How to Exercise at Home

April 24, 2020

Oftentimes, people find themselves with a desire to get fit and healthy through exercise, but yet they seem to lose their motivation when they get caught up in the idea that you have to have a gym in order to achieve these goals. “About 35 percent say that the 9-5 schedule is just too much to include a workout in and that work commitments demotivate them the most when it comes to exercise (AlenD 2016).”  However, this does not have to be the case. There are so many ways to workout at home with literally no equipment, and all it requires is yourself, a set plan, and a little bit of dedication.

Firstly, you need to establish a plan that best fits your schedule. Workouts can vary in length of time as well as how many days a week you do them. Schedules can become very hectic and busy, so having a set plan that will not be overwhelming is key. There are many different options to choose from, and multiple different sources that can help in this decision-making process. In their article “Work Out Without Weights: Dynamic Tension Revised,” Bodybuilding.com talks about so many different ways to workout, and how to organize them using just simply your body weight. Another great source that I personally follow is Athlean-X’s Jeff Cavaliere, who has a great video on at-home workouts which can be found on Youtube as well as on Men’s Health’s article “You Can Do This Full Body Workout at Home With Zero Equipment.” Each of these sources as well as many others give great examples of at-home exercises, and they all give you an opportunity to see in detail how long they may take, how often a week you should be doing them, as well as what exactly they are doing for your body.

Next you are going to decide on which workouts you will do. It is likely that any sort of home workout routine you find online will be focusing on body weight exercises. However, you also need to focus on some sort of cardio such as jumping jacks, burpees, or even just running outside, as it is huge to maintain cardiovascular health. Squats, lunges, sit ups, and pushups are all practical; full-body workouts that are functional and should be implemented into any of the chosen workout programs. Body weight training can improve coordination, flexibility, and even power without any requirement of extra resistance from cables or other weight equipment. As a matter of fact, workouts with gym equipment can cause people to become more reliant on the machine rather than their actual body, while these body weight exercises are 100% based on your own body’s ability. One of these at-home workouts for your chest, triceps and core could be:

Chest/Tris/Core

• Standard Pushups – 5 set x 10 reps
• Decline Pushups (Feet on a chair, couch, or some elevated surface) – 4×10
• Diamond Pushups – 3×10
• Kickbacks (Grab maybe a gallon of water or something with a comfortable weight to hold onto) – 4×10 each arm
  • While standing and leaning over, extend your arm backwards to work the triceps

While laying on a yoga mat or carpet:

• Bicycle Kicks – 20 total
• Standard Sit Ups – 20 total
• Russian Twist – 20 total
  • Repeat this process 3 times, with no more than 1 minute rest between each

Do not let your mind tell you that you can’t get or even stay fit without some sort of gym equipment, because that is far from the truth. Keep in mind that it definitely requires dedication, but there are so many ways to keep yourself in there! You can workout with others, set up a reward system, and even get creative in your exercises to make them more enjoyable! Working out at home can be just as effective as working out in a gym with the right mindset and hard work. Good luck!

 Sources

www.theactivetimes.com/fitness/your-first-time/expensive-gym-membership-and-other-excuses-people-find-not-exercise

www.menshealth.com/fitness/a31698453/athlean-x-home-workout-total-bodyweight-video/

www.bodybuilding.com/content/building-the-perfect-body-at-home.html

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