Even though life isn’t always predictable, you can still find time for your next workout utilizing either your own body weight or some inexpensive home gym equipment.
Working out at home can keep you on track with your fitness objectives or help you establish a healthy routine, and the best way to see benefits is by consistently showing up.
There are many benefits of working out at home, including:
- You can create and stick to a healthy routine
- You can do workouts at a time that suits you
- You’ll have privacy to practise exercises you are still mastering
- You can try workouts of different durations, depending on your schedule
- You can set up your exercise space so that it’s perfect for your favorite training style
Find a workout style you enjoy
If you enjoy your workouts, you are more likely to exercise regularly, and when you stick to a progressive training plan that gradually rises in complexity and intensity, you may keep making progress toward your fitness and health goals.
Here are some of the training styles you can choose from:
- No equipment
Exercise at home is now more convenient than ever thanks to the variety of training programs available that don’t require any special equipment. These exercises can be performed indoors or outdoors in small spaces and use body weight as resistance. They range from HIIT (high-intensity interval training), which pumps your heart rate, to low-impact exercises, which are easy on your joints. For days when you’re short on time, express workouts are also an option!
- Strength training
Powerbuilding, hypertrophy training, supersets, trisets, and circuit training are just a few of the training methods offered by muscle-strengthening programs if one of your goals is to enhance strength. You won’t get bored because some of these programs include aerobic and weight training to help you increase your speed and proficiency.
- CrossFit
CrossFitters are known to be some of the most intense workout junkies around.
Most of the time, you’ll have to use equipment like barbells, kettlebells, ropes, and more to complete your CrossFit programming. But every so often, the implements take a back seat to more basic physical challenges.
Skip out on the big weights and barbells and check out these CrossFit workouts to do at home. If you’ve never tried CrossFit before, think about checking out these workout styles as a trial to take on ahead of stepping foot in a box. You’ll need basic implements like a jump rope and pull-up bar, but most of them can be completed with just your bodyweight. If you’re just starting out in the CrossFit world, don’t be afraid to adjust any of the workouts for reps or time.
- Pilates and Barre
You can get started with Pilates using minimal equipment, including a mat, hand weights, a resistance band, a chair, a small towel or slider, a towel and a skipping rope.
Barre uses elements of ballet, but you don’t need to be a dancer to try it. It is suitable for all levels of fitness, and is designed to progressively define and strengthen your body with challenging, low-impact classes.
- Yoga
If you’re new to yoga, start with slower flows that allow you enough time to find stability in each pose or posture. Some workouts are 20-35 minutes long, and the only equipment required is a yoga mat.
Later increase your flexibility and strength without equipment, and build confidence in your ability and sense of balance. There are programs that use a yoga block, bolster and blanket, but if you don’t have these, you can use household items instead.
- Post-pregnancy
There are post-pregnancy programs available to help women who have given birth restore their core strength and start exercising again. The workouts are typically brief, making it possible for you to fit them into the little free time you might have as a new mother.
It is generally advised that you seek advice from a health professional and get approval before beginning any new program after childbirth.
Frequency
It has been scientifically proven that two to three sessions of full body training per week of 45 to 60 minutes each is the optimal workload.
A split schedule, whether it be at home or the gym, is better advised if you wish to train more than four times a week. This means that you should alternate between training the upper and lower bodies, for example, and isolate two to three muscle groups per session.
Regeneration
Always make sure you give your body enough time to recover after particularly long or intensive workouts. As a rule of thumb, take a 48-hour break between two training sessions of the same muscle group.
Of course, you can also be active during your recovery periods – for example with low intensity workouts, easy running or walking, yoga, mobility training, or fascia training.
Tip: You can support your recovery by taking in essential amino acids. For example, try our Recovery Aminos, it will recharge your muscles and get you fit for your next workout.
Nutrition
Besides the pillars of training and recovery, a healthy, balanced diet is the foundation for your success. Your body needs sufficient energy every day: carbohydrates and fats help you to perform at your best in all areas of life.
Protein is just as important so that your muscles can recover and grow after the workout. If you don’t have much time and still want to supply your body with energy and protein quickly, a protein shake is the right choice.
