Being confined to your home doesn’t mean that you have to forgo staying active. You don’t need to splurge on a ton of fancy equipment, either. In fact, your body and a bit of know-how is all you need to create a comprehensive workout routine that works every muscle to its fullest potential.
It’s worth noting that a living room isn’t exactly conducive to fitness motivation. For this reason, your first step should be to clear out a dedicated space that you can refuge to for your daily burst of activity. Don’t forget to pick up an exercise mat, which will provide a much better level of support and safety than your floor.
As for whether you need any more gear than that, it’s entirely up to you. If you fancy saving some cash, the following bodyweight workouts will provide a great foundation to build your at-home routine around.
Core
Sit-Ups: Simple and effective. Aim to complete 20 without supporting your feet before doubling up with a second set.
Crunches: Three sets of 20 crunches will quickly get your deeper abdominal muscles into shape.
Planks: Arguably the best toning move of them all, hold for one minute while keeping your back and legs straight.
Lower Body
Lunges: Work your quads while improving your balance with two sets of 10 lunges on each side.
Squats: With your back straight and your feet facing slightly outwards, two sets of 10 squats is sure to break a sweat.
High Knees: It’s as simple as jogging in one place for a minute, albeit not the best move if you have neighbors below.
Calf Raises: Palms against the wall while moving up and down on your toes 20 times.
Upper Body
Push-Ups: Around 20 reps is a solid start.
Dips: Find a sturdy chair, hold onto it, and bend your elbows until your hips near the floor before going back up 10 times.
Cardio
Burpees: Get your heart racing by moving from a perfect plank to a start jump as fast as possible 10 times over.
Jumping Jacks: If you prefer something more simple, a minute of jumping jacks will do the trick.
Stretching
No matter what you do, remember the importance of warming up. It doesn’t have to be anything strenuous. Around five minutes of activating your muscles and increasing your heart rate will get things in motion. A proper stretch routine will go a long way in preventing injury. Some great warm-up exercises include:
- 2-3 minutes of jump rope
- 10 spider man steps
- 5 reps of hip rotations per leg
- 20 bodyweight squats
Yoga
If noise is a concern, then yoga can be a great way to stay active indoors without disturbing anyone. It can also serve as a great way to start or end more intensive workouts. Yoga has countless benefits for your mental and physical health as well. This includes improving your balance and flexibility, as well as being a powerful stress-reliever.
Indoor Sports
There are many sports that you can enjoy even in smaller indoor spaces. For instance, you can set up a mini golf course to practice your accuracy. Baseball is another option thanks to space-conscious equipment like a 9 hole pitcher’s pocket, which you can use to improve your aim within just a few feet of space.
HIIT
High-Intensity Interval Training or HIIT for short is an ideal option for those who prefer something more intense. It’s a great way to break a sweat, lose weight, build muscle and get your whole body moving. Plus, you can customize your workout to include the moves you enjoy doing most.
Conclusion
Working out at home can be fun and effective. All that’s left to do is get started.