do a burpee:
- Place your feet at the width of your shoulder and bend down in a squat position.
- Lower your hands to the ground and kick your feet back to be in a pushup position.
- Keeping your body straight, do one push-up. Make sure your body is not sagging or your hips are not in the air.
- Do a frog kick and get back to the original position.
- After standing, raise your arms over your head and jump.
- After jumping, bend your knees again to get in the squat position and repeat the cycle.
Superman
This exercise works on your lower back. Research suggests that individuals with lower back pain can benefit massively from this exercise. To reap the benefits of the exercise, try to go as slowly as you can. Here’s what to do:
- Lie down on your stomach and straighten your arms and legs.
- Now, keeping your neck neutral, engage your core and back to raise your arms and legs simultaneously. Try to raise both of them as high as you can.
- Pause there for a second, then slowly return to the initial position.
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Advanced Level Workouts
Once you are beyond the intermediate level, you are ready to step into the advanced level workout. This will be more engaging, more challenging, and more strengthening. Following are the four advanced level exercises. So, get ready to break a sweat:
Kettlebell Swings
This full-body exercise is one of the best strengthening exercises at home, fortifying dozens of muscles, enhancing flexibility, and burning fat. Kettlebells are an exceptional piece of equipment that heavily targets your legs, arms, and core.
Here is how you can perform kettlebell swings:
- Hold the kettlebell in both hands, keep your feet shoulder-width apart and lower in a squat position.
- Swing the kettlebell slightly backward from between your legs. Ensure to keep your core pulled back throughout the movement.
- Then drive your hips to swing the kettlebell forward so that it reaches eye level.
- Repeat the movement.
Elevated Pike Pushups
This is a great muscle workout at home for your shoulders. All you need is an elevated surface to get your feet up and practice. Here is how they’re done:
- Keep your toes on an elevated surface and keep the rest of your body hanging on the side.
- Put your hands at shoulder-width in a pushup position.
- Bend your hips and keep them as vertical as you can.
- Now perform the pushup below your head and come back up.
Hollow Hold to Jackknife
This is a great one for your abs when it comes to a hard at-home workout. Here’s how you can do it:
- Lie down straight and put your arms above your head to get in the hollow hold position.
- Pull your core towards your spine, raise your legs and upper body off the floor, and hold it there.
- To add in the jackknife, bring your arms towards your toes. Bring your legs to the center of the body.
- Slowly release to the initial position and repeat.
Bent-Over Reverse Fly
Bent over reverse fly is one of the hard at-home workouts which targets your rear shoulders and upper back. You will need dumbbells to perform this exercise. To practice this workout:
- Stand ensuring your feet are as apart as your shoulders, holding your dumbbells at your sides.
- Bring your chest forward, making it parallel to the floor, and keep the weights hanging straight down. Make sure to engage your core, bend your knee slightly, and keep your back straight.
- On an exhale, raise both your arms to the side. Squeeze your shoulder blades as you pull them towards your spine.
- Now, inhale and lower the weight back to the starting position. Do not hunch your shoulders, and make sure to tuck in your chin to keep a neutral neck.
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Wrapping Up
Exercise is essential to ensure a healthy and better life quality. You can work out at home without any heavy equipment, no matter your fitness level. Whether you are trying a beginner level, intermediate level, or advanced level workout, there are several exercises to try.
A beginner would start at a basic level workout such as squats or bird dog. The intermediate level would increase the challenge with workouts like burpees. The advanced level would include bodyweight exercises or variations to simple exercises such as elevated pike push ups.
Follow the exercise according to your fitness level and achieve your goals smoothly!
Article Sources
- Dankel, Scott J., et al. “Frequency: The Overlooked Resistance Training Variable for Inducing Muscle Hypertrophy?” Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), vol. 47, no. 5, May 2017, pp. 799–805. PubMed, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0640-8.
- Dankel, Scott J., et al. “Frequency: The Overlooked Resistance Training Variable for Inducing Muscle Hypertrophy?” Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.), vol. 47, no. 5, May 2017, pp. 799–805. PubMed, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-016-0640-8.
- Heydari, M., et al. “The Effect of High-Intensity Intermittent Exercise on Body Composition of Overweight Young Males.” Journal of Obesity, vol. 2012, 2012, p. 480467. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/480467.
- Gordon, Rebecca, and Saul Bloxham. “A Systematic Review of the Effects of Exercise and Physical Activity on Non-Specific Chronic Low Back Pain.” Healthcare, vol. 4, no. 2, Apr. 2016, p. 22. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare4020022.
- Calatayud, Joaquín, et al. “Tolerability and Muscle Activity of Core Muscle Exercises in Chronic Low-Back Pain.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 16, no. 19, Oct. 2019, p. 3509. PubMed Central, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16193509.
