Now more than ever, it is essential to care for our bodies. How can we do that? We keep our bodies healthy by eating nutritious foods, eliminating toxins, keeping a positive mind frame, and staying active.
Exercise is a priority and cannot be neglected even if you feel like you don’t have time or don’t have access to a gym. There are no valid excuses for inactivity, we all have the same 24 hours per day and your home is always an option.
Setting Up Your Workout
SCHEDULE: The first thing to do is to figure out your schedule. When are you going to work out? What’s best for you? Is it better to train before getting ready for work, in your lunch break (if you work from home), or after work?
How many days per week can you realistically workout from home?
Be mindful that in order to experience health benefits and see body composition changes, you need at least 2 days of strength training and at least 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity cardio.
TOOLS: Once you set your schedule, you need some basic tools. You can start by using your body weight as resistance but it may be a good idea to get a mat.
A mat can give you some cushion when performing core exercises but it can be used to do chest exercises in the absence of a bench.
If your sneakers are very worn out, it may be a good idea to replace them to give you appropriate support. Later on, you can get resistance bands, a couple of dumbbell sets, and a barbell to help you work your arms, shoulders, chest, back, and add more resistance to those leg exercises. No matter what your ailments, your whole body will thank you when you reap the benefits of exercise.
Home Exercises
There are numerous exercises that you can perform at home for healthy lifestyle. Here is a list of exercises per muscle group:
- Leg Exercises: Squats, Deadlifts, Side Lunges, Reverse Lunges, Stationary Lunges, Front Lunges, Bulgarian Split Squats, Single-Leg Deadlifts,
- Chest Exercises: Pushups, Dumbbell Press, and Dumbbell Fly can be performed on the floor. If you have a bench, you can do Incline Dumbbell Pullovers, Incline Dumbbell Presses, and Barbell Chest Presses.
- Back Exercises: Barbell Deadlift, Bent-Over Barbell Row, Standing T-Bar Row, Single-Arm Dumbbell Row, Decline Bench Dumbbell Pull-Over. You can also do Pull-Ups with an inexpensive pull-up bar.
- Triceps Exercises: Overhead Dumbbell Extension, Triceps Kick Backs, Dips, Close-Grip Bench Press, Skullcrusher, Push-Down w/Bands.
- Bicep Exercises: Standing Barbell Curl, Standing Band Curl, Dumbbell Curl, Chin-Ups, Reverse-Grip Barbell Row, Hammer Curl, Incline-Bench Curl, Barbell Drag Curl, Concentration Curl
- Shoulder Exercises: Barbell Push Press, Standing Military Press (with barbell Or dumbbell), Seated Overhead Dumbbell Press, Upright Row, Arnold Press, Dumbbell Lateral Raise, Front Raise
- Core Exercises: V-Up, Arch Hold, Sit-Up, Plank, Hollow Hold, Mountain Climber, Oblique Crunch, Reverse Crunch, Scissor Kick, Leg Raise, Bicycle, Side Plank, Hip Bridge, Superman
Home Workout Routine
Now that you know how many days a week you are working out, you can set your regimen. It is best to split up your body parts according to your schedule. Let’s say you are working out twice a week, and then you can work out your full body both days but performing different exercises per body part. Another alternative is to split up the muscles in two days.
For example, you can work out your chest, biceps, and legs one day, and work out your back, triceps, shoulders, and abs another day.
If you split your body parts into three days, you can work out your legs and shoulders one day, your chest and triceps another day, and your back, biceps, and core the other day.
The main idea of having a routine is so you can work out all of your muscle groups at least once a week.
Now that you have the list of exercises, you can choose three exercises and perform them in a circuit fashion (one after another) three times for 12 repetitions or a minute.
Here is a full-body workout routine example:
Set 1 (repeat 3 times):
- Squats x 12-15 times
- Chest Presses x 12 times
- Bicep Curls x 12 repetitions
Set 2 (repeat 3 times):
- Single-Leg Deadlifts x 12 times each leg
- Barbell Rows x 12 times
- Tricep Kickbacks x 12 times each arm
Set 3 (repeat 3 times):
- Shoulder Presses x 12 times each arm
- V-Ups x 20 times
- Mountain Climbers x 20 times
Set 1 (repeat 3 times):
- Side Lunges x 12 times each leg
- Chest Fly x 12 times
- Bicep Curls x 12 repetitions
Set 2 (repeat 3 times):
- Reverse Lunges x 12 times each leg
- Single-Arm Dumbbell Row x 12 times each arm
- Overhead Dumbbell Extension x 12 times
Set 3 (repeat 3 times):
- Lateral Raises x 12 times each arm
- Leg Raises x 20 times
- Plank x 30-60 seconds
Set 1: 5.25 minutes
- Start Jumps x 30 seconds ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Push-ups x 30 seconds ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Sit-ups x 30 seconds ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Squats x 30 seconds ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Plank Jacks x 30 seconds ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Tricep Bench Dips x 30 seconds ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Alternating Toe Touch x 30 seconds ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
Set 2: 5.25 minutes
- Plank Kick to Crunch x 30 seconds ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Front Lunges x 30 seconds right leg ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Front Lunges x 30 seconds left leg ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Side Planks x 30 seconds left side ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Side Planks x 30 seconds right side ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Single-Leg Deadlift to Jump x 30 seconds right leg ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
- Single-Leg Deadlift to Jump x 30 seconds left leg ➡️ 15 seconds of rest
Other days, or on the same days if you are energized enough, you can do cardio, such as walking, jogging, biking, swimming, running. Some days you can also perform plyometric exercises; plyometric exercises are those in which your muscles exert a great amount of force in short intervals of time. Some examples of plyometric exercises are squat jumps, reverse lunge with knee hops (1), horizontal jumps (2), start jumps (3), kneeling jump squats (4), and plyo spider lunges (5).
Other days, you can do your cardio or other exercises in a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) fashion; this is a form of training where short periods of intense exercise are alternated with recovery periods.
For instance, you can do 20 seconds of intense exercise followed by a 10-second rest for 8 cycles, or 60 seconds of intense exercise followed by a 75-second rest for 8–12 cycles.
Conclusion
There are many ways in which you can exercise in order to avoid boredom or burning out. Aim to train a minimum of 4 times a week and switch up the routines.
If you need more guidance, you can get an online coach to help you with meal planning or a more guided training routine specifically for your body and goals.
Exercise is not optional or a luxury, it’s a priority. Remember, your health is at stake.
