A Full Guide to Working Out at Home

Introduction

To be honest, it can feel like you’re throwing money into a black hole when you pay for a gym membership. RunRepeat’s 2023 study found that the average American spends about $696 a year on gym memberships, but 67% of those memberships are never used. You’re wasting a lot of money on equipment you don’t use and classes you don’t go to.

But here’s the good news: you don’t need to pay a lot of money for a gym membership or fill your garage with expensive equipment to get in great shape. There are a lot of good reasons why home gym exercises are so popular. The American College of Sports Medicine says that home workouts have been one of the most popular fitness trends since 2020, and they aren’t going anywhere.

Home gym exercises are a practical and effective way to work out if you’re a busy parent trying to balance work and kids, someone who is scared of crowded gyms, or just someone who likes the idea of rolling out of bed and working out. This complete guide will show you everything you need to know about making a great workout plan in your living room, bedroom, or backyard.

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Why exercises at home really work

Before we get into the details of the exercises, let’s talk about the big question: Is it possible to get fit at home without all that expensive gym equipment?

Yes, the answer is a big yes. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research published a study that showed bodyweight training can be just as good as traditional weight training for building muscle and strength, especially for people who are just starting out or are at an intermediate level. It’s not where you work out or what equipment you use that matters most; it’s consistency, good form, and progressive overload.

Your body can’t tell the difference between a $3,000 cable machine and your own weight. It only knows how to be tense, resist, and work hard. Your muscles are working against your body weight and gravity when you do a push-up. Your legs are holding up and moving your whole body when you squat. That’s real resistance, and it makes you stronger.

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Bodyweight Exercises You Need for Your Home Gym

Bodyweight exercises are the most important thing to start with. You don’t need any equipment to do these, and you can do them anywhere you have enough room to lie down. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and two days of muscle-strengthening activities every week. These exercises do both things.

Push-Ups: The Best Exercise for Your Upper Body

Push-ups are the best exercise for your upper body, and you can do them in a lot of different ways. A normal push-up works your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core all at the same time. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) says that push-ups use 50–75% of your maximum muscle strength, which makes them very effective.

Start in a plank position with your hands a little wider than your shoulders. Lower your body until your chest is almost on the floor. Your elbows should be at a 45-degree angle from your body. Push yourself back up to where you started. If regular push-ups are too hard, try doing incline push-ups against a wall or countertop, or drop to your knees.

Squats: Strengthening Your Lower Body

Squats are a basic exercise that helps you build strength in your legs and improve your overall fitness. They work out your glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and core. According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, squats are one of the best ways to build strength and power in your lower body.

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes pointed slightly out. As if you were sitting back in a chair, lower your body while keeping your chest up and your weight on your heels. Go down as far as you can without hurting yourself, which should be until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Then, push through your heels to get back up. Try to do three sets of 15 to 20 reps.

Planks: Strength and Stability in the Core

Planks are one of the best exercises for building core strength because your core is what lets you move. The Journal of Physical Therapy Science published a study that found that planks work more core muscles than regular crunches and are easier on your back.

Place your forearms on the ground so that your elbows are directly under your shoulders and your body is in a straight line from head to heels. Hold this position while you tighten your core and squeeze your glutes. Beginners should start with 20 to 30 seconds and work their way up to 60 seconds or more.

Lunges: Building One Leg at a Time

Lunges are a great way to strengthen your legs and improve your balance and coordination at the same time. They work on each leg separately, which helps fix muscle imbalances. ACE says that lunges are especially good for working the glutes and quadriceps.

Take a step forward with one leg and bend your body until both knees are at right angles. Your front knee should be right above your ankle, and your back knee should be just above the floor. To get back to the starting position, push through your front heel. Then do the same thing on the other side.

Full-Body Cardio Conditioning with Burpees

Burpees are the best way to get your heart rate up and burn calories quickly. The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport published a study that found that high-intensity exercises like burpees can burn up to 50% more calories than moderate-intensity exercises.

Drop down into a squat from a standing position and put your hands on the floor. Jump your feet back into a plank position, do a push-up, jump your feet back to your hands, and then jump up with your arms over your head. That was one rep. Start with 5 to 10 sets and then work your way up.

Less Equipment More Results

Bodyweight exercises are great, but if you add a few cheap pieces of equipment, you’ll have a lot more options and be able to keep making progress.

Resistance Bands: Easy to Carry and Use

Resistance bands cost between $10 and $30 and give you different levels of resistance throughout the whole range of motion. A study in the Journal of Human Kinetics found that training with resistance bands makes you stronger in the same way that lifting weights does.

Resistance bands can be used for a lot of different exercises, like bicep curls, shoulder presses, rows, and chest presses. They’re great for travel because they don’t take up much space.

Dumbbells: The Old-Fashioned Choice

You can do hundreds of different exercises with a set of adjustable dumbbells or a few pairs of fixed-weight dumbbells. The American College of Sports Medicine says to start with weights that let you do 8 to 12 reps with good form.

