Take Sometime To Workout at Home….

Workouts to Get the Hang of at Home

For the fitness and/or athletics enthusiast, having to stay at home for months on end, avoiding the gym and your favorite sports and athletic activities, is like torture. Exercise and physical fitness is such an important part of life and for many, a daily routine. Without it, you can fall into the serious blues, to say nothing of the physical downsides to not training for a while. 

Not to worry, though: the good news is that you can train and do a number of beneficial, hard core exercises that will keep you in peak shape right from home! Everything from a great cardio-rich aerobics routine to the perfect front delt workout, there are so many great workouts to choose from and develop for your own daily at-home workout routine. 

Photo Credit: Victor Freitas

It might not be the same as the gym, but if you use a little creativity and motivation, you might find that these at-home workouts are every bit as beneficial and rewarding. You can create your best body and enjoy peak fitness, right from your own home. 

Let’s explore a few at home workouts. 

Aerobics, Yoga, and More

Yoga, Aerobics, Pilates, some Martial Arts and even dance workouts are all really high-intensity, cardio workouts that can be done solo or at home, which is something their enthusiasts have been doing for years, long before social distancing was a necessity. These at-home workouts are perfect for the person who doesn’t have a ton of time to flit back and forth to the gym, who doesn’t want to pay for costly gym memberships or classes, or who just enjoys working out at home, in comfort and privacy. 

You, too, can jump on the bandwagon and do some great workouts at home. Whether you’re into something more low impact and relaxing like yoga, prefer something high-intensity and fun like dancing, or want to do something more strict like Martial Arts – these can all be easily done via online classes, videos and books, and require minimal equipment or athletic gear. They’re every bit as easy as they are affordable. Because you’re at home already, it’s easy to implement these workouts into a morning or evening routine, or just fit one in whenever you’ve got a spare moment. 

If you’re craving social interaction, many yoga and dance studios, etc, are offering online classes via Zoom and other platforms! Check and see what your local classes have on offer. 

Weight Lifting and More

If you’re an avid weight lifter, you likely already have a setup at home, even if it’s just a basic one. Nothing beats working out at the gym, but you can piece together a pretty good home workout with just a few basic essentials and a weight bench. 

You can find all sorts of online tutorials for exercises that target specific areas such as the delts, quads and other muscle groups that you can do with just a few different weights. If you have a set of dumbbells and/or barbells you can do a whole host of arm exercises fairly easily. 

If you’re able to safely work out with someone, it’s a good idea because working with weights without a spotter is extremely dangerous. Weight lifting alone is not advisable. You can get creative with different, safer ways to use your weights – such as going for a walk/jog with weights attached, using household items as weights, and so on. 

Old Fashioned Exercises

The old tried and true are often the best workouts. Push ups, leg lifts, crunches, and so on. People may scoff, thinking those old exercises they learned back during gym at school can’t possibly help you get the real results you want, much less have you looking ripped. 

But those folks would be wrong. The truth is, if you have the patience to do a lot of reps and stick with it every single day, those “boring” old exercises like push ups and planks can have you looking and feeling incredibly fit. They work core muscles, arms and strengthen your endurance, and they’re easy to do at home with no equipment whatsoever. 

Outdoor Exercise

A quick walk, hike, jog or run around your neighborhood can’t be beat. Take the dog for a long stroll or download an app like Couch to 5K or other training apps to help build your endurance over a period of time. Even if you’ve never been into running, if you pace yourself (pun intended) and take the time to develop your insurance, these workouts are incredibly rewarding. 

Cycling is another outdoor activity that’s hugely beneficial. It’s heavy on cardio, but low impact on joints and knees. Whether you’re into road cycling or mountain biking, going out for a stroll on the bike is a great way to work entire muscle groups in the body, strengthen your endurance and get your heart pumping. Plus, it’s incredibly good for your mental health, which is important during a time that everyone is stuck at home, feeling lonely and bored. 

Other outdoor exercises that are fun and comprise a great workout include jumping on a trampoline, swimming, chin ups (installing a chin up bar outside is super easy), boxing (with an outdoor punching bag), games such as touch football, baseball, volleyball and tennis, and yes, even gardening/yard work can really work up a sweat and burn tons of calories. Get creative with it! 

These are just a few of the many, many ways you can get the most out of a workout and maintain peak physical fitness, even while stuck at home. Exercise and movement are super important, not only for physical health and fitness, but to help promote relaxation, alleviate anxiety and stress, and keep us all at optimum mental health while we’re going through trying times. It’s also a good idea to follow basic health guidelines like eating healthy when you can, getting enough sleep, and drinking lots of water. 

We all miss the gym, but with an innovative and motivated attitude, you can create an entire exercise routine right at home that will be every bit as intense and beneficial as anything you could do at a fitness center. Try it and see for yourself.