What is At-Home Workout?

Overview

You don’t need to go to the gym to get a great workout.There are lots of exercises you can do at home with minimal equipment that can give you the same kind of results as going to the gym. Working out at home can mean:

• Bodyweight strength training
• HIIT circuits
• Yoga
• Pilates
• Barre
• Cardio
• And more

A lot of these at-home workouts can be done with just a mat, a pull-up bar, or other minimal equipment. Some can be done with no equipment at all!

Different Routines of At-Home Workout

You can exercise at home without any equipment by practicing yoga poses and strength training exercises that use your body weight for resistance.

Beginner Routine

Below listed exercises will provide a full body workout and is suggested as beginner bodyweight exercises. It is recommended to perform 2 sets of every exercise with 10 to 15 reps each and 3osecs to 1 minute of rest between each move. This is a great beginner routine and should take about 15-20minutes.

• Bridge : This exercise helps to activate your core and backside of your body and it is a great way to warm-up your body.
• Chair Squat : This will help to strengthen your legs and core and starting with a chair underneath you will help you master proper form.
• Knee Pushup : This is a beginner style push-up and this move will help you build strength before attempting a standard pushup.
• Stationary Lunge : This move focuses on your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
• Plan to Downward Dog : This move is considered a good for shoulder workout as it will test your upper body, especially your shoulders.
• Straight-leg Donkey kick : This move helps build glute muscles.
• Bird Dog : This exercise is a full-body move that requires balance and stability. This pose is easily scalable as per our ability levels.
• Forearm Plank : This exercise is good for strengthening the core and it is a full body exercise that requires strength and balance.
• Side-lying hip abduction : Strengthening your hip muscles is important, especially if you sit throughout the day. This exercise is good as it includes hip-targeting movements that will be very beneficial.
• Bicycle crunch : This exercise is a targeted move for abs.

Intermediate Routine

Once adjusted and comfortable with beginner routine, you can tweak some of the above poses to make them more challenging.

• Single leg bridge : This exercise is performed similar to a ‘Bridge’ pose, but with lifting one foot off the ground while keeping your leg bent for an intermediate challenge. Any time you take an exercise to a single leg, you’ll automatically make it harder.
• Squat : This is similar the ‘Chair Squat’. Take out the chair to master the form of a regular bodyweight squat.
• Pushup : This is a challenging version of knee pushup.
• Walking lunge : Instead of stationary lunge, walking while doing this exercise will add aspects of stability, mobility, and balance.
• Superman : This exercise will work your lower back and the whole backside of your body.
• Plank with alternating leg lift : Adding leg lift in regular plank requires your core to work more.

Advanced Routine

Once you can perform intermediate routine easily, challenge yourself with some advance moves. This includes:

• Bridge with leg extended : In this, while performing basic bridge pose, keep your foot flexed throughout the movement.
• Overhead Squat : When squatting, extending your arms overhead will challenge your mobility and upper body range of motion, as well as give lower body benefits of a squat.
• One-legged Pushup : Lifting one leg while doing a pushup will make it more challenging as it puts more weight on other three limbs.
• Jumping Lunges : Adding a jump to your basic lunges is a good way to challenge yourself as it requires more power and strength.
• One-Leg or One-Arm Plank : Lifting one arm or one leg while performing basic plank position and holding it there will take it a notch higher.

Benefits of At-Home Workout

Following a consistent fitness routine is the key to healthy living. However, when life gets busy, surprisingly workout is the first thing we give up. Listed below are few benefits of exercising at home.