As you get stronger, you can progressively overload your muscles by doing dumbbell exercises like goblet squats, shoulder presses, bent-over rows, and chest presses.

Pull-Up Bar: A Game-Changer for Your Upper Body

A doorway pull-up bar is a great way to build upper body strength, and it costs between $25 and $40. Pull-ups and chin-ups are compound exercises that work your back, biceps, and core all at once.

If you can’t do a full pull-up yet, try negative pull-ups (jumping up and slowly lowering yourself down) or use a resistance band to help you.

Making a workout plan for your home gym

It’s great to have a lot of exercises, but you need a plan to see real results. Here’s how to make a good home gym plan.

The Split for Three Days

For most people, the best way to build strength while still getting enough rest is to work out three times a week with days off in between. The National Academy of Sports Medicine says that this is a good way for beginners and people who exercise regularly to start.

• Day 1: Upper Body Push: Push-ups, dumbbell shoulder press, dips (using a chair), and tricep extensions
• Day 2: Lower Body: Squats, lunges, glute bridges, and calf raises
• Day 3: Upper Body Pull and Core—Pull-ups or rows, bicep curls, planks, and mountain climbers

Do 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps of each exercise, with a 60 to 90 second break between sets.

The Whole Body Approach

A full-body workout done three to four times a week can be just as effective if you like shorter, more frequent workouts. The Journal of Sports Sciences found that full-body workouts can give many people the same or better results as split routines.

Some exercises that could be part of a full-body workout are squats, push-ups, rows, lunges, shoulder presses, and planks. Do 2 to 3 sets of each exercise, and try to move through the circuit with as little rest as possible between exercises.

The Key to Always Getting Better Progressive Overload

A lot of people don’t know this, but doing the same workout over and over will eventually stop working. Your body gets used to stress, so you need to keep pushing it with progressive overload.

Progressive overload means putting more and more stress on your muscles over time. This is the basic idea behind all strength and muscle gains, according to research in Sports Medicine.

To get progressive overload, you can:

• Adding more times
• Adding more sets
• Less time to rest between sets
• Slowing down the tempo (especially the lowering phase)
• Moving on to harder exercise variations
• Using bands or weights to add resistance

Write down your workouts in a notebook or an app, and try to get better at something every week, even if it’s just doing one more rep.

Things You Shouldn’t Do

Even when they mean well, a lot of people make these common mistakes that hurt their home gym success:

Not Warming Up

If you don’t warm up before doing intense exercise, you’re more likely to get hurt and less likely to do well. Before every workout, the American Heart Association says you should do 5 to 10 minutes of light cardio and dynamic stretching.

Giving up form for reps

Quality is always better than quantity. Bad form not only makes the exercise less effective, but it also makes it more likely that you will get hurt. If you can’t keep your form, make it easier or take a longer break.

Not Getting Enough Protein

Exercise breaks down muscle tissue, and protein builds it back up stronger. According to the International Society of Sports Nutrition, people who do strength training regularly should eat 0.7 to 1 gramme of protein for every pound of body weight they have.

Not being consistent

The CDC says that only 23% of Americans follow the recommended guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-building activities. If you don’t stick to the best workout plan in the world, it won’t work. Try to work out at least three times a week, every week.

How to Make a Home Gym Habit That Lasts

It’s no use knowing things if you don’t do anything with them. Here’s how to make your home gym knowledge a habit that lasts:

Make a plan for when you will work out and treat it like an important meeting. The European Journal of Social Psychology published a study that found it takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit. So, you should stick with it for at least two months.

Make a space just for working out, even if it’s just a corner of your bedroom. It’s easier to get into “workout mode” when you have a specific space.

Get a workout buddy or join an online fitness group. The Journal of Social Sciences published a study that found that people who work out with a partner are 95% more likely to stick with their program.

Conclusion A Full Guide to Working Out at Home

I understand. It can be hard to start a new exercise routine, especially if you’re doing it alone at home without a trainer watching you. But remember this: everyone who is in great shape today started out just like you are now. They didn’t come into the world being able to do perfect push-ups or 20 pull-ups. They did one workout, then another, and then another.

Home gym exercises are great because they get rid of all excuses. No need to drive, pay membership fees, wait for equipment, or worry about what other people think. You and your body are the only things that matter. You have to be committed to getting stronger and healthier.

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to work out for an hour every day of the week. You only need to begin, keep going, and have faith in the process. The secret is to work out three times a week, add weight gradually, get enough protein, and get enough sleep. It doesn’t look good or sound hard, but it works.

So make some room in your living room, get dressed for your workout, and do your first workout today. Not tomorrow, not Monday, and not after you get some gear. Today. Starting now will be good for your future self, and in six months, you’ll be amazed at how far you’ve come.

The home gym revolution isn’t coming; it’s already here. And soon you’ll be a part of it.