• It saves time – At-home workout is easier to fit into a busy schedule & it saves on commute time to the gym.
• It’s flexible – With at-home workout, you can exercise anytime and choose the workout you feel like doing. It doesn’t limit your intentions.
• You’re in charge – With at-home workouts, you’re in charge of the way you would like to improvise and mix-up your workout routine.
• Your workout, your pace - At home, you have the freedom to work out based on your ability and goals. A home workout doesn’t have a start and end time and there’s no pressure to keep up with those around you or push yourself beyond what’s comfortable.
• It’s private – At home you don’t have to worry about being judged by others on your body or your fitness levels. At-home workouts allows you to stay focussed on your goals.
• It’s sanitary – Avoiding germs and bacteria, and having a basic hygiene is very important, especially after COVID-19. With exercising at home, you can keep the risk of developing infections at bay.
• It saves money – At-home workout routine is cost effective and will save gym membership cost involved.
• It limits excuses - It doesn’t matter what time it is, what you are wearing, or who’s watching, with home workouts there is no excuse of not being able to exercise regularly.

Effects Of Not Working Out

Exercising & regularly working out has therapeutic benefits which helps you keep in shape and help sustain proper body function. It is recommended that every healthy individual engage in 45-50 minutes of moderate intensity exercise on a regular basis as well. Lack of physical activity can affect your health in a profoundly negative way. It can give rise to

• Circulatory system problems
• Difficulty in controlling weight
• Type 2 Diabetes
• Joint and bone fragility due to weaker and less elastic muscles and bone brittleness
• Feeling of Depression
• Reduced Immunity
• Lack of endurance
• Reduced physical strength
• Body balance issues due to muscle weakness
• Loss of flexibility which can lead to chronic pain
• Reduced mobility
• Increased risk of certain cancers which includes colon, breast, and endometrial cancers
• Increased risk of developing chronic diseases

Safety Tips of At-Home Workout

Besides the benefits of training at home, there are also some hazards to watch out for to stay safe. Things you need to pay attention to include:

• Ensure that you have enough workout space so that you don’t hurt yourself while performing exercises.
• Wear comfortable sportswear and ensure you have a workout mat handy.
• Don’t miss pre-workout warm-up session and jump into the main workout directly. Same goes for cool-down session which is a must post workout.
• Select a workout routine which can be easily followed at home without being sabotaged. For example, you may get knocked over by your dog while holding a yoga pose.

Conclusion

At-home workout has its own benefits such as it’s convenient, time-efficient, and cost-effective as compared with traveling to a gym or fitness studio. No matter your fitness levels, exercise history, or at-home equipment set-up, home workouts can help you meet specific exercise goals like improving strength and cardiovascular fitness, and can boost your overall health. Bodyweight exercises will make your at-home workout challenging no matter your fitness level. Start with our beginner routine, and in just a matter of months, you could be well on your way to mastering the advanced routine.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is it effective to workout at home?

Working out at home is akin to working out at a gym or a fitness center. Based on your specific needs you can choose a no-equipment routine, or buy the essential equipment for a more comprehensive workout. With access to several free online videos from experts, you can first understand the right posture and techniques before making them a part of your fitness regimen. Several leading fitness training chains offer online tutorials from health experts and trainers which can be streamed on your smartphone or smart TV and you can workout along with them.

2. Can you plan a workout without gym equipment?

Yes, definitely. While equipment may be beneficial for some specific kinds of training, there is nothing stopping you from being able to do several exercises without the need for any equipment. These include lunges, planks, sit ups and others which have been described in an earlier section of this blog. Some people even use DIY videos to learn how to create make-shift home gym equipment like free weights, jump ropes or resistance bands.

3. Can I lose weight following a home workout?

Absolutely. Weight loss requires a proper workout routine and controlled diet plan. Both of this can be easily achieved at home. It is advisable for people with existing medical conditions to consult their doctor or a health expert to identify the right kind of exercises that can be done at home before starting home workout.

4. Is working out at home enough or do I need to get a gym membership also?

Most experts will respond to the first part of this question in an affirmative. Working out at home, if done diligently and regularly, should be enough for maintaining good health, losing weight and boosting your immune system. However, people who wish to get personalized and focused training or who may be preparing for upcoming sporting events or marathons may choose the option to get a gym membership also.

Source: HomeStratosphere, Healthline, DailyBurn, EverydayHealth , Love To Know Health